Templars Friday The 13th

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from http://www.templartreasure.com/Knights_Templar.html
While many books have been written on the military -religious order of warriors for God, let this brief sketch suffice. The Knights Templar were a very small order circa 1114AD when they were formed. Their mission was to protect the highways of the Holy Land for pilgrims against pickpockets, pirates and the massive armies of Islam. No small task for nine men. But the Templars had a secret mission as well. They camped in the Temple of Solomon and excavated the ruins under his ancient stables. When they found what they wanted they returned home. With St. Bernard preaching Holy War, and stirring up Europe for the crusades, the Templars found themselves at the core of the religious fervor. Sons of wealthy families pledged their fortunes and their lands to the order for the privledge of joining. The organization also started the world's first bank. Kings could deposit their gold in Paris only to be able to withdraw it again in Jerusalem. Templar wealth grew as fast as their prestige. When Jerusalem and the Holy lands were lost to Islam, the backlash against the Templars was just as swift. The King of France used this to plot against the organization in hopes of getting at their wealth. On Friday the 13th, of October 1307, the King and his ally the Pope ordered the Templars arrested. Those captured were subjected to the worst tortures the medieval world had to offer, often followed by being burned at the stake. The Templar grand master would lay a curse on the king and the pope from the stake on which he was roasted. Within one year, both would be dead. The day the arrests were ordered, the Paris Temple had loaded its treasures on a wagon train which headed to the port city of La Rochelle. From there, it was placed aboard the Templar ships. The fleet set sail into the mists of history, never to be found.