Fall of the Knight Templar
The downfall of the Knights Templar was caused by multiple events. The order of religious knights, were banded during the 1st Crusade, the battle over the Holy Land Jerusalem. The crusaders crossed Anatolia and suffered hardships. Some were killed by disease and a few of their lost battles (Lewis). After Christian fighters captured Jerusalem during the 1st Crusade, pilgrims from across Western Europe began visiting the Holy Land. Many pilgrims were killed, because they had to cross Muslim territory to get to the Holy Land. Around 1118 a French knight named Hugues de Payens founded a military order. Eight relatives and acquaintances joined him (history.com). The “order was called the Poor Knights of the Temple of King…show more content… In 1128, the Papacy officially recognized the Templars at the Council of Troyes. The Roman Papacy’s recognition of the knights is related to the Turkish Masonic journal, Mimar Sinan (15Se). To get the Papacy’s approval the Grand Master at that time, with five knights gave two letters (15Se). One letter was from the Patriarch of Jerusalem. The other was from King Baudoin, telling of the order’s good deeds and honorable missions. On the 13th of January the Council of Troyes met to discuss their decision. The Grand Master represented his case. It was agreed the Church would officially recognize the Knights (15Se). With the support of the king of Jerusalem (Baldwin the 2nd) the order made their headquarters on their sacred temple mount…show more content… During the torture the knights confessed to all the acts that they were accused of. The Templars’ confessed only because their torturers made them. “This adoration of a skull or bearded head is more than likely to be an inquisitorial distortion of the mediaeval practice of worshipping images of Christ and relics or skulls of saints.” (Templars). Knights Templar actually believed in the Gnosis (Templars). Gnosis was the belief that a little Divine mind is in every person’s head. This theory said that by faith and reason people could get ultimate wisdom. The Templars belief was that all people regardless of their religion shared a single belief in all that is, was, or ever will be. So, the Templars did not worship a skull but the “Divine Light” they thought was in every one of us. On Friday October 13th 1307 King Phillip ordered Jacques de Molay, the Grand Master at the time to come give him the treasure of the order (Fall of the Templars). When Jacques got there, he and sixty of his knights were arrested. This started happening around the same time all over Europe. The knights with Jacques de Molay were imprisoned in Paris. Only few of the knights ever