- I think that many of you might be just as confused as I am about the history of the crusades and the ancient Templars. We read articles about a battle, a Grand Master, or something else that happened to them, and it is difficult sometimes to put it into the big picture. I think that if you are going to actually understand some of this history, you need two things; a score card to keep up with the players and a time line with a comprehensive list of the happenings in chronological order.
Sir Knight Doug Rowe of Pennsylvania recently shared with me such a time line which he had developed for a paper presented elsewhere. It is just what I had been looking for, so I reformatted it, added just a few things that I thought were important, and decided to print it as a series in the magazine. I think it might be useful as a big picture reference for those of you who are seriously studying ancient Templar history. Because of its length, I will have to spread it across several issues beginning with this one. Perhaps in the future some of you would like to do a little research on some of the players, either individuals such as some of the Kings of Jerusalem, the ancient Grand Masters, or the military and political leaders on all sides or on the groups such as the Mongols, the Moors, the Berbers, the Shiites, the Sunnis, the Cathars, or the Assassins and submit them so we can publish them as sort of a list of the players. Please feel free to do so. I think it would be helpful to all of us.
Initially, this work was begun as a review of John Robinson's book, Dungeons, Fire and Sword. Immediately after beginning the book, I realized that chronicling the history of Christian - Muslim conflict from the time of Mohammed in the mid-7th century A.D. until the suppression and disbanding of the Knights Templar in the early 14th century was a much larger task than a simple book review.
The object of this article is to track and logically follow the ebb and flow between Christian and Muslim control of the Holy Land. Before addressing the actual conflict, I detailed the background of Mohammad and his early successors in an attempt to set the stage for the first Christian invasion of the Holy Land. Although Mohammad lived some four and a half centuries before the Crusades, the Muslim theology he laid down was virtually unchanged during that period. Islam rests on five pillars of faith as follows:
Five Pillars of Islam
1) Shabada - There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger
2) Salab - Pray five times per day
3) Zakah - Charity to poor and needy
4) Sawm - Fasting during daylight for Holy Month of Ramadan. Holy month ends with the new or Crescent moon
5) Hajj - Pilgrimage to Mecca
It is perhaps the first pillar, Shabada - There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger, that was the true foundation of the bloodshed to come. True believers in Islam could not accept the existence of other religions. This intolerance taught that armed warfare to spread the true word of Allah was not only accepted but demanded of the truly Islamic righteous.
Robinson's work is an extremely detailed and complex history of the role the Knights Templar played in the Crusades. However, to provide an accurate chronology in the detail I wanted, I needed additional sources of references. A partial list of those sources can be seen at the end of this article. For all but the professional historian, tracking events and persons during the roughly two hundred years of Knights Templar existence becomes an impossible task. One particular difficulty is tracking individual Christian Kings and their assumed titles, i.e. Baldwin I, Baldwin II, etc. The similar situation arises and is even more complicated on the Muslim side as names and places are less familiar to western readers. Overlaid on top is the obviously difficult and often inexact or confusing translation of Arabic words, terms, and names into English. For example, specific places have both Christian and Muslim names, neither of which may correspond with the modern.
In similar fashion, I detailed the situation in Christian Europe prior to the beginning of warfare with special attention to the creation and early history of the Knights Templar. My research uncovered much conflict and little agreement on the early Templars. Conventional thought has attributed the creation of the Order of the Temple as a force of protectors for Europeans visiting the Holy Land. While that fact is or maybe be accurate, the role of the early Templars was far more involved. In the first decade of their existence, the order consisted of less than a dozen Knights, which posed the obvious question as to how much protection could be provided to how many pilgrims. A discussion of the myths and early history of the Templars is not within the scope of this article.
I have arbitrarily elected to break the article into three time periods and create a linear time line of events and persons involved. My arbitrary time periods are as follows:
Part 1:The Birth of Muhammad c.550 A.D. to the First Crusade, the Creation of the Knights Templar, and the founding of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in c.1150 A.D.
Part 2: c.1150 A.D. to the Crusade of King Louis IX c.1250
Part 3: c.1250 A.D. to the end of Templar order in c.1325 A.D.
I have adopted a format which has a graphic time line of events with narrative explanations.
Conclusions
From a purely military viewpoint, the Crusades were a decisive victory for the Muslims. The Christian high water mark of two centuries of warfare was in the first two decades of the conflict. Following the rise of Nur ed-Nin and Saladin in the mid-1100s, the Christians were gradually driven north toward Europe. Christian controlled territory never again reached the extent of that held in the twenty years following the initial invasion around 1100. Despite the tens of thousands of casualties on each side, the death total paled in comparison to the great plagues that were to devastate Europe and the Middle East in the following five or six decades. The Roman Catholic Church emerged from the Crusade era as the sole unified political force in Europe. Despite the justified harsh criticism of the Church as a reactionary force retarding social and scientific thought for the next several centuries, the unified Church can be credited with preserving western civilization during the 200-300 years of the Dark Ages. The armed and trained Christian Crusaders can be credited as one significant factor in halting the invasions from the East of the Mongols and preserving Christianity. The returning Crusaders, victorious or not, brought back to Europe parts of Muslim culture, consumer goods of the day, and Arabic thought and scientific knowledge. A modern logical comparison can be made with the American troops returning from Europe at the close of World War I. (How can you keep the boys down on the farm after they have seen Paris?)
Time Line - Holy Land Jerusalem
Time line entries noted by c. are events occurring over a period
Part 1:
570
Muhammad was born in Mecca to a prosperous merchant family of the Hashimite Tribe.
c. 610
Muhammad receives devine words from God.
622 - 623 A.D.
Muhammad flees Mecca to Yathrib. The Arabic for the "The City" becomes the English word Medina.
Muslim Year 1 Muhammad was taken into the sky aboard a white half mule-half donkey named Buraq; meets earlier prophets, Moses, Abraham, and Jesus; refuses wine; and climbs a ladder through strata from Hell to Heaven.
625
Muhammad returns to Mecca in triumph.
c. 630
Finishes writing Holy Words - Koran or Qur'an
632
Muhammad died without naming a successor. Abu-Bekr announced the death and became Khalifa, which becomes the English word Caliph. The word was slow to reach distant tribes, and civil dissention began immediately. Caliph Abu-Bekar sent an army to quell rebellion.
640
Abu-Bekr conquered Jerusalem.
