The Templars' Last Days

by David Scott

  For at the height of his powers Bernard of Clairveaux had persuaded the then Pope, Innocent II, that leaving these priceless and irreplaceable Church relics within the walls of Rome was not safe and they would be far more secure within a Templar preceptory. The political uncertainties around Europe at that time, together with the lack of certainty of the Pope's residency continuing within Rome, convinced Pope Innocent II that Bernard was correct and that the Knight Templars with their large network of preceptories and estates would provide both the security and protection that these priceless relics required. The Knight Templars had been the constant guardians of those Holy relics ever since.

  Amongst those Holy relics are to be found, not only the personal belongings and the clothes worn by St Peter and St Paul during their first missionaries to Rome, but also those items which they brought with them out of Jerusalem as mementos of remembrance of their time spent with the Lord whilst He was here on Earth. Importantly, they retained from their last supper with Christ, his plate and goblet, together with the bowl and towel with which He washed the disciples’ feet. The two Saints had also managed to bring with them some of the remnants of the robe worn by their Lord before his crucifixion, which the Romans had torn into pieces and distributed amongst the Pharisees.

  Over the many centuries countless other Holy relics have been donated to the Catholic Church for safe keeping. Amongst the most sacred of these are those which were donated to the Church by Queen Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine. Notable amongst these artefacts are the detailed maps and drawings of the churches she built on the sites which, in her research, represented the most important landmarks in the life of Jesus. To be found amongst these priceless documents are the blueprint of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built upon the very spot where she believed Jesus was crucified.

  There were also those Holy relics and artefacts brought back from the Holy Lands by the original Templars, which they acquired from their excavations in the vaults of Solomon's Temple. The blueprints held by the Templars were to provide invaluable aid in the discovery of many of the long lost vaults, enabling them to liberate the treasures they still contained. Amongst these were the Ark of the Covenant, the Temple candlesticks and the priest’s washing bowls.

  Further excavations by these first Templars brought to light some of the first versions of the Hebrew Tanakh and earliest Christian Bibles, which they also brought back and passed into the Church's possession.

  Any thought of such Holy and sacred objects, upon which the Catholic Church was founded, falling into the hands of King Philip IV – or for that matter any other Monarch – sent a cold shiver down the back of Pope Clement V. He may be remembered, or not, in the future, but he did not want to be placed into the history books as the Pope who, whilst in office, was the one responsible for the handing over of all of the Church's heritage to an avaricious King.

  The Pope continued to praise the Knight Templars for their continued generous financial support, which had allowed the Church to function effectively over many decades. Whilst support from the haphazard and irregular donations of Monarchs and wealthy benefactors was always warmly welcomed, it was the regular financial contributions and support of the Knight Templars that was the main financial cog which kept the Church moving.

  Where would we be without your help? The Pope asked, and after all you have done for our Church, all the sacrifices that over the centuries the Knight Templars have made, yet now, I must ask you for the ultimate sacrifice in order to save the Church. I fear it would be too much to ask of any one individual, let alone an entire organisation that has done so much.

  Our Papa was clearly distressed as he related these, his inner most thoughts, into words, for his eyes were looking wet and his gentle voice was beginning to quiver. He dropped his head into his hands and his whole body began to shake, as his emotions got the better of him. All of us in the room were stunned into a respectful silence, for it was most apparent that the Pontiff was struggling and wrestling with these pent-up feelings.

  The office of Pope had become but a pawn between two giant organisations, and Clement's natural instinct was that of wanting not to offend either party but to please both; however, the time when this was an option had now run out. A decision had to be made as to his true allegiance. Was it to be the King of France who had secured for him this position of Pope, or, the Church who had nurtured and fed him for most of his life? How could he betray his Lord? Yet he feared that if he did not, his mortal life would become a living hell. Was there not a way, even at this late stage, where a solution to appease both could not be found?

  Although he held the exalted title of Pope Clement V, he was after all only a human being betrayed as anyone else by our human frailties. He was by nature a placid and timid individual, conservative and cautious and always keen to avoid confrontation. He always knew that this decision of loyalty would have to be faced and made at some point, and our Holy Father had been tussling with this dilemma ever since the day of his election. Now he was venting all that emotion and frustration that had built up in him over the past years of anguish.

  I instinctively clasped my hands together in front of me, lowered my head, and asked our Lord for his mercy, strength and guidance to be given to our Holy Father in this his hour of need and tribulation. The others in the room joined with me in this silent and spontaneous prayer of support.

  Very slowly the Pope began to regain his composure and I would like to think that our silent prayer of support had been answered and He had given to our Holy Father the strength he needed to get through this trial. Taking a sip of water from the goblet in front of him, and clearing his throat, the Holy Father began to give his account of the meeting with William of Nogaret. The Lord’s hand was now seeming to provide him with both the strength and direction he had so desperately called for, as the Pope now began to speak with purpose and a quiet determination.

