Robert Fraisnel assumed the title of “grand preceptor,” but he could not be elected as master while Odo lived.3 Then, when Odo died in prison in 1180 and and his post fell vacant, the Templars of the central convent chose not to promote Robert Fraisnel or indeed any other brother in the East. Instead they voted to hand the leadership to Arnold of Torrolla, an elderly and experienced knight who had spent much of his long career leading the armies of Christ in Aragón.
