29 April,
2015 - 04:23 Bryan
Hilliard
Mystery of the Knights Templars: Protectors or
Treasure Hunters on a Secret Mission?
The Knights Templars were a secret
society whose true purpose remains a mystery or is at least vigorously debated
among scholars and historians to this day. The Templars left behind many
clues of their actions which have been passed down through generations, hidden
in ancient manuscripts and discovered by archeologists in the modern era.
Their story is one that has captured the fascination and curiosity of
people throughout the ages – were they sent to the holy land in Jerusalem to
protect Christians on pilgrimages, or were they sent there on secret missions
by higher authorities in order to unearth lost artifacts and buried treasure
under temples and sacred holy sites?
Artist’s impression of a Templar
Knight (Wikimedia Commons)
The Knights Templars were members of a
religious military order of Christian knighthood founded around 1118-1119 in
Jerusalem by the French knight Hugh des Payens. For nearly two centuries
this organization was the most powerful order in the medieval world. They
were the first standing army in Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire and
by the time
they reached their pinnacle of power in 1300, it is said they
numbered in the tens of thousands. In the beginning, there were a total
of nine founding knights who made up the organization and were all related to
one another through blood or marriage. As both monks and soldiers, they
were a paradox without precedent since there had never been praying priests who
took up arms who also took vows of poverty, obedience and celibacy.
Knights Templars did not surrender unless they were outnumbered three to
one and believed that since they were fighting for God they would be
immediately sent up to heaven upon falling in battleBaldwinII ceeding the location of the Temple of Solomon to Hugues de
Payns and Gaudefroy de Saint-Homer. The fourth person is Warmund, Patriarch of
Jerusalem. (Wikimedia Commons).
Today in Europe, there are hundreds of
former templar sites scattered across the continent showing how influential
they were centuries ago. At their peak, there were approximately 15,000
Templars houses with a network stretching from England to Egypt with the center
of power situated in the then heart of the medieval world, France.
Conventional history says the Knights Templar’s purpose was to protect
travelers traveling along the coast of the Mediterranean to Jerusalem. In
the middle ages, pilgrimages were made by westerners who had been guaranteed
their safety in the city and templars protected them through the passes and
mountains. In addition to protection of the pilgrims, Templars also
defended the Christian kingdom of Jerusalem and other holy sites as part of
their duty.
- The intriguing carvings of the impressive Rosslyn Chapel.
- Walking the Camino de Santiago - Retracing the footsteps of our ancestors.
Crusades and Escort Service
For two hundred years, the Crusades
were fought in the name of God and were considered to be a clash of
civilizations. Enemies were formed between the Christian west and Muslim
east, which have endured to this day. In 1065, Jerusalem was taken by the
Turks and the Christians were treated badly enough to where, throughout
Christendom, people were stirred to fight and recapture the city. Another
reason for the Crusades stems from the Church‘s desire to block any Islamic
incursion into Christian lands. On November 27th 1095, Pope Urban II gave
a speech in which he exhorted Christians to rise up against Muslims in the Holy
Land. At this point in time, Muslims controlled Spain and parts of
Eastern Europe. Thousands responded to the call and took up the sword but
only around 1,000 ever made it to Jerusalem. The western Christians
united with the Byzantines in the east and in 1099, the Crusaders, led by
Godfrey of Bouillon, captured Jerusalem back from the Turks after a five week
siege. When the holy sites were in Christian hands, Westerners began
traveling to the area in record numbers. Outside the city walls, life was
dangerous and there became a need for an escort service which is when the first
Knights Templars came forward.
Pope Urbanus ll preaching the
First Crusade. (Wikimedia Commons).
Banking Back Home
During the third crusade, the
Christians were decimated at the battle of Hattin. It was the single
worst military disaster in the holy land and one of the worst defeats for
Christianity. The Templars were all put to the sword by their Muslim
conquerors who would go on to take the city of Jerusalem a few months later.
Subsequent crusades by later generations would come to be known as
failures. When they returned home after the first crusades in 1128, the
Templars were rich and influential and answered to no one but the pope.
They also did not have to pay taxes and were allowed to cross through the
borders of European countries unrestricted. From 1150 on, they stopped
guarding the road to Jerusalem. Instead they devised a system which
allowed pilgrims to travel without cash and valuables that might otherwise make
them targets. The Templars entered into the banking business and the Temples (local lodges) were established
throughout Europe, drawing deposits of massive wealth. The services the
templars offered became the model for today’s banking system, money transfers,
pension plans and traveler’s checks. Their wealth made them the prominent
bankers of their age and the first western multi-national corporation.
The most controversial service the Templars offered was the issuance of
high profile loans. Princes and commoners alike banked with the Templars,
and many states became indebted to them. The church, adamantly against
usury at this time, looked the other way.
Crusader coins of the kingdom of
Jerusalem, Denier in European style with Holy Sepulchre. British Museum, 2007.
(Wikimedia Commons).
Decline of the Templars
With the fall of the Holy Land to the
Muslims in 1187, the Templar order lost its founding purpose and became a
target for unhappy debtors. With the failure of the crusades and
subsequent closures of the passage to the holy land, there no longer became a
reason for the Knights Templars to exist. Imagine a standing army roaming
Europe that answered to no one and with no battle to fight. This
attracted attention and due to the wealth and political power the Templars had,
they were seen as a threat to the power structure. During the early 14th
century, the order experienced a sudden decline. In 1302, King Philip IV
of France came into conflict with the pope. Needing cash for his wars, he
waged a vicious and skillful campaign aimed at suppressing the Templars,
gaining their wealth while simultaneously, striking a blow against the papacy.