646
Abu-Bekr conquered Alexandria.
c. 650
Abu-Bekr died and was succeeded by Umar ibn-Khattab of the Umayyad tribe as the second successor.
c. 655
Umar ibm-Khattab was killed in battle and succeeded by Uthma ibn-Affan, another Umayyad.
c. 660
Ali ibn-Talib of the Hashimite tribe assumed the role as a second Caliph, and the Hashimite and Umayyad tribes began clan warfare.
691
Caliph Abd al-Malik built Haram-es-Sharif in Jerusalem on site of Solomon's temple. The Arabic word for the farthest Mosque is al-Aqsa.
c. 600-700
The tribes split into followers of Ali, the Shiites based in Egypt, and followers of the Path, the Sunni based in Damascus.
710
The Muslim Invasion of Spain was led by Tariq. The Arabic words for Mount of Tariq became the English word and place Gibraltar. The now Islamic Moors conquered Visigothic Christian Hispania. Their general, Tariq ibn-Ziyad, brought most of Iberia under Islamic rule in an eight-year campaign. They moved northeast across the Pyrenees Mountains but were defeated by the Frank, Charles Martel, at the Battle of Poitiers in 732. The Moors were the medieval Muslim inhabitants of Morocco, western Algeria, western Sahara, Mauritania, the Iberian Peninsula, Septimania, Sicily, and Malta. The Moors called their Iberian territory Al-Andalus, an area comprising Gibraltar, much of what is now Spain and Portugal, and part of France.
732
Battle of Tours in Spain. Christians were led by Charles Martel who defeated Tariq, deciding Europe would remain Christian.
c. 1075
The Muslim world split between Shiite control in Egypt and Sunni control in
Damascus, opening the Holy Land, Israel, to Crusader invasion from the North.
Night view of Al-Aqsa mosque with Olive Mountain as background Copyrighted by Yuri Gershberg.
- 1095
Pope Urban II called for a holy war or crusade to free Jerusalem from Muslim rule. Army service and the promise of land and spoils appealed to the second and third sons who were limited by rule of primogeniture. Bishop Adhemar of le Puy was chosen to lead the first Crusade.
Aug. 096
The first crusaders were transported to Holy Land.
Jul. 1099
Jerusalem was conquered and the Kingdom of Jerusalem was established. Godfey de Bouillon was crowned with the title of "Defender of the Holy Sepulcher."
Jun.1100
De Bouillon died, and Balwin of Edessa succeeded and assumed the throne as King Balwin I.
1101-1105
King Balwin repelled Muslim attacks on Jerusalem.
May 1110
Balwin took Beirut.
1118
Balwin invaded Egypt and died of disease.
Apr. 1118
Balwin of le Bourg of Edessa, Cousin to Balwin I, assumed the throne as Balwin II.
c. 1118
Hugh De Payens asked Balwin II to sanction a new order of Knights, and the Knights of the Temple were created, taking vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. The poverty vow applied to individual Knights, and the order was permitted to claim wealth. The Knights were given the al-Aqsa Mosque as a home.
c. 1127
Balwin appealed to Pope Honorius for Papal sanction of the order. Balwin II died and was succeeded by King Fulk I. Honorius issued a sanction to the order which included further vows as follows:
Unquestioned obedience to superiors
No contact with women, including mother or siblings
Never appear undressed
No bathing
Short hair and full beard to separate Knights from clergy and nobles
c. 1138
Fulk I died and was succeeded by Queen Melisende, his wife, as regent to his thirteen year old son. The Queen appealed to Pope Innocent II for additional help defending Jerusalem against Muslim attack, and Innocent II issued the Papal Bull Omne datum optimim, exempting the Temple Knight order from all authority except the Pope. The order was allowed to recruit members, engage in commerce, collect fees including for the transport of European pilgrims to the Holy Land, and sell crops including sugar and cotton. The Arabic word for sugar, "al-Kandiq," became English "candy," and the Arabic word for cotton became the English word "Muslin." They served as bankers, guaranteeing that funds deposited in Europe for receipt could be redeemed in Jerusalem for cash. The order adopted "non Nobis Domine, non Nobis, sed Nominous tuo da glorium" (Not to us, Lord, not unto us, but to thy name give glory) as their official statement, and the order became expert in military logistics, training, and battle tactics.
1145
Queen Melisende appealed to Pope Eugenius III for reinforcements. Louis VII of France tried and failed to raise a Crusader army. Bernard of Clairvaux was an early sponsor of the Templar order and requested the Pope to appeal to the French Nobility to "take up the Cross." Clairvaux raised an army including several hundred Templars.
1147
King Conrad of Germany raised a second army and joined with the Kings of Poland and Bohemia to lead a Crusade to the Holy Land. The combined army underwent serious setbacks in Turkey, and the kings surrendered command to the Templars.
1148
Queen Melisende joined forces with the Templar led army and marched on Damascus which was under the control of Muslim, Unur en-Din. The Christians failed to capture the city and returned to Europe. Unur en-Din retained control of Damascus. The Holy Land remained divided with Muslim control of the North, and the second or "Bernard's Crusade" ended in a standoff with the Muslims gaining strength following the Christian withdrawal back to France. The standoff remained until c. 1150.
- Top
Christian Control of Jerusalem and the South
- Part 2:
c. 1149
Baldwin III assumed the throne of the Kingdom of Jerusalem following the failed second Crusade, and Bernard de Tremelai was named Grand Master of Knights Templar order. Nur ed-Din Aleppo raided far north of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and threatened Antioch. Baldwin III, with a large force of Templars, forced Mujir ed-Din into an alliance against the common enemy, Nur ed-Din. Civil conflict between the Crusader states of Antioch and Tripoli forced Baldwin III to establish a Templar fortress at Tortosa to prevent Nur ed-Din from splitting the kingdom in half. The Nur ed-Din and Templar standoff continued until c. 1152. A civil war broke out between the Caliphs in Egypt, and in January, Baldwin III set siege to the Shiite city of Ascalon, the most Muslim city on the coast of the Holy Land.
Jul. 1153
Forty Templars under command of de Tremelai breached the wall and were all killed by the Egyptians, and Baldwin III resumed the siege.
Aug. 1153
Ascalon surrendered and was looted, and Baldwin named his younger brother, Amalric, ruler of the city. Andre de Montbard was named Templar Grand Master, replacing the slain de Tremelai. Baldwin III and Mujir moved against Nur en-Din, attacking the far north city of Aleppo. Shirkuh leader of Nur en-Din army, Ayub Emir of Baalbek, was the father of Yusef who would become "The Prosperity of the Faith" or Salah-ed-Din in Arabic and would be known as Saladin to future Crusaders. Nur ed-Din settled in Damascus and agreed to a truce with the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
1156
Bertrand de Blanquefort was named Templar Grand Master. Baldwin III raided Muslim herds and crops in the North, Nur ed-Din retaliated by capturing the Christian city of Banyas, and Baldwin and four hundred Templars recaptured Banyas before being massacred on the trip back to Jerusalem. Templar Grand Master de Blanquefort was captured.
