The Templars on Stage
Nine French knights, led by the Templar Grand Master Hugues de Payens, appeared before King Baldwin.
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Those who joined the first Crusade managed to conquer Jerusalem in 1099 and effect a genuine massacre. While most of the soldiers who had joined the war were on their way back to Europe, a group of Crusaders under the leadership of some French aristocrats and soldiers decided to stay on in the region.
Ostensibly, the motive for their decision was to provide the security in the Holy Lands for all the Christian pilgrims who sought to go there and also to spread the Christian religion. Although it can be argued that this was the true aim of a handful idealistic soldiers and clergymen, clearly it was just an alibi or an excuse, when considered in light of the plan of the occupation as a whole.
As mentioned before, with the first Crusades, the colonization by the West had begun. It was then that first arose the troubles between some of the Westerners and the local Muslims, the results of which have persisted even to modern times. The reasons that the Crusaders gave for their killings were not actually very reasonable at all. The pilgrimage routes to Jerusalem which had been under Muslim control, had always been open to free passage, and people from all different religions had been living together in peace and tolerance. But this fact did not stop the Crusaders from slaughtering Muslims, Jews and even local Christians alike.
A miniature showing the first Templar Grand Master, Hugues de Payens and those nine knights.
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The Kingdom of Jerusalem was founded in 1099, and the occupation spread to Antioch-Urfa. Twenty years later, under the leadership of Hugues de Payens, nine French knights presented themselves before King Baldwin II of Jerusalem and announced that they were volunteering, supposedly to protect the pilgrims in the travel routes between Jerusalem and the Mediterranean coast.
The King of Jerusalem accepted their offer with gratitude. And thus began the swift rise of the Knights Templar.
The word poor in the title "Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ," which those nine knights gave themselves, was contradictory to those soldiers' actual designs. They were always hungering for money, and but their title was a believable disguise for deceiving others. Deception was not just limited to their name. They didn't neglect to create the image of priest-soldiers who had left behind the worldly life and hope of material gains. However, as you will see in detail in the following sections, these Knights were soon going to transform themselves into a materialistic order that was actually opposed to religious moral values-even anti-religious, in fact.
An oil painting showing the taking of Jerusalem by the Templars
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King Baldwin II of Jerusalem afforded the Knights a number of privileges, and also allotted to them the district where Solomon's Temple had once stood, including the Temple Mount, currently the site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Baldwin undoubtedly had his own designs: His Kingdom of Jerusalem was under a threat with the increasing influence of the Muslims in the district. Therefore, the presence of the experienced Knights and their guarding of particular sacred locations was an advantage for his kingdom. Yet the number of the Templars in the district was actually very few. Therefore King Baldwin and Hugues de Payes, the first Grand Master of the Templars, planned to increase their number. Eventually, by gaining the support of the Papacy, they gave the Templars what they wanted.
St. Bernard was respected by the entire Christian world.
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In 1127, the two of the Templars, together with a letter they received from King Baldwin, asked for the advice of St. Bernard, who then exerted great influence over the Papacy and during his lifetime, was highly regarded as one of the most important persons in Christendom.
Bernard, renowned as one who could open all doors, belonged to the Cistercian Order, one of the most favored monastic orders in Christendom. In addition, members of this order held very important positions in the Catholic Church. Those French Templars who headed for Jerusalem were warmly supported by representatives of the Cistercian order in France. In his letter, King Baldwin praised the Templars extravagantly, explaining the importance of the lands' protection by the poor so-called religious soldiers but also indicating their requests: Their Order had to be recognized by the Church, especially by the Pope, and had to be provided with help and support.
The support that had been anticipated for so long was soon hastening on its way. Hugues de Payens and his Templar brothers were accepted by the new Pope Honorius with a special privileges and exemptions.
St. Bernard bestowed enormous privileges on the Templars.
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In 1128, The Council of Troyes invited the Templars to a council meeting, where the Knights obtained a wide range of opportunities and a great amount of financial support. As a gift from King Henry I, they obtained a great treasury of gold and silver, as well as material support in the form of equipment like armor and horses from district rulers in England, Scotland, France and Flanders.
