However, this road is full of dangers. According to the accounts of pilgrims at that time, on the way from the eastern Mediterranean port to Jerusalem, wild animals and thieves were rampant, and pilgrims were often attacked, robbed and killed by Saracens.
The most shocking tragedy happened in11/0/9 Easter: on the way from Jerusalem to Jordan, 300 pilgrims were killed and 60 were captured. The tragic experience of pilgrims awakened the responsibility of western knights who came to pilgrimage.
1 1 19, the tragic experience of pilgrims awakened the sense of responsibility of nine western knights who came to make a pilgrimage. According to/kloc-chroniclers in the late 20th century, these nine "noble and pious knights are determined to protect pilgrims", and they vowed to be poor, celibate and obedient before the patriarch of Jerusalem, and served God wholeheartedly like ordinary monks. Patriarch entrusts them with the responsibility of "preventing thieves and attackers and ensuring smooth roads, especially the safety of pilgrims".
Because they have neither a church nor a place to live. Therefore, Baldwin II of the Kingdom of Jerusalem gave these knights a corner of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount. This mosque was built on the site of the legendary Temple of Solomon. Hence the name "Poor Christ and the Templar of Solomon".
At first, they had only nine members and depended on donations to maintain them. The image of two people riding a horse on the badge symbolizes their poverty (at the same time, some people understand that the brothers of the Templars helped each other on the battlefield, and one Templar saved another Templar who lost his horse and was alone).
This poverty was quickly changed, and the Knights Templar soon attracted the attention of nobles and the upper classes of the church after its establishment. At that time, Saint Bernard, a highly respected church activist, specially wrote Ode to the New Knight, and strongly advocated this so-called "new knight" model which combines religious and military functions. Under the influence of Saint Bernard, the Knights developed rapidly.
1 127, the king of Jerusalem sent Hugo de Payne, head of the Knights Templar, to Europe to seek the recognition of the Knights Templar by the Holy See and recruit them. Hugo de Payne went to Great Britain via France to recruit new knights and received donations from European monarchs and nobles along the way. Its grand occasion is unprecedented since Pope UrbanⅡ launched the Crusade. The general manager's trip to Europe was a complete success.
1 129, the Vatican held a religious conference in Trouvat, and the Pope officially recognized their status. This meeting is a milestone. It laid down a charter for the Knights Templar, and confirmed the legal status of the Knights Templar in the whole Christian world and the highest power of the Holy See over it. The confirmation of the Holy See further expanded the influence of the Knights Templar in Europe and legalized its acceptance of donations from Christians.
1136—1137, the Templars were ordered to guard the passage from Kilimanjaro to Antioch.
In 1 139, Pope Pope Innocent II granted them privileged status by papal decree. The Knights Templar is only responsible to the Pope, and is not under the command of kings and local bishops. You can avoid paying tithes to the church and even collect tithes in its territory. As a result, they quickly developed into an important force of the Pope, with more than 20,000 members at most. The Knights Templar is an important fortress for guarding the holy land and plays an important role in defending the kingdom of Jerusalem. Shortly after the112911Trouvat conference, Hugo de Payne, head of the delegation, immediately returned to the east with the recruits and participated in the Crusaders' siege of Damascus. By 129 1, St. Jean-Ak was captured by Arabs, and the Templars took part in almost all the battles to defend the holy land. Usually only about 300 knights templar participate in the war, which is a small but powerful fighting force. It is the main force in the charge, and can often play the role of "taking one as ten".
1149-1150, was ordered to guard Gaza city. Since then, it has become a standing army of the Crusader countries. Participating in the battle of the holy land became its main task.
In the Battle of Mongisa on 1 177125 October, King baldwin iv of jerusalem of Jerusalem in Jerusalem was only 16 years old. He led 80 knights templar, 375 cavalry and 6,000 infantry to boldly attack 30,000 troops in Saladin, Arabia. As a result, the elite Mamluk Guard of the latter was almost completely annihilated, with a total of 20,000 casualties. Saladin fled back to Egypt with less than110 troops.
