On This Day In History: Knights Templar Arrested In The Kingdom Of France – Oct 13, 1307

AncientPages.com - On October 13th, 1307, King Philip IV of France, in league with Pope Clement V, ordered the arrest of all Templars in the Kingdom of France; they were rounded up and thrown in prison.

Drawing of two knights on a horse, the emblem of the Knights Templar, from the Historia Anglorum of Matthew Paris. Image credit: Matthew Paris (1200–1259)  -  Public Domain

Even the Grand Master of the order, the famed Jacques de Molay, was arrested in Paris with 60 of his knights that day.

The Knights Templar had been the most dominant force in Christendom. They held enormous power and significant amounts of wealth for two hundred years.

The French king’s motive for having the Templars arrested was that he owed them a large sum of money. He was at war with England and borrowed cash from the Templars (with the waning of the Crusades, the Templars had become something akin to a banking system).

In time, the king’s debt grew unmanageable, and the king decided to get dishonestly rid of them. He used unfounded rumors about their activities to have them tried for heresy and sinful deeds.

The arrested Templars were subjected to torture, and many eventually “confessed” numerous crimes, including heresy and treason.

The Pope did want to hear the Templars’ side of the story, but King Philip threatened him with a military force, so the Pope ordered the Templar order to be abolished in 1312.

The elderly Grand Master Jacques de Molay, who had confessed under torture, later retracted his confession. Geoffroi de Charney, Preceptor of Normandy, also retracted his confession and insisted on his innocence. Both men were declared guilty of heresy and sentenced to burn alive at the stake in Paris on March 18th, 1314.

According to historical sources, De Molay reportedly remained defiant to the end, asking to be tied so that he could face the Notre Dame Cathedral and hold his hands together in prayer.

The execution took place on a small river island on the Seine, Paris.

Copyright © AncientPages.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of AncientPages.com

Expand for references