  Looking directly across the table at Giles, the Pope began to give a full account of his last meeting with William of Nogaret, together with the outcome; Even though the meeting had taken place in Lyon only a few days ago, he was sure that by now King Philip would have been fully briefed by William.

  The Pope confirmed that the meeting had ended with the resolutions very much as Giles had predicted. King Philip was still pressing for control over the Knight Templars and the Knights of St. John; however, the Pope still believed it was for all the wrong reasons. For he was still not convinced that King Philip IV held any interest in leading the Crusade to the Holy Land desired by both the Holy Orders and the Church, but instead that this proposed union was for the sole purpose of taking control of the Knight Templar treasure and estates. The King's interests remained purely selfish and only concerned with his desire for the expansion of France

  It was for these reasons that the Pope was adamant in his resolve that, whilst he remained in office, he would never allow any individual, never mind one who had been excommunicated for his crimes against the Church, to have in their possession the remains of Christ's earthly existence, which formed not only the heritage, but the very raison d'être of the Catholic Church.

  By now it was clear that our Holy Father had regained full control over his emotions, and he continued by explaining that during that meeting he had enquired of William as to why King Philip could not behave like every other King who had led the Crusades and who had happily allowed the Holy organisations to remain independent and to fight alongside each other. Together you have fought valiantly, shoulder to shoulder, he argued, and yes, whilst there have been the odd occasions when a certain unseemly competitiveness to outdo each other has occurred, these outbursts have never been to the detriment of the Crusade or the Church.

  This view was countered vigorously by William, who informed me that King Philip held a completely different stance. The King believes that as two independent organisations they have become too busy fighting each other, to be truly effective in offering any real assista
nce to him in his Crusade. However, by uniting the two Holy Orders with King Philip as the sole commander-in-chief of both the Knights of St. John and the Knight Templars, he would mould them into an even more efficient and effective fighting machine when they both came under his sole banner.

  Naturally the Holy Father did not agree with him, pointing out that whilst they are both considered as Holy Orders fighting to defend the Cross, in fact each Order excels in different areas of service to the Church. The Knights of St. John are more involved in the creation of hospitals, in taking care of the physical injuries of those wounded or sick and of the building of Churches to look after the spiritual needs of all Christians within the Holy Lands. Whilst the Knight Templars, when in the Holy Lands, concern themselves with protecting the caravans of pilgrims in their journey to and from the Holy cities from the attacks of the infidels, and ensuring that there is always a safe corridor for them to travel through. They also busy themselves with the construction and fortifications of the castles, which are needed for such pilgrimages to take place in safety.

  Besides which, the Knight Templars provide far more service outside of the Holy Lands than the the Knights of St. John ever could or would. For it is only their Holy Order who have the structure in place for the safe passage by land across Europe, which has enabled trade to flourish and wealth to grow. They are the bankers of choice for the Kings, the Church and the traders across Europe and beyond. The Knight Templars have a vast fleet of ships which enable successful and profitable trade to be conducted across the many seas. Their Holy Order employs enormous numbers of carpenters and masons for the construction of our Cathedrals right across our Christian lands. Over and above all of this, let us not forget to mention their expansive network of preceptories and private estates which provide work and wealth for many ordinary people and craftsmen.

  Without the Knight Templars who would provide the money for Kings to go to war? Who else can provide a safe haven for travellers and traders?

  Will your King do that for Rome, William of Nogaret?

  Giles, Jon and I were all impressed by the rebuff the Pope had clearly given to William at that meeting, but we were also sure that William would not take such a confident and combative defence of these Holy organisations lightly. Our thoughts seemed to have been preempted for, as the Pope continued in his report, he explained that he was countered when William revealed both his true colours and the extent to which his King was prepared to go in order to get his way.

  Unable to contradict the Pope’s powerful and persuasive defence of the Holy Orders, William turned his wrath and argument into a personal assault on the Holy Father. Was it the Templars who made you the Pope? Was it the Templars who bought you the votes you needed amongst the Cardinals? Remember who your Master is! Remember what happened to your predecessors who would not bend to the will of King Philip IV. Is that the fate you wish for yourself?

  As always, Matthew and Guy were in attendance at that meeting, and the Pope recalled, with thanks, how Matthew had come to his rescue from this frontal assault launched at him by William of Nogaret. For he rightly pointed out to William that, unless his King Philip achieved the consent of both the Grand Masters of the Knight Templars and of the Knights of St. John to hand over control of the organisation which they headed, then there was nothing the Pope could do, even if he wished so to do.

  Everyone present turned their heads towards Matthew with a congratulatory look for such a masterly observation, as we all knew that this would never happen. Matthew seemed somewhat embarrassed by this sudden attention directed towards him and lowered his head to avoid any direct eye contact. Perhaps though our praise came too soon, for the Pope continued with William’s counter to this point.

