Post by Lucy of Ravenscar on May 14, 2023 14:20:48 GMT
This is part two of an article that appeared in Nothing's Forgotten issue 6, April 1997.
The Knights Templar
By Kin Ming Looi
Part 2: Myths and conspiracies
Introduction
In the first part of this article, we looked at the commonly accepted history of the Knights Templar. In addition to that, however, a massive body of folklore, legends and conspiracy theories has grown up around the Order. The Templars have been variously regarded as alchemists, sorcerers, assassins, secret manipulators, heretics and even Satanists. To this day, there are conspiracy theorists who maintain the Order is still alive and well, albeit now in secret. The objective of this, somewhat belated, second part is to examine some of these colourful myths surrounding the Templars and consider their implications for Robin of Sherwood.
Why?
The Secret Masters
The first matter to consider is why the Templars in particular should have acquired such a sinister reputation. While its contemporaries, such as the Hospitallers or Teutonic Knights, have acquired similar reputations for fanaticism and ruthlessness, none have the same esoteric mystique about them.
For a start, the Templars were extremely secretive. Divulging the Order's rituals or even its Rule was grounds for expulsion. Furthermore, the Templars were also answerable only to the Pope leading to an ever increasing arrogance. Their secretiveness and aloofness inevitably led to speculation about what they were hiding.
Secondly, the steady stream of recruits from noble families, along with gifts of land and money and the establishment of the preceptories as a financial network allowed the Order to amass immense political and financial power.
For example, King John often resided in the Templar preceptory in London and the Templar Master for England was at John's side at the signing of the Magna Carta. King Richard too lived with the Templars at Acre. When he left the Holy Land in 1192, he did so disguised as a Templar, travelling on a Templar ship and accompanied by four members of the Order.
The Templars were also not reluctant to exercise their political power. Girard de Ridefort, the Grand Master from 1185 -1189, intervened in the succession to the throne of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, bringing the Kingdom to the point of civil war at a time when the Saracens were beginning to test the Kingdom's defences.
As an aside, de Ridefort is also regarded as one of those most responsible for the loss of Jerusalem because of his reckless and fool-hardy conduct at the Battle of Hattin which resulted in extremely heavy losses to the Crusader forces, most crucially in knights, (Massed charges by armoured knights were, to a large extent, the surprise weapon which established the Latin Kingdoms).
In any case, there is clearly plenty of basis in fact for the Templars' reputation as secret political and financial manipulators and conspirators.
The defeat of the Crusaders at the Battle of Hattin
The Occult
An occult air shrouded the Templars from the very start. Even as early as 1108, Pope Innocent III admonished the Templars for unchristian behaviour and referred explicitly to necromancy. On the other hand, in his epic romance Parzival, the medieval poet Wolfram von Eschenbach portrayed the knights who guarded the Holy Grail as Templars.
Based as they were in the Holy Land, the Templars were on the border between the Muslim, Jewish and Christian worlds. The Templars were therefore exposed to these cultures and absorbed ideas from them that included arguably the most advanced science and technology of the time, particularly in the areas of medicine and astronomy/astrology. For example, the Arabs had preserved much classical knowledge which had been lost to Europe since the fall of the Western Roman empire, such as Aristotle's philosophy and science. All these were ideas outside the mainstream of Christian thought and their adoption and application led to rumours that the Templars were defectors to Islam and were students of sorcery, alchemy and other forbidden arts. The Templars were even reputed to have dealings with the Assassins and that the latter even paid tribute to the Templars.
Furthermore, the Templars also displayed heretical tendencies in the form of Cathar influences. The Cathars, or Albigenses, were followers of the single most important heresy within the Christian church during the Middle Ages. Centred around the Languedoc region in Southern France, they believed in a Manichaean dualistic system whereby they believed in separate and independent gods struggling with each other. One being the god of light, goodness, and spirit and other the god of darkness, evil, and matter. Furthermore, since they believed matter to be inherently evil, the Cathars did not accept that Jesus could be both be flesh and blood and still be the Son of God. They therefore regarded Jesus as either a being of pure spirit who therefore could not be crucified or that he was simply another mortal prophet.
