Who were the Templars, and why were they tried for heresy

�

�

Q.� So, a bit more about Templars, please.

A.� The order was founded in the early years of the kingdom of Jerusalem, when crusaders controlled only a few strongholds in the Holy Land, and marauding Muslim bands often attacked pilgrims to the holy places. A handful of French knights, led by Hugues de Payens, vowed in late 1119 or early 1120 to protect the pilgrims and form a religious community for that purpose. Baldwin II, King of Jerusalem, gave them quarters in a wing of the royal palace in the area of the former Jewish Temple, and from this they derived their name.

�

Q.� And there numbers grew

A.� Yes. The Templars performed courageous service in the Holy Land, and their numbers increased rapidly, partly because of the writings of St Bernard of Clairvaux. There were four classes of Templars: knights, sergeants, chaplains, and servants. Only the knights wore the Templars' distinctive white coat marked with a red cross. Each Templar took vows of poverty and chastity.

�

Q.� They were similar to priests

A.� In many ways, yes. In 1139, Pope Innocent II placed the Templars directly under the pope's authority. From then on, they soon became a vital element in defending the Christian crusader states of the Holy Land. At their height, there were about 20,000 Templar knights.

�

Q.� So they were becoming independently powerful

A.� Yes ... I expect you can see what's coming. The Templars began to acquire wealth. The kings and great nobles of Spain, France, and England gave them estates. By the mid-12th Century, the Templars owned properties throughout Western Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Holy Land. Their military strength enabled them to safely collect, store, and transport treasure through Europe and the Holy Land so efficiently that they became bankers to royalty and pilgrims.

�

Q.� And this made them popular

A.� Up to a point. As they became more powerful, they developed enemies. Acre, the last remaining crusader stronghold in the Holy Land, fell to the Muslims in 1291 - and with it the reason for the Templars' original existence. Then nasty rumours started to emerge.

�

Q.� Such as

A. Templars were said to take part in irreligious practices and blasphemies as part of their secret initiation rites. They were accused, among other charges, of heresy, homosexuality and of spitting on the image of Jesus. In response, King Philip IV (Philip the Fair) of France had every Templar in France arrested on 13 October, 1307. He then seized all the Templars' property in France.

�

Q.� Doesn't sound very fair to me. Why

A.� He may have feared their power, or (more likely) he may have simply seen an opportunity to seize their immense wealth. Philip accused the Templars of heresy and immorality and had many of them tortured to secure confessions. Pope Clement V, a Frenchman, came under strong pressure from Philip and ordered the arrest of Templars in every country.

�

Q.� And then

A.� Philip succeeded in getting the pope to suppress the order in 1312. The Templars' property throughout Europe was transferred to a rival order, the Hospitalers, or confiscated by the state. Many Templars were executed or imprisoned, and in 1314 the order's last grandmaster, Jacques de Molay, was burned at the stake.

�

To ask another question about History & Myths, click here

By Steve Cunningham