ABSTRACT
In 1173-4 Jobert, the Master of the Hospitallers, sent a letter to Archbishop Henry of Reims in which he asked for a property in his diocese. 1 Such requests do not appear to have been commonplace. An examination of the timing, tone and content of this letter may reveal why Jobert made such an approach. This investigation may help to shed more light on the turbulent period in the Hospitallers' history when their level of involvement in military affairs provoked serious concern within the Order itself and in the wider Church. This paper will also consider the reasons why Jobert chose to approach Archbishop Henry in particular. In the course of this discussion it will be possible to see the existence of a network of ties between the Hospitallers and a group of leading figures in western Europe who were interested in the defence of the Holy Land.
