by David Scott
It was agreed around the table that the Pope should lead in the thanks to the Almighty for his guidance and protection which had resulted in the good progress made by each side, that our plan was on schedule and the King was exactly where we wanted him to be.
Already, it had been a long hot afternoon, and so we took this moment to take in some refreshment and stretch our legs, agreeing to reconvene in an hour to conclude our arrangements. Whilst Giles and Jon would take full advantage of this time to try and relax, to reflect on the proceedings and to gather their thoughts for the final part of the day, I knew that the Papal party and myself would take in some refreshment and then retire to the Chapel to again offer thanks for what has been achieved and to ask for further strength and guidance to overcome all that still lay ahead.
This hour seemed to slip through our fingers and we quickly found ourselves once more in the Common room huddled around the circular table as we had been all day. Once more I was thankful to our Holy Father for leading the prayers before labours restarted.
The rest of the day was spent in discussion regarding the various options we felt were open to the King in his pursuit of his goal, and how we could best counter any of those options, in the most favourable manner in the pursuit of a conclusion to our own agenda.
We all continued in the struggle of the most difficult and still unresolved issue, which was to find a way of persuading the King to lead the Crusade, whilst at the same time to ensure that the two Holy Orders remained independent and only answerable to the Pope.
Our problem was further compounded by the added dimension of how best to protect the Pope from the anger and threats of the King against his person, if the Pope was not appearing to be following the King’s instructions in uniting the Orders. For everyone in the room knew that any direct attack, either politically or militarily, from the King on the Papacy would not be easily dealt with.
As the distant sound of the dinner bell grew louder, summoning an ending to our discussions, the Pope took everybody by surprise by enquiring about the Church's Holy relics, where they were, and what preparations had been made for their future security. Before I replied, Matthew sat forward as if this was what he had been waiting all day to hear, whilst Giles and Jon looked at me with some distress on their faces.
What, or who, had prompted his Holiness to ask this question? One which I must answer – but held within that answer lay many dangers for all who heard it.
Chapter 7
The days of July quickly passed into the long sultry days of August, but William was far too busy making the final arrangements for the downfall and total destruction of the Knight Templars to really notice.
William’s fight against time was necessitated by two major factors: one being the natural impatience and urgency of the King and the other being the need to fill the royal treasury with the Templar fortunes before the country itself finally ran out of money.
Over the last two years, William had been ruthless in his pursuit of extra income for the treasury. Amongst many other acts, he was responsible for the expulsion of almost the entire Jewish population from France, thus allowing the King to seize their estates, lands and incomes. As well as seizing all of these assets, the King had also acquired ownership of any loans due to the expelled Jewish moneylenders, and was quick to have those repayments transferred to his tax collectors, whilst at the same time Philip wrote off all of his own substantial and still outstanding debts to these people.
Buoyed by this success, but still well short of sufficient funds, William repeated this same annexation programme with the Lombard merchants from whom the King had also made extensive and large borrowings. Further to this, and once more in the name of the King, William imposed severe taxes on the rich Abbots who held lands within King Philip’s jurisdiction.
All of these measures, and even a devaluation of the currency which caused the French peasants to riot on the streets, was not enough to either repair the finances of the King nor satisfy his avaricious appetite for wealth. Now William had no other sources of finance left to turn to, other than the vast Templar lands, income and wealth.
This was now a fight for the survival of the French Monarchy. For King Philip the thought of any Crusade to the Holy Lands was simply not on his agenda; he had to acquire the assets of the Knight Templars or go bust.
In order to provoke the Pope into handing over the total assets of the Knight Templars within the short timeframe William had left, he would have to provide the papacy with the necessary proof of heresy having been committed by the Knight Templars. William’s quest was to find any ex-member of that Holy Order who had been expelled, for whatever reason, and who held a burning grudge to avenge themselves against both, or either of, the Holy Order in general and Jacques de Molay in particular. William's search for such individuals finally led him to the prison located in the town of Chinon.
Once the news reached William as to the whereabouts of those he sought, he lost no time in making his way to Chinon in order to fulfil his promise to King Philip – that he would put into the King's hands a signed oath of the acts of heresy practised by the Knight Templars.
Chateau de Chinon was a large imposing castle which dominated both the bank of the river Vienne and the town itself. Originally built as a fortress to keep out any invading forces, it now proved to be as equally efficient at keeping prisoners in. The Chateau itself consisted of three separate but interlocking castles, which had been constructed over the centuries.
The original Castle, the Chateau du Milieu, was first extended to the east by King Henry II of England and is known as the Fort Saint-Georges, whilst to the west, King Philip II subsequently built the Fort du Coudray. Both extensions are separated from the original Chateau du Milieu, for defensive reasons, by a deep ditch which was crossed in times of peace by a drawbridge. However, should an invader succeed in taking any one part of the castle, the bridges could be raised, thus isolating the invader’s forces.
