Guillaume de Villaret

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Guillaume de Villaret (d. 1307^[1]) was the 24th grand master of the Knights Hospitallers, a position he held from 1296 to his death. He was succeeded by his brother, Foulque de Villaret.

Before that, he had been grand prior of St Gilles. He spent the early part of his mastership in a reforming tour of the order's priories (in France proper, the Auvergne and Provence).^[2]

Preceded by Odon de Pins	Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller 1296–1307	Succeeded by Foulques de Villaret

[edit] Notes

^ There are some other dates given, a few years earlier.
^ In 1296 Eudes was succeeded by Guillaume de Villaret, grand prior of St Gilles, who for three years after his election remained in Europe, regulating the affairs of the order. In 1300, in response to the urgent remonstrances of the knights, he appeared in Cyprus. In 1299 an unnatural alliance of the Christians and Mongols gave a momentary prospect of regaining the Holy Land; in 1300 the Hospitallers took part in the raid of King Henry II. (de Lusignan) of Cyprus in Egypt, and gained some temporary successes on the coast of Syria. Of more advantage for the prestige of the order, however, were the immense additions of property and privileges which Guillaume de Villaret had secured in Europe from the pope and many kings and princes, and the reform of the rule and drastic reorganization of the order promulgated in a series of statutes between 1300 and 1304, the year of Guillaume's death." Of these changes the most significant was the definition of the powers and status of the admiral, a new great dignitary created in 1299. 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica text, to be found on [1]