The order of Temperlike the other medieval military orders, was created from expeditions to Holy Land and of the crusadesalthough its beginnings are uncertain.
Around 1118, a French knight, Hugh de Paynswho was perhaps a relative of Saint Bernard, seems to have dedicated himself, along with a handful of men, to the protection of pilgrims on the routes of Jerusalem and Jericho.
These “poor knights of Christ”, as they began to be called, received the support of illustrious crusaders, such as Foulque of Anjou and Hugo of Champagne. The king and the religious authorities of the Holy Land commissioned them protection and combat tasks.
The exaltation of thechivalry of christ”, the idea that the crusades were a kind of sublimation of the military profession, and the promotion of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux facilitated the rule formulationadopted in 1128.
The members of the order had to fight fearlessly against the enemies of the faith; subject only to master, the rules of the order, and to the papacy. Pope Innocent III made the order official in 1139, while Saint Bernardwith his treatise De laude novae militiae determined the “holy” mission of the brothers.
The order of Temper was led by a master chosen by the thirteen dignitaries of the order. Between those who fought (knights and sergeants), those who prayed (the chaplains), and those who worked (the lay brothers).
The order began to benefit greatly from the donations that I received The military campaigns of Hugh de Payns and his partners in the West provided ample heritage landwhich served as the basis for the network of encomiendas implanted in the West. The fortune of the Temple increased also by other means: the right to collections, the income of the laymen, the organization of the transport of pilgrims overseas, the banking and exchange operations that were carried out between East and West.
The Temper it soon enjoyed an organization resembling that of a multi-branch establishment. Received regular deposits in money of the princes and sovereigns: the kings of France and England entrusted the royal treasury to the temples from Paris and London. They received deposits, lent and transported money, in short, they performed real banking functions.
The templars began to develop a leading role in the financial life of Europe and acquired a reputation for wealthundoubtedly exaggerated, which ended up causing his misfortune.
In the history of crusades, the order of the Temple occupied an essential place. From a military point of view, he had a experienced army, almost professional, and that could be mobilized at any time. This force was enough Independent of royal authority, which posed a command problem.
From a political point of view, the templars also had great importance. As of 1170, the weakness of the royal power in Jerusalem was so big that master Gerard of Ridfort was the promoter against saladin and the one that led to the defeat of the Frankish army in the battle of hatin. In the thirteenth century they became the true owners of the Latin East.
When the conquered Frankish States in the Holy Land fell in 1291, the existence of the order began to be questioned. Wasn’t his mission linked to the crusades? reappeared the critics and accusations of heresy towards the templars.
In 1307, Philip IV the Handsomeking of France, and his royal advisers, persuaded the maneuverable pope Clement V to remove the order in the Council of Vienna of 1312. This was done, and the assets of the Temple were delivered to the Hospitallers, as for the Grand Master, Jacques de Molaydied in the bonfire on March 18, 1314, a few months before his accusers Philip IV, and Pope Clement V.
Sources:
- Balard, M.: Les Corisades, MA editions, Paris, 1988
- Tate, G.: L’Orient des Croisades, Gallimard, 1999