King Philip II had built his own royal quarters in the south-west corner of the Chateau du Milieu and it had its own private access to the Fort du Coudray. That part of the castle which now formed the prison was to be found opposite the royal quarters, on the north wall and within the turret known as the Tour de Chiens.
William arrived at the Chateau towards the beginning of August, and he was keen to complete his business there in as timely a manner as circumstances would allow. He had decided to travel in his coach, rather than by horseback, for the journey from his home to Chinon. Even though it proved to be both a sultry and uncomfortable trip, William comforted himself with the knowledge that travelling by horseback would be an even worse experience. It was on the afternoon of what felt the hottest day yet, that his destination was finally reached.
As his coach made its way through the castle's main entrance, William was pleased to see that his old friend Robert du Chiens was waiting to personally welcome him to the town where he had been appointed as the royal administrator by King Philip. Robert was invited to join William, and as he climbed into the coach he barked to the driver directions which would steer him through the extensive grounds to that part where William was to stay whilst a guest in Chinon.
Once at the entrance to the royal quarters, the two men disembarked from the coach, and William was guided by Robert into the extensive and opulent accommodation that would be his home for the next few days. The entrance hall itself was rather small and ordinary, which belied the grandeur of the main rooms which lay on both of its sides.
Although it had been some time since William last visited Chinon, he did recognise that he was being taken into the royal accommodation and stopped momentarily in the hallway. Robert, sensing his unease, assured him that instructions had been received from King Philip and that he was carrying out those commands. Feeling reassured, Robert gestured that William should follow him through the double wooden doors on the right, which were opened by the two doormen.
A rather dull p
lain hall gave way to the brightness of a well-lit gallery of splendid grandeur. The main wall on the south was dominated by large windows which allowed the summer light to flood the whole gallery. Looking through the windows William could not help but be impressed by the magnificent sight of the forests and fields that spread out as far as the eye could see, whilst in the foreground the rushing waters of the river Vienne cut its path through the lush countryside.
The gallery had several large chandeliers hanging along the middle of the ceiling, whilst the furniture, which covered the length of the gallery floor, was no less impressive. At the end of the gallery, the double doors were swung open by two doormen as William and Robert approached, to reveal a cavernous square lounge furnished in equal splendour.
William was pleased that Robert had had the foresight to have arranged for a tray of chicken, fruit and wine to be placed on the large square table situated in front of the fireplace which dominated the west wall. Gesturing to Robert to stay and sit down and join him, the two chatted well into the evening catching up on the news but, more importantly, the background of the ex-Templars who William would be interrogating in the morning.
Sitting in my room at the Paris Temple my mind was pre-occupied with the enormity and difficulty of the task that lay ahead of Jon and myself, which, at the best of times, would have been one of staggering proportions, but to conduct it under the noses of King Philip’s agents and spies and in an atmosphere of complete secrecy, would be almost impossible. But without such secrecy the whole plan would fail.
The meeting between our Grand Master, Giles, Jon and myself that followed our return from Avignon to the Templar preceptory in Paris was one of grim satisfaction. The Grand Master was not unmoved by the appeals of the Pope and Foulques du Villaret to seek another path, but in the absence of such an option being put forward and to be considered as feasible in its outcome as the option he favoured, then there was no other path to follow and we simply must continue with the plan that all parties had now agreed upon.
Our Grand Master brought his vast military expertise to bear down on the difficulties which lay before him. He approached the task in hand as if it were yet another battle to be won. This was after all our Grand Master's greatest skill, one that he had exercised over many years and countless victorious battles. So by planning each stage of this campaign as if he would a military assault on the enemy, success would be his. Every last single detail, no matter how large or small, would be considered, explored, agreed upon and then put into the correct part of the battle plan before any of the operations were started.
We were all conscious that time was of the essence for we knew that across Paris the King would be putting the final details to the plan we had left him with no other option but to follow. Our success now depended on getting everything ready, on time and actioned before the King would make his strike against our Order.
The work was split into two parts, with the Grand Master and Giles organising those parts which the Templar Knights and their squires would play, whilst Jon and I would organise all the other work.
It took several long days of comings and goings, with progress meetings and alterations to the many details, before the Grand Master felt that he was happy with both the plan and the proposed method of its execution.
Under normal battle arrangements, our Grand Master, with his preceptory Masters by his side, would lead the Knight Templars into battle. They would be dressed in the finest fighting armour, Beauseant waving, sword in hand and charging fearlessly headlong into the enemy. But these were not normal times, nor was this a battle like any other the Knight Templars had faced or fought before or will ever fight again. Nor had the costs of failure ever been higher, for without success it would be the end of both the Knight Templar Order and the Catholic Church forever.
William's first night at Chinon had seen him talk late into the evening with Robert, they had drank a little too much wine, and the journey and heat had proved more tiring than William had realised. That, combined with the four poster bed proving to be most comfortable, he decided to take a late breakfast. His room offered magnificent views over the river Vienne and beyond, and, seated by the window, he took his time over eating to ensure in his own mind exactly what he wanted today from the prisoners incarcerated just across the castle courtyard. William found both the royal accommodation and the location of the prisoners much to his liking as he could conduct his business within the privacy of the Castle walls.
