field of blood, which was, according to Asbridge, "a deeply disturbing shock to Latin Christendom". After the miraculous success of the First Crusade, the idea of defeat at the hands of Muslim forces was unimaginable to the Crusaders. Furthermore, Baldwin II was captured and held hostage by the Turks from 1123 to 1124, only supporting Asbridge's contention that he did little to strengthen the Kingdom of Jerusalem during his reign and further showing his relative weakness compared to Baldwin I. in the following years he expanded the territory of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and directed attacks against Damascus, aided by the military orders, the Hospitallers and the Templars. As power consolidated in the Crusader states, the emergence of numerous military orders, including the rise of the Templars in 1120, were 'the nails that held the Crusader states together'. The need for these military orders was a sign of a critical weakness of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, as the lack of manpower had been detrimental to the success of the Crusader states. An example of this is the Battle of the Field of Blood, where the Franks again found themselves overwhelmed by Muslim forces and suffered large territorial losses. This was the underlying weakness of the Kingdom that shows itself repeatedly and proves to be a long-term weakness that the Crusaders had to combat. The Templars were an elite fighting force, as well as a body of great impact in terms of religious culture, sanctified by the Pope. They were knights who went on a united pilgrimage for the benefit of the Christian world, "the perfect representation of sanctified violence". They were crucial in castle engineering and were a much needed force. For example, the castles and fortresses that the Crusaders became famous for were built and maintained by these military orders. However, not all historians agree with this analysis of the Templars. Michael Haag draws attention to the failures of the military order in his work "The Tragedy of the Templars", where he describes the castles of the Amanus mountain pass, north of Antioch, as "three poorly built castles", questioning the ability of the Templars. Indeed, it is noteworthy that the most famous Crusader castle, the Krak de Chevalier, was originally a Kurdish castle. It was donated to Raymond II, Count of Tripoli, in 1142, and is sometimes mistakenly attributed to the Hospitallers, who only contributed to its expansion, but were not responsible for its construction. Like monks, they took a vow of poverty, chastity and obedience, but combined monasticism with knighthood to become a religious-military order of the kingdom of Jerusalem. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, one of the most important spiritual figures of the 12th century and a staunch supporter of the Templars, wrote a treatise, “In Praise of the New Knighthood,” praising the Templars and their way of life. This was a major factor contributing to their immense rise in popularity and cultural impact. The Templars, as well as other military orders such as the Hospitallers, were seen as the heart of Outremer, heroes of the Crusades, and played a leading role in the war for the Holy Land. It was precisely this publicity and this image, cultivated with the help of figures such as Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, that brought them rich donations from all over Europe, allowing them to become "supranational movements"; in addition to protecting the Holy Land, they were also involved in European affairs and played a leading role in the Second Crusade. The Templars and Hospitallers brought a wealth of military knowledge and much-needed military funds. The wealth they had acquired through the generous donations of European nobles was used to build and support a network of castles and forts which can be highly credited for many of the successes.

Topic > field of blood, which was, according to Asbridge, "a deeply disturbing shock to Latin Christendom". After the miraculous success of the First Crusade, the idea of defeat at the hands of Muslim forces was unimaginable to the Crusaders. Furthermore, Baldwin II was captured and held hostage by the Turks from 1123 to 1124, only supporting Asbridge's contention that he did little to strengthen the Kingdom of Jerusalem during his reign and further showing his relative weakness compared to Baldwin I. in the following years he expanded the territory of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and directed attacks against Damascus, aided by the military orders, the Hospitallers and the Templars. As power consolidated in the Crusader states, the emergence of numerous military orders, including the rise of the Templars in 1120, were 'the nails that held the Crusader states together'. The need for these military orders was a sign of a critical weakness of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, as the lack of manpower had been detrimental to the success of the Crusader states. An example of this is the Battle of the Field of Blood, where the Franks again found themselves overwhelmed by Muslim forces and suffered large territorial losses. This was the underlying weakness of the Kingdom that shows itself repeatedly and proves to be a long-term weakness that the Crusaders had to combat. The Templars were an elite fighting force, as well as a body of great impact in terms of religious culture, sanctified by the Pope. They were knights who went on a united pilgrimage for the benefit of the Christian world, "the perfect representation of sanctified violence". They were crucial in castle engineering and were a much needed force. For example, the castles and fortresses that the Crusaders became famous for were built and maintained by these military orders. However, not all historians agree with this analysis of the Templars. Michael Haag draws attention to the failures of the military order in his work "The Tragedy of the Templars", where he describes the castles of the Amanus mountain pass, north of Antioch, as "three poorly built castles", questioning the ability of the Templars. Indeed, it is noteworthy that the most famous Crusader castle, the Krak de Chevalier, was originally a Kurdish castle. It was donated to Raymond II, Count of Tripoli, in 1142, and is sometimes mistakenly attributed to the Hospitallers, who only contributed to its expansion, but were not responsible for its construction. Like monks, they took a vow of poverty, chastity and obedience, but combined monasticism with knighthood to become a religious-military order of the kingdom of Jerusalem. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, one of the most important spiritual figures of the 12th century and a staunch supporter of the Templars, wrote a treatise, “In Praise of the New Knighthood,” praising the Templars and their way of life. This was a major factor contributing to their immense rise in popularity and cultural impact. The Templars, as well as other military orders such as the Hospitallers, were seen as the heart of Outremer, heroes of the Crusades, and played a leading role in the war for the Holy Land. It was precisely this publicity and this image, cultivated with the help of figures such as Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, that brought them rich donations from all over Europe, allowing them to become "supranational movements"; in addition to protecting the Holy Land, they were also involved in European affairs and played a leading role in the Second Crusade. The Templars and Hospitallers brought a wealth of military knowledge and much-needed military funds. The wealth they had acquired through the generous donations of European nobles was used to build and support a network of castles and forts which can be highly credited for many of the successes.