Legendary Feats of the Knights Templar

Excerpt: The Knights Templar were one of the richest and most powerful military orders in all of history. As the novel revolves around and postulates ties of this historical society to modern-day events, this article provides detailed information about their history.

Introduction

The central figure of the novel is the Most Worshipful Grandmaster Claude Henri Duc d’Grimavi, the fictional leader of the Knights Templar. While this is an invented character, The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, better known by their common name, the Knights Templar were a real organization and one of the richest and most powerful military orders in all of history. Since the story revolves around and postulates ties of this historical society to modern-day events, I thought it may be interesting for some readers to have a general idea about what is factually known concerning this order. In other parts of the website, such as in the article titled The Historical Context of the Novel or The Historical Aspects of the Conspiracy blog post, but most importantly in the novel itself, I provide the rather speculative accounts of what might – with some logical assumptions – have taken place, especially around the end as well as about the continuation of the order.

The Beginning of the Knights Templar

After the First Crusade captured Jerusalem in 1099, Christians started making pilgrimages to the Holy Land. However, the road to as well as the Outremer themselves – the four Catholic feudal polities in the Middle East that were created by the Latin Catholic leaders of the First Crusade – were not secure, and pilgrims were frequently robbed, raped, and slaughtered by bandits and highwaymen. In 1119, a French knight named Hugues de Payens, upon declaring a Catholic monastic religious order with the aim to protect these pilgrims, arrived in Jerusalem with eight companions and asked King Baldwin II to accommodate them in return for their services.

Insignia of the Knights Templar These founding members, on the side of the first Grand Master of the order Hugues de Payens, were seven further French knights, Payen de Montdidier, Archambaud de Saint Amand, André de Montbard, Gundemar and Rossal (both relatives of Bernard of Clairvaux), Geoffroy Bisol, and Godefroid and the Flemish knight Godfrey de Saint-Omer.

Because these were Cistercian Priests with no belongings, they had originally called themselves The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ. However, after King Baldwin II allocated them lodgings in a wing of the royal palace on the Temple Mount in the captured Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem overlooking what was thought to be the remnants of the Temple of Solomon, they added to their title “and of the Temple of Solomon” (thus their title becoming in Latin: Pauperes Commilitones Christi Templique Salomonici) which led them later to be referred to simply as the Knights Templar.

Al-Aqsa mosque on Temple Mount as depicted by Midjourney AI

It is not exactly known how long the nine founding knights stayed in Jerusalem or how many pilgrims they could actually have protected. What is known is that they did return to Europe and gained backing from Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, a prominent Church figure and the French abbot responsible for founding the Cistercian Order of monks. Bernard wrote a letter in support of the Order and led churchmen to endorse it at the Council of Troyes in 1129.

The Templars were a monastic order, similar to Bernard’s Cistercian Order with a strong chain of authority. Grand Masters held office lifelong, though it could be short due to the order’s martial nature. They oversaw the order’s operations, including military operations in the Holy Land and Eastern Europe, and some served as battlefield commanders. Bernard of Clairvaux and Hugues de Payens created the Latin Rule, a code of conduct for the Templar Order. It outlined the knights’ lifestyle, including wearing white garments and having multiple horses. Knights were required to eat meat no more than three times per week, avoid physical contact with women, and have a Master assigned to each position.

The Expansion of the Order

The Templars gained popularity and influence throughout Christendom after being officially approved by the Roman Catholic Church through decrees like Pope Innocent II‘s papal bull Omne Datum Optimum. Pope Innocent II also initiated the first papal monetary donation to the Order in 1135 declaring them not responsible to any other authority but himself. After that, the Templars, once impoverished, became a rich charity, receiving money, land, and noble-born sons from families. The order grew rapidly, becoming a critically important military force serving as advance shock troops in key Crusades battles. It also expanded quickly in terms of both membership and authority.

