Both loved and Hated-Knights Templar

The story of the Knights Templar begins with the Crusades. The Crusades had two purposes; Intercepting Islam and retaking Jerusalem, which has been ruled by Muslims since the 7th century. The First Crusaders left Europe in 1096. This unit was called a general expedition. It was not necessary to be a knight to join the guild, anyone could join the guild. The medieval catholic church rewarded those who participated in the war and forgave their sins. As a result of the massacres that lasted for 3 years, the crusaders captured the holy city in 1099. People began to travel to see the place where Jesus was crucified. But these journeys were not safe at all. After the capture of Jerusalem, the crusaders returned to their homes and there was no one to protect the city. In 1099, the first members who would later become templars appeared. Its founders were a wealthy French nobleman, Hugues de Payens. Payens suggested arming 9 members of his family to protect the Christians who came to the holy land. The main purpose of the Knights Templar was to protect travelers to Jerusalem, and their original name was the poor knights of the Temple of Solomon. Was it their real purpose to protect visitors? What drove them east?

After the knights went to Jerusalem, they disappeared for 8-9 years. They were never seen during this time. They introduced themselves to Baudouin II, king of Jerusalem, and thus they were given accommodation south of the temple hill. The knights established their headquarters at the place referred to as Solomon's Temple in the Bible. They lived here for the next 75 years. What were the 9 founding knights doing in the Temple of Solomon before they turned west and re-emerged as a great medieval authority?
In 1867, while excavating, an archeology team found tunnels dug in the place shown as Solomon's Temple in the Bible. Found in the tunnels from the structures of the knights templar. These proved that the tunnel had been dug or used by the templars. In a letter written by someone who participated in the Crusades, he said that the knights had holy relics. Sacred relics were very valuable back then. But there was one sacred object associated with the templars and held above all of them. This object was the holy grail, believed by some to be guarded by the knights templar. The holy grail is interpreted differently by everyone. According to another belief, the knights were after the gold buried in the Temple of Solomon during the Jewish revolt. This belief was solidified in 1952 when the Dead Sea Scrolls appeared. These scrolls contained a treasure inventory of 200 tons of gold and silver. Was this what the knights templar were looking for? And did they find it?

It is known that as soon as the excavations were over, they returned to Europe and became very powerful and rich in a very short time. Templars were both clergy and military power. When the first knights returned from Jerusalem, they had a strong protector to deal with objections. Bernard was the most important priest of the time. A proclamation was issued in defense of the knights templar. In 1129, the Knights Templar embarked on the most successful military and fundraising campaigns in history. Thus, the people adopted the idea that knights should defend the holy land. To become a knight templar, you had to come from a noble lineage and donate your lands to the organization. The Templars defeated the 26,000-man army of the Muslim leader Saladin, who was planning to attack Jerusalem. What made the templars popular was that they were elite, trained, and fearless warriors. It wasn't just their military skills that made the knights strong. The oath of allegiance they took in secret ceremonies had as much effect on their strength as their military skills. What happened and what they did in these secluded ceremonies of the knights is unknown.

The Templars reached the zenith of their power in 1300. They built an unrivaled empire in the Middle Ages. From this time on, the templars no longer guarded the land of Jerusalem. They had found the system of transporting passengers without money or valuables on them, without making them targets. Travelers entrusted their valuables or money to the nearest knight templar headquarters and received a coded note instead. At the end of the trip, they would take the written paper back and get their money. This system, used by the Templars, inspired today's banking system. Especially high-profile lenders. They lent money to emperors and kings, and they were paid rent for this money. Thanks to the pope of the time, they received high payments and were exempted from taxes. There was a special hierarchy among them. Find master knights overseeing headquarters in each country

A war that began was the beginning of the end of the templars. The Turks recaptured Jerusalem and permanently put an end to Christian rule. After the loss of the holy lands, the trust of the people in them decreased. The knights were about to pay for their advantages in one of the biggest scandals of the time. Raids on the knights' headquarters began on Friday the 13th in October 1307. That day would be declared unlucky forever. That morning the headquarters in France were attacked and the knights were arrested and their property confiscated. Among those arrested was the grand master. They were accused of the worst crimes of the time, such as rejecting Jesus and practicing homosexuality institutionally. The king of France had debts to the knights, and if he got rid of them, he would both get rid of the debts and confiscate their treasures. Due to the pressure of the king, the pope of the time excommunicated the templars. The Templars were tried and sentenced to death. The king never reached the treasures. Rumor has it that the treasures were smuggled from the Paris temple and transported to La Rochelle by river, as the sect foresaw what was to come. It is unknown how many Templars left by the river in 1307. However, there is something known; The temple fleet suddenly disappeared.

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