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Knights Templar: the story on HearLore | HearLore
Knights Templar
In 1119, nine French knights gathered in a wing of the royal palace on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, owning nothing but their swords and a single horse shared between two of them. This was the humble beginning of the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, an order that would eventually control vast tracts of land across Europe and the Holy Land. Their emblem, depicting two knights riding one horse, was not merely a symbol of their poverty but a strategic statement of their mission to protect pilgrims traveling from the coast at Jaffa to the interior of the Holy Land. At that time, bandits and marauding highwaymen routinely slaughtered Christian pilgrims, sometimes by the hundreds, making the journey from the coastline to Jerusalem a death sentence for many. The nine founders, including Godfrey de Saint-Omer and André de Montbard, had no financial resources and relied entirely on donations to survive, yet their vision would soon transform them into the most powerful organization in medieval Christendom.
The First Multinational Corporation
By the mid-12th century, the Templars had evolved from a small group of monks into what historians describe as the world's first multinational corporation, managing a financial infrastructure that spanned nearly 1,000 commanderies and fortifications across Europe and the Holy Land. They developed innovative banking techniques that allowed pilgrims to deposit their valuables with a local Templar preceptory before embarking on their journey, receive a document indicating the value of their deposit, and then claim treasure of equal value upon arrival in the Holy Land. This system, which may have been the first use of bank cheques, protected pilgrims from robbery while simultaneously augmenting Templar finances. The order acquired large tracts of land, bought and managed farms and vineyards, built massive stone cathedrals and castles, and even owned fleets of ships. At one point, they owned the entire island of Cyprus, and their economic influence was so profound that secular nobles in the Kingdom of Jerusalem began granting them castles and surrounding lands as a defense against the growing threat of the Zengids in Syria. The Templars were even allowed to negotiate with Muslim rulers independently of the feudal lords, making their castles de facto independent lordships with their own markets.
The Battle That Defied The Odds
In 1177, during the Battle of Montgisard, a force of approximately 500 Templar knights helped several thousand infantry defeat Saladin's army of more than 26,000 soldiers, a victory that seemed mathematically impossible. This battle demonstrated the Templars' ability to adapt to different tactics than those used in Europe, as they had initially suffered defeats against the Seljuk Turks and other Muslim powers before learning to become strategic advisors to the leaders of the Crusader states. The Templars were often the advance shock troops in key battles of the Crusades, with heavily armored knights on warhorses charging into enemy lines ahead of the main army. Their reputation for courage, excellent training, and heavy armament made them one of the most feared combat forces in medieval times. However, their military success was not guaranteed, and they suffered devastating losses in battles such as the Siege of Ascalon in 1153, where Grand Master Bernard de Tremelay led forty knights through a breach in the city walls, only to be surrounded and killed when the rest of the Crusader army did not follow.
When and where did the Knights Templar begin their order?
The Knights Templar began their order in 1119 when nine French knights gathered in a wing of the royal palace on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. They started as the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon with no financial resources and a single horse shared between two of them.
What financial system did the Knights Templar develop in the mid-12th century?
The Knights Templar developed a banking system that allowed pilgrims to deposit valuables at a local preceptory and receive a document to claim equal value upon arrival in the Holy Land. This system functioned as the first use of bank cheques and managed nearly 1,000 commanderies and fortifications across Europe and the Holy Land.
What happened to the Knights Templar on the 13th of October 1307?
King Philip IV of France ordered the simultaneous arrest of Grand Master Jacques de Molay and scores of other French Templars on the dawn of Friday the 13th of October 1307. This event initiated a campaign that dismantled the order in less than a decade after Pope Clement V issued the papal bull Pastoralis Praeeminenti on the 22nd of November 1307.
When and how did Grand Master Jacques de Molay die?
Grand Master Jacques de Molay was burned alive at the stake in Paris on the 18th of March 1314 after retracting his confessions and insisting on his innocence. He remained defiant to the end and asked to be tied so he could face the Notre Dame Cathedral while holding his hands together in prayer.
How did the Knights Templar survive in Portugal after 1312?
