It is over eighty years since the last important comprehensive work on the military orders, including the Templars, was published. Yet the present volume seeks to do more than just summarise recent research on individual sources; based on a wide range of primary sources, it also sets out to answer questions about the military orders which have not been posed before. 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 administrative structure and in their predominantly lay membership. Written by a leading authority in this area, The Military Orders is the first generic approach to this subject. Dr. Forey has written a book that will become indispensable reading for the student and general reader alike.