The ‘Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon,’ more commonly known as the Knights Templar, or the Templars, was one of the most renowned military orders during the Middle Ages. The source of their fame came not only from their prowess on the battlefield, but also from the wealth they amassed during the Crusades. These riches eventually led to their downfall, and became the so-called ‘Treasure of the Templars’ in the popular imagination.
The Finances of the Knights Templar
The Knights Templar were not only great warriors, but formidable financiers as well. One of the two ranks of non-fighting men, for instance, was known as the farmers, who were responsible for the administration of the Order’s worldly possessions. The other rank was the chaplains, which tended to the spiritual needs of the Order.
As they had the official endorsement of the Church, the wealthy of Europe provided the Templars with a large amount of donations in the form of money, land, and fighting men. Additionally, they were exempted from all taxation, including the ecclesiastical tithes that were due to the clergy. Thus, the Knights Templar became one of the most affluent institutions during the Middle Ages.
Members of the Knights Templar in discussion. (Public Domain)
The Downfall of the Templars
It was during the early 14th century that the Knights Templar officially came to an end, with the execution of its last Grand Master, Jacques de Molay. The dissolution of the Order was related to its vast treasury.
The man responsible for the downfall of the Templars was the king of France, Philip IV, called the Fair. The French king, it has been claimed, was heavily in debt to the Templars due to his war with the English, and he was eyeing the wealth of the Templars for himself.
In 1305, Pope Clement V sent letters to de Molay and the Grand Master of the Hospitallers, requesting them to come to France to discuss the possible merger of the two Orders. de Molay arrived in early 1307, though the meeting was delayed for some time.
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Nevertheless, the Grand Master was able to discuss other matters with the Pope, one of which concerned some charges made a few years earlier by an ousted Templar, regarding impropriety in the Knights Templar initiation ceremony. Some believe that the Pope was in collusion with the French king, though others claim that the Pope was a weak character who served as a pawn of Philip.
A royal enquiry was set up to look into the matter of the Templars, and Philip saw this as an opportunity to get rid of the Knights Templar. On the 18th of March 1314, almost seven years after the Templars were first arrested throughout France, de Molay and three other top-ranking Knights were burned to death as heretics in Paris.
Execution of Templars in front of Philip the Fair. (Circa 1415-1420) (Public Domain)
Philip freed himself from his monetary debts to the Knights Templar, and seized their treasury as well. The king, however, would not enjoy his new-found wealth for long, as he died on the 29th of November 1314, less than a year after de Molay’s execution.
Some believe that the Templars managed to hide some of their wealth from the French king. This became the foundation for the legend of the Templar’s treasure, and many have since speculated on the location of their richness.
Contents of the Knights Templar Treasure
It has been claimed that the Knights Templar treasure contained more than common material wealth. It is believed that the Templars had collected a number of sacred relics during their time in the Holy Land as well. For example, one of the charges levelled against the Templars was that they were idolaters who worshipped the image of a ‘bearded man.’
An unpublished account of the initiation of a young Frenchman, Arnaut Sabbatier, into the Order, which was found by a historian doing research in the Vatican Secret Archives, has helped to shed light on this claim. It is reported that Sabbatier was “shown a long piece of linen on which was impressed the figure of a man and told to worship it, kissing the feet three times”. It has been suggested that this was one of the relics in the possession of the Templars, the Shroud of Turin.
Positive and negative images of the Shroud of Turin. (CC BY SA 3.0)
While the Shroud of Turin is kept in the royal chapel of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin today, the location of other purported Templar relics is harder to pin-point. These supposed relics include the Treasure of Solomon, the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, lost teachings of Jesus, and even the mummified head of Christ.
Even though some experts assert that the treasure was taken by the French king and the Templars’ property was mostly given to the Hospitallers, there are still many people who disagree and believe that at least some of the Knights Templar treasure has been hidden. The possible locations for the treasure vary, ranging from Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland to Oak Island in Nova Scotia, Canada, and even a remote Danish island in the Baltic called Bornholm. It is certain that treasure hunters looking for the wealth of the Knights Templar will be kept busy for some time to come.
Top Image: A solemn looking Knights Templar. Source: Luis Louro /Adobe Stock
By: Ḏḥwty
Updated on June 30, 2020.
References
BBC, 2015. From Jerusalem to Rosslyn?: The Templars in Scotland. [Online]
Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/myths_legends/scotland/lothian/
Haagensen, E. & Lincoln, H., 2006. The Templars' Secret Island. London: Phoenix.
