Knights Templar

:For other uses of the term, see Templar (disambiguation).

Legends

The rapid succession of the last direct Capetian kings of France between 1314 and 1328, the three sons of Philip IV the Fair, led many to believe that the dynasty had been cursed – thus the name of "cursed Kings" (rois maudits). It is said that Jacques de Molay, the last master of the order, cursed King Philip while lying on his execution pyre.

Related Topics:
Capetian - 1314 - 1328 - Philip IV the Fair - Curse - Jacques de Molay - Pyre

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The Knights Templar later became surrounded by legends concerning secrets and mysteries handed down to the select from ancient times. Perhaps most well known are those concerning the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant, and secrets of building. Some sources say the Holy Grail, or Sangreal, was found by the order and taken to Scotland during the scourging of the order in 1307, and that it remains buried beneath Rosslyn Chapel. Some say that the order also found the Ark of the Covenant, the chest which contained sacred objects of ancient Israel, including Aaron's rod and the tablets of stone inscribed by God with the Ten Commandments.

Related Topics:
Holy Grail - Ark of the Covenant - Building - Sangreal - Scotland - 1307 - Rosslyn Chapel - Israel - Aaron's rod - God - Ten Commandments

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These legends are connected with the long occupation by the order of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Some sources record that they discovered secrets of the Master Masons who had built the original and second temples secreted there, along with knowledge that the Ark had been moved to Ethiopia before the destruction of the first temple. Allusion to this is made in engravings on the Cathedral at Chartres (considered along with the Cathedrals at Amiens and Reims to be one of the best examples of gothic architecture), great influence over the building of which was had by St. Bernard of Clairvaux, who was also influential in the formation of the order. Further links to both the search by the order for the Ark and to its discovery of ancient secrets of building are suggested by the existence of the monolithic Church of St George in Lalibela in Ethiopia, which stands to this day and whose construction is incorrectly attributed to the Knights Templar. There is also an underground church dated to the same period in Aubeterre in France.

Related Topics:
Temple Mount - Jerusalem - Masons - Cathedral at Chartres - Gothic - St. Bernard of Clairvaux - Church of St George - Lalibela - Ethiopia - Aubeterre - France

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During the 14th century, England under King Edward I was at war with Scotland. In 1314 he engaged the Scots in battle at Bannockburn. The Scots won the battle, largely due to the intervention of the Knights Templar on the side of their King Robert the Bruce, assisted by Sir William Sinclair and his two sons, William and Henry.

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Templars are also listed among the crew of Henry Sinclair's (Earl of the Orkneys) legendary voyage from Scotland to North America in 1398. There is growing speculation surrounding relics that would indicate the possibility that the Knights Templar possessed the charts of pre-Columbian voyages to America. Christopher Columbus' navigators were members of the extant Portuguese Templar Order, and the Templar cross was featured prominently on the sails of his ships in 1492.

Related Topics:
Henry Sinclair - 1398 - Pre-Columbian voyages to America - Christopher Columbus - 1492

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Fringe researchers and aficionados of esotericism have claimed that the order stored secret knowledge, linking them to the Rosicrucians, the Priory of Sion, the Rex Deus, the Cathars, the Hermetics, the Gnostics, the Essenes, and, ultimately, lost relics or teachings of Jesus such as the Shroud of Turin or a "Judas Testament."

Related Topics:
Esotericism - Rosicrucians - Priory of Sion - Rex Deus - Cathar - Hermetics - Gnostics - Essenes - Relics - Teachings - Jesus - Shroud of Turin - Judas Testament

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