The
Knights Templar, also known as the warrior-monks, began their reign of power
during the early 1100s. They started out living in abject poverty with two
knights sharing a horse which implied brotherhood. The Knights of Christ and
the Temple of Solomon was founded in 1118. Hagues presented himself with eight
comrades at the palace of Baudouin I, the king of Jerusalem. His elder brother,
Godfroi de Bouillon had captured the Holy City of Jerusalem nineteen years
earlier. Throughout history Jerusalem has been a hot spot for conflict and many
people have lost their lives trying to conquer and control the Holy Land. A
multitude of people have lost their lives because of their religious beliefs
for thousands of years. The main objective of the Templars was to keep the
roads and highways safe for Christians who were traveling to Jerusalem to pay
homage to their Christian God.
A connection existed between the
Cathars, Gnostics and the Knights Templar. Although the Templars acclaimed to
be Christian, they secretly questioned the mystery behind Jesus’ time spent on
Earth. The Cathars were almost
completely wiped off the face of the earth because of their beliefs. They were
considered dualists and believed there were two creators and two worlds. They
believed in good and evil universal laws. The good is the unseen and spiritual
world which most would consider the world where God, Jesus and the angels
exist. The evil world was created by the devil. Then there was the material
world which was where evil existed. Jesus was not evil so he could not be born
of the Virgin Mary or be of human flesh. According to the Cathars, Salvation
did not rest with Jesus’ death and resurrection nor did he rise from the dead. They
believed that much could be gained from Jesus’ teachings.
The Gnostics on the other hand
believed that salvation lay in the true understanding of the true nature of
creation. An annihilation of this group of individuals also occurred because they
went against the Christian beliefs. The Gnostics also believed there were two
worlds, one evil and one good. The evil one was the material world and filled
with decay which was the enemy of man. The world of light or the good world was
where God resided.
The Gnostic beliefs started with
Valentinus who was placed in charge of the Gnostics in 140 AD in Alexandria and
Rome. He believed that the truth is based on cosmic theology based on how the
world and evil was created. The primal God was the center of divine harmony.
God created pairs of manifestations of himself in pairs of male and female.
Each pair was inferior to the previous pair. The thirtieth pair was the least
perfect of all and very unsettled. Sophia from this pair demonstrated
imperfection by rebelling against God, but at the same time she wanted to be
united with God. The universe was formed by their agony and remorse. The world
was ruled by sadness and confusion and nothing could be released from it. Salvation
could occur by joining the female and male to achieve the desired oneness of
the world. The role of Jesus involved passing on the secret tradition of the
gnosis. Jesus was descended from God according to the Gnostics.
Very little was known about what the
Knights Templar did during the first nine years. Their activities were kept
secret during the first nine years after their inception which has served as an
unknown mystery. The most common analogy about their mysterious activities
during the first nine years involved exploring the temple grounds to find
treasures or to unveil what really happened during Jesus’ time on Earth.
“We want to provide a valuable
service to the kingdom of Jerusalem,” pleaded Hagues. -He met with the king in
the courtyard. The other eight knights were standing by a tree in the courtyard
to shield them from the intense afternoon sun.
“What service do you want to provide
to us?” asked Baudouin I.
Baudouin was a stout man with a
large round head. He had a rutty reddish complexion caused by his drinking
habit. Many a night he retired after drinking a heavy amount of beer. His wife
fattened with pregnancy was on his mind a lot lately. He was concerned for her
because she has been spotting immensely. The birthing woman assured him that
this was normal when a boy was expected. He was hoping that the man who was
standing before him meant what he had to say. That he did want to provide a
valuable service. He was tired of the pilgrims visiting his kingdom with their
hand out for food and lodging. He was tired of bearing all the responsibility
and was hoping to receive some help.
“We want to protect the Christian
pilgrims traveling to this city to pray,” responded Hagues.
“That sounds like an admirable
plan,” replied the king.
The king scratched his head and
asked for more clarification.
“We are seeking your permission to
do so and to make Jerusalem our home,” said Hagues.
Baudouin gave a sigh of relief and
looked at the weary travelers and said, “I will provide you with a wing of my
palace for you to live as you carry out your duties.”
“That is more than generous of you,”
replied Hagues.
The Easter massacre that occurred
along the road to the river Jordan convinced the king that the services the
Templars could provide were very necessary. On Christmas day in 1119 Hagues and
the other eight Knights took their vows before the Patriarch of the Church of
the Holy Sepulcher.
