A (more or less) Complete History of the Templars

Hey y'all !!

Some of u guys maybe know i am doing some research for my personal interrest in "Aliens/Ufo" . And on my route along the path of selfeducation i came across alot of stuff around the Templars ( nothing to do with aliens i know ) . So i decided to go and look online for some info on them on my favorite website! And i find alot of threads but nothing who really gives the whole story as the mysterious plot evolved in history. So with the help of a decent coffeemachine, my laptop and some books i have read around them i'm gonna try and give u guys a decent timeline thats factbased here on ATS. Hope u guys enjoy it and that the mods won't kill me for bringing this matter back on the boards (In a well researched way btw ! ) Ohh and feel free to add anything u can to the timeline as i'm pretty sure not everything wil be mentioned in the line presented here as alot of things claimed fact are rather controversial IMO.


Officialy the whole thing began early in the 12th century, around 1118 but it could be that it was some years earlier as the Bishop of Chartres in 1114 already mentionned a "Milice du Christ" or "Knightorder of Christ".
In Roquebillière, a village around the present Nice in France, evidence has been found that claims that there have passed a group of 7 knights there and after a short stay they left for Seborga traveling over the Col de Turini. There in a monastry lead by a Edouard there where 2 knights living who took the name of Gondemare and Rossal when entering the monastry. After the abt Edouard had removed al obligations they made to the monastry they came along with the 7 knights. These 9 knights who left here are almost sure to be the 9 knights who formed the first Order of the Templars.

The men where : Hugo van Payens, Godried van St Omaars, Payen de Montdidier, André de Montbard, Archambaud de St Amand, Godfried Bisol, Rossal, Gondemare and 1 still unknown man.

Everything posted above is based on a document found recently near the monastry in Seborga. The same document states that the original date for departure to Jeruzalem was in 1117 but they only left in 1118 after a blessing by the church. Also it mentionned that Hugo van Payens was appointed the Grandmaster of "The Poor Knights Of Christ" . So this could explain why the Templars found their new name only when embarking to Jeruzalem. So then yes u could say the Templars where founded in 1118 !

The original cross they used, still in use today by the Ordo Supremus Militaris Templi Hierosolymitani, Priory of England and Wales

The new order would be used to protect pelgrims on their route to Jeruzalem. So when
they finnaly arrived in Jeruzalem and told the king what they where planning to do he gave them a castle he had build in the Al Aqsa mosque (??) on the southern side of the Templemountain a place also known as the Temple of Salomo . By 1120 they got recongnition from the bishop of Pisa,Dagobert,the patriach of Jeruzalem and the religious leaders of Jeruzalem. The first 9 years of their existence was rather mysterious because they still whore the clothes like any other knight, making it hard to see the difference between freelance knights and Templars. But after those 9 years they get the white undyed wool cloak with the famous red doublecross on it . Some years before they receive their white cloak they send out a letter to the elite of France saying how much holy blessings they would receive after donating land or enlisting (and giving in everything they have).This causes a huge growth of the order in quantity and property. Landdonations from Scotland,England and provinces Champagne en Provence of France gives them control over castles,farms,villages even whole citys. They got so many donations that they had to refuse offers because they couldnt provide the manpower to occupy those places anymore.

In 1129 when Hugo van Payans returns from the holy land with 300 knights out of the elite families that signed up for the Templars. He left some of his Lt. in West-Europe to recruit and collect gifts in the form of money or land.

This covers the part until the 2th crusade later today i'm gonna post the following part that covers the first century and i'm planning to post some more specific locations of the territory they received true those gift for "god'.

I find the Crusades facinating, thanks for bringing the subject up in a more 'historical' fashion. Although there are conspiratorial elements the beginnings of the Crusades and just as importantly the Norman conquest are very much part of how the modern world was shaped.

The First Crusade was launched in 1096 following a fervent response by the masses to the preachings against Caliph Omar by Pope Urban II. The first two armies led by Peter the Hermit and William the Penniless, were driven by religious fever and can be best described as a rag tag bunch. As they passed on their way to the 'Holy Land' they took what they needed from the land as they passed, much to the detriment of the peasant farmers who's stock they plundered. This was to be the pattern of the Crusades who very rarely thought to pack supplies.

The first offical armies were led by Raymond of Toulouse and Bohmond of Taranto. They captured Edessa in March 1098 and Antioch in June.

The key motivation of these armies of 'noble-men' was not that 'God wills it', for every men who was driven by a wish for glory in god's eyes there were at least ten, who as second or third sons had little hope of title unless in the way of Norman feudalism they were able to gain reward through service. It was agreed and accepted that the land acquired would be divided up between the members of the conquering armies.

As the pursuit of the Crusades was under the banner of the Pope, the necessity was that the conquering Knights fashion themselves into religious orders of Knights, hence the Knights of John, the Templars and the Teutons etc. Those appointed by the Pope to oversee a particular see were purely there for the collection of revenues, they were not generally pious or even religious, they were in it for the money shall we say.

It can however be clearly seen that these orders did take on more religious connotations as well, after all we can only imagine that the Near East must have had a humbling influence to some. The men of Europe were not too far removed from barbarians, there were still strong tribal traditions and the Byzantine Empire was their first exposure to 'high culture' which had resounding effects in Europe, this combined with the resultant wealth, led in no small part to the Renaissance.

However, that piety and culture returned from the Crusades it must be remembered that power and glory were the aims, and in pursuit of that the rape, pillage and plunder inflicted by these 'noble-men' was savage and barbaric to say the least.

As time went on and the men needed to maintain the captured territories increased, the various orders were developed effectively as private armies, this is the very structure on which armies have since been built and the continuance of the Death's Head, the Cross, the Two-headed and single headed Eagles bear full testament to this as they can all be traced back in some form to the 'Christian' occupation of the Holy Land.

In Europe the taxation that funded the Crusades similarly created new spheres of wealth and influence, one of the earliest bankers of the Pope, the Frescobaldi's, who's responsibility it was to collect the taxes from Britain remain today one of the most influencial families of Europe.

The orders to some extent existed before the crusades, taking revenues from pilgrims and providing care to the sick and poor who travelled to the Holy Land. The latter role was retained following the demise of Papal occupation in 1291, and the orders more militaristic elements took their acquisitions from that point on from pagan Europe. The ownership of trade points and the collection of taxes were the rewards they received for their service. Later they were as likely to work for the head of the state as they were the Pope, in some cases a portion of revenue going to each.

I won't drone on and on, but I find the period interesting, it is totally embroiled in how the world works today. Ruthlessness and the willingness to take from those who are weaker are still the things that create great wealth and power today. We are still under the domination of 'barons', self-styled or otherwise.