"God Will Avenge Our Death": The Life and Times of Jacques De Molay, Grand Master of the Knights Templar
[A free copy of The Life and Times of Jacques De Molay is available in the Free Lit Archive]
While Jacques De Molay may not be as widely recognized as other historical figures, he is not forgotten, and his profession still garners much attention and intrigue, just as it did in the Middle Ages. Molay belonged to a group with a legendary name, full of legendary stories, and even legendary conspiracies, like ones involving the Holy Grail.
Jacques De Molay was the last "Grand Master" within the fabled yet very real group known as the Knights Templar, an infamous military order that existed for nearly two centuries, playing a significant role within medieval history.
Interestingly, the Templar-Holy Grail conspiracies intertwine with theories about The Cathars, as myths of these two groups are often woven together, perhaps most prominently in the idea of the Holy Grail as representing a holy bloodline, involving the child of Jesus and Mary Magdalene (a notion referenced in popular culture examples like The DaVinci Code), as we discussed in our article on The Cathar Texts.
To this notion, the Cathar myth suggests that perhaps this holy child was sent into protection with the Cathars in Europe. The Templar myth weaves in to suggest it was perhaps the Templar Knights who helped secure safe passage for the child across these conflict-ridden lands, as providing protection for passage was one of the Templar's key roles.
What was first called the "Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon," soon became the Knights Templar, officially founded in 1119, headquartered on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, and soon to secure the endorsement of Pope Innocent II, who would issue a Papal Bull that allowed the Knights Templar special rights, like exemption from paying taxes, special building rights, and the right to live under no one's authority apart from the Pope's.
In addition to their military notoriety, the The Knights Templar also became known as financiers throughout the region, setting up networks of banks / lending institutions, and creating financial strongholds in various areas. Templar members however swore an oath of poverty, along with other codes of conduct like chastity and obedience. They abstained from alcohol, gambling, and cursing, and maintained discipline with habitual religious practices.
The Templars began to grow in size and influence, with various chapters located around Europe and many other places, and many of their structures remain today. Some scholars claim the Templars traveled as far as North and South America and Canada, and the Templar lore around this notion has woven into modern applications, for example The Curse of Oak Island often considers theories that Templar treasure was perhaps deposited by the Knights in Nova Scotia and its surrounding areas.
At the peak of their power, the Templars had built numerous castles and strongholds, collected an abundance of riches, possessed their own fleet of ships, purchased the island of Cyprus, and were functioning as the banking system for European monarchs and nobles. They won many battles against large armies, and earned their reputation as skilled fighters with a name to remember.
The Templars were a skilled military entity within the efforts of the Crusades, serving as a formidable strength of force for The Medieval Church as their violent efforts claimed countless lives (scholars debate the exact number killed in the Crusades, but estimate on average between 2-6 million). The Crusades took military control of The Holy Land, but late in the 12th century, Muslim armies retook Jerusalem, forcing the Knights Templar to retreat, something their code usually forbid them to do.
It would take decades for the order of the Knights Templar to entirely fizzle out, but under the orders of King Philip IV of France, Pope Clement V disbanded the Order in 1312. In the years leading up to this disbandment, under pressure from King Philip IV (who scholars say was heavily in debt to the Templars at the time), the ruling powers called for the arrest, torture, and death by burning at the stake of Templars.
There are still many conspiracies that remain about the Order, including theories about secret underground factions, conflict with Orders of Assassins, elite groups of Freemasons, Templar protection of holy bloodlines, the ongoing spiritual reincarnation of executed Templars (as Templars believed in reincarnation), and claims of curses that executed Templars left behind (as in example, the Jacques De Molay quote listed below), but in that time many Templars met a fate similar to Jacques De Molay, in death by public execution.
H.L. Haywood includes Jacques De Molay's haunting final words in The Life and Times of Jacques De Molay:
"Gentlemen, let me join my hands a little and make my prayer to God. It is truly time for it; for I am going to die immediately. God knows that I have not deserved my torture. Misfortune will soon come to those who have condemned us. God will avenge our death upon our enemies; I die with that conviction. For you, gentlemen, turn, I pray you, my face towards the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ."
The Life and Times of Jacques De Molay provides detailed discussion and examination of the Knights Templar and their context within medieval society, and during the end times of the Templar reign. De Molay's story paints a unique picture of this era, and the ways violence, religion, and politics intertwine. These politics would become the demise of De Molay, a once politically protected Grand Master with special rights, to later face a dramatic trial and subsequent execution during the bloody days of the Inquisition.
The Life and Times of Jacques De Molay offers readers a captivating journey into the heart of medieval Europe, exploring the enduring legacy of gripping stories from one of history's most intriguing eras. Through Haywood's scholarly lens, De Molay emerges as not just a historical figure, but a symbol of the complexities and contradictions within this tumultuous era.
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