Join Dr Steve Tibble to explore the most eccentric characters of the medieval period: the Hospitallers who went rogue on crusade.

The 2026 Jonathan Riley-Smith Memorial Lecture, an in-person evening talk in partnership with the St John Historical Society.

The Hospitallers have a lasting reputation for bravery, sacrifice and dedication to the crusading movement.

But, despite the best efforts and high ideals of the order, not everyone was a plaster saint. As with any large organisation, there were always a few embarrassing outliers who let the side down and brought disgrace upon themselves and their colleagues.

For this year's Jonathan Riley-Smith Memorial Lecture, Dr Steve Tibble tells us strange (often hilarious) stories about some of the most eccentric characters of the medieval period: the Hospitallers who went rogue on crusade.

Dr Steve Tibble is a graduate of Cambridge and London Universities, at both tutored by Professor Jonathan Riley-Smith. He has an honorary position at Royal Holloway College, University of London. Steve is one of the foremost academics currently working in the field of the crusades, and is the author of the warfare and strategy chapters in both 'The Oxford Illustrated History of the Crusades' and 'The Cambridge History of the Crusades'.

His recent publications have been critically acclaimed and include 'The Crusader Armies' (Yale, 2018) and 'The Crusader Strategy' (Yale, 2020, short-listed for the Duke of Wellington's Military History Prize). He has recently completed a trilogy about the 'bad boys' of the crusades including, 'Templars - The Knights Who Made Britain' (2023), 'Crusader Criminals - The Knights Who Went Rogue in the Holy Land' (2024) and 'Assassins and Templars - A Battle in Myth and Blood' (2025).

There will be a book signing as part of this event, with a range of Steve's publications available for purchase on the evening.

Image credit: Coin in the name of Bohemond, 1163 - 1201, ANT94. Museum of the Order of St John and University of Birmingham, 2016.

Description supplied by the event organiser.