ABSTRACT
The university, especially its faculties of theology and canon law, was an internationally prestigious institution, and its members were drawn both from within and without France and so might help spread support for Philippe Josserand's position. One area is the interaction during the trial between some of the masters of theology at the University of Paris and Philip the Fair's government. The Templars had been tortured hideously during the three months that had elapsed since their arrest, and they were dying as martyrs to the truth. The anonymous defender of the Templars either knew this or anticipated it, and was evidently trying to even the pressures on the masters. Jacques of Therines apparently found the case against the Templars shaky – repeatedly, he referred to the charges and then appended 'if what they say is true' or similar disclaimers. But he was plainly concerned that the attack on the Templars would spill over onto other exempt orders.