While these distinctions from the mainstream beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church may seem fairly minor now and despite the fact that Cathars had a reputation for tolerance, culture and leading simple, ascetic lives, these beliefs led to them being regarded as a major threat by the Roman Catholic Church. Their views on the crucifixion and the exact status of Jesus Christ were considered especially intolerable and the increasing popularity of the Cathar faith in the South of France eventually led to Pope Innocent III's declaration of a Crusade against the Cathars in 1208, also known as the Albigensian Crusade.
However, by this time the Templars had long enjoyed warm relationships with the Cathars in the Languedoc. The Order was seeking to carve out a private realm in the Languedoc like the Teutonic Knights were doing with the Ordenstaat in the Eastern Baltic. Furthermore, there is evidence of earlier Cathar influences on the Templars. One of the founders of the Knights Templar may have been a Cathar and their fourth Grand Master, Betrand de Blanchefort certainly was.
Cathars expelled from Carcassonne in 1209
Consequently, during the Albigensian Crusade, the Templars remained neutral and are believed to have sheltered many Cathars from the Inquisition, The Grand Master even went so far as to say there was only one true crusade: that against the Saracens. The Order's rolls also shows an influx of Cathar recruits into the Order's ranks following the Albigensian Crusade.
Once again, the Templars were associated with heretical ideas and beliefs, this time with a faith which had a crusade declared against it, putting it on an equal footing with the Saracens threatening the Holy Land. That rumours about Templar involvement in sorcery, heresy, devil worship and other unsavoury activities abounded is therefore unsurprising.
Modern Day Templars
A favourite conspiracy theory concerning the Templars is that the Order survived its official suppression and continued to function, even to this day. Many Masonic orders claim to be direct descendants of the Order, basing their rituals and titles on those of the Templars. Furthermore, these theories have a very long history. The first claims of the Order's survival arose not long after its suppression.
As he burned at the stake in March 1314, Jacques de Molay, the last (known) Grand Master of the Knights Templar, is said to have called on Clement V and Philipe IV to join him and account for themselves before the Court of God within a year. Sure enough, Clement V died of dysentery and Philipe IV of unknown causes within a year, an incident which only added to the Templars' supposed occult prowess.
Furthermore, immediately after the execution of Louis XVI during the French Revolution, a man is said to have leapt up on the scaffold, dipped his hand in Louis XVI's blood and exclaimed "Jacques de Molay, thou art avenged".
Once again, the basis for the myths about the Templars' survival is not hard to find. For a start, outside of France, the suppression of the Order proceeded slowly or even not at all.
In England, Edward II dragged his feet over implementing the order and, even when it was put into force, most Templars received light sentences of a few years' penance in monasteries while their property was assigned to the Hospitallers.
In Scotland, which was at the time distracted by war with England, the suppression order was never promulgated and the Templars were therefore never officially dissolved. Indeed Scotland became something of a haven for Templars and members of the Order are supposed to have fought on the Scottish side at Bannockburn.
In Lorraine, the Templars were supported by the Duke of the principality. The few tried were exonerated and the rest assimilated themselves into the population.
In Germany, the Templars were pronounced innocent following a threat to take up arms (The Sheriffs question to Gisburne about a crusade in Nottingham immediately comes to mind) and most German Templars eventually joined the Hospitallers and Teutonic Knights.
In Portugal, the Order was cleared by an inquiry and was renamed the Knights of Christ. Under that title, the Order survived well into the sixteenth century.
Convent of Christ Castle, Tomar, Portugal, which became the headquarters of the Knights of Christ
So, there is plenty of evidence for Templars surviving the immediate aftermath of the Order's suppression. Given the Order's knowledge of drugs and medicine, its alleged links with the Assassins and its incomplete suppression outside France, it would not be difficult to imagine surviving Templars or sympathisers poisoning both Clement V and Philipe IV.
Similarly, it has already been mentioned that a large number of Masonic organisations claim direct lineage from the Templars. Masonic organisations were very much at the heart of the opposition to Louis XVI and therefore played a key part in the French Revolution.
The Prieuré de Sion
Possibly the best example of the fascinating body of mysteries surrounding the Templars are the theories concerning the town of Rennes-le-Château in the Languedoc region of the South of France. There are many variant theories but the best known and best written one is the subject of the book Holy Blood and Holy Grail by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln.