In the Battle of Harding in 1 187, the Templar was besieged by Saladin's army, and most of its members were either killed or injured. In the same year, Saladin captured Jerusalem, the Templars retreated, and finally retreated to Cyprus. During the Third Crusade (1189-1192), the Templars were in a weak position. The Templar acquired a lot of real estate in its early days, which laid the foundation for its development. Later, it launched a fund-raising group to make a pilgrimage overseas and engaged in banking and commerce to expand its assets. They have mastered the business activities between East and West, and have branches all over the country. France and Britain even entrusted the king's royal treasury to them for a time. The Knights Templar played an important role in the financial circle at that time and was rich in the world. It often issued a large number of usury, which became the main reason for its destruction.
129 1 year, Ahmed Khalil, the successor of Karavin, attacked Saint Jean-Aker, and William, the head of the Knights Templar, served as the commander-in-chief of the Christian army, commanding the defenders of Saint Jean-Aker, the two knights and the army of the King of Cyprus, totaling 6,543,804 people. Most Christian soldiers were killed. After the King of Cyprus retreated with his remaining troops, the Templar decided to surrender. Sultan Mamluk agreed, but his soldiers insulted Christian women. The Templar angrily took up arms again. Finally, he retreated to the wooden tower of the headquarters and repelled the enemy's attacks many times. Sudan ordered the burning of wooden towers. The last knights templar in the Holy Land were buried in ashes, and the Crusader countries also fell.
The rest of the knights templar and hospital knights evacuated to Cyprus and then returned to France. They are the king's big creditors in France, with thousands of castles and huge wealth, and the king and bishop are very envious. Therefore, King Philip IV of France fabricated heresy charges to eradicate them.
Friday, 1307, 10, 13 (this is one of the origins of "Black Friday" superstition), without any warning in advance. Almost all members of the Knights Templar in France were arrested and restricted from using any property to prevent them from being transferred abroad. The reason is that the "handsome man" French king Philip IV, who is famous for his shrewdness and ability, had previously sent a secret letter and ordered local officials to open it at the same time to clean him up. In Paris alone, 65,438+038 members were arrested, including Jacques de Molay, head of the delegation.
1307, 10 year120 October, Jacques de Molay was tortured in prison and pleaded guilty for "denying Jesus Christ and trampling on the cross". Then he was forced to write to every member of the Order to admit these crimes, and then Philip IV and Pope Clemente V ordered the search for the Order throughout the Christian world. Most of them died in interrogation, and the rest were burned at the stake.
At that time, Pope Clemente V in avignon played more than just an assistant persecutor. He repeatedly asked for judicial power to be handed over to the church, but Philip IV refused. 13 12, King Philip IV of France forced Pope Clement V to announce the dissolution of the Knights Templar. The Order of Portugal was changed to Jesuits, no longer engaged in military missions, and evolved into an ordinary order mainly performing overseas missions. The property of Spanish and Portuguese knights was transferred to two new knights: Montesa knight in Spain and Christian knight in Portugal.
1365438+At dusk on March 22nd, 2004, Jacques de Molay was tied to the stake and slowly burned to death. Before going to the stake, he cursed King Philip IV of France and Pope Clemente V, saying that they would face eternal trial within one year. The fact is indeed consistent with it. Pope Clement V died of sudden illness a month later, and Philip IV, the "handsome man", died suddenly while hunting six months later.
However, in the textual research of later generations' alignment of agricultural parchment, it was found that the knight was ruled as "probably immoral, not heretical".
After the destruction of the Knights Templar, according to the order of the Pope, the Knights Templar Hospital acquired most of the heritage, and many members of the Templars from various countries turned to the Templar Hospital. It can be said that the Templar Hospital is the biggest beneficiary. Philip IV absorbed the property of the Knights in France, while others thought that he didn't get much benefit. The Templar had a premonition before the catastrophe, and most of the property in France was removed, so Philip IV, the king of France, finally drew water with a sieve. The organization of the Knights Templar in Portugal was renamed Jesuits and continued to exist, and its nature changed from a military order to an order mainly engaged in overseas missionary work. King Robert of Scotland may be the most tolerant king of the Templars. He disobeyed the Pope's decree and refused to kill the Templar in his own territory. As long as the Templar is separated from the Templar, he will not be held accountable. Therefore, many Templars from the European continent fled to Scotland and joined Robert. In any case, the Knights Templar as an organization has become history. Because of its close connection with religion and holy places, its strength and wealth, and its dramatic history, the Templar has always been the protagonist in legends, especially in legends related to the Holy Grail. The novel The Da Vinci Code also quotes many legends related to the Templars.