History of the Knights

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History of the Knights Templar – Wikipedia

Templar protectors of Jesus. We must not tolerate an elite class of such people as we have in Congress, elected as public servants and putting themselves above the law. Govt produces nothing but inflation, misery, poverty & slavery.

Were Crusader Knights Really Protecting the Cup of Christ?
By Dan Jones

The Knights Templar: The Holy Grail
Between 1200 and 1210 the German writer Wolfram von Eschenbach composed an epic romantic poem, tens of thousands of lines long, called Parzival : Wolfram von Eschenbach : Free Download, Borrow, Streaming : Internet Archive

It drew on the hugely popular legends of King Arthur, which had for decades delighted aristocratic audiences with tales of chivalry and questing, love and betrayal, magic and combat.
Eschenbachs patron was one Hermann, Landgrave of Thuringia, but the readership his work eventually found was enormous and its influence immense. More than 80 medieval manuscripts of the poem still survive.
In Parzival, the eponymous young hero appears at Arthur’s court and quickly becomes embroiled in a dispute with a “red knight,” whom he kills in a fight.

After going away to learn to be more chivalrous, Parzival embarks on a search for something called the Grail: both a literal hunt for a mysterious, life-giving stone and a spiritual journey toward enlightenment in God. The Grail is initially guarded in a magical castle by a character called the Fisher King, who is in constant pain from a wound to his leg, divine punishment for his failure to remain chaste.

Parzival meets the Fisher King, then becomes sidetracked by other escapades. Eventually, after fighting a knight who turns out to be his own brother, he learns that he himself has become the new king destined to guard the Grail, and the story eventually draws to a close.
Much of Parzival, as written by Eschenbach, was unoriginal. Earlier writers such as Geoffrey of Monmouth and Chrétien de Troyes had already established the world he described and provided many of the plots.

Eschenbach was essentially updating: expanding the characters’ adventures and giving the tales a flavor that he thought his own readers (and listeners, for many would have heard the poems read aloud in their lords’ halls) would enjoy.
One of the ingredients he added was the appearance of a military order called the Templeise, warriors sworn to chastity who help the Fisher King keep watch in their “temple” over the Holy Grail. These men were not identical to Templars: Their symbol was a turtledove rather than the crusaders’ cross, and they did not appear to have a developed rule.

All the same, the resemblance was striking and the story proved to be enduring. The Templars had been transformed for the first time from a crusader militia into the guardians of the mythical Grail.
During the later Middle Ages the legend of the Grail became ever-more developed and fanciful. In the stories by Chrétien de Troyes and Wolfram von Eschenbach, the Grail was a somewhat indistinct object—a plate, a stone, a bleeding lance or a goblet—all of which served ultimately as a metaphor for Jerusalem and for the kingdom of Heaven itself.

But as time went on, writers began to imagine the Grail to be something quite specific. Robert of Boron, writing shortly after Eschenbach, concocted a backstory for the Grail, in which it was both the cup used by Christ at the Last Supper and the vessel used by Joseph of Arimathea to collect drops of Jesus’s blood as he hung dying on the cross. It was now a Holy Grail. In this telling, the Holy Grail was then transported by Joseph from the Holy Land to Avalon, which came to be identified with a specific location: Glastonbury, in the southwest of the British Isles.

All of this was high fantasy, which people in the Middle Ages would have recognized as such: The Holy Grail was no more real than Spectre in today’s James Bond films. Yet as time went on, Robert of Boron’s entertaining but bogus pseudo-history became confused with the real history of Christianity, and of crusading.
Today, writers of fiction—and even of history—often assume that the Holy Grail was a real object, and combine its supposed presence in Jerusalem with the story of the Templars, speculating that one of the order’s first purposes in the Holy Land was to protect the cup of Christ. From this exciting but illusory point of departure, it’s possible to speculate that the “real” reason the Templars were destroyed by Philip IV of France was connected to some conspiracy to strip the brothers of their most holy secrets.
Ironically, some modern writers, beginning from the false assumption that the Holy Grail was a real object, have gone on to argue that in fact the Grail was actually a metaphor! Much play has been made of the pun in medieval French on san graal (holy grail) and sang real (royal blood). Perhaps, runs this argument, the grail was not a mystical vessel after all, but code for a secret line of descent from Jesus and Mary Magdalene.