On Friday October 13, 1307, all the
Knights Templars in France were arrested by agents of King Philip and he
ordered any still residing in the country to be thrown into prison where they
were tortured until confessing to accusations of heresy, homosexuality, and
dishonest business activities. They were charged with capital offenses
and their properties seized. More than likely, many of the confessions
were meaningless but following these admissions, a Papal command was issued by
Pope Clement V to all Christian sovereigns in 1312 which ordered that all
Knights Templars be disbanded. The order of the Templar Knights went
underground and their movements have been shrouded in mystery ever since.
Friday the 13th is linked with this historical event.
Execution of the Templars in the
presence of Philip ‘the Fair’. Bedford Master 1415-1420, France. (Wikimedia Commons).
Conspiracy
After Clement’s edict in 1312, the
Templars virtually vanished from the pages of history. Of the hundreds,
possibly thousands of Templars who were not arrested, there is little record of
what happened to them. There is documentation that their large fleet of
ships vanished and it’s possible that they fled to Scotland since the country
was something a Templar stronghold at the time. They might have gone to
Switzerland or hidden in the Alps which bordered southern France (its endless
mountain range would have been a perfect hiding spot for treasure). Some
survivors of the Templar order can be traced and they simply changed their name
becoming the Knights of Christ in
Portugal for example.
But of all the mysteries surrounding
the Knights Templars, the most puzzling one concerns their time spent in
Jerusalem. The Templars literally disappeared there for nine years and what
they did in their time there remains mostly unknown. There were nine
middle aged monks who were hardly in a position to protect travelers coming in
and out of Jerusalem. There also doesn’t seem to be a written account of
any pilgrims being guarded by the Templars. In 1867 a clue came to light
when a British archaeological team excavated under the site of the temple mount
in Jerusalem. There, they uncovered tunnels extending vertically from a
mosque for some twenty five meters which fanned out horizontally under the dome
of King Solomon’s temple. Templars spurs and various pieces of armaments
were found as proof that the tunnels had been used by them. A prevailing
theory is that the Knights Templars were digging under the Temple for treasure
left there by the Jews after the invasions by the Romans in 70 AD. Other
theories suggest the knights were guarding the Holy Grail and in possession of
major treasures. The biblical temple of Solomon once housed the Ark of
the Covenant and Ten Commandments. There are early masonic writings in
the 1800’s citing documents which allegedly link the Templars with the arc of
the covenant and treasure buried in the Temple of Solomon.
Regardless of which theory is the right one, when they emerged
again in Europe they were more wealthy, powerful and influential than ever.
Featured
image: Image of the Templar Knights ( brother-servant, brother and
brother-knight priest). Ukraine, 1870. (Wikimedia Commons).
References:
1.) Wasserman, James.
"Secret Societies: The Knight Templars and the Assassins." Secret Societies: The Knight Templars and
the Assassins. N.p., 8 Dec. 2006. Web. 3 Dec. 2013. <http://jameswassermanbooks.com/templar-lecture.html>.
2.) Timbers, Alex. "Knights
Templar." Knights Templar. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2013. <http://morrischia.com/david/portfolio/boozy/research/knights_20templar.html>.
3.) The Templar code. Dir. Marcy Marzuki. Perf. Various. A & E
Television Networks :, 2009. DVD.
4.) The
Bible's buried secrets. Dir. Gary Glassman. Perf. Various. WGBH Boston
Video, 2009. DVD.
5.) The Knights Templar. Dir. Steven R. Talley. Perf. various. A &
E Television Networks :, 2005. DVD.
6.) Ralls, Karen. Knights Templar encyclopedia: the essential
guide to the people, places, events, and symbols of the Order of the Temple.
Franklin Lakes, NJ: New Page Books, 2007. Print.
7.) "Templarhistory.com »
Blog Archive » Philip IV – 1268 – 1314." Templarhistory.com » Blog Archive » Philip IV – 1268 – 1314. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2013. <http://blog.templarhistory.com/2010/03/philip-iv-1268-1314/>.
8.) "Who Were the Knights
Templar?." History.com. A&E
Television Networks, 26 July 2011. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. <http://www.history.com/news/who-were-the-knights-templar>.
9.) The Templar code. Dir. Marcy Marzuki. Perf. Various. A & E
Television Networks :, 2009. DVD.
10.) "World Of The
Wicked." World Of The Wicked.
N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2013. <http://2012data.webs.com/knightsofthetemplar.htm>.
11.) Hammer, Josh ua.
"Smithsonian.com." Smithsonian
magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2013. <http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/What-is-Beneath-the-Temple-Mount.html>.
12.) Ralls, Karen. Knights Templar encyclopedia: the essential
guide to the people, places, events, and symbols of the Order of the Temple.
Franklin Lakes, NJ: New Page Books, 2007. Print.
13.) The Templar code. Dir. Marcy Marzuki. Perf. Various. A & E
Television Networks :, 2009. DVD.
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