From enemies to allies? The attitude of the Hospitallers and the Templars towards the Mongols during the decades following the Battle of Ayn Jalut (1260-1310s)

Abstract

The present paper investigates the attitude of the major military orders towards the Mongols in the Levant from 1260 to the 1310s. The major characteristics of a potential counter-Mamluk alliance between the Franks and the Mongols were studied partly as part of the crusading movement in general, and as part of the recovery of the Holy Land in particular. The role of the military orders is discussed as somewhat distinct feature since their interests did not always coincide with those of the Crusader states. On the basis of primary sources and trough a critical analysis of the relevant secondary literature, the study attempts to reconstruct and evaluate the attitude of the Hospitallers and the Templars in the period under query.