King Denis I of Portugal refused to persecute the former knights and allowed them to reconstitute themselves as the Order of Christ in 1319. This new order absorbed many Knights Templar into its ranks and established its headquarters at a castle in Tomar.
On the dawn of Friday, the 13th of October 1307, King Philip IV of France ordered the simultaneous arrest of Grand Master Jacques de Molay and scores of other French Templars, initiating a campaign that would dismantle the order in less than a decade. Philip, who was already deeply in debt to the Templars from his war against England, decided to seize upon false rumors for his own purposes, pressuring the church to take action against the order as a way of freeing himself from his debts. Claims were made that during Templar admissions ceremonies, recruits were forced to spit on the Cross, deny Christ, and engage in indecent kissing, while brethren were also accused of worshipping idols and encouraging homosexual practices. Many of the accused confessed to these charges under torture, and their confessions, even though obtained under duress, caused a scandal in Paris. One prisoner, Raymond de La Fère, admitted that he had spat three times on the Cross, but only from his mouth and not from his heart. Relenting to Philip's demands, Pope Clement V issued the papal bull Pastoralis Praeeminenti on the 22nd of November 1307, instructing all Christian monarchs in Europe to arrest all Templars and seize their assets.
The Fire That Sealed A Legacy
On the 18th of March 1314, the elderly Grand Master Jacques de Molay and Geoffroi de Charney, Preceptor of Normandy, were burned alive at the stake in Paris after retracting their confessions and insisting on their innocence. De Molay reportedly remained defiant to the end, asking to be tied in such a way that he could face the Notre Dame Cathedral and hold his hands together in prayer. According to legend, he called out from the flames that both Pope Clement and King Philip would soon meet him before God, with his actual words recorded on parchment as God knowing who was wrong and had sinned, and that a calamity would soon occur to those who had condemned them to death. Pope Clement died only a month later, and Philip died while hunting within the same year, fueling the legend that the Templars had cursed their enemies. The remaining Templars around Europe were either arrested and tried under the Papal investigation, absorbed into other Catholic military orders, or pensioned off and allowed to live out their days peacefully. By papal decree, the property of the Templars was transferred to the Knights Hospitaller except in the Kingdoms of Castile, Aragon, and Portugal, where the Portuguese king, Denis I, refused to pursue and persecute the former knights.
The Order That Refused To Die
In Portugal, the Templars were not destroyed but transformed, as King Denis I refused to persecute the former knights and instead allowed them to reconstitute themselves as the Order of Christ in 1319. This new order absorbed many of the Knights Templar into its ranks, along with Templar properties in Portugal, and its headquarters became a castle in Tomar, a former Knights Templar castle. The Military Order of Christ considers themselves the successors of the former Knights Templar, and the Portuguese brought the Order of Christ with them to Kongo and Brazil, where the Order of Christ continues to be awarded. The Vatican additionally has awarded the Supreme Order of Christ, and the Order of Christ remains a symbol of the Templars' enduring legacy. In Spain, the Templars were absorbed into the Order of Montesa, and the abrupt disappearance of this major medieval European institution in its original incarnation gave rise to speculation and legends, which have currently kept the Templar name alive in self-styled orders and popular culture.
The Symbols That Outlived The Order
The Templars' influence extends far beyond their historical existence, with distinctive architectural elements such as the use of the image of two knights on a single horse and round buildings designed to resemble the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem still standing today. Many sites maintain the name Temple because of centuries-old association with the Templars, including the Temple Church in London, which was the location for Templar initiation ceremonies and is now the parish church of the Middle and Inner Temples, two of the Inns of Court. The Templars' legacy has also inspired modern organizations, from the International Order of Good Templars, which advocates for abstinence from alcohol and other drugs, to Freemasonry, which has incorporated the symbols and rituals of several medieval military orders in a number of Masonic bodies since at least the 18th century. The story of the persecution and sudden dissolution of the Templars has drawn many other groups to use alleged connections with them as a way of enhancing their own image and mystery, with speculative popular publications surrounding the order's early occupation of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and speculation about what relics the Templars may have found there.