Hagues did not know what to expect
from a king that seemed to be in dire need of help with his kingdom. He was
surprised at the king’s response. Hagues left the comfort of his home in France
to explore the possibility of becoming a knight who would provide protection of
the Holy Land. The Templars took three vows: poverty, chastity and obedience.
The Templars were warriors first and monks second.
The king welcomed the knights and opened
his home to them. Despite their declared oath of poverty the warrior-monks
moved into an extravagant accommodation. They were granted the area at the
southeast corner of the Temple called Soloman’s stables. Above this area was
the Templars’ resident for approximately 70 years until the fall of Jerusalem
at Hattin in 1187. The Franks and Templars lost to Saladin.
The vow of poverty was short-lived. It
didn’t take long before many others decided to join their league of protectors
after the first nine years. Their objective was considered so worthy that the
king graciously opened his doors and welcomed the nine Templars. After the
first nine years, the numbers grew exponentially.
The Knights Templar was one of the
most misunderstood groups throughout history. Many felt they were greedy and
deceitful. They were also considered conceited and self-important oppressors who
brazenly abused their power. Viewed as sly manipulators who ran the business of
the kingdoms they were placed in charge. Some went as far as to label them as
Satanists. On the other hand, they were also viewed as victims who fell prey to
the political agendas of the Church and state. It didn’t take long for the
power to go to their head when they became what were known as the Knights Templar, Inc.
They became a large conglomerate
that loaned money to monarchs, created a banking system involving the first
check writing endeavors, and became exemplary merchants and sea farers. In the beginning, they only had to follow the
orders of the Pope which angered the monarchs. In the end, they became so large
and corrupt that they followed no one’s orders. However, they did provide
protection to many of the monarchs by providing them with money to cover their
debts with very little hope of being reimbursed. Favors were expected for such
gestures. They provided protection to many of the travelers who traveled to
Jerusalem to seek salvation.
In the beginning, they were monks
who had to vow abject poverty and all resources were considered community
property. Hagues formed the group as a married man even though they also had to
take the vow of celibacy. His wife’s family owned land and because they were
married, he was also granted ownership of the same land. Because of his
association with the Knights Templar the land became community held property of
the knights’ order.
The order lived as humbly as
possible carrying out the goal of the Templars for the first nine years. They
protected the roads from vicious marauders when the pilgrims traveled to
Jerusalem to seek salvation. The palace where they resided was posh and beyond
what they could ever imagine. They were granted more horses.
The daily routine of the Templars
started at 4:00 in the morning. They attended to their horses and then returned
to bed. From 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. they attended various prayer services. Between
the services they trained and groom their horses. Part of their regime involved
eating meat at least three times a day, in fact this was a requirement.
The Templars had strict guidelines
to follow and if they went against any of the set rules they could be expelled
from the order. The following were some of the rules they could not break:
homosexuality was completely banned and carried a heavier penalty than having
sex with women; murdering a Christian; sharing the Chapters meeting
discussions; or denouncing the Christian faith; leaving the Temple for more
than two days without permission; and fleeing the enemy during battle. To
counteract lustful urges they were required to sleep with candles lit. Complete
darkness may cause lustful urges.
In order to become a Templar, he had
to come from a good birth to respectable parents of good standing. They didn’t
have to rich. The Templar position was sought after during these troubling
times. Once they were accepted and trained, horses, squires, armor, food and
lodging were provided to the warriors.
They were expected to be good
farmers, also. For every warrior on the battlefield, there were dozens tending
the fields. They sheared sheep, cut wood, grew grain, and ran their own empire
once they moved out of their original housing, their first palace residence.
The weather in Jerusalem was ideal
most of the time. During the winter months of January, February and March,
there is often rainfall. Some of the rain seeps into the ground and the sand
holds onto the moisture. The spring and summer months are actually hot. But it is
not too humid or dry. Many people who travel to Jerusalem find the weather
desirable during the spring months especially.
As soon as Hagues and the other Templars set
foot on French soil, they were granted land, silver, horses, and armor in 1127.
The traveled to England and set up the first Templar house in London, at the
north end of Chancery Lane and they were also given vast amount of land and
palaces around Europe. Wherever they went they were greeted with admiration and
appreciation. Hagues was met by Godfrey of Saint-Omer in England and together
they received additional grants and treasures, all given under their service of
protecting the Holy Land and for the salvation of the donors’ souls.
