Hugues de Revel (died 1277 in the Holy Land) was an English knight who became the twentieth Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, serving from 1258 to 1277 as the successor to Guillaume de Chateauneuf. He was succeeded by Nicolas Lorgne. [1] [2]
Hugues de Revel (died 1277 in the Holy Land) was an English knight who became the twentieth Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, serving from 1258 to 1277 as the successor to Guillaume de Chateauneuf. He was succeeded by Nicolas Lorgne. [1] [2]
Born before 1222, by some accounts he was a son of Richard Reynell, a Somerset squire whose father was Richard Reynell (died before 1213), Sheriff of Devon in 1191–4. This attribution is cast in doubt by recent research which suggests that the younger Richard's only heir was a daughter Sabina. [3]
Hugues de Revel was Châtelain of the Krak des Chevaliers from 1243 to 1248 and Grand Commander of the Order from 1251 to 1258. In the latter position, he succeeded Jean de Ronay. [4]
Upon the death of Guillaume de Chateauneuf in 1258, Hugues de Revel was elected Grand Master of the Order. His first act was dated 9 October 1258. As soon as he was elected, he had to face the consequences of the War of Saint Sabas. Bohemond VI of Antioch, wanting to take revenge on the Embriaco lords of Gibelet, attacked them and found his allies, the Templars and his opponents William II of Botron and the Hospitallers. The death of Bertrand Embriaco, son of Hugues de Gibelet, put an end to the conflict but the Templars with the brothers of Saint-Lazare and Saint-Thomas attacked the Hospitallers, but this ended in a resounding victory of the Hospitallers and the almost complete massacre of the Templars. The Templars and the Hospitallers were able to overcome their differences in 1262, mainly with the extinction of the claims of Margat and Sidon. [4]
Revel strengthened the Hospitaller domain by acquiring the Benedictine abbey on Mount Tabor, but the consent of the Archbishop of Nazareth was not obtained until 1263. He had direct relations with the Mamluk Sultan Baibars in 1263, 1266 and 1267–1268. The siege of the Templar fortress of Safied by the Mamluk army led the Hospitallers to negotiate a separate truce for the Krak des Chevaliers and the fortress of Margat in 1267, but Baybars' armies seized the Krak in 1271, which did not prevent Revel from negotiating a truce the same year. [4]
Hugues de Revel attached his name to the modification of the statutes of the Order during the general chapters of 1268, 1270, 1274 and 1276 as the compilations of sentences, the "esgarts", and customs, the "usances", fixed between 1239 and 1271 were most certainly made at the instigation of Revel. The success of the administrative activity of Revel is largely due to the treasurer Joseph de Chauncy who officiated from 1248 to 1271 before being called by Edward I of England. [4]
Hugues de Revel died between the second half of 1277 and the first half of 1278. His successor Nicolas Lorgne exercised his magisterium on 16 June 1278. [5]
Jean de Valenciennes was twice delegated by Louis IX of France to obtained the release of a large number of prisoners of the Seventh Crusade's Battle of Fariskur, including de Revel's predecessor Guillaume de Chateauneuf. Previous assertions that he was either a Frankish knight or a lord of Haifa who died in 1270 have been shown to be incorrect. Instead, he has been identified as a canon who lived in Acre. His grave is mystifying as the epitaph remains unfinished and is not preceded by a cross. There are proposed explanations that have been offered. Lack of funds could have caused the stonecutter to leave the engraving unfinished. Or the executors decided to return the corpse to the County of Hainaut for final burial, leaving the incomplete epitaph. [7]
Raymond du Puy (1083–1160) was a knight from Dauphiné in France and the second Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, also known as the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, from around 1121 until 1160. Officially, he succeeded Blessed Gerard, the founder of the Order, as Grand Master. While traditionally cited as the direct successor upon Gerard's death in 1118 or 1120, his assumption of the magisterium was in 1121 or 1123 after one or two interim superiors, Pierre de Barcelona and Boyant Roger. Raymond divided the membership of the Order into clerical, military, and serving brothers and established the first significant Hospitaller infirmary near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
Blessed Gerard Sasso, known also as Gérard de Martigues, was a lay brother in the Benedictine Order who was appointed as rector of the hospice in Jerusalem at Muristan in 1080. In the wake of the success of the First Crusade in 1099, he became the founder of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, also known as the Knights Hospitaller, an organization that received papal recognition in 1113. As such, he was the first Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller.
Jobert of Syria was the seventh Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, in Syria from 1172 to his death, which is thought to have occurred in 1177. He was succeeded by Roger de Moulins.
Gilbert of Assailly was the fifth Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, serving from 1162 or 1163 to 1170, when he was deposed. As Grand Master, he succeeded Auger de Balben. Nevertheless, most sources list him as the fifth, rather than fourth, Grand Master and this biography continues that tradition, with the exception being Delaville Le Roulx' work. He was succeeded by Gastone de Murols. Gilbert encouraged Amalric of Jerusalem in his unsuccessful invasion of Egypt, leaving the Order in debt and causing the reexamination of its military role.
Odo de Pins, also known as Eudes de Pin or Odon de Pins, was the twenty-third Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, serving from 1294 until his death in 1296, succeeding Jean de Villiers. He moved the headquarters of the Order to Limasso in modern-day Cyprus. Upon his death, he was succeeded by Guillaume de Villaret.
