The Knights Templar

A follow up to yesterday's blog, Philip IV and the Knights Templar, and then I'll get back to lighter fare.

The Knights Templar, or The Poor Knights of the Temple of King Solomon, were created in France in 1118 as a religious order of monk-like knights to protect pilgrims as they traveled to the Holy Land. The Order's patron saint was Saint Bernard de Clairvaux who had communicated with the pope to set up the order.

Saint Bernard de Clairvaux (why do people look so creepy in the old days??)

During the first crusade, French nobleman, Hugh Count of Champagne, went to Jerusalem with his vassal, Hugues de Payens.  He returned to France, leaving his vassal in the Holy Land. This vassal was to become the first Grand Master of the Knights Templar.

Hughes de Payens

King Baldwin II of Jerusalem allowed them to establish headquarters inside the Al Asqua Mosque which sat upon the site of King Solomon's Temple. Hence their name.

These nobel born fighting monks were the special forces of their day! They were the most highly-trained  and well-equiped warriors around. The Templar Knights were forbidden from retreat in battle unless outnumbered three to one, required to stay in battle which made them reckless and ferocious, and believed that to die fighting was the quickest way to heaven ... even their horses were trained to bite and kick the enemy!

One tactic was called the "squadron charge", they would group together tightly with their heavily armed selves and war horses and charge full speed into the enemy lines. It was clear that they preferred suicide to falling back, unnerving the enemy and causing them to lose ranks.

The Knights Templar only took orders from the pope, they answered to no king and to no country. They had special passes allowing them to travel at will anywhere, unquestioned. 

They themselves were sworn to poverty, but their Order grew incredibly wealthy through donations of their own wealth and that of others. They became great money managers and bankers. A system was set up where nobles who wished to fight in a crusade, could give their money to the Templars to manage in their absence. People wishing to travel to the Holy Land would give their money to the Templars in France, be issued a "letters of credit" (usually with a secret code in it as a form of identity against fraud), and could pick up their money via the "letters of credit"once they reached the Holy Land.

Eventually the templars owned huge tracts of land all throughout Europe and the Middle East, had farms and vineyards, built roads, churches and castles with an incredible team of architects, manufactured goods, ran import/export, and had their own fleet of ships.

When the crusades were finally over, the Knights Templar (not to be confused with the Teutonic Knights or with the Knights Hospitaller) no longer had a real purpose. They were caught in the middle of a dark political war between King Philip IV of France and the Pope. As the Templars were big money lenders and King Philip IV a big spender, the King owed the Templars a lot of money.

On Friday, October 13, 1307 (yes, this is were the saying Friday the 13th is bad luck comes from), hundreds of Templars were arrested in one fell swoop.

After many were tortured into false admissions of terrible acts by the Inquisitors who had practiced on the Cathars (see my blog) the century before, they were burned at the stake.

The Grand Master was arrested and burned at the stake, but none of the members of the supreme council of the Order (to whom the Grand Master took orders from) were found nor tried. 

The strange thing is, hardly any of the massive treasury of Templar money was found, 15,000 Templar Knights disappeared without a trace, and their entire fleet disappeared from the ports in a matter of hours. 

It is said that many escaped to England and Scotland were they continued their Order in utter secrecy. 

Who knows ...? Where is their treasure? Were did their supreme leaders vanish to?

Bon, gros bisous des Templiers mystérieux et a demain!

Love, Charley