Before Hugues de Payens left England, he opened a district branch of Templars in the region donated to them and installed one of the Templar brothers as its leader. His mission was to rule the districts donated to the Templars, to transfer their income to Jerusalem, to recruit new members, train them in their responsibilities and send them to the various districts under Templar rule. In addition, personal incomes in the district of Province were donated to the Templars, and landowners became exempt from royal taxation by donating several landed properties to the sect. Thus, the first strands of the order's web were woven. 2
A few of the temples in the Middle Ages:Morts à Sarlat, Périgord and l’Eglise.
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According to Anglo-Saxon records, it was written down that the number of members Hugues de Payens recruited for the Order was greater than the number of soldiers Pope Urban II enlisted for the first Crusades. 3 In any case, such great interest was shown in the Order that groups of Templars were soon widely established in England, and a new branch of the Order was similarly created in Jerusalem.
Princes and aristocrats were at the forefront of their membership, but people from all walks of life were competing to assist the Order or to become affiliated. The Templars, gathering the material means of the Papacy and the King, prolonged this campaign and succeeded in influencing people from every level of society with publicity and propaganda methods that can be appreciated only in our day. They were so influential that some people asked to be buried in the Templars' distinctive uniforms when they died.
In guaranteeing that the Templars would be accountable to none but the Pope, St. Bernard laid the groundwork for very serious danger.
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In fact, the really interesting point is the trick the Templars played on the European aristocrats: They claimed that they were soon going to be in battles with the Muslims and so requested financial help. Nonetheless, the contributions they collected throughout Europe were not being used to equip their coming war, but were transferred directly to the Templars' coffers. Thus, The Knights took their first step on the path to establish their ill-gotten fortune.
The year 1127 became a turning point when the two Templars paid a visit to St. Bernard. During their visit, the Templars explained to the Pope and others in the Vatican the general rules of the Order yet most of them were not pleased. At this stage, Bernard took charge, defending the order and saying that with a modicum of reforms and adjustments, it might be more in accord with the tenets of Christianity. Right after this, he wrote The New Templars' Rule, following to the principles of his own Cistercian Order and announced that he would take responsibility for the Templars' moral training. Thus, the order removed all the handicaps that they could possibly encounter by gaining the privilege of giving accounts and explanations only to the Pope. Henceforth, no authority except the Pope could ever bring them to task or charge them with an assignment. In providing this kind of privileges, St. Bernard believed that applying them long-term would be useful in gaining power for the Papacy. But he was unaware that in fact, he was laying the groundwork for a greater danger.
The Papacy's Full Support
The emblem of the Hospitallers, the first knightly order
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Christianity is a divinely inspired religion that preserves the elements of Allah's words, although it has been corrupted over time. And one of the subjects frequently mentioned in the Christians' New Testament is being on the side of the peacemakers. But despite that, from time to time during its history Christianity has entered some violent periods in the name of its religion.
One of the main reasons for this is the predominating battle for the supremacy of the Papacy, which drew the Vatican into countless games of politics. As a result, more than once the Papacy grew far distant from the original purpose of its existence: During these periods, it set a priority on increasing its own influence over the crowned heads of Europe, and thus effected a long-standing change.
This all began with Pope Gregory VII, who stated that the force of arms could be employed for the sake of protecting the Papacy. In defending the notion that the Church was the highest temporal institution, he started the so-called Gregorian Movement and got into a squabble for authority with the powerful rulers of his time. The policies he initiated were widely accepted and were sustained with great enthusiasm. Although this process did provide the Vatican with increased power, it caused many rulers and numbers of the ruled to turn against the Papacy.
Pope Urban II later furthered Gregory's politics of force and agreed with his thesis, which can be summarized as "Violence is justified in the battle for religion"- which of course goes absolutely against Christian religious values. Thus, the so-called religious justification for the first Crusade was put in place. During his lifetime, St. Bernard strongly defended these policies, though they went against the essence of Christianity. He even brought this error to an extreme, saying that, "When the knight of Christ kills someone who has done evil deeds, this is not killing a man, but expelling the evil."
