ABSTRACT
The aim of this study is to examine the circumstances before, during and after the arrest and dissolution of the Templars in the county of Flanders in the period of 1307–14. I focuses on the Templars in one of the order’s major settlements in Fanders, the commandery of Ypres, with occasional reference to other Flemish towns, although my research on these other locations is still at an early stage. The fate of the Templars in the county of Flanders cannot be separated from the events of the preceding years. The Franco-Femish War (1297–1304) was one of the most constant preoccupations of King Philip IV of France. It is noted elsewhere in this volume that a possible motivation for the Templars’ arrest was the need to relieve King Philip IV’s acute financial problems; one cause of these problems was the king’s attempt to extend his power over Flanders. 2