This is all great fun, but it belongs to the realm of fantasy. As we have seen, the Grail was never a real physical object. It began as a literary motif and an allegory, both for crusading in general and for the individual quest for salvation. Philip IV, for his part, had far better reasons for destroying the order of the Temple than retrieving from them an imaginary goblet.
But the Holy Grail myth is a brilliant starting point for fiction, whether that means re-telling the Arthurian legends, or inventing stories about the deeds of the Templars—or a fusion of the two. Many historians become irritated by the conflation of fantasy and fact, but there is a huge popular appetite for tales of the Grail, particularly when the Templars, endlessly fascinating, are included.

That was undoubtedly the case in the early 13th century when Wolfram von Eschenbach and Robert of Boron were writing their epic romances. Today, around 800 years on, it is as true as ever.
From THE TEMPLARS: The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God’s Holy Warriors by Dan Jones, to be published September 19, 2017 by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright © 2017 by Dan Jones.
DAN JONES is an acclaimed medieval historian and lead consultant on HISTORY’s forthcoming ‘Knightfall’ series.

The Knights Templar: Fathers of Modern Banking

By Jefferson P Webb.

While the Knights Templar are famed for their courage and valor in combat against Islam in the Crusades, these famed and even legendary knights are responsible for more than just the protection of pilgrims to the holy land, or for facing off with Saladin’s forces from Syria. While there are many books and articles composed and published about the Templar Knights, some of which are quite fantastical to the point of science fiction, there are certain contributions that these knights made that have positively influenced western civilization to modern times that need due attention.

“The Order of the Temple was founded as the Order of the Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ by a French nobleman named Hugues de Payen in 1119 in Jerusalem. Hugues de Payen led the original order of nine knights by the names of Godfrey of Saint-Omer from Picardy, Payen de Montdidier, Andre de Montbard, Archambaud de Saint. Aignon, Geoffrey Bisol, Roland, Gondemar, and yet a ninth knight whose name is not known. All of these knights took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. The Order was founded to protect pilgrims from robbers and bandits who attacked, robbed, and often murdered pilgrims to the Holy Land.”1

The pilgrims, “came in their droves, unaware of the dangers that lay ahead – the roads around Jerusalem were notorious for the bands of robbers that haunted them, preying on the travelers to the Holy Places. Sometimes these robbers were Saracens; sometimes they were lapsed crusaders. To counter this threat, Hugues de Payen gathered together a group of nine knights to protect the pilgrims.”2

“Together these nine knights took on the roll as protectors of the pilgrims in 1119, but the order was not officially established until 1129. “The Knights of the Temple of Solomon of Jerusalem ( Order of the Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ) were established as a religious Order of the Latin Church in 1129, when they were officially accepted at the Council of Troyes in Champagne. They were granted Rule which urged all secular knights to hasten to associate themselves with those ‘who God has chosen from the mass of perdition.’”3

Clearly the Templars filled the role of protectors of Christian travelers and did indeed begin to draw the attraction of secular knights as well as noblemen to their ranks for service to the Church in the Holy Lands and in Europe as well. While the Templars did see combat actions in the Middle East as line fighters for Christian armies, flying their black and white battle flag called a Beauseant and shouting their battle cry, “In Hoc Signo Vinces!” meaning, “In this sign conquer,” in reference to a vision in a dream by Emperor Constantine prior to the Battle of Milvian Bridge, there were many Templars who never saw combat. They filled entirely different roles within the Order. One of those many roles was the role of banking.
Many of the Templar knights were used to record and safeguard the items and monies placed within their care within the walls of their monasteries and banks/keeps. In fact, there were many more brother knights that oversaw the recording of transactions of loans, ceded estates and lands, and other financial matters for the Order than their were brother knights serving in combat functions for the Church. Simply put, there were more of these famed “warrior monks” that actually filled the function of “banker monks.” “The great majority were administrators of the more than 9,000 manors that had been given to the Order by pious benefactors.”4

