Militant Monks Essay, Research Paper

Militant Monks The Knights Templar, a military order of monastics answerable merely to the Popehimself, were founded in 1118. Their primary duty, at leastinitially, was to supply protection to Christians doing pilgrim’s journeies to theHoly Land. They rose in power, both spiritual and secular, to go one ofthe richest and most powerful entities in Christendom. By the clip of theirdisbandment in 1307, this extremely close organisation controlled vastwealth, a fleet of merchandiser ships, and palaces and estates crossing theentire Mediterranean country. When the reformers captured Jerusalem from the Muslims in 1099, the Churchencouraged all faithful Christians to see that holy metropolis in order toaffirm their religion. The country, nevertheless, was still capable to sporadic attacksfrom assorted non-Christian cabals. A little group of knights, led by Hughde Payens, vowed to protect the pilgrims. The group was grantedquasi-official position by King Baldwin II of Jerusalem, who allowed themquarters in a wing of the royal castle near the Temple of Solomon. It isfrom this initial poster that the order derived its name. They took thestandard vows of poorness, celibacy and obeisance and were bound to the rulesof the Augustinian order. [ Upton-Ward 1 ] The order languished in near-anonimity for several old ages, despite generouscontributions from assorted European personages. In 1126, Count Hugh ofChampagne, holding donated his estates to Bernard of Clairvaux for usage inbuilding a monestary for the Cistercian order, arrived in Jerusalem to jointhe Templars. This action indirectly obligated Bernard to back up the newlychosen protagonism of his helper. He wrote to the count, & # 8220 ; If, for God & # 8217 ; swork, you have changed yourself from count to dub and from rich to hapless, I congratulate you. & # 8221 ; [ Howarth 49 ] In the twelvemonth 1126, King Baldwin found two grounds for desiring officialrecognition of the order. First, he had, possibly prematurely, bestowed uponHugh de Payens the rubric of Master of the Temple. Second, the male monarch had theopportunity to establish an onslaught on the metropolis of Damascus, but he needed moreknights. Papal acknowledgment would let unfastened recruiting in Europe for theorder. King Baldwin sent a missive to Bernard of Clairvaux, the order & # 8217 ; sprimary frequenter, subsequently known as Saint Bernard, inquiring him to petition thePope for official acknowledgment of the order. [ Howarth 50-51 ] The King & # 8217 ; sletter was hand-carried to Bernard by two loyal and trusted knights, Andrewde Montbard, motherly related to Bernard, and Gondemare. Upon theirarrival at Clairvaux, the two knights presented Bernard with Baldwin & # 8217 ; sletter, which came right to the point. [ Upton-Ward 3 ] & # 8220 ; The brothers Templar, whom God has raised up for the defense mechanism of our state and to whom he hasaccorded particular protection, desire to have apostolic blessing and alsotheir ain Rule of life & # 8230 ; Since we know good the weight of yourintercession with God and besides with His Vicar and with the other princes ofEurope, we give into your attention this double mission, whose success will bevery welcome to us. Let the fundamental law of the Templars be such as issuitable for work forces who live in the clang and uproar of war, and yet of a kindwhich will be acceptable to the Christian princes, of whom they have beenthe valuable aides. So far as in you prevarications and if God pleases, striveto bring this affair to a speedy and successful issue. & # 8221 ; [ qtd. in Howarth 50-51 ] Bernard realized at one time the mastermind of the proposal to unite religiousand military enterprises. Through such organisations, the boundary lines ofChristendom could be extended and fortified. He instantly granted hisapproval of the program and pledged his full support. He petitioned PopeHonorius II for a particular council to see the affair, and he notifiedHugh of his actions. [ Howarth 51 ] The Council of Troyes convened on January 13, 1128, a bitterly cold SaintHilary & # 8217 ; s Day, for the primary intent of sing the petition of theKnights Templar. Despite the holds of written communications, Hugh dePayens, accompanied by several brother knights, arrived from the Holy Landin clip to