Essentially, the authors start with a discovery of some sort by a newly-appointed priest named Bérenger Saunière while renovating his Church in Rennes-le-Château. The exact nature of the discovery is unknown but whatever it was, it made him extremely wealthy and influential virtually overnight.
From this premise, the authors present a well-argued case for the following:
-Saunière found proof of the truth of the Cathar faith, that Jesus was man rather than God-become-man.
-That Jesus had not died on the cross but had instead married Mary Magdalene and sired children who went on to form the Merovingian dynasty of France.
-Since then, a secret organisation called the Prieuré de Sion, or Priory of Zion had been tracking and guarding the Merovingian bloodline, even after it was deposed from the throne of France.
-The Prieuré de Sion had founded the Templars as its military arm and its founders' original aims in Palestine was not the protection of pilgrims but the search for some secret at the Temple of Solomon.
-Sion therefore controlled the Templars, even having the same Grand Master until the Templars became increasingly unruly protégés, culminating in Girard de Ridefort's defeat at Hattin and the subsequent loss of Jerusalem.
-The Prieuré de Sion subsequently publicly severed its ties with the Templars at a ceremony called the Cutting of the Elm at Gisors, an event at which the then Prince Richard of England was supposedly present, but continued to secretly control the Templars.
-The Prieuré de Sion may even have engineered the suppression of the Templars as a means of ridding themselves of what was increasingly becoming a liability but nonetheless ensured the safety of most of its one time charges.
-Saunière's discovery was therefore documentary proof that the tenets of the Cathar faith had been more accurate than that of the Roman Catholic Church's. This was the reason for the Albigensian Crusade and the source of Saunière's wealth.
There are several variants on this theme, one of the most recent of which is the subject of the book The Tomb of God by Richard Andrews and Paul Schellenberger. The authors argue that the Templars found evidence in the Temple of Solomon which led them to the tomb of Jesus in the Rennes-le-Château area and that this evidence is the secret that Saunière found. Furthermore, the authors claim to have located the tomb of Christ through analysing geometric configurations hidden in a series of paintings.
Note that a key role is still played by the Templars. They are again portrayed as keepers of secret knowledge, involved in age-old conspiracies and believed to have survived their official dissolution.
There have been recent investigations that indicate that some of the evidence at the base of the theories about Rennes-le-Château do not hold up to close examination. Despite that, the story of Holy Blood and Holy Grail remains a fascinating and well-written story. The fact remains that Sauniere did find something which changed his life and the region he lived in was steeped in Cathar and Templar folklore. Even if the theories aren't actually correct, there is still an intriguing mystery there which, given its location and its history, is highly likely to involve the Templars.
Robin of Sherwood
So, what does all this, historically interesting though it may be, have to do with Robin of Sherwood? My primary interest here is that of a player of role-playing games. Indeed, I even did some work on a Robin of Sherwood RPG until I discovered most of my gaming friends preferred the Errol Flynn/green tights style of Robin Hood to RoS'! Consequently, what follows is essentially a brief look at possible further uses for the Templars in RoS fan fiction or RPG scenarios. Given the Templars' reputation for zealous ruthlessness, attempts to avenge their defeat by the outlaws seemed likely.
Power and influence: Richard and John have been shown to have strong connections to the Templars. The Order, having been dealt a humiliating defeat by the outlaws, might conceivably put pressure on both Richard and John to hunt them down. Even in the Holy Land, Richard says, he had heard of Loxley. Is that because the Templars told him?
Sorcerers: If Philipe's and Clement's charges against the Templars were correct, that would make them sorcerous enemies possibly on a par with Simon de Belleme. Combined with their military skills, that would make them an especially fearsome enemy.
Furthermore, the Templar's alleged amassing of artefacts like Caput LVIII (see part one of this article) might make them pursue other magical artefacts like Herne's Arrow, Wayland's swords or any of the many items the outlaws seemed to almost trip over.
The Prieuré de Sion: RoS is set in a time period shortly after the Cutting of the Elm supposedly took place. This would mean the Templars were no longer directly controlled by the Prieure but would still secretly be doing its bidding. The Prieuré's aim of tracking and guarding the Merovingian bloodline and their use of the Templars as proxies could make for an adventure full of intrigue, mystery and conspiracy if the Wolfsheads were to get in the way.