Feb. 1162
Baldwin III died and was replaced by Amalric.
1163 Amalric, with a force of Templars, invaded Egypt and was defeated by the flooding Nile. Nur ed-Din unsuccessfully attacked the Crusader city of Tripoli and then withdrew to Damascus. Shawar was over-thrown as Vizier in Egypt and asked Nur ed-Din to attack Egypt and restore Shawar to the throne. Nur ed-Din feigned an attack on the Christian city Banyas while sending a major force led by Kurd Shirkul and his nephew Salah ed-Din south to Egypt. Shawar was restored as Vizier of Egypt while remaining under Nur ed-Din's control from Damascus. Shitte Shawar in Egypt turned on Sunni Nur ed-Din in Damascus and formed an alliance with Amalric to battle the common enemy.
1164
Nur ed-Din attacked Christian Antioch but was repelled, and six hundred Templars were killed in the counter attack.
1167
Nur ed-Din attacked Banyas, and Shirkuh attacked Egypt after declaring the Sunni invasion of Shiite Egypt to be a holy war or jihad in Arabic, and Alexandria surrendered to Shirkuh. Saladin was given his first command to hold Alexandria against attack by the joint forces of Amalric and Shawar.
Aug. 1167
Amalric ended the siege and returned to Ascalon.
c. 1167
Genghis Khan was born in Mongolia.
c. 1168
Templars were the largest and richest land holders in the Holy Land. Amalric planned another invasion of Egypt, the Templars refused to participate, and Amalric captured the Muslim city of Bilbeis and slaughtered the entire population. Vizier Shawar threatened to burn Cairo rather than surrender, and Nur ed-Din sent an army commanded by Shirkuh to rescue Cairo.
Jan. 1169
Amalric retreated and blamed the latest Egypt defeat on the Templars for not joining his forces. Shirkuh captured Cairo for Nur ed-Din, Saladin was named ruler of Egypt, and Templar Grand Master de Blanquefort died.
Jul. 1169
Amalric invaded Egypt again without Templar help, Philip de Milly was named Templar Grand Master, Amalric again retreated to Jerusalem, and Saladin became the most powerful Muslim after Nur ed-Din.
c. 1170-1174
De Milly resigned as Templar Grand Master to become King Amalric's ambassador to Byzantium, and Odo de St. Amand was named Grand Master. The last Shiite Caliph in Cairo died, and Egypt became dominated by the Sunni sect. Nur ed-Din planned an attack on Cairo against Saladin, Amalric aligned with Shiite Sheikh Rashid against Nur ed-Din, and a standoff ensued with three years of negotiations.
1174
Nur ed-Din died of disease, Amalric died one month later and was succeeded by his nineteen year old son, Prince Baldwin, who assumed the throne as Baldwin IV with Raymond of Tripoli as Regent. The Prince was afflicted with leprosy. Saladin was now the most powerful Muslim leader. Raymond contended with two factions, the Jerusalem rich nobles who favored peaceful negotiations with Saladin and the newer nobles and Templars who favored aggressive action against Saladin. Saladin captured Damascus following the death of Nur-ed-Din and then attacked the Christian city of Aleppo in the far north. He failed to take Aleppo but was named King of Syria and stayed in Damascus.
1177
Baldwin IV turned sixteen, and the regency ended.
Nov. 1177
Saladin invaded from the south, the Templars defended Amalric's city of Gaza, and Baldwin IV's army moved to Ascalon between Saladin and Jerusalem. The Templars defeated Saladin and saved Jerusalem.
Mar. 1179
Pope Alexander III convened the third Latern Council in Rome and attacked Templar wealth but took no further action. Alexander III declared that the Templars could be used against Christian heretics, specifically naming Cathars in south France, and the council ended without calling for more Crusades to free the Holy Land.
Apr. 1179
Saladin attacked the city of Banyas and swept through Galilee and Lebanon, burning and looting Christian cities. Templar Grand Master St. Amand was captured by Saladin.
May 1180
Grand Master St. Amand died after year in Saladin's dungeon, Arnold de Toroga was named Templar Grand Master, and Baldwin IV agreed to a two year truce with Saladin.
c. 1183
Saladin controlled the territory from Libya to Iraq.
1184 Pope Alexander convened a council with Emperor Frederick of Germany and King Henry II of England, asking for another Crusade to the Holy Land. Templar Grand Master de Toroga died on his way to the council, Gerand de Ridfort was named Templar Grand Master, and Henry II refused to fund or join the Crusade but agreed to fund two hundred Templars for one year.
Jan. 1185
King Baldwin IV died, and his son, Baldwin V, became the uncrowned ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem with Raymond of Tripoli as Regent again.
Aug. 1186
Baldwin V died, and Guy of Lusignan, husband of Baldwin IV's sister, was named to throne of the Kingdom of Israel as Guy I.
Jul. 1187
Saladin defeated King Guy at Hattin, and the captured Templars were publicly beheaded. Saladin attacked Jerusalem from the north, taking the Christian cities of Sidon and Beirut and made a tactical error by leaving Tyre in Christian control. King Guy and Templar Grand Master, de Ridfort, were captured. King Guy traded the city of Ascalon for his freedom, and de Ridfort traded the Templar stronghold at Gaza for his freedom.
Oct. 1187
Saladin captured Jerusalem and rode into city on the anniversary of Muhammad riding into heaven on the donkey or mule, Buraq, and Jerusalem was cleared of all Christian signs and buildings. The Templar headquarters in al-Aqsa was converted back to a mosque, and Saladin held the first Muslim prayers on October 9th. Christians held Tyre and the territory in the North, but most of Holy Land was firmly in Muslim control. Pope Urban III died and was succeeded by Gregory VIII who appealed to every European monarch to organize another Crusade to free the Muslim controlled Holy Land. He called for every Christian to fast every Friday for next five years. Gregory served as Pope for only two months and was succeeded by Clement III. Clement III appealed to Henry II of England, Philip Augustus of France, and Frederick I of the Holy Roman Empire. Henry II and Philip agreed to fund and join a Crusade. Henry imposed a "Saladin tithe" on all English subjects with the Templars appointed as tax collectors. Henry and Philip, i.e. England and France, began hostilities before a Crusader army could be formed.
