Sanford Holst - Origin of the Templars: And Origin of the Vatican’s Power

Pennants flew and crowds cheered onthe boisterous day in August of 1096 when Godfrey of Bouillon led a sea of knights and infantry out of the borderlands between France and Germany to begin the First Crusade. Among the many dedicated young knights believed to be in Godfreys service during those early days was Hugh de Payens, who would go on to form the Knights Templar and serve as their first Grand Master.

Godfrey joined three other armies from different parts ofEurope and together they marched to the Holy Land to free Jerusalem from the Muslims who held it. As Addison,

Yet beyond all the events enumerated in traditionaltreatments of the Templars, the Crusades, and the rising power of the Vatican, many intriguing mysteries remain.

Why were the Knights Templar so secretive, and how was thatattribute used to help them achieve their legendary successes?

These knights were not businessmen, and had even taken vowsof povertyso what were the unforeseen opportunities that enabled them tobecome the sophisticated bankers of Europe?

Saint Bernard left the comfort of his abbey in France to help nine common knights in Jerusalem establish a new religious order differentthan his own. Why would he do such a thing?

The Count of Champagne stood second in power only to the king of France, and chose to give his support to the first Templars at critical times during their inception. What drove him to take such a deepinterest in these knights?

Clearly the growing power of the pope contributed to therise of the Templars to their enviable position of influence in Europe and theMiddle East. But the Vatican was only swampy ground with a church and graveyardon it for a large part of its existence. How did this patch of ground turn intoa worldwide center of power adorned with priceless artworks and other evidenceof great wealth?

The pope was virtually without power for many centuriesandwas not even the most influential Christian bishopyet on the eve of theCrusades he was powerful enough to summon kings and knights to fight for his chosen cause. The emperor of the Byzantine Empire who had requested this help from the pope was the main sponsor of the Eastern Orthodox Church, the popes most bitter rival. What motivated the pope to act against hisown declared interests in that way?

It is important to recognize the severe problems faced bythe Crusaders, the pope and the first Templars in order to appreciate howdifficult it was for them to accomplish the high level of wealth and power theyachieved.

When the First Crusade was announced, most of the people inEurope were struggling to keep a roof over their head or to fend off militantneighbors. Yet they responded in overwhelming numbers to risk death fightingstrangers in a strange land. Why would they do that? We are told they wanted tohelp the few pilgrims going to the Holy Land, and gain spiritual benefits. Thatcannot possibly explain the incredible outpouring of volunteers which happened.As it turns out, there was another key motivator at play, without which theCrusades might not have taken place at all. The stories behind all these grandevents are some of the most intriguing that we encounter.

One of the great climactic moments that led to the creationof the Knights Templarand even the creation of knighthood, the Crusades and the power of the Vaticanhappened in 711 AD. This was when aMuslim invasion was launched that swept across all of Spain and into the edgeof France.That foreign conquest put the prospect of having to fight against Islamic people right on the doorstep of the nations of Europe. And it did so in a way theycould not possibly ignore.

This earth-shaking event would change the way Europeanwarfare was conducted, reshape countries, and contribute critically necessaryelements to the creation of the Knights Templar and the steady rise in thepower of the pope.