A The policies of the papacy towards Templars and Hospitallers contributed to their implementation, deployment and protection in the Crown of Aragon and the kingdom of Navarre. Moreover, papal intervention acted as an important upsurge in the defence of their rights and unique status within the church. Therefore, papal bulls were preserved and translated in the regional written traditions as a source of legitimacy and were primordial in the construction of their institutional and historical

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... ry. A significant part of the actions of the popes in relation to the orders were aimed at confirming and defining their characteristics and prerogatives as well as defending them from other powers, especially ecclesiastical ones. This paper explains how the pontiff played a key role in characterising, promoting and situating the military orders as essential institutions in the expansion