Le marquis d’Albon (1866–1912) et son Cartulaire général de l’ordre du Temple
Marquis of Albon (1866–1912) and his The Cartulary of the Templar Commandery

Summary/Abstract: The specialists researching the Templars history are familiar with the marquis of Albon: his The Cartulary of the Templar Commandery (Cartulaire général de l’Ordre du Temple) issued in 1913 is the basis of all studies on the beginnings of the first chivalric order in history. The less known is The handwritten cartulary, collected by the insatiable of work writer: 71 volumes stored in the French National Library provides an unmatched set of copies from various sources, drafted in the main European archives, starting with the same origin and ending with the trial of the convent. The first part of the article presents an intellectual way and working methods of a researcher, who was above all a noble scholar of his age. His project to prepare a complete set of sources on the Knights Templar is matching perfectly to the excitement caused by the willingness to document, which seized then the researchers across the Europe concerned about their own participation in the great national work. It is additionally mentioned about the method, which presided the realization of the cartulary written by hand, as well as its value for contemporary historian. The second part shows the contribution of the marquis’ of Albon art in relation to the awareness of the history of the Order of Oriental Templars. The published cartulary indeed contains important acts issued by the authorities of the Crusader states, but a large number of them were already issued elsewhere. Drawn up and unpublished copies collected in the volume 59 of this issue appear to be even more valuable for the historian. One can find here especially agreements between the Templars and the Hospitallers, diplomas issued by Christian principalities of the East, as well as very useful series of correspondence. While significant number of the copies concerning the East is already present in various publications, then the huge edition by marquis of Albon did not reveal all of the secrets and could serve as a basis for future publishing ventures, which are the sources regarding Knights Templar.

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