go to the meetings of the Council. [ Howarth 51 ] William of Tyre wrote an history of the events: & # 8220 ; Nine old ages after thefounding of this order, the knights were still in secular attire. They woresuch garments as the people, for redemption of their psyches, bestowed uponthem. During this 9th twelvemonth, a council was held at Troyes in France. Therewere present the archbishops of Rheims and Sens, with their suffragans ; thebishop of Albano, the Pope & # 8217 ; s official emissary ; the abbotts of Citeaux, Clairvaux, Potigny ; and many others. At this council, by order of Pope Honorious and ofStephen, patriarch of Jerusalem, a regulation was drawn up for this order and ahabit of white assigned them. & # 8221 ; [ qtd. in Burman/Templars 27 ] Although referred to in William & # 8217 ; s history by the generic rubric Abbott ofClairvaux, Bernard, in actuality controlled the proceedings of the council. There was small uncertainty Bernard & # 8217 ; s petition would be met with blessing ; he waswell known for his successes in reforming cloistered life. He was held in theutmost regard by spiritual and laic leaders likewise ; in many circles he wasreferred to as the 2nd Catholic Pope. In fact, many of the Catholic Popes were supplied bythe mendicant orders. [ Robinson 66-67 ] At a clip when monastics were more extremely regarded than priests, and consideredcloser to God because of their ascetic life styles, Benard said, & # 8220 ; The peoplecannot look up to the priests, because the people are better than priests. & # 8221 ; [ Robinson 67 ] Bernard & # 8217 ; s offer to personally help in the preparation of the Rules of theorder was appreciatively accepted by all. Bernard based his Rule of the Templarson that of his ain Cistercian order, which was itself based on the olderBenedictine Rule. [ Robinson 67 ] The Rule of the Templars was a rigorous and complex system of 686 writtenlaws, meant to cover every possible facet of day-to-day life. As an illustration, Rule 25, On Bowls and Drinking Vessels, provinces: Because of the deficit ofbowls, the brothers will eat in braces, so that one may analyze the other moreclosely, and so that neither asceticism nor secret abstention is introducedinto the communal repast. And it seems merely to us that each brother shouldhave the same ration of vino in his cup. [ qtd. in Upton-Ward 26 ] In 1139, Pope Innocent II issued a Bull, titled Omne Datum Optimum, declaring that the Knights Templar were under the direct and exclusive control ofthe Pope. This freed the Knights to run throughout Christendom and theLevant unencumbered by local ecclesiastical and secular swayers. Thisunprecedented liberty was due, in no little portion, to the personal petitionsof the new Grand Master, Robert the Burgundian. While Hugh had been anexcellent warrior, Robert was an ideal decision maker who understoodpolitics. [ Howarth 80 ] The Order was authorized to hold chaplain brothers, who were authorized tohear the confessions of their fellow brothers, and thereby shrive them oftheir wickednesss. There were, nevertheless, five specific offenses for which allowing ofabsolution was reserved by the Pope. These were: & # 8220 ; the violent death of a Christianman or adult female, ; violently assailing another brother ; assailing a member ofanother order or a priest ; abdicating holy orders in order to be received asa brother ; and come ining the order by simony. & # 8221 ; [ Upton-Ward 5 ] It was besides during the mastership of Robert that the Rules were translatedfrom Latin into French. Church paperss were usually in Latin merely, butsince most of the Knights were soldiers instead than educated churchmans, theywere unable to read Latin. In 1147, the Knights were authorized to have on ared cross upon their white mantles, despite regulation 18, which forbade anydecorations on their vesture. [ Upton-Ward 12 ] As the Knights Templar gained political and economic strength, they foundthemselves involved in many facets of secular life. They established thefirst genuinely international banking service ; travellers non desiring to travelwith big amounts could lodge their monies at any Temple and roll up a likeamount at their finish. [ Burman/Templars 85 ] The Templars were theprimary bankers for the Holy See. Since the order was a apostolic creative activity whichwas administered straight by the Pope himself, their significance as papal