The brilliance of the morning sunlight hit William as he left the main entrance of the Royal quarters and descended the stairs to the Chateau courtyard where Robert had been patiently waiting for some time. As they strode across the expanse towards the north wall, William could not help but be caught up in the liveliness of the marketplace. Street traders seemed to be everywhere he looked, offering goods of all sorts and anything that a person could wish to buy could be found here. In the centre of the courtyard were several animal pens with farmers deep in negotiations – those who were trying to sell at the highest price, whilst others were trying to buy at the lowest.
An aroma of cooked boar wafted across the courtyard carried by the breeze coming off the river Vienne. The makeshift beer taverns were as always doing brisk business, and a small troop of musicians had settled themselves next to the taverns in the hope of getting more money by playing requests.
William mused at the normality of these lives, for he knew that the world they now lived in would be changed forever once he had entered the doors that were now in front of him.
This bright and happy atmosphere of the courtyard was in sharp contrast to the dark sullen interior of the Tour du Chiens where the dungeons were to be found. Being only lit by the loopholes towards the top of the turret, it took William some moments to adjust his eyes to the dimness of his new surroundings, although he immediately recognised the awful stench of death that filled the room into which he had just entered.
A large, overweight and scruffily dressed jailer, who smelt almost as bad as death itself, led William and Robert as they descended down the narrow, winding staircase towards the lower levels which held the prisoners. The width of the stairs meant they could only descend in single file, and it was lit by the occasional rushlight mounted on the walls. William was glad that it did not take too long to reach the floor where his prisoners were being kept.
The narrowness of the staircase now behind him, the room took on larger proportions than it probably was. The expanse of space was extremely welcome to William, who took the whole of the room in with one glance. The entire length of the walls opposite and to his right were the cells and he quickly counted ten doors. In the middle of the floor was a wooden table and a bench, upon which was sat an equally scruffy and overweight guard, who upon seeing that he had important visitors, jumped to his feet and attempted some sort of salute.
At William’s request, Robert curtly dismissed both guards instructing them to wait on the upper floor. Once they had left, Robert proceeded to work his way along the cells, peering through the small grill in each of the cell doors, in order to identify the prisoner inside. At the third cell, Robert turned to William and informed him that in this cell was held a prisoner that they only knew as Sequin Balenx, who had been a squire to a Knight from Florian, during the eighth Crusade. His Master had died shortly after returning from the Holy Land, and, being unable to find work at home, he had made his way to the Chateau. Due to his iniquities he had been sentenced and imprisoned for life.
William thanked Robert and peered into the cell through the grille. He had to cover his nose, for the stench of human excrement that met him as he leaned against the grille was virtually unbearable. As his eyes finally adjusted to the darkness within the cell, he could just make out a frail, almost skeleton figure who was hanging with both his arms above his head, secured by a set of heavy manacles from the ceiling, whilst his feet were secured in manacles from the floor. He was dressed only in a dirty loin cloth and bore the
marks of having taken some severe punishment.
By the time William had stepped back from the door, Robert had located the second prisoner whom he felt would be of interest. Beckoning William to the door, he informed him that in this cell was housed a Monk from Florentine called Rosso, who had left the Templar Order after becoming disillusioned with his faith. He was jailed for life for his impiety.
William did not need to see Rosso, for his background told him everything. Although he had initially intended to interview the prisoners in their cells, the appalling stench was so bad that it was making William feel nauseous and he had an immediate urge for the sunlight and fresh air that he knew was above.
He led Robert quickly back up the narrow staircase, raced across the floor passing the two bewildered guards and burst through the doors into the fresh air and sunlight of the day. As the clean air filled William’s lungs, he regained his decorum and allowed Robert to accompany him back to his quarters.
Over a welcome goblet of wine, William instructed Robert that these two prisoners were to be cleaned up, fed with as much decent food and drink as they wanted, clothed in clean new clothes and allowed to sleep in a proper bed before being brought before him in the morning. After dismissing Robert to carry out his wishes, he reached for his quill and started to write the confessions which Sequin and Rosso would admit to in the morning.
There was no particular reason why I found the small Chapel in our Parisian preceptory so pleasant and relaxing. It was in many ways much the same as the Chapels found in every Knight Templar preceptory. Maybe it was because it was in here that I was ordained and it held many happy memories of my years here in Paris. I really could not explain the reason why I always felt more uplifted than usual after visiting this particular Chapel. Following my morning prayers and breakfast, I wandered out of the preceptory and into the busy centre of Marais. It was a bright sunny morning, and the streets were already bustling with the shopkeepers and craftsmen preparing for another day’s trading. The smell of fresh bread from the baker’s shop always added to the pleasure of any morning’s walk, and today was no different.