The Templars' Last Days

by David Scott

  Day was just breaking as prayers ended, and the preceptory Monks would, as always, now tend to their allotments and chores before eating. This meant that there would be about three hours before breakfast, time which I could not afford to waste. So, I made my apology to Guy and Matthew for having to take leave of them; however, I also knew that their time would be spent just as constructively in seeing to the needs of our Papal Father.

  I was feeling extremely refreshed and good within myself this morning, and I strode down the corridor which led to the Avignon Master’s quarters, in high spirits, although before I reached his door I managed to remind myself of the evil of pride and to bring my emotions back into line. I knocked on the door and awaited my admittance.

  Frederick opened the door with his usual warm smile, which was most welcome and I moved into the room. It reminded me somewhat of my Master’s room back in Paris, although everything seemed a little smaller. The wall above the large fireplace rightly bore the coat of arms of the preceptory Master, Walter du Menils. The desk seemed to be far smaller, though in here it was positioned beneath the two large windows, which were just beginning to let in the first rays of the day’s light to illuminate the room. Three chairs had been placed into the centre of the room, awaiting the arrival of their occupants. Jon was already there, and not long after I had arrived, we were joined by our Master, Giles de Villiers.

  Giles had been delayed for he had needed to collect a sealed scroll that had arrived from Paris last night by a special courier and had been kept by Walter du Menils in his bedchamber for security. Like the vast majority of the Templar Knights, our Grand Master and the Masters of both the preceptories were illiterate. They considered their role to be that of fighters not bookkeepers, a profession which they considered to be well below their status and standing in life.

  The role of bookkeeping, finance, organisation, the interpretation of Papal law, indeed anything and everything that was not concerned with war, was left to us within the clergy of the Holy Order. This arrangement had worked extremely well over the last two hundred years, as it meant neither party interfered with the other’s functions. Likewise, each party was dependent upon the other for survival, thus creating a symbiotic relationship of mutual trust and dependency that has made the Holy Order of the Knight Templars such a successful and powerful force both at times of war and in peace.

  Upon entering the room Giles handed the scroll over to me, and we all settled into our chairs to hear what our Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, had written. Frederick took his leave so that the meeting could start. As usual I checked the seal to ensure its origin, for each Master had his own seal bearing the mark of the Knight Templar and his name. The seal looked genuine, and I proceeded to break it and open the scroll.

  Every seal of the Knight Templar was a horse mounted by two knights. To the warrior knights this represented, and reminded them of, their pledge to poverty and to help others. However, to myself and the other Templar Priests, it reinforced the truth that behind the public face of the Templar knights, it was in fact our Order of Templar Priests in whom the real power was held. For it was those who sat behind the Knight who controlled and directed all that went on in the known world.

  The atmosphere in the room had noticeably changed, for we each knew that the fate of each of us, and indeed that of the whole Knight Templar organisation, could well lie in the contents of this scroll. I rolled open the scroll and without reading its contents gave out an involuntary gasp. Giles and Jon sat forward. For I had instantly recognised the scroll as the one I had written before leaving Paris and had left with the Grand Master. It contained but three words, which I quietly and unconsciously repeated aloud, "he has gone".

  “He has gone? He has gone?” repeated Giles and Jon. “Who has gone where? What does it mean?”

  It took a few moments for me to recover my thoughts and begin to explain to them what this message meant and its implications for each of us.

  Giles and Jon sat in silence whilst the news was being inwardly digested by them.

  The noise of the bell for breakfast began to echo through the building, and turned from a faint hint to what seemed a deafening tone as my ears became more aware of its call. It was time to leave our thoughts in the room, and join our fellow Templars and important guests in the dining hall. Although it was not said, we each recognised the need to act as normal as possible whilst in the company of others. Giles was the first to stand and was still clearly trying to understand the implications of what he had just heard whilst he made his way to the door. Jon and I followed just behind, and we all headed towards the increasing noise of conversation that was coming from the dining hall.

  As we arrived in the dining room it was clear that we were nearly the last to arrive. At the head of the table our Holy Father was stood chatting to Walter and his head priest; Guy and Matthew appeared to be engrossed in listening to one of the many Templar tales being recounted by a Knight near the windows. Giles and I made our way to join the Pope, whilst Jon acknowledged the presence of an old companion in arms with a warm smile and an embrace. The dining room now quickly filled, and when all were present, the Pope delivered the Lord’s prayer and we all sat to eat.

  The room seemed to be filled with happiness this morning, with what seemed to me more conversation than was usually experienced in a preceptory; anyway, breakfast was soon finished, the Pope returned thanks for our food this morning and the room emptied as quickly as it had filled with both the Knights and the Monks of the preceptory heading silently off to complete their daily chores.

  Only Walter and his important visitors were now remaining in the dining room, and he gestured for us to follow him to the common room which he had prepared for our meeting. After much deliberation, Walter had felt that this room should prove ideal for our needs, being located at the end of a small corridor on the second floor. Walter had arranged for the whole floor to be sealed off and had posted two Knights at the door that led into the adjacent corridor.