Mar. 1188
Frederick of Holy Roman Empire took a Crusader vow, and Saladin continued raids on Christian cities.
Dec. 1188
Saladin captured Kerak.
Aug. 1189
King Guy with a large force of Templars laid siege to the Muslim city of Acre, and the Templar Grand Master was captured and killed by Saladin outside of Acre.
1190
Henry II died and was succeeded by Richard the Lionhearted who made peace with Philip of France. They headed to the Holy Land with separate armies and a large force of Templars.
Jul. 1190
Richard and Philip joined armies in Vezlay in south of France and sailed by different routes.
Mar. 1191
Philip joined the siege of Acre while Richard remained trapped on the island of Rhodes.
Jun. 1191
Richard and his army arrived at Acre, and Robert de Sable was named Templar Grand Master which had been vacant since death of de Ridfort in 1189.
Jul. 1191
The city of Acre surrendered and agreed to pay tribute if its citizens were not killed.
Aug. 1191
Richard broke his agreement and slaughtered several thousand Muslims. Then Saladin immediately retaliated by killing all Christians who were held captive. The Muslims named Richard "The Butcher of Ayyadieh" while Christians named him "The Lion-Hearted."
Oct. 1191 to Mar. 1192
Richard and Saladin battled to a standstill and agreed on another truce. Christians got Beirut, and pilgrims were permitted to visit and worship in Jerusalem while Saladin retained control of the city.
Jun. 1192
Saladin battled the Shiites from Kurdistan, and Richard broke the truce and marched on Jerusalem.
Aug. 1192
The Templars moved their headquarters to Acre, and Saladin attacked Jaffa.
Oct. 1192
Saladin withdrew his attack on Jaffa, Richard returned Ascalon to Muslim rule, Henry of Troyes was crowned King Henry of Jerusalem based in Acre, and Richard and Saladin agreed on a five year truce. Richard was captured by Duke Leopold on his way back to England and was freed after the payment of a huge ransom. [Editor's note: See photo on page 32.]
c. 1192-1193
The Third Crusade halted the Muslim advance and gained minor territory in Holy Land while Jerusalem and most of the Holy Land remained under Muslim control.
Mar. 1193
Saladin died leaving seventeen sons and two brothers; his son al-Azaz held Cairo, his son al-Afdal held Damascus, and his son al-Sahir held Aleppo.
c. 1194
Genghis Khan was named the leader of all Mongols and began an expansion east.
1199 Richard the Lion-Hearted was killed, and Gilbert Erail was elected the 12th Templar Grand Master.
c. 1200
Pope Innocent III tried to solidify secular Europe and began forming another Crusader army.
1201
Templar Grand Master Erail died and was replaced by Philip de Plessiez.
Jun. 1202
The Crusader army left for the Crusade against Greek (Christian) Byzantium.
Apr. 1204
The Crusader army captured the city of Constantinople and looted its treasure.
May 1204
Count Baldwin of Flanders and Hainault was crowned King of Byzantium, and Pope Innocent III became the sole authority over all the Christian Church. Innocent III released the Crusaders from their pledge to go to the Holy Land and redefined the goal of future crusades to extend the power of the Pope and not to specifically free the Holy Land.
c. 1205
The Pope sent legates under protection of the Templars to convert heretic (Christian) Cathars who refused to recognize the authority of the Pope. Innocent III called for a Crusade against the Cathars in southern France, and Arnald-Amalric was named to head the army against the Cathars. The Crusader army captured the French city of Beziers and slaughtered 20,000 citizens in the name of God, and the Pope established the doctrine of burning one hundred innocents as preferable to allowing one heretic to go unpunished, the rationale of Inquisitions to follow in 1223 with Gregory IX founding the Holy Roman and Universal Inquisition. Simon de Montford from the Constantinople looting was named the new head of the Papal army, introduced burning at the stake as a new method of execution, and sanctioned public torture, i.e. cutting off of noses and lips and gouging out eyes.
1208
Innocent III targeted King John of England for taxing Church property and threatened to excommunicate him. Philip of France agreed to lead a Crusade against John of England, and the Templars were ordered to support Philip against England. John of England accepted the Pope's terms and placed all of England under "His Lord Pope Innocent III and his Catholic successors." Philip disbanded the army and declared that France would not participate in future calls to arms from the Pope.
1210
Templar Grand Master Plessiez died, and William de Charters was named the 14th Templar Grand Master.
c. 1213
King Pedro II of Spain lead an army against Grand Master de Montford and the Templars impinging on Spanish territory in southern France and abandoned southern Spain to the Muslims while battling fellow Christians in France. Pedro was killed in battle, and the Albigewsian Crusade against de Montford ended.
c. 1215
Muslim raids on Christian held parts of Holy Land increased under Sultan al-Adil, and John Brienne was crowned King John of Jerusalem and asked the Pope for a new Crusade to free the Holy Land in 1217 when the current truce would expire. King John of England also requested permission from Innocent III to sanction a Crusade to the Holy Land in 1217 when the current truce would expire, and Innocent III called a Lateran Council, believing that the time was nearing for a great Christian victory by his interpretation of a verse found in the Chapter of Revelations: "Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man and his number is six hundred three score and six" i.e. 666. Muhammad was born in 570 A.D. and 1236 would represent his 666th year. The council approved absolutions and indulgences to be granted to the Templars.
Jul. 1216
Innocent III died, Cardinal Savelli was installed as Honorius III, Honorius imposed a 5% Crusade tax and appointed the Templars as tax collectors, and the Crusader army left Europe knight templar without a clear leader.
Nov. 1218
The first wave of Crusaders left the city of Acre on an eastward march toward Damascus, Muslims fortified Damascus and Jerusalem in advance of the army, and the Templars created a new fortress at Athht and renamed it Chastel Pilerin, (English name Castle of Pilgrims). King John of Jerusalem with a Crusader army lead the invasion up the Nile river to city of Damietta. Sultan al-Adil died in Cairo and was replaced by son al-Kamil; al-Kamil's brother, al-Mu'azzum, declared himself ruler of Syria; Cardinal Pelagius arrived in Egypt as the Papal choice to lead the invasion, replacing John of Jerusalem; and Sultan al-Adil moved Muslim forces to the city of al-Adiliya up river from Damietta.
Aug. 1219
Templar Grand Master de Chartres died, and Spanish Pedro de Montaigu was named the 15th Grand Master.
