"The Templars came into existence in Jerusalem during
the aftermath of the First Crusade. Their Order of Poor
Knights of the Temple of Solomon grew from a group of pious
soldiers who fathered in Jerusalem during the second decade of
the twelfth century. they undertook the duty of protecting
pilgrims on the dangerous roads between Jaffa, where they
landed on the coast of Palestine, and Jerusalem. They lived
under the religious rule known as that of St Augustine, and
they had help and guidance from the canons of the Church of
the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem." - Peter Partner, The
Murdered Magicians
"In 1104 the Count of Champagne had met in conclave
with certain high-ranking nobles, at least one of whom had
just returned from Jerusalem...Also present was the liege lord
of André de Montbard." - Baigent, Leigh & Lincoln,
The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail
"Immediately after this conclave Hughes
travelled to
the Holy Land, where he remained until 1108. He returned there
briefly in 1114, than went back to Champagne and donated the
Clairvaux site to St. Bernard. Four years later - according to
the official story - his vassal and possible relation, Hughes
de Payens, with André de Montbard and seven companions, set
out on their mission and formed the embryonic Knights Templar.
In 1125 Hughes of Champagne himself joined the new
Order." - Lynn Picknett & Clive Prince, Turin Shroud
- In Whose Image? The Shocking Truth Unveiled
Hughes de
Payens, also from Champagne, was a member of a
cadet branch of the Counts of Troyes.
"A document of 1123 refers to Hughes as 'Master of the
knights of the Temple' ['Magister Militum Templi'] - it is
perhaps significant that 'Magister Militum' had been the title
of the commander-in-chief of the later Roman Empire] but his
little band was merely a voluntary brotherhood and recent
research seems to indicated that they were having difficulty
in finding recruits and were on the verge of dissolution.
Hughes had come about another crusade, not to ask for a rule.
- Desmond Seward, The Monks of War
"The Templars "chose the name militia templi -
soldiers of the Temple - after the temple supposedly built by
Solomon in Jerusalem, near which they had been assigned
quarters by the King." - John J. Robinson, Born in Blood
The full original title of new order was Pauperes
commilitones Christi Templique Salomonis, the Poor
Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon.
"Their first duty was to protect the road to
Jerusalem, but it was not long before they assumed the role of
a volunteer police force." - Noel Curer-Briggs, The
Shroud and the Grail - A Modern Quest for the True Grail
"Certain noblemen of knightly rank, devoted to God,
professed a wish to live in chastity, obedience and without
property in perpetuity, binding themselves in the hands of the
lord patriarch to the service of Christ in the manner of
secular canons. Among these, the first and most important were
the venerable men, Hughes de Payens and Godefroi de
Saint-Omer. Since they did not have a church, not a settled
place to live, the king [of Jerusalem, Baldwin II] conceded a
temporary dwelling to them in his palace, which he had below
the Temple of the Lord, to the south side....The first element
of their profession enjoined on them for the remission of
their sins by the lord patriarch and the other bishops, was
that they should protect the roads and routes to the utmost of
their ability against the ambushes of thieves and attackers,
especially in regard to the safety of pilgrims." -
William, Archbishop of Tyre
"King Baldwin welcomed the religious knights and gave
them quarters in the eastern part of his palace, which stood
on the supposed site of King Solomon's Temple and adjoined the
former Al-Aqsa Mosque; in the same area the canons of the Holy
Sepulcher gave them stabling for their horses.." - Peter
Partner, The Murdered Magicians
--------------------------------------------------------------
A New Order is Created
The origin of
the Knights Templar lies in the aftermath of the first crusade. The crusaders
had captured Jerusalem and various other cities and strongholds leaving the
country in between them, especially the roads from the ports unconquered, and
even pilgrims travelling in large groups became easy prey to bandits, both
saracens and disaffected crusaders.
The crusaders
established the Kingdom of Jerusalem and several independent states including;
from the North The Norman principality of Antioch ruled by Bohemund of Taranto;
Inland, to the west of Antioch was the County of Edessa ruled by Baldwin of
Boulogne; immediately south of Antioch was the County of Tripoli ruled by the
Count of Toulouse, Raymond de Saint-Gilles; finally, stretching from Beirut in
the north all the way to Gaza in the south, was the Kingdom of Jerusalem ruled
by Godfrey of Bouillon. Godfrey took the title of (insert title here).
After Jerusalem
fell, the majority of crusaders, returned home with their sins absolved, and of
course their loot.
While the noble
knights were spending their time securing the remaining castles and cities they
found what countless invaders have been rediscovering since that the countryside
was descending into banditry. The cities were relatively safe(ish) but the roads
were not. Christian pilgrims to the sacred sites were attacked, robbed and
murdered across the holy land, In the wake of a crusade whose avowed aim was
supposedly to stop the ‘oppression and harassment of Christian pilgrims to the
holy city of Jerusalem.’ The pilgrims were in fact worse off.