  As we climbed the narrow staircase I think everybody shared my feeling of trepidation at what was about to be discussed and the ramifications of the decision that we would have to make today. The Pope and Giles followed behind Walter, who was acting as our guide; they were followed by Matthew and Jon, with Guy and myself bringing up the rear of the group. We nervously exchanged looks at each other. The silence of the party was deafening, and becoming more intense with each step towards our final destination. Thankfully we quickly reached the two Templar Knights who were already on guard at their post.

  Once past the guards and in the corridor, the Templar Knights closed the door behind us, whilst Walter had moved ahead to open the door leading into the Common room. As the party entered, I was able to take in the surroundings in which this moment in history would be struck. The room was quite large and well lit from the large windows to two of its walls. A large round table had been brought in for our convenience, around which were six chairs. Ensuring all was in order, Walter gave a polite bow before he made his exit and closed the door behind him. We all waited for what seemed to be forever, before we heard the second door shut, which meant we were now completely isolated, safe from any unwelcome ears and which acted as a cue for us all to sit.

  The next few hours would change everybody’s lives; nothing would ever be the same again.

  For William, lunch seemed to go on for a long time. The King and Queen were an engaging couple, well-versed in the protocol of entertaining conversation. The Queen especially was very charming, and it was quite obvious that several of her hand maids had caught the eye of the dashing young Foulques du Villaret and he seemed very much at ease in their company. The King observed with a certain satisfaction that with the day going so well there was no need to rush the ambience of the lunch, whilst William was more and more intrigued to see the King’s next move.

  Eventually, the King announced that he would like to continue their conversations whilst riding in the extensive gro
unds, for he felt it was too nice a day to go back into the confines of the dusty library. So he invited Foulques and William to accompany him, who naturally and readily agreed. The King sent off one of the butlers to arrange for three horses to be brought from the stables; he darted off as fast as court protocol would allow him. The Queen and her maids in waiting were in no real rush to make their leave, for they too had enjoyed the lunch, the conversation and the company; however, the arrival of the horses meant they could not delay any longer.

  A magnificent white stallion, all of 18 hands high, carried the King and bore the colours of the royal household. Foulques had a large black horse which befitted his stature and status as head of a Holy Order, whilst the stable had sent William’s favourite grey mare which he regularly used for hunting.

  The King led the trio off into the woods, with Foulques on his left shoulder and William, as always, remained a polite distance behind. This part of the woods was lightly populated with trees, which allowed the sun to penetrate their canopy, sending sharp rays of sunlight dancing on the forest floor. Philip followed a well trodden path that he used at the start of all his hunting days. The irony of such a choice by the King was not lost on William. Once the King felt he was deep enough in his forest so as not to be overheard other than by those in his company, Philip recommenced his baiting of Foulques as if the interlude of lunch had never happened. The silence of the ride so far was now broken when he asked Foulques if he was aware of the fact that the Grand Master of the Knight Templars, Jacques de Molay, had finally agreed to allow him to become the head of not only the next Crusade but also of the Knight Templars?

  William was stunned into confused silence by this comment, for he was under the impression that the Knight Templar Grand Master would rather suffer death than hand his beloved Order of Knight Templars over to the King! William quickly closed the gap between him and the King just to make sure he had not misheard what had just been said.

  Philip continued his story by saying that such an alliance was now totally dependent on the Knights of St. John agreeing to the same arrangements. To Foulques this news hit him like a bolt of lightning, and he appeared to be as puzzled as William at this revelation, but the King appeared not to notice this hesitation and confusion in Foulques’ face.

  Continuing in this matter of fact tone, Philip now went on to inform Foulques that it was only last month that Jacques de Molay, on his return from Cyprus, had paraded through Paris with 60 of his best Knights and a dozen wagons full of treasure to be deposited in their Paris preceptory as a gesture of goodwill towards the King and to assist in the preparation for the next Crusade.

  During all of this one sided conversation the King never turned once to see Foulques’ reaction, but simply carried on talking as if he had not a care in the world, ending with the comment that the next Crusade could only go ahead if the Knights of St. John now agreed to throw in their hand and to come under the direct control of Philip.

  With that final comment, and without waiting for any reply, Philip stuck his spurs into his horse and broke into a gallop across the opening that was now in front of them, whilst William remained just behind the stunned and speechless Foulques.

  Although this request of the King would have no doubt surprised Foulques, it was not the first time such an approach had been made. For it was less than a year ago when the King had made the same suggestion to him but at that time it was via Pope Clement V. The response from the Knight Templars was well known to Foulques as being a defiant no, not now or ever whilst he had breath in his body. So what had brought about this change of heart? Foulques was clearly confused, and he was reacting more out of instinct than consciousness when he spurred his stead into a gallop after the King.