Aug. 1219
French Francis of Assisi and al-Adil negotiated a truce, offering Crusaders the cities of Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem in return for Crusader withdrawal from Egypt. Cardinal Pelagius rejected the al-Adil offer, and the City of Damietta fell to the Christians. Al_Mu'azzam of Damascus moved his army into Syria, and al-Adil broke off the battle with Christians and moved his forces to halt the invasion of Syria. The Mongols invaded the Christian territory of Turkey presenting a new and unforeseen threat.
Apr. 1221
Frederick, the Holy Roman Emperor, sent fresh troops to Egypt, al-Kamil defeated the Crusader army south of Damietta, and the Fifth Crusade ended with the Christian forces surrendering Damietta and withdrawing from Egypt.
c. 1222-1224
The Christian and Muslim truce following the fall of Damietta held, and trade between Muslims and Christians increased with the Templars gaining huge wealth. King John of Jerusalem sought a successor from outside the Holy Land, and his daughter, Yolanda, married widowed Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II with the agreement that John would remain on the throne of Jerusalem until his death.
Jul. 1223
Philip of France died leaving a huge treasure to the Templars.
c. 1224
Saladin's Muslim empire was divided among three brothers, all nephews of Saladin, Iraq or Mesopotamia to al-Ashraf, Damascus to al-Mu'azzum, and Egypt to al-Kamil. Frederick agreed to join al-Kamil to fight against al-Mu'azzam and to receive Jerusalem in return.
Mar. 1227
Pope Honorius III died, and the Cardinal of Ostian became Pope Gregory IX.
Aug. 1227
Gregory IX petitioned Frederick to send more troops to the Holy Land under the command of Duke Henry of Limburg.
Jan. 1228
Gregory IX excommunicated Frederick for disobedience by leading troops to Holy Land, Yolanda died, and Frederick's claim to the throne of Jerusalem disappeared.
Jun. 1228
Frederick landed in the Holy Land, AL-Kamir invaded Syria and took Jerusalem, and Gregory IX excommunicated Frederick for a second time. Al-Kamil and Frederick reached an agreement, giving Jerusalem and Bethlehem to Frederick with the Muslims retaining Hebron, al-Kamil retained the right to maintain Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, and the Templars were denied permission to return to al-Aqsa Mosque.
Mar. 1229
Frederick entered Jerusalem and crowned himself King of Jerusalem while still under Papal excommunication.
May 1229
Frederick returned to Europe.
c. 1230
Frederick and Gregory III reconciled, and the excommunication was voided with the following terms: Churches in Sicily and Southern Italy would be returned to Pope, Frederick would have no say in naming Bishops, and confiscated land and property would be returned to the Templars.
c. 1230-1239
Constant civil war persisted among the European Monarchs, i.e. Frederick vs. John of Ibelin, King of Cyprus, and similar internal strife on the Muslim side ensued as Saladin's united empire disintegrated into an unstable and divided rule thirty years after his death. Gregory began a call for a new Crusade.
1239
Grand Master de Montaigu died, and Armand de Perigold was named the 16th Templar Grand Master. The Duke of Burgundy, Count Peter of Brittany, and Count Henry of Bar were the first to take up the cross for a new Crusade to be led by Tibald of Champagne.
Sep. 1239
Tibald and the Crusader army landed in the city of Acre. The Templars and the arriving Crusaders disagreed on the first target, the Templars favoring Egypt to preserve the lucrative trade with Syria and the European Crusaders favoring a march on Damascus. Tibald agreed to attack Cairo, and the army took Ascalon near the Muslim held city of Gaza. The Egyptian army under Sultan an-Nasir defeated Tibald outside of Gaza and reoccupied Jerusalem, the Templars negotiated a truce between an-Nasir and Ismail of Damascus, and the defeated Tibald was permitted to make a pilgrimage into Jerusalem and then to return to Europe. The latest Crusade was considered an abject failure as Gaza and Jerusalem remained under Muslim control. The Templars began a struggle against the fellow Christian Order of Hospitallers over control of trade routes, and Rukn ad-Din Baibars appeared among the Muslim warriors.
Oct. 1241
The Templars attacked and captured the city of Nablus and slaughtered the population.
1243
The Templars reached an agreement with Ismail of Damascus allowing Christians free access to Jerusalem, the Muslim Imams withdrew, the Templars began rebuilding the walls and reclaimed al-Aqsa Mosque as the base of their operations, and Louis IX of France took a vow to lead a Crusade.
Aug. 1244
A new enemy in Kwarismian Turks invaded the Holy Land from the north, taking the city of Tiberias and threatening Jerusalem while the Templars defended Jerusalem against overwhelming odds with aid from an-Nasir attacking from Egypt.
Aug. 1244
Kwarismian Turks occupied Jerusalem, allowing Christians free passage from the city. These were the last Christians to pass through the walls of Jerusalem for over four centuries. Fleeing Christians tried to return to the city, and five thousand were massacred by the Turks who looted the city and desecrated the Christian holy sites before leaving the city to attack Egypt.
Oct. 1244
The Templars, lead by Grand Master de Perigord, met five thousand Muslims under the command of Rukn ad-Din at La Forbie near Gaza where five thousand Christians including de Perigord were slaughtered by the Turks who swept north through Palestine and captured the last Christian city of Acre.
Apr. 1245
The Turks with aid from the Egyptians under Sultan Ayub took Damascus.
c. 1247
Sultan Ayub reestablished the empire of his uncle, Saladin, from fifty years earlier, and William Sonnac was named the 17th Templar Grand Master.
Aug. 1248
The Crusade promised by Louis IX three years earlier departed for the Holy Land.
Sep. 1248
Louis IX landed in Cyprus to join forces with King Henry of Cyprus and Grand Master de Sonnac to plan the invasion of Egypt, Louis IX ordered the Templars to cease all private negotiations with the Muslims, and Grand Master de Sonnac agreed that all future negotiations would go through Louis IX.
Jun. 1249
Louis IX and the Crusader army landed on the Nile River; the Egyptian army under Rukn ad-Din engaged the Christians at the city of Damietta, the site of Cardinal Pelagius' defeat twenty years before; the Egyptian army retreated; and the Christians captured Damietta without opposition. Emir Fakr al-Din of Cairo offered to trade Jerusalem for Damietta. Louis IX refused the deal and planned an attack on Cairo.
Nov. 1249
The Crusader army left Damietta and headed upriver toward Cairo.
Dec. 1249
Rukn ad-Din set a trap at city of Mansoural, and Louis IX entered the unguarded city.
Jan.-Mar. 1250
The Christian and Muslim armies fought numerous battles, with the Muslims winning by attrition. Templar Grand Master de Sonnac was blinded in battle and died; Louis IX and five hundred Christians were captured and taken to Cairo in chains.