Hooper, J., 2009. Turin Shroud link with Templars proved by archives, claims historian. [Online]
Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/apr/06/turin-shroud-templars
istina.rin.ru, 2005. The Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar. [Online]
Available at: http://istina.rin.ru/eng/ufo/text/180.html
Lovgren, S., 2004. "National Treasure": Freemasons, Fact, and Fiction. [Online]
Available at: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/11/1119_041119_national_treasure_2.html
Moeller, C., 1912. The Knights Templars. [Online]
Available at: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14493a.htm
Selwood, D., 2014. A stain on history: the burning of Jacques de Molay, Grand Master of the mysterious Knights Templar, 700 years ago today. [Online]
Available at: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/dominicselwood/100263362/a-stain-on-history-the-burning-of-jacques-de-molay-grand-master-of-the-mysterious-knights-templar-700-years-ago-today/
www.crystalinks.com, 2015. The Knights Templar. [Online]
Available at: http://www.crystalinks.com/templars1.html
The Templars
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In reply to More Templar Dis-information by Mike Mccloud (not verified)
You seem confused. There was no dishing of dirt in my response. Just facts. Just as you cannot remotely tell the story of the Templars in a few lines neither can I nor anyone else. What I have done in my book The Royal Secret is to trace the origins of their beliefs back to the original Masons who built the Pyramids right through from John the Baptist to Mary Magdalene to Shakespeare to the Masonic US Founding Fathers to current day.
That their various sections took different routes is unsurprising over a period of 4,000 years in which they were at times persecuted, but still today The Freemasons, especially those of the Scottish Rites, hold much sway over much of US politics. Re the Acadians they were known as such because it was fabled they took the Arc of the Covenant with them to Oak Island near Newfoundland where it is said to be buried under the sea. They have also been written of as Arcadians for that reason
Templars; Facts Versus 'Confusions'
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In reply to The Templars by john bentley (not verified)
Hello John, Sorry if the idea was I was inferring you were'dishing dirt'. I don't try to do that. You didn't mention that the Book of Secrets was a tome you had written, that I saw. I've read many with similar titles & have been disappointed in the typically wandering contents, some of which were displayed in your last dialogue. However, to be fair, I' like to read it, if it's available. If so, let me know how to procure it. The idea that Freemasons are imposed upon the politics of America, especially when they are in such disarray, is hard to fathom, when considering their proclivity to order. The disorder has been in place since Abe Lincoln's assasination & is of foreign influences, as was the demands by the same that the USA abandon the silver standard & join the internationalist ( globalist) gold standard. Anyways, Forward the info on how to obtain your book & I'll certainly review it. Thanks for the civilized discourse, by the way. It's refreshing as some who attempt to profer informational content actually seem more bent to spew forth nonsense or personal agenda. Thank you. Mike
Templars and Freemasons
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In reply to Templars; Facts Versus 'Confusions' by Mike Mccloud (not verified)
Hello Mike, my book is actually called "The Royal Secret" published in July on Amazon as a paper back or can be downloaded as an ebook on Smashwords. I hope you enjoy (nearly 500 pages!) and would be happy to know your comments. Re Masonic influence in USA the large majority, if not quite all, the US presidents have been Freemasons. Clinton is quite probably a Freemason as he was a Rhodes scholar (much the same thing as it was Cecil Rhodes who wanted the UK and then the US together to rule the world with Bacon's ideal of a New World Order from his book The New Atlantis; the maxim for today's CIA and the US strategy of regime change worldwide and globalisation and one world government.
The Royal Secret book;
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Thank you John, I will look for it as I just got an Amazon C-Card for Xmas- a good way to spend money! There've been 14 Presidents who've been Freemasons, beginning with George Washington, ( who also, as Past Master of the local Lodge, did the Cornerstone Dedication Ceremony for the Capitol Building & wore his apron of that degree. The last was Gerald Ford. I rem'ber that Clinton was a Rhodes scholar, but Freemasonry & the reputed goals of Cecil are far apart. When I first learned that Clinton was a Rhodes man, I was flabbergasted. To see how the people in Africa revered him for his compassion, is to know the man. He's buried on a top a cliff, ovelookinmg their village & surrounding lands. I haven't delved into the Rhodes angles, but many such 'societies' have all expressed or extolled similar dream worlds. Thanks again, Mike
Templars and Freemasons
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In reply to The Royal Secret book; by Mike Mccloud (not verified)
Mike, if you do get The Royal Secret it has many talking points giving rise to new ways of looking at the Templar heritage going back many centuries with much the same ideals, The allegedly mythical King Arthur and his Camelot court in Glastonbury where Joseph of Arithimea once preached centuries before. Arthur was real and was a Pendragon, the forbears of the Tudors. Bacon, also a Tudor and Freemason as my book tells, continued the tradition of secular ideals open to all on which Washington and his colleagues founded America of a New World Order of free men. Rhodes's ideals were much the same but he saw England as the leader of the world and then a partnership between the UK and the US to govern the world peacefully. After WW2 the UK lost its power and the US took over the Pax Britannica as a Pax America. The Templars had similar ideals but then so did Hitler and Stalin so it is a question of degree as to how much coercion needs be used to achieve the ideal of peace under a one word government which is the dream of the New World Order adherents. In effect nothing changes.
Much the same ideals stem from the beginning of Homo Sapiens in Egypt down thru the Romans to today. This is the constant link I try to use as the theme for my book based around a link (Bacon) who both understood the spiritual past and foresaw the scientific future.