  William could not but smile at the audacity of Philip. The King had played a master stroke of political manipulation, and there could only be one winner, Philip IV King of France and soon to be the Grand Master of the Knight Templars and the Knights of St. John. William’s horse broke into a gallop with a very happy rider astride it.

  The trio rode mostly in silence for what time there was left of the afternoon, returning to the palace in the early evening. The stable boys greeted the riders and helped them to dismount, whilst at the top of the steps leading to the piazza, three butlers each carried a large silver tray, on top of which was wine and fruit for the refreshment of the riders.

  As the King took a long and welcome drink of wine, he looked Foulques directly in the eye. Foulques took his full goblet and, returning the look, he suggested a toast, "to our alliance" and both he and the King tapped the other’s goblet and drank a deep drink to mark this auspicious occasion. The King assumed the Foulques would stay the night, which meant William would be staying too as he knew that with the Knights of St. John now firmly in his pocket, the King would not rest until he had the full facts explained to him regarding the Pope and the Knight Templars.

  Once inside the palace, the trio went their separate ways to their bedchambers. William was glad that there was sufficient time to catch up on some much needed sleep before dinner, as the hectic travelling he had endured over the previous days, together with the wine, heat and exertions of this afternoon had left him quite exhausted.

  His butler had prepared a bath in readiness of William wishing to clean up after the long ride, for which William was most thankful. Once bathed and dressed in a loose but crisp cotton nightshirt, William instructed his butler not to let anyone other than the King disturb him whilst he slept.

  Suitably refreshed from his short sleep and dressed in his finest tunic which he always left at the palace for occasions just like this, William made his way across the palace to the dining room where the evening meal was to be served.

  Accepting the offer of a goblet of wine from the butler who was stationed at the open door to the dining room, William joined Foulques who was stood by the window and enjoying the company of two of the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting.

  Of the many dining rooms within the palace, this was by far the smallest, yet, the most intimate. The oval table as always was dressed to perfection. The centre of the table was dominated by a silver candelabra which had seven arms. Directly above it hung a magnificent chandelier. The flicker of light produced by the candles jumped around the silver cutlery and goblets which had been laid for eight people.

  William and Foulques did not have long to wait before the King and Queen joined them, and once the required curtsies had been observed, all sat and the meal was served.

  The atmosphere throughout the evening reflected the happy mood of both the King and the Grand Master of the Knights of St. John, now an arrangement between them had been decided upon, but, as William knew, their joy was for entirely different reasons. The King, because he now believed he was one step closer to the Knight Templar treasure; the Grand Master, because he believed he and the rest of his Knights of St. John could now prepare in earnest for the next Holy Crusade.

  To William it seemed clear that prior to this evening meal the King had spoken with the Queen, for as Foulques made his leave to retire, the three hand maids that had caught his eye over lunch also retired. Philip was going to ensure that the young Foulques fully enjoyed all of the King’s famous hospitality.

  William looked over the table to catch the King’s eye, who in return gave a slight shake of the head. Clearly the King wished to retire on this note of success; William’s report would have to wait until the morning. On this understanding William too made his leave to retire, which was granted by a wave of the King’s hand, and so he bowed to the Queen and headed to his carriage and home in a melancholy mood for in some ways it had been a good day, but-–

  Chapter 5

  Once we were sure that Walter was clear of the corridor and we were confident that we could not be overheard, the Pope was invited to take his seat at the table. Each sat in what I thought of as an unplanned and haphazard manner, but I realised that once both parties were seated, that we had unconsciou
sly mirrored each other. The Pope and Giles were facing each other, as were Jon and Matthew, which left only Guy and myself to occupy the two remaining chairs.

  We each had our own part to play today: Guy and I were the acting scribes and had been instructed to record those points which were felt to be of importance; Jon and Matthew's roles were to assist the Master and Pope accordingly in sorting out the fine details on their behalf, and then reporting back to them the options that required their decisions. The Master and the Pope were to be engaged primarily in the bigger picture and to reach the broad brush of any agreement.

  Before we started, the Pope asked us to stand and join with him in prayer that these talks would be successful – a sentiment that everybody present was in agreement with. Once seated the Pope then started to talk. His voice was quiet and gentle on the ear, and perhaps revealed the placid nature that he was renowned for. Those close to him say that he was slow to anger, quick to praise and gentle when he needed to admonish any errors, which, I had been informed, made a pleasant and welcome change from the domineering character of his two immediate predecessors.

  His conversation started with a thank you to Giles for the financial and moral support that the Knight Templars had always given to the Church of Rome, during the better times as well as the dark and trying days which we were currently living through. The Pope expressed his earnest thanks that within the security of the Templar preceptories were safely stored the ancient and irreplaceable Holy relics of the Catholic Church upon which it was founded. And he was confident that there they would remain, safely protected and hidden from those in the outside world who would seek to profit from them should they ever fall into their avaricious hands.