The Templars were honored as the champions of a higher
calling. In the Christian eyes homicide was considered an act of evil. However,
the killing of evil was rewarded. Those who went against the Christian beliefs
were labeled as evil. The Holy Land encompassing Bethlehem, Nazareth, the
Jordan River and the Temple Mount needed to be guarded by such honorable men.
These holy places included places where Jesus’ crucifixion, burial and
resurrection occurred according to the Christians. The Templars also served as pilgrim
guides.
Hagues was happy when Pope Innocent II issued Omne Datum Optimum which granted the
Templars the right to establish an independent and permanent order within the
Catholic Church. They only had to answer to the Pope. Their role was made iron
clad which included their role as defenders of the Church and assailants and
annihilators of the enemies of the Church. They did not have to answer to kings
or anyone else in charge of the kingdoms. The act brought forth a lot of
animosity towards them from the kings.
Shortly after this law was put into place by the Pope,
the Templars were granted the right to wear their habits with the large red
cross blazoned across a white tunic symbolizing their martyrdom in the defense
of the Holy Land.
The Spanish king, Alfonso I of Aragon, managed to take
back large territories from the Muslims and admired the Knights Templar and
their military orders as a means to protect them.
The king died childless
so he willed his entire kingdom to the Templars, the Hospitallers and the
Church of the Holy Sepulcher equally. The Hospitallers were a group that was
organized before the Knights Templars that also provided protection of the Holy
Land. They were not as prominent as the Knights Templars.
One of the first rulers to question the power and control
of the Knights Templar was William, archbishop of Tyre. William was involved in
the First Crusade and the political arena within the kingdom of Jerusalem. He
served in the Church as the archbishop and contender of the office of Patriarch
of Jerusalem. William was resentful of the Templars’ independence and their
rise to wealth and power. Not only were some of the kings resentful of their
power so were people who served in prominent positions in the Church. They were
hated, loved and honored by many.
The Templars decided to
develop a banking system based on the writing of checks. It was an easy system
to establish that involved multiple communities. They were already expanded to
many cities. They were located in Decapolis, Perea, Nazareth, Tel Aviv,
Beersheba, Samara, Judea and Idamea. They had land holdings in France and the
surrounding territories.
It was proven over and over again that the manner in
which they did business was not only logical but safer for the many merchants
who traveled about the country. The Knights would write a promissory note or
what is better known as a check in one city and the merchant could travel to
another city to obtain the money for his goods. Traveling in the days of the
knights was often dangerous. Carrying large amounts of cash, while traveling,
was not in the best interests of any of the merchants. The Knights Templar was
the first organization to establish the banking system based on exchanges of
goods and services with written checks. The checks would be turned in for cash.
The Templars became Europe’s first bankers. From the time
the Templars first came into being they became and international enigma with
many people relying on them from a various European countries. Their main
purpose was to serve the Holy Land. Their support came from Europe. In Europe
the Templars had land holdings,
collected tithes and received donations from the European people. Tithes were
collected as payment for services which consisted of the provision of 1/10 of
annual produce or earnings taken as a tax for the support of the Church and
clergy. Since they were serving the Church and the protection of Christians,
they were able to collect for their services.
The Templar houses served as depositories for important
documents, and objects and provided for the banking needs of the monarchs. The
Templars developed a system of credit notes in which money deposited in one
Templar banking institution could be withdrawn at another location upon the
receipt of the promissory note. The Templars were notorious for keeping
records. They kept daily records of transactions involving all details
involving the transaction from the date, nature of the transaction, and whose
account the credit was to be entered. The Templars even went as far to create
treasure ships in which the kings, other knights, and nobles could make
emergency withdrawals. Many people ended up owing the Templars large sums of
money.
In return for their financial services they were awarded
various privileges and concessions. Specific decrees afforded by the French and
English kings allowed the Templars to be given jurisdiction over some of the
kings’ estates and inhabitants. As a result of their newly found privileges,
they were able to hold large annual agricultural fairs which spurred on the
economy.
The Templars were also busy entrepreneurs in other areas.
They organized markets and fairs, managed their own estates which were numerous
and managed a large trading business. The Knights had a lucrative business of
selling wool to many of the markets in France, the Mediterranean area, other
parts of Europe and Asia. Being advance sea farers led them all over the world which
increased their marketing abilities exponentially. They were rolling in the
dough which they wisely invested in more and more land holdings. They ended up
trading in many wares from wool, timber and olive oil to slaves. They built
their own Mediterranean merchant fleet which transported pilgrims, soldiers and
other merchandise between Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Outremer (Haag,
2009).
