Who
were the Knights Templar?
In 1118 AD, eight ragtag crusaders founded an order
of knights in Jerusalem. Their base of operation
was a palace built on the foundations of King Solomon’s
temple. After eight years of rumored excavations
beneath the temple, the knights were suddenly catapulted
into fame and prosperity. Their ranks of their order,
known as the Knights Templar, swelled profusely,
and within a decade the Templars became one of the
most powerful and feared institutions of medieval
Europe.
The Order of the Temple lasted over 200 years, until
it was exterminated by the French king Philip IV
on charges of heresy and blasphemy – charges
that were never substantiated.
What was the secret behind the Templars’
power? It is rumored the excavations beneath Solomon’s
temple yielded something of explosive mystical
and political importance – perhaps the Holy
Grail itself. But if the Templars became the custodians
of the most sacred object in Christendom, why
were they exterminated on vague and unelaborated
charges of blasphemy and heresy?
Still more rumors say the Templars were themselves
founded by a secret society, a society that survives
to this day. If such an organization exists, what
is its aim? Most importantly, how is it connected
to the Holy Grail?
What is the Holy Grail?
Although the Grail is supposed to be the cup Christ
used during the Last Supper, absolutely no mention
of it is made in Western literature until after
the First Crusade. Some scholars believe the grail
epics are in fact retellings of ancient Welsh legends,
but the earliest Grail romances take place in France,
not Great Britain. Moreover, the early romancers
never describe the Grail as a cup. But if the grail
is not a cup, what is it? And if it does not allude
to Welsh mythology, what is its true antecedent?
And what provoked the mysterious explosion of popularity
on the subject after Godfroi de Boullion conquered
Jerusalem in 1099?
What were the Crusades?
Godfroi de Boullion, The First Duke of Lorraine,
was one of the most powerful warlords of his age.
Nevertheless, he gave up all his land and raised
an army to answer the pope's call for a Crusade.
Godfroi’s grandfather is rumored to have been
none other than Lohengrin, the Grail Knight of the
medieval romances.
How was Godfroi’s quest linked to the Holy
Grail, and what was his real purpose in conquering
Jerusalem?
Rex Mundi.
A murder mystery of biblical proportions.
|
