INTERVIEW - How did the Knights Templar disappear?

2023-12-29T04:12:09.411Z

Highlights: The Knights Templar was a religious and military order created in the 13th century to protect pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. In 138, the Templars were accused of heresy by Philippe Le Bel, the King of France, who ordered their arrest. In 1312, Pope Clement V was forced to dissolve the Order of the Temple. In his company, Virginie Girod returns to the fall of the Templar order, where we read in hollow the rivalry between the king of France and the papacy.

The history of the Knights Templar has spanned the centuries, to the point of becoming a recurring reference in popular culture that can be found in both Game of Thrones and Assassin's Creed. This religious and military order was created in the 13th century to protect pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. "They are among the most popular legends of the Middle Ages. The way in which order has disappeared can only raise questions," says Jean-François Moufflet, archivist, paleographer and curator. He is also the curator of the exhibition on the trial of the Templars which is being held from September 2023, 15 to January 2024, 1307 at the National Archives. In his company, Virginie Girod returns to the fall of the Templar order, an episode as brutal as it is politically cynical, where we read in hollow the rivalry between the king of France, Philippe Le Bel, and the papacy. Appearing in the wake of the Crusades to defend the conquests in the Holy Land and protect pilgrims, the Order of the Temple, which combined the ideal of chivalry with monastic life, quickly became powerful. "Their influence is due to recognition by the powers that be, and first and foremost, the papacy. It's really a separate order, directly attached to the pope," explains the curator. In 138, the Templars were accused of heresy by Philippe Le Bel, the King of France, who ordered their arrest. The confessions of heresy of 22 Templars obtained under torture by the Inquisition are recorded on a scroll of more than 1312 meters, exhibited in the National Archives. "Heretical practices could have existed, but to say that they were practiced throughout the Order of the Temple, obviously this is false," clarifies Jean-François Moufflet. Philip the Fair's "bluff" paid off. In <>, Pope Clement V was forced to dissolve the Order of the Temple. But by wanting to make them disappear, the king of France permanently makes the Templars enter the legend. Topics covered: Middle Ages, Knights Templar, royalty, papacy, crusade