My dear comrades, good morning! You have probably all heard of
Templars, these legendary warrior monks who defended the pilgrims during their
trip to Jerusalem. Today their very existence feeds many fantasies, which one
talk about their famous treasure that would hidden not far from the castle of Gisors or
the terrible curse that the last of the Templars dropped to his stake and who led,
from very windy corridor sounds and smelly, at the death of a certain
number of kings and nobles. And today, we will focus
on something more down to earth but that is still too often controversial,
the end of the Knights Templar and the famous trial who took his chef at the time, Jacques
of Molay, to perish by the flames. I will not repeat here a summary on
Templars, I urge you to go see my video on the Templar Commandery
d'Arville I put you in description, I go back to how it works
of a commanderie and therefore on the role of Templars. What you need to know for this
video is that the Templars are a very powerful order in the thirteenth century and that they depend directly on the church. They have many commanderies
across the entire territory which are as much of place of formation for the Templars and
the knights since all the Templars are not knights. These god soldiers
officiate especially on the road to Jerusalem and can lend a helping hand during
Crusades. Only here, The power of the Templars
starts to decline from 1291, when of the fall of Saint Jean d'Acre which passes
in the hands of Muslims. The Holy Land being lost, the very reason for existing Templars,
protecting the property and people who were going in the holy land, is no more. They are deported
then to Cyprus and make their little life quiet, warring right to left. It can be said, from the end of the thirteenth
century, the Templars are just the shadow of what they once were but
they remain a significant military force for Christendom. Yet the king of
France, Philippe le Bel, will proceed to one of the most important arrests in history
Friday, October 13, 1307. Hundreds Templars are rounded up and a long trial
begins to permanently destroy this order. And why are you going to tell me? It's a
very good question because it is precisely one of the points on which many historians
fought and for my part, I will deliver you especially here the analyzes of Alain Demurger
which is one of the biggest expert on the subject. Some say that Philip IV the Bel sees
a very bad eye the Templars because they are the owners of a huge fortune
and can represent a power that would oppose to his. Besides Philippe le Bel go after the Lombard bankers and then the Jews before deciding the fate of the Knights Templar, as
if he wanted to consolidate his position ... But here, we can put this theory into
doubt with the fact that the famous nest egg of the templars was very often spent very
quickly. Yes, they are rich, but they spend their money to buy land
who will produce income because they have a fairly high running cost and
the money earned is mostly directly reinvested in food
and military equipment. Another theory would be to say that strength
military that represents the Templars can scare the king of France. So yes, there
also we can not deny it, the Templars are many, many thousands of men.
But most are in Cyprus or scattered all over Europe, it's not really
a welded army waiting which wait I do not know for what reason to invade the kingdom of France.
By the way, at that time in France there are barely 600 Templars for 60 knights,
which is not huge ... In contrast, there were several orders that existed
like the hospitaliers, and all together, that was starting to do a lot of warriors
who could serve the cause of the pope. We can also hear that Philippe would have
contracted debts with the Templars and that destroying the order, that would allow him
simply to erase this debt without too much trouble. Why not ... I confess that
I did not dig this track too much ... But the most likely is that
Templars did not, in fact, do anything at all. They were just the victims
collateral of a far more confrontation deep between the papacy and the kingdom of France. Indeed, in 1303, Philip the Fair collides
quite violently to Pope Boniface VIII because he does not really have the same vision of power
than him. To summarize, Boniface VIII is the leader of Christendom,
so seen that all the major European powers are Christians, their faith connects them and Boniface, as pope, must have a significant influence on
kingdoms and potentially can discredit a king if it want. For his part, Philippe
Bel, King of France, does not want the Pope can intervene in his affairs.