After the first Crusade, the Papacy was instrumental in founding the Hospitallers order, the very first of the Knights' organizations. At the very beginning, this sect took on the responsibility of aiding pilgrims to the Holy Lands and for tending to and curing the sick. Yet, for certain self-seeking groups in the Papacy, that was not enough. They wanted more: Any army that belonged to the Papacy was actually under their command, and thus they could compete against the armies of other European rulers. Therefore, they could extend their own potential by using the Papacy's authority and to protect the possessions they had already gained. And while doing so, they could expand Christianity by force of arms.
Furthermore, sovereignty over the Holy Lands would be permanent, and the acts of colonization would continue, under their control. Within the leading body of clergy, the group that harbored such wrong thoughts set themselves to creating an army that could perform their plan. The Templars appeared exactly at this moment and started to make defense of their political agenda their primary goal.
All of these showed that the Knights' visit to Bernard had been an important part of their strategy. They knew very well that Bernard was the only one who could provide them the advantages they wanted, out of a desire for mutual benefit.
Saint Bernard had many goals and plans to further the interests of the Church. By the help of his relationship with the nobles and because of his expertise in political strategies, he had held very important positions, even since his youth. He wielded such great influence, in fact, that he had his most loyal follower elected as Pope.
Bernard was fully aware how thoroughly difficult it was for priests to serve as soldiers. Actually, there was no need for them to do so. In his opinion, having the warriors who already currently served in the Holy Lands to become more loyal to the Church's doctrines was an easier, brighter plan. Yet he foresaw one obstacle: How could anyone transform these brutal, vigorous, ignorant lovers of violence into loyal Knights? In what would later prove a serious mistake, he let himself believe that this group of unlettered men could be tamed and taken under control by using a few techniques. Among them, bribery-under the disguise of concessions and donations-was the most popular.
The Templars had followed Bernard and his strategies since the very beginning and they continued to make their plans dependent on him. Bernard was planning to establish an army of the Church by using first of all, the Templars and then their Knights. Even as he was planning to do so, the Templars-who had drifted away from religious morality-were expecting to attain great privileges, all thanks to Bernard.
In this mutual relationship of theirs, members of the order would seem to be religious, and the Papacy would be going to advance their every interest.
Furthermore, even despite the Templars being arrested in 1307-and despite the revelation of their perversions-some groups within the Papacy would try to acquit these Templars and to save them from further persecution.
Unlimited Privileges
The small group initially consisting of nine knights grew into the Templar order with astonishing speed.
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The support by the Papacy was not limited to its officially recognition of the Templars. Since the Council of Troyes, thanks to the privileges that the Papacy, the Church and the aristocrats had granted them, the Knights had enjoyed unlimited privileges. Among them, the shield of immunity was easily the most important. Since the Knights were directly affiliated with the Papacy, they didn't have to answer to any authority but the Pope. It was not possible for any ruler, not even for a monarch, to question them, or employ them in his own service, much less have them arrested.
Except from these religious concessions-such as the right to build churches and give them names of their own choosing, organizing religious rituals and assigning priests-the Templars had the right to found their own courts, to gather taxes and to accept contributions and donations. Members of their order were exempted from any kind of levies, since the real estate properties owned by the Templars were exempted from the Papacy's tithe (or one-tenth) tax on the value of land.
Historians and investigative writers like Alan Butler and Stephen Dafoe have provided the following information:
 Bernard's document, De Laude Novae Militae ("In Praise of the New Knighthood") swept through the Christendom like a tornado; in no time, the number of Templar recruits increased. At the same time donations, gifts and bequests from Monarchs and Barons throughout Europe were arriving regularly on the Templars' doorstep. With a staggering rapidity the fledgling little band of nine knights grew into what we refer to as Templar, Inc. 4
When it came to granting privileges and being generous, the lay rulers, monarchs and nobles were not far behind the Papacy: They donated farms, palaces, sometimes entire towns and even a whole district to the Templars. They further eased their finances by appointing them to various offices that generated income and by granting them perpetual donations.
The privileges the Templars were granted, as a result of relations based on mutual interest, resulted in the order's power becoming uncontrollable. Shortly after its founding, the order's inward qualities and outward appearance changed completely. The Knights put aside their self-appointed task of guarding the Holy Lands and furthering Christianity, and started to seek the domination of Europe, following the goal of their corrupted belief system.
