The Templars: From Protector to Victim

University Lecture SeriesMarch 2, 2011

Modern Views of the Templars

IvanhoeFoucault’s PendulumDa Vinci CodeKingdom of Heaven

Origins of the Order

Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon1119 to 1311

The Military Orders

TemplarsHospitallers (Knights of St. John of Jerusalem) Knights of St. Mary of Acre (Teutonic Knights)

Temple Mount in Jerusalem

Milites Christi

Organization

Fighting Monks

The white mantle with a red cross was the distinctive form of dress for knights; sergeants wore a black mantle.

Commercial Activities

Fierce Reputation

Relentless defenders of their faith, often likened to the Muslim Ghazis.

Demise of the Templars

• Philip IV of France coveted their wealth

• Their international character and exemption from local rulers made them a “state within a state”

Resurging interest in the Templars

“The Templars Face the Inquisition: The Papal Commission and Diocesan Tribunals in France, 1308–1311”By Dale Streeter

How my research changes previous ideas about the Templar trials

Arrest, Trial, & Suppression

• Why were the Templars targeted?

• For their wealth or power?

• Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master, burned in Paris in 1314, his curse

Templar Legacy

Their role was brief but vital. The Templars live on in popular imagination.