  Be that as it may, William fired back almost without hesitation, his voice now noticeably louder: but as the Pope it was your office which created and formed the Knights Templars, so you can just as easily dissolve them by issuing a Papal Bull stating that the work of the Knight Templars in the Holy Land is now complete and as an organisation they are no longer needed.

  Again the Pope expressed his sorrow at being at a loss of an answer, but was once more thankful for the timely intervention of Matthew for it was at this moment that he reminded his Holiness that even he could only do such an act upon irrefutable proof of heresy on the part of the Knight Templars, to which none had ever been produced. Indeed to date there has never been so much as a whisper of the Knight Templars behaving in any other manner than as devout Catholics.

  With that, William was forced into having to agree that Matthew was correct, and withdrew his demands. At which point the meeting was closed with no firm conclusion or resolution having been reached, and both parties went their separate ways.

  Giles, smiled broadly, and thanked the Holy Father for his report on the meeting. The faint sound of the bell announcing that the mid-day meal was ready, provided a natural break in the proceedings and all agreed that some food and a stretch of the legs would help everyone to refresh themselves in readiness for the report from Giles on behalf of the Knight Templars.

  William rose very early next day, refused his breakfast and headed directly to the palace. Considering all that had gone on yesterday, or more importantly for him the fact that he had been unable to provide the King with his report, he had slept soundly and the extra hours had provided him with an opportunity to resolve the news which he had still to report to the King.

  For he had utilised these extra hours to once again recap on every nuance of his meeting with the Papal delegation, and it had slowly dawned on him that, because he had been so involved in his own argument whilst with the Pope and his delegation, he had overlooked the obvious prompt he had been provided with. The more he had thought about the solution the more lucid it became. Which in turn made him feel more buoyant for at long last he, William of Nogaret, had found a solution to the eradication of the Knight Templars. He now turned his mind to the reward he should ask the King for.

  By the time William's coach arrived at the front of the King's palace, he had a broad smile on his face; today was now going to be a good day, a very good and profitable day. He bounded up the steps and entered the palace with a purpose in his step, following the butler to the terrace where the King, Queen and the Grand Master were preparing to have their breakfast.

  William ate heartily and his change in mood from yesterday was noticed almost immediately by the King, who gave him an inquisitive look, as if to ask, so what happened to you last night?

  Through the gates of the palace the messenger drove his horse just as hard as when he had started the journey. The network of agents across the country meant that when the King was sent a private communication, both horse and rider were changed every 12 hours or so, resulting in the time of the journey being halved as they could now convey the dispatch bag by night as well as by day.

  Arriving at the main steps to the palace, the messenger handed over the dispatch bag to the footman, turned and left as quickly as he had arrived. The palace staff were well trained and versed in such matters, and the footman handed the despatch bag to a butler who made haste to where the King was eating. Protocol demanded that only the King's private butler could wait on him, and so the despatch bag was exchanged from one butler to the King’s butler who placed it on a large silver tray, which was then taken to the breakfast table on the terrace.

  Approaching the King with due reverence, the butler bowed and offered the contents on the silver tray to him in one seamless and well practised motion. The King took the despatch bag and waved away his butler with some disdain.

  The King was further displeased to find that the scroll within the despatch bag was for the attention of William and not himself. As he handed the scroll to William, he asked him what could be that important to disturb his breakfast. William took one look at the seal and replied that it was from Matthew. This information seemed to pacify the King thus enabling the breakfast and pleasant conversation to be re
sumed as if there had been no interruption.

  Everybody around the breakfast table was in good heart this morning, and with good reason. For each party had made substantial gains over the last 48 hours, and as such were in no hurry for the meal to finish, but finish it must. Foulques gave his thanks to the King and Queen for being the perfect hosts. He took the Queen’s hand and in a seamless move, bowed and kissed her hand, he then bowed and shook the hand of the King and whilst doing so re-pledged his commitment to hand over to him the leadership of the Knights of St. John when the Crusades started. He acknowledged the presence of William with a curt nod of his head and with that he made his departure from the palace.

  Foulques’ departure was shortly followed by the Queen and her hand maids making their leave. Finally William and the King were alone. The King gave a broad smile to William, who, in return gave a knowing smile and a shrug of his shoulders, for they both knew that nothing and nobody could now obstruct or delay their plans for the expansion of France, but more importantly the filling of Philip's treasury with the Knight Templars’ money.

  It being a bright, warm and welcoming morning, the King invited William to walk with him in the grounds and talk, rather than them retreating to the confines of the dusty library. He linked his arm with William’s and asked him to tell him all the latest news and how his meeting with the Pope had gone.

  William welcomed the opportunity to be able, finally, to relay his progress to the King, especially in light of the message from Matthew. He started by confirming that the King's opinion – that the Grand Master of the Knight Templars was not for changing his mind regarding the proposal to place his organisation into the hands of anyone other than the office of the Pope – had indeed been proven accurate.