The slave trade prospered into a well established
profitable business. Being the entrepreneurs that they were, the Templars
opened a major Mediterranean port of Ayas in the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia to
conduct their slave trade. The Turkish, Greek, Russian and Circassian people
were acquired as slaves through armed combat amongst the various tribes, or
because impoverished parents sold their children or they were kidnapped. The
slaves were transported to the port of Ayas by Turkish and Mongol slave
runners. Many of the slaves were put to
work running the Templar palaces and farms.
The Templars were noted as being industrious, honest and
independent. They were highly trusted throughout Europe. Their experience in
commerce and finance set them up to be ideal bankers for the popes and kings.
Edward II of England was very short on money and had to
turn to the Templars. Running a kingdom and fighting wars was costly business.
Often the French and English were at war against each other. The Muslims and
Spanish had to be dealt with on many occasions. And sometimes the mere need to
expand territories for the ever growing kingdoms was enough reason to go to
war. There was much fighting between the Scottish and English.
The talented Templar builders continued to construct
large, tall buildings with thin walls and stress-leveling flying buttresses
resembling the Gothic style. They constructed their own churches and phenomenal
castles. They have grown far beyond the first nine years of their inception.
An example of their building skills was demonstrated when
they constructed the Templar headquarters in France. It was built on land in
Paris acquired by the Templars during the 1140s. The temple was located to the
north of Paris and was a fortified fortress consisting of perimeter walls and
towers. Inside the temple were a variety of buildings. They added a powerful
wall reaching 165 feet high to provide further protection.
Another adventure involved what was referred to as magic.
They explored the use of various chemicals and created medicines and performed
alchemy on a variety of metals. The Templars were at the threshold of
scientific discoveries. They were able to cure many ailments and were sought to
perform their magic on many of their admirers.
Even though they were feared by many of the inhabitants,
they began to be worshiped as people of God. They were given more gifts for
the services they provided. They were becoming more and more wealthy.
The kings were observing their notoriety and were
becoming more and more uncomfortable with the power they have amassed.
The Templars went beyond the average farming abilities of
the common man. They had a vast knowledge of the aspects of farming and animal
husbandry. Many of the farms had thousands of sheep and a vast amount of
vegetables growing. The farm buildings they constructed were revolutionary
during their time period. They learned how to harness the power of water to run
their mills. Sanitation was another issue they tackled. They rerouted rivers to
establish better sanitary conditions and created hygienic hospitals. They
provided care for the sick, old and wounded. They were putting the abilities of
the kings to shame.
The Templars picked up many of their financial skills
from the Jewish people especially in the areas of saving and investing. Because
they had much more freedom to expand their financial empire, they grew
exponentially in their financial endeavors. Their wealth exceeded that of the
kings.
They didn’t have a minute to themselves. Many were
building magnificent structures in a
multitude of locations, they were healing the sick and wounded, exploring
scientific modalities and becoming successful bankers and merchants. Life was a
whirlwind of activity.
Because of all their dealings and relationships with diverse
groups of people from the French, English, Muslim and Egyptian to name a few,
their religious beliefs became a little less orthodox. During this time period
there was a struggle to fight against the beliefs and dogma propagated by the
Roman Catholic Church. The relationship with the Muslim people became more
relaxed. The Muslim people began trading with the rest of the population.
The Templars possessed great seafaring skills and they
had a vast knowledge of mathematics which afforded them their maritime success.
While the Christians had control of the Holy Land, they had the sole rights to
passenger shipping, pursuing the routes of the seaports between Western Europe
and those located in the Levant. The pilgrims felt safe when the Templars were
aboard the ships to protect them. The Templars used this as an opportunity to
charge a monetary value on these services. They were exploitive on many
occasions. An open market between Europe and the Middle East provided many who
were involved with lucrative trade opportunities including the Templars. The
growing European elite in the Levant and the Templar’s own garrison
requirements were often satisfied by the acquirement of spices, exotic plant
species from the Middle East. The Middle East was satisfied with the shipments
of wool. The merchant was growing exponentially because of Templar involvement
and their sea faring abilities.
Monks and Templars had to be fed, clothed and housed in
order to carry out their allotted professions. They were not paid. All profits
made on any of their business transactions were reinvested to make more money
at a later date. The Templar empire consisted of properties such as farms,
churches, villages, ports and headquarters. They established a vast empire. The
Templar wealth was so wide spread, the monarchs of Europe did not have complete
privy regarding its enormity. The Templars demonstrated a level of genius
beyond the capabilities of the monarchs. Their Annunaki heritage was helpful in
making the leaps and bounds of their successful ventures. Greed and the need
for power and control were other factors.