On to the stage
now steps Hughes de payen and eight companions, including Godfrey de Saint-Omer,
Archambaud de saint-Aignan, Payen de MontDidier, Geoffrey Bissot and knights
named Roland or Rossal and Gondemar
Around 1120 a
powerful French noble Fulk (the fifth) de Anjou enrolled as an associate of the
order while he was on pilgrimage in Outremer, the name given to the Holy Land.
He must have been impressed by what he saw, because on his return to France he
endowed the order with an annual grant of 30 livres (how much is this?) thus
providing the order with a regular income
In 1125 Hugh,
count of champagne returned to the holy land and formally joined the order.
Pledging fealty to his vassal hugh de payn.
………………………………………………..
The order that
history knows as the knights templar was formed in Jerusalem sometime between
1114 and 1119 (accounts vary) in the aftermath of the first crusade. A group of
nine French knights including (insert names here) undertook the protection of
pilgrims during the perilous journey from the ports of outremer to the holy city
of Jerusalem.
The quarters
allocated to them stood on the supposed site of king solomon’s temple. The
canons of of the holy sepulchre gave them nearby stabling for their horses.
………………………………
"Certain
noblemen of knightly rank, devoted to God, professed a wish to live in chastity,
obedience and without property in perpetuity, binding themselves in the hands of
the lord patriarch to the service of Christ in the manner of secular canons.
Among these, the first and most important were the venerable men, Hughes de
Payens and Godefroi de Saint-Omer. Since they did not have a church, not a
settled place to live, the king [of Jerusalem, Baldwin II] conceded a temporary
dwelling to them in his palace, which he had below the Temple of the Lord, to
the south side....The first element of their profession enjoined on them for the
remission of their sins by the lord patriarch and the other bishops, was that
they should protect the roads and routes to the utmost of their ability against
the ambushes of thieves and attackers, especially in regard to the safety of
pilgrims." - William, Archbishop of Tyre
The full title
of the new order was Pauoeres commilitones Christi templique salomones – poor
fellow soldiers of Christ and the temple of Solomon.
"The Templars
"chose the name militia templi - soldiers of the Temple - after the temple
supposedly built by Solomon in Jerusalem, near which they had been assigned
quarters by the King." - John J. Robinson, Born in Blood
…………………………………….
"The Templars
came into existence in Jerusalem during the aftermath of the First Crusade.
Their Order of Poor Knights of the Temple of Solomon grew from a group of pious
soldiers who fathered in Jerusalem during the second decade of the twelfth
century. they undertook the duty of protecting pilgrims on the dangerous roads
between Jaffa, where they landed on the coast of Palestine, and Jerusalem. They
lived under the religious rule known as that of St Augustine, and they had help
and guidance from the canons of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem."
- Peter Partner, The Murdered Magicians
"In 1104 the
Count of Champagne had met in conclave with certain high-ranking nobles, at
least one of whom had just returned from Jerusalem...Also present was the liege
lord of AndrÚ de Montbard." - Baigent, Leigh & Lincoln, The Holy Blood and the
Holy Grail
"Immediately
after this conclave Hughes traveled to the Holy Land, where he remained until
1108. He returned there briefly in 1114, than went back to Champagne and donated
the Clairvaux site to St. Bernard. Four years later - according to the official
story - his vassal and possible relation, Hughes de Payens, with AndrÄ de
Montbard and seven companions, set out on their mission and formed the embryonic
Knights Templar. In 1125 Hughes of Champagne himself joined the new Order." -
Lynn Picknett & Clive Prince, Turin Shroud - In Whose Image? The Shocking Truth
Unveiled
Hughes de
Payens, also from Champagne, was a member of a cadet branch of the Counts of
Troyes.
"A document of
1123 refers to Hughes as 'Master of the knights of the Temple' ['Magister
Militum Templi'] - it is perhaps significant that 'Magister Militum' had been
the title of the commander-in-chief of the later Roman Empire] but his little
band was merely a voluntary brotherhood and recent research seems to indicated
that they were having difficulty in finding recruits and were on the verge of
dissolution. Hughes had come about another crusade, not to ask for a rule. -
Desmond Seward, The Monks of War
The full
original title of new order was Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique
Salomonis, the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon.