bankers is apprehensible. Less obvious is the Templars & # 8217 ; map as royalbankers for several of Europe & # 8217 ; s royal houses. The two greatest Templesoutsi

de the Levant were located in Paris and London. These two Templesoffered a full scope of fiscal services to the royal houses, includingcollecting revenue enhancements, commanding debts and administrating pension financess. [ Burman/Templars 87-88 ] The exchequer of the King of France was kept safelywithin the vault of the Temple of Paris. [ Sinclair 36 ] The Templars owned a great fleet of merchandiser ships with which to convey allmanner of goods, e.g. , Piper nigrum and cotton, every bit good as pilgrims, betweenEurope and the Holy Land. Peoples desiring to do a pilgrim’s journey to the HolyLand, but missing the resources to make so, were allowed to delegate rights totheir houses and belongings, upon their decease, to the Templars in exchange forpassage on a Templar ship. To avoid accusals of vigorish, this process waslegitimized by the apostolic bull Quantum Praedecessores, issued by PopeEugenius II in 1145. [ Burman/Templars 75-78 ] The Holy Land was divided into four Crusader States: Jerusalem, Antioch, Tripoli and Edessa. Switching confederations, complicated by the plotting ofindependent Arab emirates, posed a complicated and frequently confounding backdropfor the Knights’ military operations. Their first action was in the northernsector of the Principality of Antioch. They captured the March of Amanus, which formed a natural barrier between the metropolis of Amanus and Asia Minor. [ Burman/Templars 50 ] The Knights Templar often fought side-by-side with their counter-parts, the Knights Hospitaller, another military order, founded to provideshelter to vomit, wounded or impoverished pilgrims. Together, these two warriororders afforded the Holy Land a formidable combat force. Although somehistories allude to a deep and acrimonious competition between the two, it is morelikely that they cooperated good during the conflicts, maintaining any suchpettiness for the humdrum hebdomads between actions. [ Upton-Ward 6-7 ] The first military action of the Templars was in the northern sector of theHoly Land. In 1131, they captured the March of Amanus in Antioch. It was anatural barrier between the metropolis and Asia Minor, which afforded control oftwo roads into Antioch. The same twelvemonth, King Fulk, Baldwin s replacement, travelled to the site and granted ownership to the Templars. [ Burman/Templars 52 ] Control of the assorted countries of the Holy Land see-sawed back and forthbetween the Crusaders and the Arabs, with neither side basking a decisivevictory. Then the balance of power began to alter with the rise of thegreat Arab leader Salah-ad-Din Yusuf ibn-Aiyub, known to westerners asSaladin. Descended from a long line of military heroes, he was born in 1138in Baalbek, Syria, where his male parent was military governor. He began todevelop his warrior accomplishments by attach toing his male parent and uncles on variouscampaigns. [ Burman/Templars 98 ] Saladin’s rise to power was rapid and successful. His adherance to theorthodox Sunni religion caused him to originate dramatic alterations in his Shi-itearmy. Upon his ultimate rise to the place of Sultan, he declared a’jihad’ , or holy war, against the Crusaders. This intense re-focusing of theMoslem attempt began a gradual displacement in power. Christian fastnesss fell inincreasing Numberss, making a Domino consequence. By the center of 1187, Saladinhad captured Acre, Nablus, Jaffa, Toron, Sidon, Beirut and Ascalon. Jerusalem fell on 2 October, 1187. [ Burman/Templars 108 ] The autumn of Jerusalem was a catastrophe from which the Crusades neverrecovered. Among Saladin’s captives were the King of Jerusalem and Raynaldde Chatillon, commanding officer of the fortress at Moab. After entertaining the twoin his collapsible shelter, Saladin had Raynald killed. The King saw his fellow prisonerexecuted and thought he was certainly following, but Saladin had him convey back into his collapsible shelter and told him, “It is non the wont of male monarchs to kill kings.”Saladin’s triumph was complete. [ Payne 223-4 ] In the confusion that followed, the orders began to