He finds it far too invasive and simply want to have control
total on its territory and on its subjects. In fact what Philippe wants is to be
both king and pope in his kingdom and centralize the powers around his person. Well, I'll do it quickly, it's
of course a bit more complex, but that gives funny situations where Philippe
Bel convenes a council to try to have the pope declared heretical in order to
to fire him while on his side Boniface VIII makes the excommunication hover over
from the head of the King of France. In a context where when you did not join the papacy
you can take a crusade on the face, it's not the most comfortable situation
that is… In short, it will still go until
Philip's faithful will threaten, with troops, the pope. An explosive situation
quickly settled by the death of Boniface VIII. Strike of luck! His successor, Benedict IX, does not want to make any trouble and temporizes the situation during
a year before dying, too, of old age. Peace to their souls! The new Pope Clement V is elected in 1305
and it is with him that will begin a sacred arm wrestling with Philippe le Bel. And yes, because if Boniface is dead, Philippe,
he, always sees the papacy of a very bad eye and seen that the church is holding a
major role in medieval society of the time, he must be able to impose himself
by showing that he has a bigger one than the pope, simply. And to achieve this feat, Philippe le
Bel will use the Templars ... At a first meeting between the
two men in 1305, Philippe shares with Clement V of rather strange rumors that
run on the order and its members. Clement is not especially convinced, not
that the Knights Templar have at that time the best reputation there is, but she
is not better or worse than that of another order. On the other hand, the accusations laid by the
King of France are very serious. He claims that these rumors shed light on
the true practices of the Templars. During order admission ceremonies
of the temple for example, there are things curious and scandalous: we force the applicant
templar to trample the cross, to indulge deviant sexual practices,
to deny Christ, to prefer to have carnal relationships with other Templars
rather than with women if the desire is too strong In short, all that and other stuff in the
same register like: the applicant had to kiss the anus of a Templar
sealing with him a pact with the forces of evil... in short, that's the time, we do not judge. As I said, Pope Clement
V is not over convinced by this speech and overall this information is not going
much move the other sovereigns of the kingdoms of Europe. Except perhaps that
of Aragon, who sees it as an opportunity to knock down the Templars to resume
hand on their land. But he loves the dough and he does not hide too much! These rumors, they are spreading
more and more by a well organized propaganda of the royal entourage and infiltrate all
the spheres of power. So that for calm the agitation, Clement V wants to launch
an inquiry about it in 1307. And there, Philip the Fair will do something absolutely
incredible in the context of the time, he will try to bypass the pope in
launching his own royal investigation on his side! Well yes, if he succeeds
He will be able to tell everyone that not only does he not need the pope but
in addition, he is able to solve the worries before him ! And then I remind you that the
Templars depend directly on the pope! If Philippe wins the game, he get,
somehow, the upper han on the Pope in front of everybody. Especially since by accusing them
to be heretics, he places himself in defender of Christendom. And for that, he goes out the big ways. he
organizes a huge collective arrest across the entire territory and on October 13
1307, the Templars are captured a little all over. We do not have precise numbers
but according to some writings: 138 members of the Order arrested in Paris, and 94 in the provinces. The pope is furious and sends right away
a letter to complain about the attitude of the King of France because indeed he did not
the legal right to arrest the subjects of Clement V. The only solution of Philippe
to move forward is to get confessions concerning heretical practices
Templars and for that he uses and abuses torture. So that many members
of order snap and end up confessing which they surely did not commit. So be careful, it's possible that
one or two peasants actually done some carnal acts between dudes or
other, but at first it was not practical not widespread either ... which is a problem,
is that the chief of the Templars, Jacques de Molay, also confesses under torture
that during initiation ceremonies, we are forced to deny Christ. And here, I'm not hiding from you that it's a
little victory for Philippe le Bel who rubs his hands. In 1308, Clement V moves to Poitiers
to negotiate with the king about the fate of Templars. Philip the Fair has aligned his armies
close to the Pope to make him understand that he is all open to negotiation ... Result, Clement bends the knee recognizing
that the action of the King of France was legitimate but manages to make sure to create
two separate investigations, one to be led by the dioceses concerning the members of
the order, and the other the order as that which will be led by the pontifical state.