"Their first
duty was to protect the road to Jerusalem, but it was not long before they
assumed the role of a volunteer police force." - Noel Currer-Briggs, The Shroud
and the Grail - A Modern Quest for the True Grail
"King Baldwin
welcomed the religious knights and gave them quarters in the eastern part of his
palace, which stood on the supposed site of King Solomon's Temple and adjoined
the former Al-Aqsa Mosque; in the same area the canons of the Holy Sepulcher
gave them stabling for their horses.." - Peter Partner, The Murdered Magicians
------------------------------
A New Order
is Created
The origin of the Knights Templar lies in the aftermath of the first crusade.
The crusaders had captured Jerusalem and various other cities and strongholds
leaving the country in between them, especially the roads from the ports
unconquered, and even pilgrims travelling in large groups became easy prey to
bandits, both saracens and disaffected crusaders.
The crusaders established the Kingdom of Jerusalem and several independent
states including; from the North The Norman principality of Antioch ruled by
Bohemund of Taranto; Inland, to the west of Antioch was the County of Edessa
ruled by Baldwin of Boulogne; immediately south of Antioch was the County of
Tripoli ruled by the Count of Toulouse, Raymond de Saint-Gilles; finally,
stretching from Beirut in the north all the way to Gaza in the south, was the
Kingdom of Jerusalem ruled by Godfrey of Bouillon. Godfrey took the title of
(insert title here).
After Jerusalem fell, the majority of crusaders, returned home with their sins
absolved, and of course their loot.
While the noble knights were spending their time securing the remaining castles
and cities they found what countless invaders have been rediscovering since that
the countryside was descending into banditry. The cities were relatively
safe(ish) but the roads were not. Christian pilgrims to the sacred sites were
attacked, robbed and murdered across the holy land, In the wake of a crusade
whose avowed aim was supposedly to stop the ‘oppression and harassment of
Christian pilgrims to the holy city of Jerusalem.’ The pilgrims were in fact
worse off.
On to the stage now steps Hughes de payen and eight companions, including
Godfrey de Saint-Omer, Archambaud de saint-Aignan, Payen de MontDidier, Geoffrey
Bissot and knights named Roland or Rossal and Gondemar
Around 1120 a powerful French noble Fulk (the fifth) de Anjou enrolled as an
associate of the order while he was on pilgrimage in Outremer, the name given to
the Holy Land. He must have been impressed by what he saw, because on his return
to France he endowed the order with an annual grant of 30 livres (how much is
this?) thus providing the order with a regular income
In 1125 Hugh, count of champagne returned to the holy land and formally joined
the order. Pledging fealty to his vassal hugh de payn.
………………………………………………..
The order that history knows as the knights templar was formed in Jerusalem
sometime between 1114 and 1119 (accounts vary) in the aftermath of the first
crusade. A group of nine French knights including (insert names here) undertook
the protection of pilgrims during the perilous journey from the ports of
outremer to the holy city of Jerusalem.
The quarters allocated to them stood on the supposed site of king solomon’s
temple. The canons of of the holy sepulchre gave them nearby stabling for their
horses.
………………………………
"Certain noblemen of knightly rank, devoted to God, professed a wish to live in
chastity, obedience and without property in perpetuity, binding themselves in
the hands of the lord patriarch to the service of Christ in the manner of
secular canons. Among these, the first and most important were the venerable
men, Hughes de Payens and Godefroi de Saint-Omer. Since they did not have a
church, not a settled place to live, the king [of Jerusalem, Baldwin II]
conceded a temporary dwelling to them in his palace, which he had below the
Temple of the Lord, to the south side....The first element of their profession
enjoined on them for the remission of their sins by the lord patriarch and the
other bishops, was that they should protect the roads and routes to the utmost
of their ability against the ambushes of thieves and attackers, especially in
regard to the safety of pilgrims." - William, Archbishop of Tyre
The full title of the new order was Pauoeres commilitones Christi templique
salomones – poor fellow soldiers of Christ and the temple of Solomon.
"The Templars "chose the name militia templi - soldiers of the Temple - after
the temple supposedly built by Solomon in Jerusalem, near which they had been
assigned quarters by the King." - John J. Robinson, Born in Blood
…………………………………….
"The Templars came into existence in Jerusalem during the aftermath of the First
Crusade. Their Order of Poor Knights of the Temple of Solomon grew from a group
of pious soldiers who fathered in Jerusalem during the second decade of the
twelfth century. they undertook the duty of protecting pilgrims on the dangerous
roads between Jaffa, where they landed on the coast of Palestine, and Jerusalem.
