In the history of mankind there are many mysteries that excite the hearts of lovers of antiquity and adventurers. Among such secrets, covered with the dust of centuries, there is one whose clue, probably, no one will find. No one knows for sure who the Templars are, photos, or rather, images of which can be found in our article. Formally, their story is familiar with the school article. But there are too many white spots that give imagination food.
The beginning of time
Before sorting out the question: “The Templars - who is this?”, It is necessary to plunge into the past and study the world situation of those years. The first crusade organized by the Western world has just ended. Religious youth who have responded to the call of Pope Urban II decide to create their own order. The first participants were nine noble knights who set themselves the noble goal: to protect the pilgrims going to the Holy Land. The head was elected Hugo de Payne.
So, the Templars are members of the community, a knightly order with a religious bias. The date of its foundation is considered to be 1119, and their first charter appeared only nine years later, in 1128. But it is likely that the mysterious order arose much earlier, in 1099. Then Godfroix of Boulogne sent nine chosen people to rich Jerusalem who were given special instructions. They founded the community known to us as the Order of the Temple. And then the mass recruitment of all comers, but at the same time worthy people, began.
Mystery One
And here lies the first mystery that the Templars left. Who are these valiant knights? Fanatics, warriors or hoaxers? It can be argued that their order arose precisely in 1099, since this date coincides with the crusade. But how could nine people provide reliable protection to pilgrims? Of course not, especially since they stayed in Jerusalem, where they did some business. But what the templars did these twenty years before the official appearance of the charter - no one knows. And why did they keep silent about their existence?
Scion of the Merovingian Dynasty
The man who organized the Order bore the name of Godfroix of Boulogne. It belongs to the Merovingian dynasty, an ancient royal family. He might have some secrets lost in history, as well as his interest in Jerusalem, where his ancestors came from. It is likely that he had his claim to the throne as a representative of the Davidov clan. Thus, the Templars are people whom Godfroix trusted, and who helped to achieve his secret goal. He died a year after the capture of the main city of the Holy Land. Interestingly, he was elected king of Jerusalem, but was not crowned, and, in principle, did not want this. The first ruler of the city is his brother. They buried Godfroix, the Protector of the Holy Sepulcher, as he called himself, in the temple, where members of the community liked to sit.
Other founders
In addition to Godfroy of Boulogne, the community could be founded by Hugo de Payne or St. Omer. Almost nothing is known about the second, except for the name. The first participated in the crusade and personally knew Godfroy. And they closely communicated at that time, were comrades in arms. Hugo came to the Holy Land with the nickname Pogany (Gentile). But in the Godfroix family he was loved, and the following kings of Jerusalem (Baldwin the First and Second) rendered him assistance. The Earl of Champagne, Senor Payne, also entered the Order, which indicates that Hugo was an outstanding person. Otherwise, could a noble nobleman obey his vassal?
Name and emblem
The Templars were special from the very beginning. Who are these poor knights? Ordinary defenders of the Holy Sepulcher or organization with their secret goals? Probably the truth is somewhere in between. They got their name after the tradition of holding meetings in the Al-Aqsa mosque. Thus the Order of the Temple arose. And the emblem appeared much later, after the adoption of the charter, somewhere in 1147-1148. The red cross was sewn on branded white clothes, which distinguished the brothers from other knights.
Fairy wealth of the order
So, it’s very obvious that the Templars are the crusaders who remained in Jerusalem with their purpose. The order, which at the beginning consisted of only nine people, became very revered in the west. Each royal court had its own representative of the brothers, they owned lands, castles and were successful in financial transactions. Even kings borrowed money from them for their needs! The wealth of the Templars grew by leaps and bounds, which attracted many people. And the brothers were forgiven all the wrongdoings and sins committed by them earlier. The power of the knights grew with income. They buy the island of Cyprus, where they create their own residence. Therefore, it is reasonable to ask: the Templars - who are these, poor knights or the real Rothschilds?
This could not fail to please the European monarchs, who often had a half-empty treasury. The French king Philip the Beautiful, together with the pope, accused the Order of all mortal sins, ordered the brothers to be arrested and their property taken in their favor. The last master, Jacques de Molay, cursed both the monarch and the apostate dad, who blessed the massacre, to the thirteenth knee. All participants in the destruction of the templars have sunk into oblivion, having died a shameful death within a year after this event. The curse of the Templars is another mystery of the Order. Although the remaining knights could avenge the burning of the master and other brothers.
Reasons for the destruction of the Order
Why were the Templars destroyed? Who are they - we have already partially understood, but we will give below the reasons why the Order was brought to trial. The first is a myriad wealth that many have never dreamed of - neither the monarchs, nor the clergy. Of course, many would like to share these treasures with them. True, as time has shown, by the time the community was liquidated, the knights had already lost all their property: their treasury was empty. Maybe they managed to hide everything? And this is the main mystery of the knights, which haunts lovers of easy money.
The second reason is the influence and power of the brothers, who posed a serious threat to the power of any Christian country. The third is that the templars were released from tithing, that is, they were not paid to submit to the Pope. And this, too, could not be liked by the pontiff.