The English monarchs earned even more money on the
lucrative wool business by charging taxes on the goods that came into their
country. The ones purchasing the items had to pay a tax on the items purchased.
The Templars set an example on how to run their financial affairs and more and
more people were wreaking the benefits of such financial practices.
Things were going
downhill for some of the Templars after their reign of approximately 200 years.
The unsuccessful battle against Saladin at Hattin in 1187also gave them a black
mark. But they still drudged on and gained more and more property and assets.
They were still in better shape than the kings and popes. However, many of the
choir monks could be found over indulging in food and drink and appeared to be
outwardly lazy, rarely working the fields. They were a disgrace to the other
Templars. To make matters worse they lost a lot of their sheep to a disease.
By the late 1300s and early 1400s, the Templars consisted
of at least 20,000 warriors and at approximately 160,000 members. Many of these
members were dedicated to their maritime and trading businesses. They were a
massive order living in a various countries. Rulers such as Philip IV wanted to
dismantle this group, mostly due to his jealousy. The Templars were a force to
be reckoned with, they had forces in almost every occupied city and town in
Judea and various other places in Europe. Philip IV found the display of
arrogance and wealth distasteful.
Philip IV started his campaign to dismantle the Templar
organization. Pope Boniface VIII was the first pope he tried to convince to
dismantle the Templars. They fought and fought and the pope would not concede. Philip
IV then plotted to kidnap the pope and managed to do so. The pope was badly
beaten and then released. He died shortly after being let out of captivity.
Finally, another pope came into power and Philip IV was
able to convince Clement V to come on board with the elimination of the
Templars.
In order to make things as believable as possible, Philip
IV and Clement V came up with a devious plan with the help of demonic
influences. The Templars were charged with the following infractions:
·
The denial of Christ and
defiling the cross
·
Underhanded efforts to
undermine other groups of the Christian faith.
·
Unacceptable changes to
the ceremony of mass.
·
The performance of
perverted actions such as homosexuality.
·
Ceremonial murders.
·
The worship of idols.
·
The wearing of
inappropriate attire.
These charges could not have been pulled off by the king
of France without the help of the pope.
The Templars were pulled out of their homes in the middle
of the night and either massacred in public or placed behind bars. Many were
beaten and left for dead. A multitude of the Templars, knowing they could not
defend themselves, escaped and moved to other countries under disguise from
their tormentors. They became peasants and farmers. The warrior monks tried to
fight off their assailants to no avail. Most of them were slaughtered.
The grand master of the Templars and his assistant, who
would not leave his master’s side, suffered the worst fate. They were roasted
slowly at a public square.
Philip IV sent his followers to explore the Templars vast
empire to come up with the treasure that the Templars’ had but to no avail.
Either the Templars hid their treasures quite well or all their assets were
invested.
Some of the Templars regrouped at a later date under a
new name the “Freemasons.”
The Templars grew from a small group of nine to approximately
200,000 strong and served under many roles. They were warriors who protected
the pilgrims who were traveling to Jerusalem. They fought to protect Jerusalem
from the Muslims. The Templars explored every nook and cranny around the temple
in Jerusalem trying to uncover the secrets behind Jesus’ time spent on earth
over a thousand years ago and made some interesting discoveries. What they
originally discovered when exploring the temple would have gone against the
teachings of the Church at the time. It was rumored that they held the truth about
Jesus’ life as a ransom for the belabored favoritism from Baudouin I, the
king of Jerusalem. If the truth came out Christianity would lose its
credibility. They had a connection to
the Cathars and Gnostics. They used their ingenuity to build a vast empire
consisting of farming communities, palaces, headquarters, and large mercantile
conglomerates. Resentments were held against
them because of their land holdings and wealth. Many kings and other monarchs
became indebted to them through loans of large sums of money which created
further resentments. As
a result of Philip IV’s efforts to squelch the Templars, he has maintained the
original beliefs behind Jesus and the cross. These beliefs enforced the conviction
that no matter how serious the sin, anyone can be absolved from their sins by
claiming Jesus as their savior, even at the 11th hour. Even if the
sin involved killing those who represented evil such as the Templars and others
who went against those in power. Philip IV and
Pope Clement V built a case against the Templars and many were killed
and put in prison. A multitude of them fled. That ended the reign of the
Knights Templars. They formed into another group called the Freemasons.