Much of the wealth that the Order accumulated came from knights and noblemen donations of lands, monies, and other forms of wealth when they joined the Knights Templar for service to the Church. In spite of the fact that the monks themselves took vows of poverty among other vows, the Order itself became extremely wealthy in assets. They became so wealthy that they maintained their own fleets for the transportation of soldiers, pilgrims, goods and valuables, and many other items bound for the Middle East and other areas. The earliest record of the Templars’ wealth beginning to blossom was recorded as taking place even before the Order was established officially with the Church. “It appears to have begun with a meeting of Hugues de Payen and Fulk V, Count of Anjou, while Fulk was on his pilgrimage in 1120 to Outremer. After this meeting, Fulk committed to the Order an annual income of 30 livres angevines. Fulk was also able to inspire other French noblemen to make pledges to Hugues de Payens Templars as well. The Order’s economical means began to build, and as its wealth grew so too did its influence on the European and Middle Eastern stages.”5

The Knights Templar had become one of the richest entities in the world over just a few years, and with well established banks within their monasteries, and arguably the best security in the world for those assets, the brother knights found themselves serving in yet another capacity. Nobles and Royals alike began to entrust the brother knights with securing their valuables within the safety of the Monastery walls under the guard of the Templar Knights. What took place was the establishment of the safe deposit box.
A person turned in their valuables to the monastery for safekeeping and was then able to retrieve them at their pleasure, just as is the case today with a safe deposit box at your local bank. An example of such a transaction along with the language of the documentation and agreement of the withdrawal transaction is found in a quotation from a primary source document. It was a transaction to retrieve jewels by James I, King of Aragon from the Temple of Mozon.

“Be it known to all that we, James, by the grace of God King of Aragon, Majorca, and Valencia, Count of Barcelona and Urgel and Lord of Montpellier and we, Yolanda, Queen, Countess, and Lady of the said places, acknowledge that we have received and possess all and every jewel that we had deposited and put in the safe keeping in the house of the Temple of Monzon. Wherefore we declare the houses of the Temple and all brothers freed from all chains from us and ours concerning all the said jewels. Henceforth neither we nor ours can make further demands for any or all the said jewels. Henceforth, neither we nor ours can make further demands for any or all of the said jewels nor incriminate, attack, or even harass the brothers of any house nor any possessions of the Temple in respect to said jewels. Given at Calatayud, ten days before the kalends of March, 1240. Sign of James, by the grace of God, King of Aragon, Majorca, and Valencia, Count of Barcelona, and Urgel, and Lord of Montpellier.”6

Evidenced in that primary source is a prime example of the types of items the brother knights were entrusted with protecting, but also brings to light insight into the language used in such legal documentation of the transactions. Furthermore, it is interesting to note that the language of the document and transaction is not unlike that which we see today in such agreements. Without question the Knights Templar were well trusted by the upper crust of European aristocracy and indeed can be credited with the establishment, officially, of the modern safety deposit system.
It is not surprising given the Templar wealth that they too were sought for loans. Here too another function of modern banking was well established with the Templar. It is safe to say that they are not the first to issue loans, but what the Templars did do was issue loans on a much larger, and much better documented scale than most other organizations during their period or since. One such example can be seen here of such a loan made by Robert II, Count of Artois, who was count from 1250-1302, and was the first cousin of the King of France, Philip III.

“I, Robert, Count of Artios, declare to all who peruse this present document, that I owe the monk Brother John of Tour, Treasurer of the house of the Knights Templar in Paris, 1,578 livres parisis in respect of a legal loan in cash the said treasury made me for the furtherance of my affairs, of which we have full satisfaction, renouncing the receipt of non-cash property and moneys not yet received. In satisfaction and full payment of this said loan to the said treasurer, free of debts and having full legal rights, I assign specifically and in the name of a special attribution, and herewith ascribe to said treasurer, all and every one of my rents, proceeds and income from my castlery and townships of Domfront – en – Passais, and all their apprentices, i.e. reeveship, woods, waters, pannage, ovens, mills, pastures, hay, hens, capons, wheat and whatever else exists, pertaining to me in any matter in those said places…they shall be had, received, and enjoyed by the said treasurer or his representative annually from now on without break, in full, without any loss or opposition, quit and free, in payment and discharge to said debt, until by the continuous payment of the rents, proceeds, and income, full and complete satisfaction for the whole of the said debt shall have been made to the said treasurer.”7