Apr. 1250
Louis IX bought the freedom of all prisoners with a loan from the Templars and surrendered the city of Damietta. Renaud de Vichers was elected the 18th Templar Grand Master, and Louis IX remained in Egypt under house arrest to avoid the disgrace of another failed Crusade.
1250 A.D.
After one hundred years of warfare and five major Crusades, the Christians held less of the Holy Land than in 1150. There were tens of thousands of casualties on both sides, including five Templar Grand Masters killed in battle, and Jerusalem was firmly in Muslim hands. Frederick of Germany, the Holy Roman Emperor, was the most powerful monarch in Europe, and Templars remained richest and most powerful Christian order, holding mortgages on many European crowns. The Mongol Hordes having conquered parts of China, India, Afghanistan, Russia, and Georgia, swept into Eastern Europe and the Holy Land. The Mongol threat was greater to both Christian and Muslim than either could pose to the other. The Mongols were interested only in plundering cities and had but two options for the overrun cities and population, pay tribute or be killed. The option of conversation like Christianity or Islam did not exist in the Mongol culture.
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c. 1250
Renaud de Vichiers was named the 19th Templar Grand Master; Louis IX remained in the Muslim held city of Damietta, raising funds to buy his and the other captives' freedom; and the Templars loaned Louis IX a large sum.
Jul. 1250
Prince an-Nasir Yusuf captured Damascus and moved an army toward Egypt.
Feb. 1251
Sultan Aibek of Cairo defeated Syrian forces lead by an-Nasir Yusuf at the river city of Zagazig, and an-Nasir Yusuf asked Louis IX to join the attack on Egypt, offering to return Jerusalem to Christian control as a reward. Louis IX refused the offer, fearing that the Christian prisoners held by Aibek would be slaughtered. Aibek replied by releasing three thousand Christian prisoners held in Cairo and countered an-Nasir's offer by including the entire Kingdom of Jerusalem as well as the city. The Templars negotiated a private deal with an-Nasir Yusuf in Damascus with the Templars recovering a large area of land, and Louis IX became furious at the Templars for making private deals, forcing Grand Master de Vichiers to make a humiliating public apology. Grand Master de Vichiers knelt at the feet of Louis IX and withdrew from the agreement with an-Nasir Yusuf. As penitence, the Templars turned over all Templar property in the Holy Land and Europe to Louis IX who refused the property, fearing retaliation by the Pope, protecting the Church order. Louis IX then moved south and made an agreement with Aibek of Cairo, and An-Nasir Yusuf's army divided the Louis IX and Aibek forces, resulting in a year long standoff.
c. 1252
Aibek and an-Nasir Yusuf made peace, Aibek ruled Egypt and Palestine east to the River Jordan, and Louis IX retreated to Acre.
c. 1253
Louis IX sought an alliance with the Mongols in the north after Sartaq Khan, the great-grandson of Genghis, became a Christian; and the Mongol response was to demand a huge annual tribute from Louis IX or he and every Christian in the Holy Land would be slaughtered. Louis IX returned to France after five years in Holy Land. The Louis IX treaties with Damascus and Egypt went into effect.
1256
Civil strife between Venetians and Genoese merchants threatened the peace in the Holy Land. Templar Grand Master de Vichiers met with an unknown fate, and Englishman, Thomas Berard, was named as the 20th Templar Grand Master. The Templars sided with Venetians, and the rival Hospitallers order sided with the Genoese in disputes over trade with the East.
1258 Queen Plaisance of Cyprus used this dissention to push her five year old son to become King of Jerusalem with herself acting as Regent. The Geneose sent an army and fleet to the Holy Land to settle the dispute with Venetians, and the Venetians and Templars combined to defeat the Genoese.
c. 1260
The Pope sent an emissary from Rome to resolve the Venetian - Geneose dispute. The Mongol army under Kitbuqa reached Aleppo in the far north of the Holy Land and took Damascus in March. The Venetians and Genoese reached a settlement with Constantinople to be returned to Greek Church control but the port to be open for trade. Pope Innocent II died, and Patriarch Pantaleon who settled the Venetian - Genoese dispute was named Pope Urban IV. Internal strife became secondary as the Mongol threat became the first priority, and Kitbuqa headed toward Egypt, demanding tribute from Sultan Qutuz of Cairo. Qutuz killed the Mongol emissaries and publicly displayed their severed heads on the walls of Cairo. Mongol Hulagu returned to central Asia for a council to elect the next Great Khan, the Mongol army under Kitbuqa remained in Syria with orders to continue the conquest of Cairo, and Christian Count Julian of Sidon and Beaufort attempted to capitalize on the Muslim - Mongol conflict by raiding and looting Muslim cities. Julian borrowed heavily from the Templars who held and taxed the port of Sidon as collateral. Kitbuqa considered Julian's raids as attacks on Mongol property and sent a small army to capture or kill Julian, but Julian's forces killed the Mongols including Kitbuqa's favorite nephew. The full Mongol army captured and looted Sidon, preventing the Templars from collecting port taxes, and Julian's actions ended the possibility of a Christian - Muslim alliance against the Mongols. Qutuz moved an army under the command of Rukn al-Din Baibars to meet the Mongol threat to Cairo. The Mongol army was defeated at Ain Jalut, and Gutuz beheaded Kitbuqa. The Mongols ended the attacks on Egypt and returned to the North. The battle of Ain Jalut ultimately determined that North Africa and the Holy Land would remain Muslim rather than Mongol (just as the Battle of Tours in 732 A.D. determined that Europe remained Christian). Qutuz took Damascus and Aleppo, slaughtering Christians and then returned to Cairo. Rukn ad-Din Baibars killed Qutuz and became Sultan of Egypt.
c. 1261
Rakn ad-Din Baibars sent an army to quell a revolt in Damascus, Damascus was captured, and Prince Kerak was killed by Rakn ad-Din and Baibars forces. Baibars became the strongest ruler among splintered Muslims, Mongol Berke Khan converted to Islam, and Baibars married Berke Khan's daughter to form an alliance with the Mongols, forcing another standoff.
c. 1263
Count John of Jaffa reached agreement with Baibars, trading Muslim and Christian prisoners; the Templars refused to honor the prisoner exchange as many Muslim craftsmen held in lifelong slavery played a vital role in Templar commerce; and Baibars captured and looted the Christian held city of Nazareth and slaughtered the population. Baibars attacked the city of Acre, and the Templars and Hospitallers formed an alliance to jointly battle Baibars.
c. 1264
The Templars and Hospitallers defeated Baibars at city of Meggido. Baibars again invaded the Holy Land with two armies, one attacking Acre and the second the Templar Castle at Safed. The Templars surrendered to Safed with the promise that they could walk away, but Baibars broke the agreement, and the Templars were taken prisoner and given the option to convert to Islam or be killed. Two hundred Templars refused to convert and were tortured and killed; one traitor Templar accepted Islam.