Masonic lodge
One can safely say that the Templars are Masons. Before his death, the great master still managed to appoint a successor, who continued to conduct their activities, albeit in the strictest confidence. He managed to organize four Masonic lodges - in Paris, Edinburgh, Stockholm and Naples, that is, for the east, north, west and south. It is also likely that the remaining knights took refuge with the Masons, who acted long before the founding of the Order of the Templars. These closed organizations still exist.
It is worth noting that after the fall of Akka in 1291, the knights moved to Cyprus, and then to Paris, choosing the French capital as their headquarters. Then they built their residence and temple, which resembled the shrine of Jerusalem, massive fortress walls. But most of the buildings were not preserved: they were either destroyed or became part of other churches. But the brainchild of the Order in the form of Masonic lodges is valid today. In Paris, the brothers are located on a quiet street, Cade, 16. It has a headquarters, a museum and several other institutions. The interiors are decorated with appropriate symbols and regalia. Even the floor in the halls is lined with red and white squares. And who are the Templars and Masons in fact - remains to be seen.
Assassins and Templars
To talk about the connection between these two legendary communities, you need to know who the assassins and the Templars are. Templars are a knightly order, in which only Christians who want to devote themselves to a good cause are accepted - to protect the pilgrims and the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The Assassins are the brainchild of the "Elder of the Mountain" Hassan al-Sabah, who professed Islam. Community members were ready to die, because they were waiting for a reward - a garden of paradise with virgins. They also said that the head used stupefying herbs, in particular hashish, and hypnosis.
These two organizations have common features: iron discipline, deep faith in God, up to fanaticism, unquestioning fulfillment of the will of the master, strength and influence on the world, wealth. Even the images of their members are very similar. However, they professed different religions that fought for supremacy on the planet. Therefore, answering the question "who are the assassins and the Templars", it can be argued that these are opponents, not allies.
Other orders of the crusaders
The reader already knows who the Templars are. Hospitallers, Teutons are other organizations that appeared during the Crusades. They had a lot in common, but there were also differences. Often brothers belonging to different orders fought with each other. After all, Christian knights were allowed to participate in wars with infidels and shed blood in the name of Christ. Accusing each other of heresy, they fought for influence. But if the templars were liquidated and banned, then the Teutons and hospitals could live quietly and continue their work. True, such successes as the Templars did not even dream of.
Order of the Hospitallers
The Order takes its beginning in 1070, when a certain merchant - Mauro from Amalfi - founded a house for pilgrims and pilgrims, the so-called hospital. It brought together people who looked after the wounded and sick, maintained order in the monastery. By 1113, the society had grown and strengthened so much that the pope granted him the title of spiritual knightly order.
Hospitallers took the vow of obedience, chastity, and poverty. Their symbol was a white cross with eight ends, which was applied to black clothes on the left side. The mantle had narrow sleeves that spoke of the lack of freedom of the brothers. Later, the knights dressed in red robes, and sewn a cross on the chest. Members were divided into three categories - chaplains, actually knights and servants. Important decisions were made by the Grand Master and General Chapter.
The Order of Hospitallers from the very beginning set itself the goal of helping the sick and wounded, poor pilgrims and abandoned children. But then the knights began to actively participate in wars and crusades. At the beginning of the fourteenth century, they settled on the island of Rhodes and lived there until the middle of the sixteenth century. Then they settled in Malta, where they continued to fight the infidels. Then Napoleon captured Malta and expelled the brothers. So the hospitaliers came to Russia.
Nobles and free people, monarchs and even women could join the order (the Templars accepted only men). But the great masters became exclusively aristocrats. The attributes of the brotherhood were the crown, sword and seal. Since the mid-nineteenth century, the Order of Hospitallers (Ioannites, Knights of Malta) has been considered a spiritual and charitable corporation with a residence in Rome.
Warband
In Jerusalem in the twelfth century, German-speaking pilgrims organized their stranger's home. This can be considered the beginning of the development of the Teutonic Order, which at first was a formal part of hospitals. In 1199, the charter was approved and the Grand Master was elected. But only in 1221 did the Teutons receive the privileges of a knightly order. The brothers took three vows - obedience, chastity, and poverty. And only representatives of the German-speaking population entered the Order. Community symbols were a regular black cross, applied to a white cloak.
Very soon, the knights ceased to act as hospitaliers, completely moving to war with the infidels. But they did not have the same influence in their homeland as the Templars had in England or in France. Germany was going through hard times, was fragmented and poor. The Teutons left the Holy Sepulcher to other knights, directing efforts to capture the eastern lands, which became their property. Then they turned their eyes to the northern territories (Baltic), where they founded, after conquering Riga, and the possession of the Prussians. In 1237, the Teutons merged with another German order - the Livonian, with which they went to Russia, but lost.
The Order actively fought with the Polish-Lithuanian state. And in 1511, the master Albert Hohenzollern proclaimed himself the ruler of Prussia and Brandenburg and deprived the organization of all privileges. The Teutons did not manage to recover from the last blow, eking out a miserable existence. It was only in the twentieth century that the Nazis extolled the former merits of the knights and used their cross as the highest award. The order exists to this day.
Instead of an afterword
So who are the Templars? History so far cannot give an exact answer to this question; too much is forgotten or hushed up. Therefore, white spots are filled with all sorts of fantasies and original interpretations, like the theory of Dan Brown and his colleagues. But from this the Order of the Templars becomes only more attractive for lovers of antiquity.