Knights Templar

The Knights Templar
The Order of the Temple was founded around 1118 in Jerusalem. The city had
been liberated from the Saracens during the First Crusade in 1099 and it was once
again a holy place of pilgrimage for Christians. Hugh (or Hugues) de Payens, and
seven or eight fellow Knights, founded the Order to protect Pilgrims travelling to
the Holy Land.
The King of Jerusalem granted them quarters

near the site of the Temple of Solomon, and it
is thought that the Order took their name from
this. In 1128-9, the order was formally recognised
by the Pope. Bernard of Clairvaux was asked to
give the new Order a rule and organisation.
The rule was based on that of St Benedict,
but the organisation more closely resembled
Bernard’s Cistercian order.
For the next ten years, as well as their official duties, it has
been claimed that the Templars excavated the ruins of the A 13th century image depicting BaldwinII ceeding the location of the
original Temple of Solomon. There is no evidence that this Temple of Solomon to Hughes de Payens.
happened, or that anything significant was found there The Templars swore a vow of poverty as individuals, but this
if they did. But some believe that they must have found did not exclude them as an Order from controlling wealth or
something important, because in 1139 Pope Innocent II receiving donations. They quickly began to acquire lands and
issued a Papal Bull which granted great powers to the money. Pilgrims were always worried about being robbed
Templars. They were exempted from local laws, could pass en route to the Holy Land. The Templars built Preceptories
freely across country borders, were not required to pay any all over Europe, so pilgrims could deposit their wealth in a
taxes, and were subject to no authority except the Pope local Templar house, and receive a credit note which could
himself. A more likely explanation is that the Templars be redeemed once they reached the Holy Land. This was the
needed to raise large sums of money to create a protective beginning of banking, and the Templar credit notes were the
network across many national boundaries, and the Pope first cheques.
wanted to make sure that the Knights had the resources to
achieve this.
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The Knights Templar
Over time, the Templars became incredibly wealthy, owning In 1312 what remained of the Order of Knight Templar was
large tracts of land, and making huge sums of money from dissolved by the Council of Vienne and their property was
banking and other trading. They protected trade routes ordered to be transferred to the Knights of St John (also
across Europe, and their exemption from taxes helped their known as the Hospitallers).
riches to grow. This led to jealously and suspicion that they
In France, many Templar Knights were tortured for
were becoming too powerful for their own good.
confessions of heresy, and put to death. Finally, in 1314, the
By 1291 the Saracens had taken back the Holy Land and Templar Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, was burned at the
the religious routes were no longer in use. There seemed to stake. The surviving members of the Order went into hiding
be no good reason for the Templar order to continue. Their or merged with other orders.
power and wealth made Kings jealous and afraid for their
own security.
In 1307 King Philip of France outlawed the Templars and

commanded that all the Templar Knights be arrested.
He was angry at them for refusing him loans and he
determined to take away their power. But just before he
could seize everything, the Templar Fleet set sail from
La Rochelle in France. We are not sure where they ended
up, but it is believed by some that they sailed to Scotland.
Only Scotland and Portugal at this time had not followed
France and outlawed the Order. Legend tells that a vast
Templar treasure sailed from France with this fleet and
could well have landed in Scotland. But this was winter, the
storm season, and that it would have been very dangerous
to set sail in winter weather. More likely that the treasure
was taken overland to a safe hiding place. There is also a
question over just how much actual treasure existed. By the
end, the Templars had lost power and influence, and were an
easy target for the French King. The network of preceptories
were expensive to maintain, especially now that the Holy
Land had been lost, and there was little sign of wealth in the
Templar living quarters. The burning of Knights Templar in the presence of Philip the
Fair and his courtiers, from 1413-15.
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The Knights Templar
Why do people connect the Templars

with Rosslyn Chapel?
Hugh de Payens served on the First Crusade with Henri
St Clair, 1st Baron of Rosslyn. He also met King David I in
Scotland, and the Order established a number of Templar
sites. There are stories told that Hugh de Payens married
a Catherine St Clair, but there is no evidence that she
existed, let alone married a Templar. We do know that Hugh
de Payens established a seat at Balantrodoch, now called
Temple, by the River Esk in Midlothian. It was one of only
two Templar preceptories established in Scotland. The other
was at Maryculter, in Aberdeenshire. As Rosslyn Chapel is
only 9 miles from Temple, it is understandable that the
connection might be seen.
The St Clairs were loyal to Robert the Bruce. Sir Henry St

Clair, 7th Baron of Rosslyn, fought with his two sons John The St Clairs fought on the side of King Robert the
and William at the Battle of Bannockburn. When Bruce died, Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn. This illustration
dating from the 1440s is the earliest depiction of
John and William were given the task of carrying Bruce’s the battle.
heart to the Holy Land, along with Sir James Douglas and
Sir Robert Logan. William, John and Douglas were killed in a
fierce battle with the Moors at Teba in Spain in 1330. Such Further Reading
was their bravery that the Moors allowed the survivors to
bring their bones and Bruce’s heart back to Scotland. There Barber, Malcolm The New Knighthood.
are carvings in the Chapel which may commemorate this. Cambridge University Press 1994
There is a legend that the Knights Templar reached Scotland Lord, Evelyn The Knights Templar in Britain.
and were welcomed by the excommunicated Robert the Pearson Education 2004
Bruce. That legend also says that the Templars helped Robert
Nicholson, Helen J A Brief History of the Knights Templar.
the Bruce win the Battle of Bannockburn, and that the King
Robinson 2014
was so grateful for this, that lands and titles were awarded
to the Templars. If you believe that story, then it is not a Nicholson, Helen J The Knights Templar on Trial: the trials of the
great leap to suggest that the St Clairs must have Templars in the British Isles 1308-11. History Press 2009
been involved with the Templars in some way, given their
loyalty and close relationship to the King. www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/myths_legends/scotland/lothian/
Like many of the stories surrounding the Knights Templar,
www.rosslynchapel.com
however, there is no evidence at all connecting the Templars
to Bannockburn and Robert the Bruce.
Guide researched and written by Fiona Rogan

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The Knights Templar

The King of Jerusalem granted them quarters

In 1307 King Philip of France outlawed the Templars and

Why do people connect the Templars

The St Clairs were loyal to Robert the Bruce. Sir Henry St

Guide researched and written by Fiona Rogan

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