They lived under the religious rule known as that of St Augustine, and they had
help and guidance from the canons of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in
Jerusalem." - Peter Partner, The Murdered Magicians
"In 1104 the Count of Champagne had met in conclave with certain high-ranking
nobles, at least one of whom had just returned from Jerusalem...Also present was
the liege lord of AndrÚ de Montbard." - Baigent, Leigh & Lincoln, The Holy Blood
and the Holy Grail
"Immediately after this conclave Hughes traveled to the Holy Land, where he
remained until 1108. He returned there briefly in 1114, than went back to
Champagne and donated the Clairvaux site to St. Bernard. Four years later -
according to the official story - his vassal and possible relation, Hughes de
Payens, with AndrÄ de Montbard and seven companions, set out on their mission
and formed the embryonic Knights Templar. In 1125 Hughes of Champagne himself
joined the new Order." - Lynn Picknett & Clive Prince, Turin Shroud - In Whose
Image? The Shocking Truth Unveiled
Hughes de Payens, also from Champagne, was a member of a cadet branch of the
Counts of Troyes.
"A document of 1123 refers to Hughes as 'Master of the knights of the Temple' ['Magister
Militum Templi'] - it is perhaps significant that 'Magister Militum' had been
the title of the commander-in-chief of the later Roman Empire] but his little
band was merely a voluntary brotherhood and recent research seems to indicated
that they were having difficulty in finding recruits and were on the verge of
dissolution. Hughes had come about another crusade, not to ask for a rule. -
Desmond Seward, The Monks of War
The full original title of new order was Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique
Salomonis, the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon.
"Their first duty was to protect the road to Jerusalem, but it was not long
before they assumed the role of a volunteer police force." - Noel Currer-Briggs,
The Shroud and the Grail - A Modern Quest for the True Grail
"King Baldwin welcomed the religious knights and gave them quarters in the
eastern part of his palace, which stood on the supposed site of King Solomon's
Temple and adjoined the former Al-Aqsa Mosque; in the same area the canons of
the Holy Sepulcher gave them stabling for their horses.." - Peter Partner, The
Murdered Magicians
Foundation of the Order of Knights
Templar -
William of Tyre, Historia
rerum in partibus transmarinis gestarum,
In this same year,[1118] certain noble men of
knightly rank, religious men, devoted to God and fearing him, bound themselves
to Christ's service in the hands of the Lord Patriarch. They promised to live in
perpetuity as regular canons, without possessions, under vows of chastity and
obedience. Their foremost leaders were the venerable Hugh of Payens and Geoffrey
of St. Omer. Since they had no church nor any fixed abode, the king, gave them
for a time a dwelling place in the south wing of the palace, near the Lord's
Temple. The canons of the Lord's Temple gave them, under certain conditions, a
square near the palace which the canons possessed. This the knights used as a
drill field. The Lord King and his noblemen and also the Lord Patriarch and the
prelates of the church gave them benefices from their domains, some for a
limited time and some in perpetuity. These were to provide the knights with food
and clothing. Their primary duty, one which was enjoined upon them by the Lord
Patriarch and the other bishops for the remission of sins, was that of
protecting the roads and routes against the attacks of robbers and brigands.
This they did especially in order to safeguard pilgrims.
For nine years after their founding, the knights
wore secular clothing. They used such garments as the people, for their soul's
salvation, gave them. In their ninth year there was held in France, at Troyes, a
council at which the Lord Archbishops of Reims and Sens and their suffragans
were present, as well as the Bishop of Albano, who was the legate of the
apostolic see, and the Abbots of Citeaux, Clairvaux, Pontigny, with many others.
This council, by command of the Lord Pope Honorius and the Lord Stephen,
Patriarch of Jerusalem, established a rule for the knights and assigned them a
white habit.
Although the knights now had been established for nine years, there were
still only nine of them. From this time onward their numbers began to grow and
their possessions began to multiply. Later, in Pope Eugene's time, it is said
that both the knights and their humbler servants, called sergeants, began to
affix crosses made of red cloth to their mantles, so as to distinguish
themselves from others. They have now grown so great that there are in this
Order today [William was writing c. 1170-74] about 300 knights who wear white
mantles, in addition to the brothers, who are almost countless. They are said to
have immense possessions both here and overseas, so that there is now not a
province in the Christian world which has not bestowed upon the aforesaid
brothers a portion of its goods. It is said today that their wealth is equal to
the treasures of kings. Because they have a headquarters in the royal palace
next to the Temple of the Lord, as we have said before, they are called the
Brothers of the Militia of the Temple. Although they maintained their
establishment honorably for a long time and fulfilled their vocation with
sufficient prudence, later, because of the neglect of humility (which is known
as the guardian of all virtues and which, since it sits in the lowest place,
cannot fall), they with drew from the Patriarch of Jerusalem, by whom their
Order was founded and from whom they received their first benefices and to whom
they denied the obedience which their predecessors rendered. They have also
taken away tithes and first fruits from God's churches, have disturbed their
possessions, and have made themselves exceedingly troublesome. - William of
Tyre, Historia rerum in partibus transmarinis gestarum, XII, 7, Patrologia
Latina 201, 526-27