The Knights Templar
By Kin Ming Looi
Part 2: Myths and conspiracies
Introduction
In the first part of this article, we looked at the commonly accepted history of the Knights Templar. In addition to that, however, a massive body of folklore, legends and conspiracy theories has grown up around the Order. The Templars have been variously regarded as alchemists, sorcerers, assassins, secret manipulators, heretics and even Satanists. To this day, there are conspiracy theorists who maintain the Order is still alive and well, albeit now in secret. The objective of this, somewhat belated, second part is to examine some of these colourful myths surrounding the Templars and consider their implications for Robin of Sherwood.
Why?
The Secret Masters
The first matter to consider is why the Templars in particular should have acquired such a sinister reputation. While its contemporaries, such as the Hospitallers or Teutonic Knights, have acquired similar reputations for fanaticism and ruthlessness, none have the same esoteric mystique about them.
For a start, the Templars were extremely secretive. Divulging the Order's rituals or even its Rule was grounds for expulsion. Furthermore, the Templars were also answerable only to the Pope leading to an ever increasing arrogance. Their secretiveness and aloofness inevitably led to speculation about what they were hiding.
Secondly, the steady stream of recruits from noble families, along with gifts of land and money and the establishment of the preceptories as a financial network allowed the Order to amass immense political and financial power.
For example, King John often resided in the Templar preceptory in London and the Templar Master for England was at John's side at the signing of the Magna Carta. King Richard too lived with the Templars at Acre. When he left the Holy Land in 1192, he did so disguised as a Templar, travelling on a Templar ship and accompanied by four members of the Order.
The Templars were also not reluctant to exercise their political power. Girard de Ridefort, the Grand Master from 1185 -1189, intervened in the succession to the throne of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, bringing the Kingdom to the point of civil war at a time when the Saracens were beginning to test the Kingdom's defences.
As an aside, de Ridefort is also regarded as one of those most responsible for the loss of Jerusalem because of his reckless and fool-hardy conduct at the Battle of Hattin which resulted in extremely heavy losses to the Crusader forces, most crucially in knights, (Massed charges by armoured knights were, to a large extent, the surprise weapon which established the Latin Kingdoms).
In any case, there is clearly plenty of basis in fact for the Templars' reputation as secret political and financial manipulators and conspirators.
The defeat of the Crusaders at the Battle of Hattin
The Occult
An occult air shrouded the Templars from the very start. Even as early as 1108, Pope Innocent III admonished the Templars for unchristian behaviour and referred explicitly to necromancy. On the other hand, in his epic romance Parzival, the medieval poet Wolfram von Eschenbach portrayed the knights who guarded the Holy Grail as Templars.
Based as they were in the Holy Land, the Templars were on the border between the Muslim, Jewish and Christian worlds. The Templars were therefore exposed to these cultures and absorbed ideas from them that included arguably the most advanced science and technology of the time, particularly in the areas of medicine and astronomy/astrology. For example, the Arabs had preserved much classical knowledge which had been lost to Europe since the fall of the Western Roman empire, such as Aristotle's philosophy and science. All these were ideas outside the mainstream of Christian thought and their adoption and application led to rumours that the Templars were defectors to Islam and were students of sorcery, alchemy and other forbidden arts. The Templars were even reputed to have dealings with the Assassins and that the latter even paid tribute to the Templars.
Furthermore, the Templars also displayed heretical tendencies in the form of Cathar influences. The Cathars, or Albigenses, were followers of the single most important heresy within the Christian church during the Middle Ages. Centred around the Languedoc region in Southern France, they believed in a Manichaean dualistic system whereby they believed in separate and independent gods struggling with each other. One being the god of light, goodness, and spirit and other the god of darkness, evil, and matter. Furthermore, since they believed matter to be inherently evil, the Cathars did not accept that Jesus could be both be flesh and blood and still be the Son of God. They therefore regarded Jesus as either a being of pure spirit who therefore could not be crucified or that he was simply another mortal prophet.