And in there of course you have to understand that the dioceses are local, so even
if it is under papal authority, the dioceses that are located in France are going to be hyper influenced by the king of France itself ... In short, it smells like the colour brown for the Templars
and these two surveys must find their term in 1310 when the verdict will be rendered. But
the problem is that on a large scale, it's hard to extort confessions from all
The Templar Knights. For example in the city of Senlis, 122 Templars are held captive
and 70 of them will never say anything. As a result, the investigation is trampling and taking
delay. During the year 1310, over 600 templars will come together to face
together with the accusations of which they are victims. They claim that all this is only
of defamation and require that we stop this witch hunt. Never mind, almost 60 of them
they, who had confessed their sins in 1307 and who today were retreating, are
arrested and sent to the stake on May 12 1310. Like that at least,that'll teach them
to these relaps! Yeah, the relaps it's how we call heretics
who confess and then deny. It is that the Templars syndicate at the time, well ...
she was not at the top yet! In any case it deters all others who retract
and no longer dare to defend order. In short, after this vein attempt of resistance,
the conclusions of the investigations can only be rendered in 1311 at the concil of Vienna. And there, most religious agree
on one thing: evidence, at European level are clearly not enough to condemn
The Templar Knights. Finally except for the French huh, they they
have all the evidence they want ... But if the vast majority of religious
charged with leading these conclusions do not want not condemn the Templars, Clement V, him,
hesitates. It is indeed blocked by the pressure that Philip the Fair exerts on him. And not
than figuratively since the King of France even mobilizes his army to make a
friendly visit. The pope, deadlocked, then decides a
blow of bluff to try to save a maximum of Templars. He does not condemn the order
for heresy but still decides to dissolve it administratively. So,
the problem disappears and the members of order are not condemned. In all
case, not those who confess their sins. On the other hand, those who deny or who have returned
meanwhile on their statements are in trouble and Clement V, who does not
not want to hear more about this case, let things settle from a
local perspective. Moreover he will lay a papal bull
explaining that anyone coming back on this case will be excommunicated, like that
we talk no more about it. In other words, it is not party time for
Templars of the Kingdom of France. An exception however, the 4 leaders of the order that
the papacy wants to judge itself. Good news for Jacques de Molay,
the grand master of the order, who hopes so be able to get an audience he
did not have with the pope to argue his arguments. However, in March 1314, the assembly
papal condemns leaders to prison in perpetuity without Jacques having been able to
defend. Stunned, he rebels with one of his comrades and comes back on all
confession he could have made. Even before that the pope can react, Philip the Fair
decides that the game has lasted enough and sent Jacques de Molay and his companion in misfortune
Geoffroy de Charnay at the stake. A new coup by the King of France
who achieves his goal: to affirm his all power against the papacy. With the death of Jacques de Molay, the order
turns off permanently. Throughout Europe, the Templar Commanderies pass
under the order of the Hospitallers and the old members of the order are distributed a little
everywhere in other religious orders or return to civilian life, while
more unlucky are executed. Philip the Fair marks by his reign a
break with the medieval world and its domination of the pontifical power as we knew it
until now. By his eagerness to want impose his total power on the kingdom of
France, he is moving away more and more from the papacy from kingdom affairs. Clement V will have tried to resist
to the King of France but will bend before Philippe's recklessness which will cost him being considered
by Jacques de Molay, according to the legend, like a traitor. Indeed, the end of the Knights Templar is the beginning
of a great story that goes into the legend and still reaches us up
today through Maurice Druon's novel "The Accursed Kings". Because the very famous work, which in particular
inspired Georges Martin for Game of Thrones, starts with the execution of Jacques de
Molay, challenging the assembly during that the flames caress his body: "Pope
Clement! ... Knight William! ... King Philippe! ... Before one year, I quote you
to appear in the court of God to receive your just judgment! Cursed! Cursed! Cursed!
All cursed until the thirteenth generation of your breeds!" Irony of History, the Clement Pope dies
the same year of cancer. Philippe, him, dies shortly after in an accident
of hunting and his three sons die in the stride. Coincidence? Not really ! Since I am you
reminds us that we are talking about a legend and that these words of Jacques de Molay are not
not attested, they were lent to him much later ! And here it is on this incredible myth-buster
of medieval curse that I close this episode. I hope you liked it,
that you learned a few things, I invite you to subscribe and activate the bell
not to miss the next episodes and I'll see you soon on Nota
Bene! Bye !