Jean de Villiers was the twenty-second Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, serving from 1285 until 1293. He was elected Grand Master after the death of Nicolas Lorgne. De Villiers was Prior of France beginning in 1282 and he remained in France to deal with existing problems of the Order. Jacques de Taxi became Grand Master ad interim, perhaps through 27 June 1286, while awaiting the arrival of the newly elected Grand Master in the Holy Land. De Villiers was present at the Siege of Acre in 1291, but escaped just before the city fell to the Mamluks. He was succeeded by Odon de Pins.
Garnier de Nablus, also known as Garnier of Syria, was the tenth Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller from 1190 to 1192, succeeding Armengol de Aspa. He fought at the Battle of Arsuf in 1191 during the Third Crusade. It was under his magistracy that the headquarters of the Order were transferred from Tyre to Acre. He was succeeded by Geoffroy de Donjon.
Fernando Afonso of Portugal was the twelfth Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, serving between 1202–1206. He was the oldest son of Afonso Henriques, the first king of the Kingdom of Portugal. Fernando would never inherit the crown as he was born out of wedlock. He formally succeeded the interim Grand Master Pierre de Mirmande installed after the death of Geoffroy de Donjon. He resigned in 1206 and was succeeded by Geoffroy le Rat.
Nicolas Lorgne was the twenty-first Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, serving first from 1277 until 1285 and was the successor to Hugues de Revel. He was succeeded by Jean de Villiers, with Jacques de Taxi acting as Grand Master ad interim while de Villiers was en route to the Holy Land.
Geoffroy de Donjon, also known as or Geoffroy de Duisson, was the eleventhth Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller serving from 1193 through his death in 1202. He succeeded Garnier de Nablus who died in August 1192.
Pierre de Mirmande was a French nobleman of the Order of Saint-John of Jerusalem from the end of the 12th century to the beginning of the 13th century. He served as interim Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller after the death of Geoffroy de Donjon in 1202. He was replaced by Fernando Afonso of Portugal who became Grand Master in 1202.
Guillaume de Chateauneuf was the nineteenth Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, serving first from 1242–1244 as the successor to Pierre de Vieille-Brioude. He was captured during the Battle of La Forbie in 1244, held hostage in Egypt and ransomed through the Sixth Crusade. During his captivity, his position was filled on an interim basis by Jean de Ronay. De Ronay died in 1250, and de Chateauneuf was released shortly thereafter. He was succeeded by Hugues de Revel.
Bertrand de Thessy, also known as Bertrand of Thercy, was the fifteenth Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, serving between 1228 and 1230 or 1231. He succeeded Guérin de Montaigu upon his death on 1 March 1228. Thessy was either from France or Italy, most likely the former. He was succeeded by Guérin Lebrun.
Gastone de Murols was the sixth Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller from 1170 until his death in 1172. He succeeded Gilbert of Aissailly as Grand Master and was succeeded by Jobert of Syria.
Jean de Ronay was knight of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem who was appointed Grand Commander of the Knights Hospitaller by the Grand Master Guillaume de Chateauneuf in 1243 or 1244. He served as interim Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller from 1244 to 1250 during the captivity of de Chateauneuf. He died in battle during the Seventh Crusade.
William Borrel was acting Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, ad interim, from 1 May 1187 until his death at the Battle of Hattin in 1187. He became custodian of the Hospitallers after the Grand Master Roger de Moulins was killed in the Battle of Cresson on 1 May 1187.
Armengol de Aspa, also known as Hermangard d'Asp, was the ninth Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, holding the office from 1188 until his resignation in 1189 or 1190. He succeeded William Borrel who was interim Grand Master. It was under his magistracy that the headquarters of the Order was transferred from Jerusalem to Tyre. It was probably during the winter of 1189 or 1190 that Armengol's magistracy ceased, but this was not due to his death, since he appears again as lord of Amposta from December 1190 to April 1191. We have no information on what this first abdication in the history of the Order was, but he was succeeded by Garnier de Nablus sometime in 1190.
Geoffroy le Rat was the thirteenth Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, serving between 1206–1207. He succeeded the Grand Master Fernando Afonso after his resignation in 1206, and was succeeded by Guérin de Montaigu.
Jacques de Taxi was ad interim Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, serving in 1285 and was the successor to Nicolas Lorgne. De Taxi was appointed as acting leader of the Order prior to the arrival of Jean de Villiers in the Holy Land.
The history of the Knights Hospitaller in the Levant is concerned with the early years of the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, the Knights Hospitaller, through 1309. The Order was formed in the later part of the eleventh century and played a major role in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, in particular, the Crusades. This lasted until the West was expelled from the Holy Land, with the Order conquering Rhodes in the early fourteenth century. Among the most important internal events of the early years of the kingdom were the foundation of the Military Orders, which included the Hospitallers, the Knights Templar and the Teutonic Order. Unlike the Hospitallers' beginnings as a benevolent organization, the Templars and Teutonic knights began with a military mission. These three major Orders would play a major role in the military activities of the kingdom, sometimes cooperatively, sometimes not. On the battlefield they frequently shared among them the most important tactical roles, the vanguard and rear-guard.