ABSTRACT
The role played by the Military Orders in the development and expansion of the medieval sugar industry seems to have been substantial. Considering the importance of this industry to the economy of the kingdom and the fact that the introduction to the West of cane sugar was apparently one of the few lasting contributions made by the Franks, this activity is worth examination. The Military Orders were central to the development of the industry for much the same reasons as they were important in the field of military architecture (the better-known area of contribution of the Military Orders, but one that had little influence on modern society). They were perhaps the only organisation financially capable of developing the industry to its full potential, constructing mills, refineries, aqueducts and warehouses, manufacturing – or more likely purchasing – the ceramic jars and moulds, and providing a workforce to cultivate and harvest the crop and to work in the refineries.