Pilgrims, Warriors, Heretics: Who Were the Knights Templar? | HISTORY Channel

Again we see a magnificent example of the language used in the transaction, but too this shows us the enormity of the loan transaction itself and the level of wealth involved. The Knights Templar were involved in some of the largest loans of their time and even made loans to royal houses to finance the endeavors of nations. With such as a trustworthy reputation established, the Templars also began to be used for transferring monies from one place to another. In doing this, the Templars issued a note to a person for the amount deposited in one place that was good for the person to collect such an amount from the Templars in another place or region. The Templars were effectively issuing travelers checks to people upon deposit of monies. This was of great benefit to people traveling abroad and specifically to the Holy Lands where bandits and robbers made their livelihoods.

While the Templars are well-known for bravery in combat, here it is clearly shown that their function and influence was on a much broader scale than what they are generally given credit for. Nevertheless, their wealth would end up being one of the prime reasons for their demise as France’s King Philip found himself and his country in serious economic peril. Furthermore, King Philip influences Pope Clement V to dissolve the Order in accusations of heretical behavior to claim their assets for France and for redistribution to other monastic knightly orders, in particular the Knights Hospitaller. The Knights Templar were effectively dissolved in 1314 by Clement V and their wealth taken from the Order. But, their contributions to the modern system of banking is profound in spite of the fact that it is predominantly overlooked. It is true that the Knights Templar were heroes of the Crusades, and can be looked upon in many ways as inspirational examples of courage and bravery, and dedication to the Christian Faith under extremely difficult circumstances. But there should be much more attention paid than there is to their influence on the modern system of banking. The Knights Templar set the bar for the use of safety deposit boxes, loans of great magnitude and travelers checks and bank notes and the efficiency with which these things were accomplished.

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Sources:
1. Webb, Jefferson P. The Order of the Temple: Influences on Modern Banking. Waco, TX: Webb Publishing. 2009.1
2. Martin, Sean. The Knights Templars. NY: Thundermouth Press. 2004.1
3. Barber, Malcolm and Bate, Keith. The Templars: Selected Sources. NY: Manchester. 2002.1
4. Read, Pier. The Templars. NY: Saint Martins. 1999. 181
5. Webb, Jefferson. The Order. 3
6. Barber and Bate: The Templars: Selected Sources. 208
7. Barber and Bate. 209

Bibliography
Andrew Jotischky and Caroline Hull. Historical Atlas of the Medieval World. New York: Penguin. 2005
Frank Sanello. The Knights Templar: God’s Warriors, the Devil’s Banker. New York: Taylor Trade Publishing. 2003
Gordon Napier. The Rise and Fall of the Knights Templar: The Order of the Temple, 1118-1314: A True History of Faith, Glory, Betrayal, and Tragedy. UK: Spellmount. 2003
Jefferson P. Webb. The Order of the Temple: Influences on Modern Banking. Waco, TX: Webb Publishing. 2009
Helen Nichols. The Knights Templar: A New History. UK: Sutton Publishing. 2002
Malcolm Barber and Keith Bate. The Templars: Selected Sources. New York: Manchester United Press. 2002
Martin, Sean. The Knights Templar. New York: Thundermouth Press. 2004
Norman Cantor. The Civilization of the Middle Ages. New York: Harper Collins. 1993 … Piers Read.

http://www.the-games-blog.com/knights-templar-want-ban-on-negative-games/ Accessed 08-14-2011. The Games Blog.com. April 29, 2011. GabrielVandervort.

Templar on Horse: http://www.ancientresource.com/lots/medieval_crusades/knights_templar_coins.html Accessed 08-14-2011. Ancient Resources 2011.
Crystalinks.com.Templar Seal. http://www.crystalinks.com/templars.html