scatter. TheHospitallers removed their central offices, foremost to Rhodes and so to Malta ; and, with the ultimate autumn of Acre in 1291, the Templars lost their base ofoperations and relocated to Cyprus. In consequence, the orders had lost theiroriginal ground for being. [ Upton-Ward 9 ] As the Knights had their policital frequenters, so had their enemies. In 1305, Philip IV of France, known as Philip the Fair, seized control of the HolySee and relocated the pontificate to Avignon. From at that place, he initiated a seriesof papal edicts, apparently issues by Pope Clement V, a marionette Catholic Pope underhis absolute control. Eying the huge lucks and resources of theTemplars, he conceived a secret plan of perfidy against them. Since he alsocontrolled the Inquisition in France, he had no trouble leveling a wholelaundry list of atrocious, but adsurd and mostly unsupportable, crimesagainst the Knights. [ Burman/Inquisition 95 ] The function of the Inquisition, under the protections of Chief InquisitorGuillaume of Paris, was to obtain confessions and behavior tests. On Fridaythe 13th of September, 1307, the warrant was issued for the apprehension of theKnights and ictus of their belongings. Many of the Temples were ‘tipped off’by the local sheriffs about the at hand expanse, but Grand Master Jacques deMolay and his associates were arrested in their bed apparels. Theinterrogations, aimed at beging grounds of any error with which toprove the allegations against the order, dragged on for old ages. Ultimately, the Grand Master, along with other high-level Knight templars, were executed byburning in March, 1314, on an island in the Seine. [ Howarth 17 ] The old ages between the apprehension of Templars and the order’s concluding dissolutionafforded plentifulness of clip for knights on the getaway to go absorbed by theunderground. Knights in England were ne’er pursued, due mostly to a riftbetween the King and the Church, and many were thought to hold participatedin the war between Scotland and England, on the side of Robert the Bruce. [ Robinson 150-51 ] The huge fleet of Templar merchandiser ships was ne’er found. There is norecord of the 18 Templar ships which had been based at La Rochelle on theFrench seashore, nor any of the assorted Templar ships usually anchored in theThames or other English havens. There is some guess that the BarbaryPirates, who gained worldwide noteriety by looting European transportation wellinto the nineteenth century, were founded by seagoing Templars with retaliation ontheir heads. Many of the order’s ships were galleys, which were particularlysuited for buccaneering. [ Robinson 165 ] One of the more cryptic dogmas of the Masons can be found in theinitiation of a Master Mason. The novice is told his grade “will make youa brother to plagiarists and corsairs.” [ Robinson 165-66 ] In 1813, a merchandiser ship, captained by a Freemason, was captured andboarded by plagiarists. In despair, the captain rendered the Grand HailingSign of Distress of a Master Mason. The plagiarist captain seemingly recognizedthe secret mark and allowed the merchandiser ship to continue unhurt. [ Robinson166 ] The devastation of the Knights Templar by Philip the Fair was due to whathe proverb as wealth, haughtiness, greed and secretiveness on the portion of the order. Even Philip’s attorney admitted “perhaps non all of them had sinned.” It tookmore than intuition of guilt to convey about the ruin of such a powerfulentity as the Knights Templar. The concluding blow, nevertheless, was probablythree-fold: a general unpopularity of the order among the Europeanaristocracy, due in portion to green-eyed monster ; a chronic deficit in the Frenchtreasury, despite heavy revenue enhancement ; and Master de Molay’s refusal to considera amalgamation of the Templars with the Hospitallers, as suggested by the Pope. The fact remains, nevertheless, that no grounds of unorthodoxy was of all time found. [ Burman/Templars 180 ] An order founded by nine knights in Jerusalem came to accumulate great wealthand power, which speaks good of their unity and discretion. They becamethe “shock troops” of the Holy See. When they lost their original mission ofprotecting pilgrims upon the autumn of Jerusalem, their ruin becameinevitable. [ Sinclair 37 ]

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