Known for their characteristic red cross on white mantles, symbolizing martyrdom, the Templar knights were some of the most accomplished fighters during the Crusades. Most Grand Masters died during military campaigns, such as the Siege of Ascalon in 1153 and the Siege of Acre in 1189. Templars were known for their bravery, training, and heavy armament. They never surrendered until the flag fell, and only after all flags had fallen were they allowed to leave the battlefield. Reception, a solemn ceremony for acceptance into the order, involved a commitment of poverty, chastity, piety, and obedience. Most members joined for life.

The Knights Templar charging in battle

At its peak, there were fifteen to twenty thousand Templars, with about a tenth being actual knights, because the fighting forces required an immense support structure so that soon up to 90% of the order’s members were non-combatants, who oversaw a significant economic infrastructure and finance in Christendom. The Knights Templar created a network of almost a thousand commanderies and fortresses throughout Europe and the Holy Land, created novel financial processes that were an early kind of banking, and perhaps formed the world’s first multinational corporation in history.

Thus, the Order of the Knights Templar was a military order with a focus on financial infrastructure and military support. Despite being sworn to poverty, members controlled wealth beyond direct donations. In 1150, they began generating letters of credit for pilgrims, an early form of travelers’ checks. This system improved safety but also contributed to the Templar coffers. The Order established financial networks across Christendom, acquired large tracts of land, managed farms, built stone cathedrals, and owned the entire island of Cyprus, from where they operated a large fleet for carrying pilgrims as well as valuable cargo. Soon they became expert navigators and seamen dominating the Mediterranean Sea.

The Decline of the Order

From the mid-12^th century, the Templars and other similar organizations such as the Knights Hospitaller were forced to participate in anti-Muslim military activities in the Iberian Peninsula. They gained strongholds in Castile and León but faced fragility along the border. They seized the Order of Mountjoy in Aragon and operated castles in Portugal. However, their activities were disadvantageous to Hispanic military orders due to the economic drain.

Later in the 12^th century, the Crusades faced a shift due to Islamic unity under Saladin and growing dissension among Christian factions. The Knights Templar faced opposition from the Knights Hospitaller and Teutonic Knights, leading to conflicts and weakening Christian positions. Jerusalem was recaptured by Muslim forces in 1187, reclaimed by Frederick II in 1229, but lost to the Ayyubid dynasty in 1244 with no hope of being returned to Christian rule. The Templars were then forced to relocate first to northern cities and then to Cyprus.

Siege of Jerusalem as imagined by Midjourney AI

During all this time, the Knights Templar funded numerous building projects in Europe and the Holy Land, many of which remain standing. Many sites retain the name “Temple” due to their centuries-old association with the Templars. Templar buildings feature distinctive architectural elements, such as the image of “two knights on a single horse” representing poverty.

Around the end of the 13^th century, the order was still maintaining a garrison on Arwad Island. In 1300, they attempted to engage in military efforts with the Mongols but lost the island to the Egyptian Mamluk Sultanate in the siege of Arwad. With Jerusalem in Muslim hands and the Crusades having failed, as their military mission came to an end, support for the organization dwindled. Despite this, the Templars had become a part of daily life throughout Christendom, managing businesses and maintaining a “state within a state” status. This heightened tensions with European nobility that owed them large amounts of money as they had become the biggest lenders in Europe.

The End of the Knights Templar

Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar The Crusades had a tight relationship with the Templars. But support for the order waned as they were unable to maintain their possessions in the Holy Land. Highly indebted to the organization, King Philip IV of France took advantage of the mistrust that was engendered by rumors concerning the Templars’ covert initiation procedures. He exerted pressure on Pope Clement V who owed him his position, to arrange for the arrest of the Templars. Pope Clement V obliged and invited Grand Masters Jacques de Molay and Foulques de Villaret to discuss merging the Templar and Hospitaller orders, a move highly opposed by Templars. Nevertheless, Grand Master Jacques de Molay had no choice but to attend.

On 13 October 1307, King Philip IV ordered the arrest of French Templars, including de Molay who had arrived in Paris, for allegations of idol worship, and indecent and homosexual practices. The events of that day are believed to have influenced popular stories about Friday the 13^th bringing sudden unluck. The allegations were politically motivated and lacked real evidence. Nevertheless, many Templars in France were arrested. They were then coerced to confess to spatting on the Cross, to idolatry, and worshipping a mummified severed head.

