The Templar Commandery at Alphen, the Netherlands

The Knights Templar held a significant but often overlooked presence in the northern Netherlands. In Brabant they had their commandery at Ter Brake near Alphen. What is known?

The Ter Brake commandery was the only known independent Templar establishment in the Northern Netherlands (that is north of present day Belgium), indicating the Templars' influence in the region. Much of its history remains fragmented and poorly documented. 

Old charters linking the Order of the Temple to Godfried I, II and III, Dukes of Brabant, indicate that there must have been Templars in Brabant before 1139, without mentioning a specific site. The oldest records about the Templars in Alphen can be found in three charters: two from 1236 and one from 1245.  Later sources that tell us more about the foundation of a commandery date from the 16th, 17th and 18th century. This (at best partly reliable) information suggests that the Aphen Templar house was founded by the Lord of Breda just before or in 1144.  

Now what rights did the Templars hold? In the first place, the Templars had a share in the right to the wasteland. This right meant that one could issue this land in cijns, which must have been an important source of income for the commandery. Another important right, which the Templars shared with the lords of Alphen and Oosterhout, was the low jurisdiction. The Templars received part of the proceeds of the lower fines.

A list of the goods which the Templars possessed at the time of the at the time of the dissolution of the order, is given in the ‘acquisitions inventory’ of the Hospitaller Order from May 1313. It mentions mainly degraded lands of which the value was difficult to assess, a farm and two mills. Nevertheless the income was significant. Within the property complexes of Alphen and Oosterhout, the structure of the property remained mostly unchanged after the Hospitallers took over. The same holds for the rights and the income. When comparing the revenues of the Hospitaller commanderies in Brabant in the 14th and 15th centuries, Ter Brake appears to be among the properties with the largest revenues.

After 1313 the Alphen Commandery belonged to the Chantraine bailiwick of the Order of St John, until the latter sold the ‘freehold’ to the (now royal) family of Orange-Nassau in 1616. This explains why it was later called ‘Prinsenhoef’. In 1887, it was sold publicly.

The Templars played an active role in the feudal system of Brabant, managing land, property, and legal rights in areas like Alphen and Oosterhout. They were involved in land disputes, such as with the abbey of Tongerlo, and held significant rights to land use, low justice, and taxation. These rights were critical sources of income for the Templar commandery.

Local nobles, like the Dukes of Brabant, played a role in the Templars’ rise and eventual decline, influenced by external pressures from French royalty and the Catholic Church. Following the Templar arrest in 1307, which Duke Jan II of Brabant reportedly collaborated on, and the dissolution of the Templar Order in 1312, the Templar properties, including Ter Brake, were transferred to the Knights Hospitaller. The Hospitallers largely maintained the same rights and properties that the Templars had previously held, continuing the management of the estates in Alphen, Oosterhout, and Rixtel.

Even after their dissolution, the Templars continued to captivate the public imagination in Brabant. Especially in the 16 and 17th century the Templars were considered most interesting and historians constructed their own local Templar legends. Over time, the historical role of the Templars was conflated with other monastic orders, and legends about the Templars persisted, reflecting their enduring impact on regional folklore. 

Much more information (in Dutch) on the Alphen Commandery can be found at the Tempelieren-website of Dr Brus.

This blog is mainly based on the paper Tempeliers in Brabant - De commanderij Ter Brake bij Alphen by A.A. Streefland (1980) published in Jaarboek De Oranjeboom 33, source, the website www.tempelieren.nl, with additional information on several subjects mainly from Wikipedia. The illustration shows De Hof Princehoef te Alphen in 1831, after a drawing by D.T. Gevers van Endegeest. In: De geschiedenis van het Hof Ter Brake ofwel de Prinsenhoef" (Alphen) by G. Hardeveld. in: Het Brabants Kasteel, jrg.12, 1989, nr.3/4, pg.84. Fair Use.

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