While these distinctions from the mainstream beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church may seem fairly minor now and despite the fact that Cathars had a reputation for tolerance, culture and leading simple, ascetic lives, these beliefs led to them being regarded as a major threat by the Roman Catholic Church. Their views on the crucifixion and the exact status of Jesus Christ were considered especially intolerable and the increasing popularity of the Cathar faith in the South of France eventually led to Pope Innocent III's declaration of a Crusade against the Cathars in 1208, also known as the Albigensian Crusade.
However, by this time the Templars had long enjoyed warm relationships with the Cathars in the Languedoc. The Order was seeking to carve out a private realm in the Languedoc like the Teutonic Knights were doing with the Ordenstaat in the Eastern Baltic. Furthermore, there is evidence of earlier Cathar influences on the Templars. One of the founders of the Knights Templar may have been a Cathar and their fourth Grand Master, Betrand de Blanchefort certainly was.
Cathars expelled from Carcassonne in 1209
Consequently, during the Albigensian Crusade, the Templars remained neutral and are believed to have sheltered many Cathars from the Inquisition, The Grand Master even went so far as to say there was only one true crusade: that against the Saracens. The Order's rolls also shows an influx of Cathar recruits into the Order's ranks following the Albigensian Crusade.
Once again, the Templars were associated with heretical ideas and beliefs, this time with a faith which had a crusade declared against it, putting it on an equal footing with the Saracens threatening the Holy Land. That rumours about Templar involvement in sorcery, heresy, devil worship and other unsavoury activities abounded is therefore unsurprising.
Modern Day Templars
A favourite conspiracy theory concerning the Templars is that the Order survived its official suppression and continued to function, even to this day. Many Masonic orders claim to be direct descendants of the Order, basing their rituals and titles on those of the Templars. Furthermore, these theories have a very long history. The first claims of the Order's survival arose not long after its suppression.
As he burned at the stake in March 1314, Jacques de Molay, the last (known) Grand Master of the Knights Templar, is said to have called on Clement V and Philipe IV to join him and account for themselves before the Court of God within a year. Sure enough, Clement V died of dysentery and Philipe IV of unknown causes within a year, an incident which only added to the Templars' supposed occult prowess.
Furthermore, immediately after the execution of Louis XVI during the French Revolution, a man is said to have leapt up on the scaffold, dipped his hand in Louis XVI's blood and exclaimed "Jacques de Molay, thou art avenged".
Once again, the basis for the myths about the Templars' survival is not hard to find. For a start, outside of France, the suppression of the Order proceeded slowly or even not at all.
In England, Edward II dragged his feet over implementing the order and, even when it was put into force, most Templars received light sentences of a few years' penance in monasteries while their property was assigned to the Hospitallers.
In Scotland, which was at the time distracted by war with England, the suppression order was never promulgated and the Templars were therefore never officially dissolved. Indeed Scotland became something of a haven for Templars and members of the Order are supposed to have fought on the Scottish side at Bannockburn.
In Lorraine, the Templars were supported by the Duke of the principality. The few tried were exonerated and the rest assimilated themselves into the population.
In Germany, the Templars were pronounced innocent following a threat to take up arms (The Sheriffs question to Gisburne about a crusade in Nottingham immediately comes to mind) and most German Templars eventually joined the Hospitallers and Teutonic Knights.
In Portugal, the Order was cleared by an inquiry and was renamed the Knights of Christ. Under that title, the Order survived well into the sixteenth century.
Convent of Christ Castle, Tomar, Portugal, which became the headquarters of the Knights of Christ
So, there is plenty of evidence for Templars surviving the immediate aftermath of the Order's suppression. Given the Order's knowledge of drugs and medicine, its alleged links with the Assassins and its incomplete suppression outside France, it would not be difficult to imagine surviving Templars or sympathisers poisoning both Clement V and Philipe IV.
Similarly, it has already been mentioned that a large number of Masonic organisations claim direct lineage from the Templars. Masonic organisations were very much at the heart of the opposition to Louis XVI and therefore played a key part in the French Revolution.
The Prieuré de Sion
Possibly the best example of the fascinating body of mysteries surrounding the Templars are the theories concerning the town of Rennes-le-Château in the Languedoc region of the South of France. There are many variant theories but the best known and best written one is the subject of the book Holy Blood and Holy Grail by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln.