Pope Clement V issued the papal bull Pastoralis Praeeminentiae in 1307, instructing Christian monarchs to arrest and seize Templar assets. After being freed from torture, many Templars recanted their confessions. However, Philip IV blocked the investigations in 1310 and used the forced confessions to convict the Templars.

Knights Templar seal In 1312, Pope Clement agreed to disband the Templar order due to public scandal and confessions. He issued papal bulls which dissolved the order. Grand Master Jacques de Molay and Preceptor Geoffroi de Charney retracted their confessions, leading to their burning at the stake in 1314. De Molay is rumored to have claimed before the event that Pope Clement V and King Philip IV would soon meet him before God. Clement died a month later, and Philip died while hunting within the same year.

The Chinon Parchment, a document from 1308, was discovered by Italian paleographer Barbara Frale in the Vatican Archives in 2001. It records the trial of the Knights Templars and shows that Pope Clement V absolved them of all heresies. The current position of the Roman Catholic Church is that the persecution was unjust and that Pope Clement V was influenced by the public scandal and King Philip IV’s influence.

The Continuation

Templars in Europe were arrested in some countries outside of France as well while in others they remained unscathed. Many were absorbed into other Catholic military orders, such as the Teutonic Knights in Germany, or pensioned off. Templar properties were transferred to the order of the Knights Hospitaller, except in Castile, Aragon, and Portugal.

Knights Templar graffiti generated by Midjourney AI

Portugal was the first European country to accommodate the Templars, and under Portuguese king Denis I, they changed their name to the Order of Christ and Supreme Order of Christ of the Holy See in 1319. Its headquarters became a castle in Tomar. The Order of Christ was recognized and granted the right to inherit Templar assets and property in Portugal.

Rumors still circulate that many Templars fled to Scotland and helped Robert the Bruce win the Battle of Bannockburn against the English or that they sailed to America and settled there nearly two centuries before Columbus’ discovery of the continent – with ships that displayed the Templar flag on their sails, no less. Especially the sudden disappearance of the large Templar fleet and the huge treasure they were assumed to be in possession of led to many theories having been developed over the centuries about the end of the organization. Historians still dispute with one another and a treasure is yet to be discovered.

Insignia of the Order of the Temple Since at least the 18^th century, various Masonic rites have adopted the insignia and rites of several medieval military orders into Freemasonry. This is evident in the “Order of Malta,” which was influenced by the Knights Hospitaller, the “Red Cross of Constantine,” which was influenced by the Military Constantinian Order, and the “Order of the Temple,” which was influenced by the Knights Templar. The York Rite places a strong emphasis on the Orders of Malta and the Temple and is open about discussing tracing the origins of Freemasonry to chivalric orders. The Scottish Rite is more secretive about it.

According to famous Freemason historian Albert G. Mackey, Chevalier Michael Ramsay, the Grand Orator, in 1740 suggested that the origins of Freemasonry can be traced back to the Crusades. It was Baron Karl von Hundt who then followed up in 1754 by connecting it directly to the historical Knights Templar through their last members in the fourteenth century, possibly influenced by their interactions with the Ishmaelites, or the Assassins. According to another theory, a connection can be established between the Knights Templars who escaped to Scotland and the first Freemason lodges that were inaugurated there. Most historians typically reject these hypotheses due to a lack of proper evidence, even though many Freemasons still hold the belief that there may be some truth in them. In any case, the Rite of Strict Observance set up by Hundt still exists today.

The persecution and dissolution of the Templars have led to alleged connections with other groups as well. In 1804, Bernard-Raymond Fabré-Palaprat of the Johannite Church made public the revelation that he was in possession of a document, called the Larmenius Charter, which listed the names of all Grand Masters since Jacques de Molay, himself being the last one. He declared that his organization, the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem, had directly descended from the Templars. A faction of this organization still exists today, albeit no longer claiming direct descendance from the historical Knights Templar, is called Ordo Supremus Militaris Templi Hierosolymitani (OSMTH), and is recognized by the UN as a nongovernmental organization since 2001. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.