The Military Orders From the Twelfth to the Early Fourteenth Centuries.

278 pp, 8vo (8 1/2" H). Maps. "The reasons for the emergence and establishment of military orders on the various borders of Western Christendom and within the West are discussed, as are the military functions and roles which they assumed. The orders made a major contribution to the defence and expansion of Western Christendom, and this required considerable funds and reserves of manpower. This book describes the ways in which these were obtained, and gives an account of extensive governmental machinery developed to enable the orders to carry out their tasks effectively. Although their members combined a military with a monastic way of life, the military orders are shown to have differed from other religious foundations not only in their daily routine but also in their adminstrative structure and in their predominantly lay membership." Interior - clean and tight with no previous ownership marks. Exterior - tiny soft crease at top corner of covers - migrates into adjacent pages, very light rubbing, mnior wear at bottom of spine.