Essentially, the authors start with a discovery of some sort by a newly-appointed priest named Bérenger Saunière while renovating his Church in Rennes-le-Château. The exact nature of the discovery is unknown but whatever it was, it made him extremely wealthy and influential virtually overnight.
From this premise, the authors present a well-argued case for the following:
-Saunière found proof of the truth of the Cathar faith, that Jesus was man rather than God-become-man.
-That Jesus had not died on the cross but had instead married Mary Magdalene and sired children who went on to form the Merovingian dynasty of France.
-Since then, a secret organisation called the Prieuré de Sion, or Priory of Zion had been tracking and guarding the Merovingian bloodline, even after it was deposed from the throne of France.
-The Prieuré de Sion had founded the Templars as its military arm and its founders' original aims in Palestine was not the protection of pilgrims but the search for some secret at the Temple of Solomon.
-Sion therefore controlled the Templars, even having the same Grand Master until the Templars became increasingly unruly protégés, culminating in Girard de Ridefort's defeat at Hattin and the subsequent loss of Jerusalem.
-The Prieuré de Sion subsequently publicly severed its ties with the Templars at a ceremony called the Cutting of the Elm at Gisors, an event at which the then Prince Richard of England was supposedly present, but continued to secretly control the Templars.
-The Prieuré de Sion may even have engineered the suppression of the Templars as a means of ridding themselves of what was increasingly becoming a liability but nonetheless ensured the safety of most of its one time charges.
-Saunière's discovery was therefore documentary proof that the tenets of the Cathar faith had been more accurate than that of the Roman Catholic Church's. This was the reason for the Albigensian Crusade and the source of Saunière's wealth.
There are several variants on this theme, one of the most recent of which is the subject of the book The Tomb of God by Richard Andrews and Paul Schellenberger. The authors argue that the Templars found evidence in the Temple of Solomon which led them to the tomb of Jesus in the Rennes-le-Château area and that this evidence is the secret that Saunière found. Furthermore, the authors claim to have located the tomb of Christ through analysing geometric configurations hidden in a series of paintings.
Note that a key role is still played by the Templars. They are again portrayed as keepers of secret knowledge, involved in age-old conspiracies and believed to have survived their official dissolution.
There have been recent investigations that indicate that some of the evidence at the base of the theories about Rennes-le-Château do not hold up to close examination. Despite that, the story of Holy Blood and Holy Grail remains a fascinating and well-written story. The fact remains that Sauniere did find something which changed his life and the region he lived in was steeped in Cathar and Templar folklore. Even if the theories aren't actually correct, there is still an intriguing mystery there which, given its location and its history, is highly likely to involve the Templars.
Robin of Sherwood
So, what does all this, historically interesting though it may be, have to do with Robin of Sherwood? My primary interest here is that of a player of role-playing games. Indeed, I even did some work on a Robin of Sherwood RPG until I discovered most of my gaming friends preferred the Errol Flynn/green tights style of Robin Hood to RoS'! Consequently, what follows is essentially a brief look at possible further uses for the Templars in RoS fan fiction or RPG scenarios. Given the Templars' reputation for zealous ruthlessness, attempts to avenge their defeat by the outlaws seemed likely.
Power and influence: Richard and John have been shown to have strong connections to the Templars. The Order, having been dealt a humiliating defeat by the outlaws, might conceivably put pressure on both Richard and John to hunt them down. Even in the Holy Land, Richard says, he had heard of Loxley. Is that because the Templars told him?
Sorcerers: If Philipe's and Clement's charges against the Templars were correct, that would make them sorcerous enemies possibly on a par with Simon de Belleme. Combined with their military skills, that would make them an especially fearsome enemy.
Furthermore, the Templar's alleged amassing of artefacts like Caput LVIII (see part one of this article) might make them pursue other magical artefacts like Herne's Arrow, Wayland's swords or any of the many items the outlaws seemed to almost trip over.
The Prieuré de Sion: RoS is set in a time period shortly after the Cutting of the Elm supposedly took place. This would mean the Templars were no longer directly controlled by the Prieure but would still secretly be doing its bidding. The Prieuré's aim of tracking and guarding the Merovingian bloodline and their use of the Templars as proxies could make for an adventure full of intrigue, mystery and conspiracy if the Wolfsheads were to get in the way.