Feb. 1265
Hulagu, Khan of all Mongols in Palestine and Turkey, died, and Baibars attacked the Christian city of Caesarea and sold the entire population into slavery rather than committing mass slaughter. Baibars continued his attack on Christian cities, the Templar stronghold of Athlit and Castle Pilgrim held out against Baibars, and Baibars ended the attack and turned against the Hospitallers city of Arsuf. Arsuf surrendered, all Hospitallers were taken prisoner and sold as slaves, and Baibars ended the attack and returned to Egypt.
May 1267
Baibars began a new assault on Acre and tried to lure the Templars out of the fortified town by looting surrounding Christian towns, and finally, Baibars retreated to Egypt.
Mar. 1268
Baibars started a new attack against the southern Christian town of Jaffa and the Egyptian army leap-frogged the Templar stronghold of Castle Pilgrim at Athlit and besieged city of Tyre which surrendered, the population becoming slaves and rebuilding the city walls destroyed during the siege. Baibars moved north toward Antioch, and constable Bohemond attacked the Muslims to slow the advance on Antioch. The Egyptians took Antioch with only token resistance while Bohemond and his troops were out of city. Baibars destroyed most of Antioch, killing thousands of Christians in the streets and selling the best as slaves.
1268
Pope Clement IV died after getting a promise from Louis IX to launch another Crusade against Baibars as revenge for the Antioch mass killing, and Louis IX, brother King Charles of Anjou, planned an alternate assault on Constantinople to establish himself as the new ruler.
Sep. 1269
The Templars and rival Hospitallers clashed over the succession to the throne of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Templars supporting Maria of Antioch. The Hospitallers supported Hugh of Cyprus and prevailed to crown King Hugh III on the throne of Kingdom of Jerusalem. Charles of Anjou convinced his brother, Louis IX, to join with the Emir of Tunis in North Africa, and Niccolò Polo returned to Venice from a twenty year trip to China with tales of vast lands, huge numbers of people, and the unbelievable riches of Kublai Khan's palace and court.
Jul. 1270
Louis IX and a Crusader army departed France for North Africa, and the Emir of Tunis got the support of Baibars and defeated the Christians at Tunis.
Aug. 1270
Louis IX died, and the French army sailed back to Europe, the eighth Crusade to have failed since c.1150. Baibars was now free to battle the Mongols and prepare for final victory over Christians in the entire Holy Land. The Papacy was vacant since death of Clement almost three years before.
1271
Baibars marched on the city of Safita; Templar Grand Master, Berard, agreed to surrender if the Templar's freedom was guaranteed; and Tedaldo, Viscount of Liege, was named Pope Gregory X.
Baibars honored the agreement; the Templars left city; the Muslims renewed the siege of the city again, allowing population to leave unharmed; and Baibars returned to Egypt with the Christians holding only a narrow band of cities along Mediterranean coast. The Polos, including Marco, left Venice with a letter addressed to Kublai Khan from the new Pope. Edward I was crowned King of England; landed in Holy Land with a small army to aid the remaining Templars; planned an alliance with Mongol, Ilkan Abaga, against the mutual Muslim enemy; and sought to reclaim Kingdom of Jerusalem. Templar Grand Master Berard welcomed Edward I and his forces to Acre, the Mongol threat forced Edward I and Baibars into an alliance following the Mongol demand of tribute, Templar Grand Master Berard died, and Frenchman William de Beaujeu was named 21st Grand Master. Pope Gregory X convened the second Council of Lyons to deal with situation in Holy Land and asked for a new Crusade but got little support from the assembled nobles and clergy. Only one European monarch, obscure James I of Aragon, attended council. Gregory X called for all cardinals to contribute one sixth of all their revenue for six years; Priests, Bishops, and all clergy below cardinal were asked to contribute one tenth of their revenue; and the order of Templars was exempted from contributions. Gregory X demanded that all trade between Christians and Muslims stop immediately under the penalty of excommunication and called for all Christians with military skills to sign on to a new Crusade, promising salvation for all who served or contributed money or men. The Council of Lyons failed to achieve any of its objectives; the Templars expanded their banking activity to Cairo, Alexandria, and Damascus; Gregory X died; and Innocent V succeeded to the Papal throne. Innocent served four months and was then succeeded by Adrian V.
1277
Popes John XXI and Nicholas III succeeded to throne; Baibars of Cairo moved against the Mongols in Anatolia; and Ilkhan Abaqa attacked Baibars who retreated to Syria, was poisoned, and succeeded by his son with the sister of Mongol leader Ilkhan Abaqa. Baraqa was deposed by Baibar's general, Kala'un.
1279
King Hugh of Cyprus attempted and failed to take the city of Acre from the Templars.
1280
Mongol, Ilkhan Abaqa, invaded Syria.
Oct. 1280
Ilkhan Abaqa captured the city of Aleppo and slaughtered the Muslim population, Egyptian Kala'un assembled an army to halt the Mongol invasion, and Ilkhan Abaqa retreated to Mesopotamia. The Mongols split into factions, the Golden Horde-Kipchak Mongols who adopted Islam and refused to fight other Muslims and the Persian Mongols who remain under Ilkhan Abaqa. Pope Nicholas III died and was succeeded by Martin IV.
1281 Ilkhan Abaqa assembled a huge army for a final assault on Egypt and offered to return all the lands of the Kingdom of Jerusalem if the Templars would join his army. Kala'un made a similar offer to the Templars to join against Mongols.
Oct. 1281
Egyptian Kala'un met Mongol Ilkhan Abaqa at the city of Homs with Armenian Christians on the side of Mongols and the Templars on the side of the Egyptians. Kala'un won the battle and Ilkhan Abaqa died and was succeeded by his brother Tekudar who adopted Islam and gave up the Mongol throne.
1282 King Guy of Jebail attacked Count Bohemond of Tripoli, and Guy and his family were tortured and killed.
Mar. 1284
King Hugh of Cyprus and the Kingdom of Jerusalem died and was succeeded by his seventeen year old son, John, and Pope Martin IV died and was succeeded by Honorius IV.
Apr. 1285
Kala'un attacked the Christian Hospitallers' stronghold of Marqab, and King John of Cyprus died and was succeeded by his brother, Henry.
