ABSTRACT
The defeat of Manfred, the natural son of Frederick II, at the hands of Charles of Anjou, the brother of the king of France, at Benevento in 1266 represented a victory for the papacy over the empire and the beginning of a new dynasty in the kingdom of sicily. 1 Once he had become king, Charles put an end to the seizure of Hospitaller lands, and on 9 August 1268 he ordered the return of properties occupied, or encroached upon, by Frederick and his sons to their lawful owners. 2 The Hospital, which on behalf of the pope supported Charles against Conradin and his followers, regained its properties, but the conflict had left both the kingdom and the papacy in debt. Pope Clement IV appealed to all his loyal followers to raise money, and in 1268 he instructed Rodolphe de Chevrières to collect the tithe for Charles of Anjou from all exempt orders such as the Cistercians, the Templars and the Hospitallers. 3
