Page 89 - All About History - Issue 56-17

Interview

Busting the

Templar myths

Uncover the truth behind some
of the tall tales surrounding
the order

The Holy Grail
Arguably the most famous
and enduring legend tied to
the mythos of the Knights
Considering many Templars Templar, the Holy Grail
were both influential figures and is believed to be the cup
monastic knights, they were often
entombed in key locations such as that Jesus Christ drank
here at Temple Church, London from at the Last Supper.
In reality, it’s likely that no
such vessel exists and is
instead an analogue for the
Templars themselves.
The 12 who escaped
In October 1307, King Philip IV organised a mass arrest
of Templars across the
continent. Most were
imprisoned or executed, but
a document discovered in
a French archive confirmed
that 12 of its key figures
escaped. Some myths
suggest these 12 form part
of the grail legend, but they
probably just disappeared
into anonymity.
The Temple Mount, located in Jerusalem, was
the first headquarters of the order. It was this
location that inspired the name ‘Templars’ The skulls beneath Luz
Another myth that ties into those fabled 12 Templar
escapees, and one that
Templars, but the researchers found very little — to hear a call for the Templars and all the other potentially reveals their
we can see this from the records of the Templars’ smaller orders to be combined into one ‘super fate, leads us beneath
trials in 1307. order’, which would then, presumably, be used to a temple in the French
Even with all the forced admissions extracted by retake the Holy Land. region of Luz, where 12
skulls were discovered.
torture, you get this overwhelming sense of ‘Is that Then you come to a matter of personality. The
However, a number of
all you’ve got?’ Philip’s case against the Templars last Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, was not temples have been found
had three main points: worshipping idols, spitting capable of coping with his position. He was the in the area so such a
on the cross and that the Templars had been wrong person and was in the wrong place at the theory is reaching at best.
kissing one another in their induction ceremonies. wrong time. Molay, between 1306, prior to the mass
It’s clear this is an attempt to sex up the vernacular arrests of the Templars, and 1314, when he was The Templars discovered America
of the Templar induction process. burned at the stake along with his fellow knights, According to one Venetian manuscript written in 1558, the
Templars arrived in the New World in 1380. Considering
What’s absurd is that this accusation is being made a constant stream of mistakes that left the the theory relies on
levelled by the king of France, a man who would order open to political assault from Philip IV. one document written
have taken feudal homage from hundreds of There was also a closeness between the kingdom two centuries after
people over his reign, all of whom would have of France and the Templars stretching back the death of the order,
been granted the Kiss of Peace. It’s very cynical. It’s generations, which effectively made the order an and no other evidence
has been uncovered
basically the ‘fake news’ of its era. easy target for the French king. Add to that his on American soil, it’s
desire to potentially roll the orders together and been heavily criticised
Of all the monastic orders in the lead it into a new crusade and his ongoing rivalry by historians.
Middle Ages, why were the Knights with the pope and you have an ideal way for Philip
Templar singled out for persecution? IV to weaken the papacy by proxy. Templars aided
Around the time of the final crusade, calls had the Scots
Another myth centres around a
begun for the reform of the military orders
group of knights who secretly
including the Hospitallers, the Teutonic Knights The Templars: The Rise and helped the Scots repel the
and the Templars. By around 1290, these orders Spectacular Fall of God’s Holy armies of England at the Battle
were essentially holding the fort for the European Warriors by Dan Jones is of Bannockburn in 1314. No
powers in the region. available to buy in hardback evidence for such a presence
exists, bar rumoured reports
It was a valiant effort, but it also meant they for £25. To hear more from
at the time that state an
copped a lot of the blame when the last bastion Dan, you can follow him on unknown group of warriors © Alamy
of Acre fell in 1291. From this point on, we start Twitter @dgjones. aided the Scots.
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