1287
Ilkhan Agrum sent ambassador Rabban Sauma to Rome for a meeting with the Pope, and Honorius IV died and was succeeded by Nicholas IV.
1288
Rabban Sauma learned that there would be no new Crusade or Christian alliance with Mongol, Ilkhan Agrum.
1289
Kala'un of Cairo sent an army to Syria in preparation to take Tripoli.
Mar. 1289
The Egyptian army set siege to Tripoli and slaughtered the population, and Kala'un died and was succeeded by his son, al-Ashraf Khalid.
Mar. 1291
Al-Ashraf Khalid with his Egyptian army marched on Acre.
May 1291
Acre fell, al-Ashraf moved toward Beirut, and the two Templar fortress- es at Tortosa and the Castle Pilgrim at Athlit were the last remaining cities under Christian control.
Aug. 1291
The Templars left Tortosa and Athlit, leaving no Christian presence in the Holy Land, Templar Grand Master de Beaujeu died, and Tibald de Gaudin was named the 22nd Grand Master.
1293
Grand Master de Gaudin died, Jacques de Molay was named the 23rd and final Grand Master, and the Templars based in Cyprus were not welcomed by King Henry.
Aug. 1294
Nicholas IV died, Pietro Morrone was named Celestine V, he died after four months in office, and Cardinal Beredetto Gaetani was named Pope Boniface VIII.
1303
Boniface VIII died, and Niccolo Boccasini was named Pope Benedict XI.
Jul. 1304
Benedict XI was poisoned, and non-Cardinal Bernard de Goth was named Pope Clement V.
1306 Philip IV of France summoned Templar Grand Master, de Molay, to Europe and created a plan to confiscate Templar wealth and to clear his debts.
Jul. 1306
Philip IV called for the arrest of every Jew in France, with all property being given to the Crown of France. He needed an excuse to suppress the Templars who were still directly responsible only to the Pope, so he began fabricating accusations of sodomy, blasphemy, and witchcraft.
The Holy Roman and Universal Inquisition had been established in 1229 and openly used torture to extract confessions; however, the Templars, as a Papal order, were exempt from torture. Grand Inquisitor Guillaume Imbert was a friend and personal confessor to Philip IV.
1307
Templar Grand Master de Molay sailed into Marseilles with six Templar galleys, defied the Papal order for secrecy, and marched into Paris with sixty Templars in full dress where he met with the Papal court to outline part of his plan for a new Crusade.
Jul. 1307
King Edward I of England died; the Templars lost their most powerful friend and supporter; Philip revealed the plan to suppress the Templars to Clement V; Esquiu de Florian, an ex-Templar expelled from the order, agreed to provide evidence supporting Philip IV's charges against the order; and Philip IV, using the confession of de Florian, convinced Clement V that the Templars were guilty of treachery by conducting secret agreements with Muslims, resulting in the loss of the Holy Land.
Sep. 1307
Philip sent word to every town to prepare for arrests on October 13, and Philip IV's vassal, de Nogaret, explained the move that "all mem- bers of the Templar order would be arrested without exception, im- prisoned, and reserved for the judgment of the Church, and that all movable and unmovable property would be seized and placed in the hands of the Church."
Friday, Oct. 13, 1307
The Templars were arrested and put in chains, Philip IV forced a search of many Templar buildings and seized huge amounts of trea- sure, and the first legend of Templar treasure being taken from Paris by wagon is born. Philip IV wrote to all Christian Monarchs in Eu- rope, directing them to take similar action against Templars in their countries, Clement V disapproved of Philip IV's action, and Philip IV launched a campaign against Clement, declaring the Pope to be overly lenient in punishing heretics.
Nov. 1307
Clement V submitted to Philip IV and issued a Papal Bull legitimizing Philip's actions against Templars; the Inquisitors launched full scale tor- ture of captured Templars; thirty-six Templars died in the first week; and prolonged barbaric tortures resulted in many deaths and confes- sions among the imprisoned Templars.
Dec. 1307
The Papal Bull reached King Edward II in England who delayed three weeks before enforcing it, giving the Templars a chance to escape with (allegedly) more treasure being hidden; two Templars were captured in all of England; and Edward II refused to apply torture. Edward II and Clement V debated for three years about using torture until Pope sent three trained Inquisitors to the English Court. The Pope declared that anyone giving aid or shelter to fugitive Templars would be excommu- nicated and tortured in their stead, but Papal orders for torture were ignored except in the Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily.
1309
Grand Master de Molay confessed under torture. Nov. 1310 De Molay denied his confession.
Mar. 1311 The Templars formed a defense of the order at Papal Court. The Tem- plars were declared guilty of all charges created by Philip IV in 1306.
Oct. 1311
Clement V convened the Council of Vienne to determine final fate of the Templar order, and the Council heard the charges that the Templars renounced God, Jesus Christ, or His Holy Mother in their initiation; that they worshipped Satan in the form of a cat; that they did not believe in the sacraments; that they spit on the cross; that they confessed to their own officers rather than to priests; that they kissed the navel of the presiding officer; that they performed their Initiation in secrecy; that they were guilty of homosexuality; that they worshipped idols; that they wore girdles that contacted idols; that they swore to the secrecy of order; that they were not permitted to confess to priests; that they did not repent of obvious sins; and that many members confessed to the Inquisitors.
May 1313
All Templar property was given to the order of Hospitallers.
Mar. 1314
Grand Master de Molay was burned at stake after seven years in prison, shouted the innocence of the order while being burned, and had his ashes dumped in the river to erase all trace of the order.
Apr. 1314
Pope Clement V died.
Nov. 1314
Philip IV died
- Chronicles of the Crusades, Jean de Joinville, Geffroy de Villehandouin, and Margaret B. Shaw
The Rise and Fall of the Knights Templar, The Order of the Temple 1118 - 1314, Gordon Napier
The Knights Templar: A Factual History, Charles Addison
The Templar Revelation, Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince
The Knights Templar Chronology: Tracking History's Most Intriguing Monks, George Smart
The Templars and the Grail: Knights of the Quest, Karen Ralls
The New Concise History of the Crusades, Thomas Madden
The Crusades through Arab Eyes, Amin Maalouf
Crusades: The Illustrated History, Thomas Madden
The Murdered Magicians, Peter Partner
Sir Knight Douglas M. Rowe is Grand Recorder of the Knights Templar of Pennsylvania,
a member of the Editorial Review Board of the Knight Templar magazine,
and a Pennsylvania Master Masonic Scholar. He can be contacted at gndrec1@verizon.net.
