Many people wonder how the Templars got rich fighting for God before losing it all. It seems that even though the Templar’s orders were dissolved over 700 years ago, the almighty Knights Templar continues casting spells all across over the world. We are even seeing where terrorist groups and even drug cartels are evoking them. Dan Brown’s popular and very huge bestseller The Da Vinci Code was actually inspired by a famous Templar legend—the one that claimed Templars have been guardians of the elusive Holy Grail.
How the Templars Beliefs Have Influenced Others
In The Templars: The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God’s Holy Warriors, the popular historian Dan Jones from Britain uses facts gleaned out of the fiction in order to share a true story concerning this armed ancient religious order. As he spoke from a London pub, Jones talked about the fact that the Templars progressed from the protecting of pilgrims throughout the Crusades to maintaining control over a huge financial empire. He even discuss the way Templar’s beliefs are shared by evil groups such as ISIS, and how the crusading spirit of the Templars and the anti-Muslim mindset is motivating a brand new generation of neo-Nazis as well as white supremacists.
He talked about how the Da Vinci Code is somewhat effective in presenting a Templar ‘pseudo history’ and give life to notions such as the Priory of Sion and ideas regarding the Holy Grail and seeing it as a metaphor concerning Jesus Christ’s secret bloodline. At the very least, this has definitely captured the imaginations of many people.
Whenever the passages are read that specifically refer to the Templars in the pages of the Da Vinci Code, you were see that they are a lovely blend of Templar history and myth. Brown switches effortlessly from one factual statement to another, such as how they were founded in the holy city of Jerusalem in year 1119, to speculation and myths that have always swirled about the Templars through the ages. These effects do feel very real, but there are some half-truths here.
Templars Provided Protection in the Holy City
Their beginnings are traced all the way back to Jerusalem and to the First Crusade aftermath. When the First Crusade was over and the holy city went from Muslim control to Christian occupation, a pilgrim influx ensued. Most of these pilgrims came from the West. The pilgrim diaries tell us that the regions surrounding Jerusalem along with the holy sites became very dangerous at the time.
Even during their earliest years they managed to attract financial and material support from the pockets of pious Christians that sought to earn favors from the Almighty. These Christians also did not cherish the idea of taking part in the fight personally. Because of this, Templars managed to build a vast network of estates and land throughout England, France, Ireland, and even across the kingdoms of Italy, Portugal, Germany, and more.
Templars Built a Vast Financial Network
The estates they collected had been managed to generate maximum revenue and this made the Templars extremely rich – both in cash and in property. By the time the 13th century came around, they had started moving their wealth throughout all the territories. And throughout the Fifth Crusade, it is well documented that the Pope used the Templars collect taxes because of their ability to move around the territories and intimidate people.
The Templars began losing their wealth when the crusader states were lost in the year of 1291. After this happened, the Templars got booted out of all the Holy Land and retreated to Cyprus. That led to territories building a new military order. King Philip IV of France was determined to eliminate the Templars and their wealth for good. And he succeeded for the most part. And this is how the Templars got rich fighting for God before losing it all.