A few of the 12th century temples the Knights used more as offices for usury than as temples (Safita, Larzac, Metz and Laon)
CHAPTER II.
A MEDIEVAL MAFIA: THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR
Following the Council of Troyes, the Templars swiftly increased their numbers of recruits and became the most powerful and the most formidable knightly order of their time. They amassed great donations, obtained taxes on private income, and made lucrative investments in such diverse fields as construction, agriculture, cattle breeding, shipping and transportation. However, these ostensible activities were largely for show, inasmuch as the order's true source of income was through ill-gotten means.
While amassing their capital, the methods Templars employed were not terribly different from the methods that organized crime has been using in our own day. Actually they first developed those same methods later used by the Mafia and organized crime.
Illegal policies, employed by the ruffian kings and those clergymen who followed the evil pathways, became an illicit source of income for the Templars and gave them further power to wield. The organized clandestine methods they had been using was the reason why their order's members-who had originally sworn to remain poor and to live as so-called missionaries-attained such great wealth, almost equal to a monarch's, by methods that included usury; ransacking, usurpation, and despoliation under the name of war; bribery; political trickery; arbitrary taxes; demanding undeserved privileges; slave-trading; colonial activities; and trade in drugs available at the time, including opium.
As you will soon see, the Templars aimed at organizing and propagating numerous forms of evil. But their chief goal was to expand their influence and to gain profit and earthly power.
In the Qur'an, Allah speaks of those who organize and propagate evil:
Do those who plot evil actions feel secure that Allah will not cause the earth to swallow them up or that a punishment will not come upon them from where they least expect? Or that He will not seize them on their travels, something they are powerless to prevent. Or (do those who plot evil actions feel secure) that He will not seize them little by little? For your Lord is All-Compassionate, Most Merciful. (Surat an-Nahl: 45-47)
The Templars were as wealthy as kings.
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Usury was the first method that the Templars used in building their clandestine fortune. Actually, usury is specifically forbidden in Christianity, and severe punishments are threatened for committing it. During the Middle Ages, therefore, usury was largely the monopoly of some Jews. Some Jewish bankers, who were exempted from these New Testament strictures, earned great profits through their money lending and were, accordingly, granted considerable great privileges by the monarchs and the nobles who had fallen into their debts and had trouble paying them back. In short, the Templars replaced the Jewish bankers by entering this field, where no Christian had ever dared venture before.
King Richard I of England
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The Templars continued with these forbidden practices by referring to the ten-percent interest they charged as "rent" or "donations." The network they established that reached into all the important financial centers, enabled them to transfer money securely between all well-known civilized regions, particularly between the Holy Land and the important European capitals. A great amount of this money was stored in the Templars' castles, which operated much like banks-particularly in major trade centers and along pilgrim routes.
Anyone who wanted to transfer funds used to invest his money at the nearest Templar mansion and received a bearer draft in return. When arriving at his destination, he could receive his money by cashing his draft-after paying a certain amount of interest.
What's specifically more interesting was that they kept their profit system a secret. Meanwhile, the money invested in the Templars' original branch offices was being used for various reasons. The order, which performed ostensible charity work, collected a great deal of interest income from a variety of classes, including the poorer and less well-to-do. This money in the Templars' account was to be used for purposes known only to them, without the control or supervision of any authority. Since no one could ask them for an account, the Templars were able to transform usury into an institution in their missionary order. Only much later was that fact revealed, leading to their imprisonment.
In 1207, Pope Innocent III accused the Knights of abusing their privileges.
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During the first Crusade, the total annual income of France was about 250 thousand livres. 5 At that time, the order's annual cash income in Europe alone-except for the real estates in 9,000 different districts-was estimated to be some 30 million livres. 6 When this income is compared with present-day rates of exchange, it is clear that the Templars were controlling wealth that could compete with that of monarchs. Their fortune was so great that in 1191, they purchased the entire island of Cyprus for 25 thousand marcs from King Richard of England and enjoyed a further income by imposing heavy taxes on the island until they sold it to Guy of Lusignan, one year later.
A part of the Templars' tainted money came from ransacking. Templars pretended to be waging war with the enemy, while they were actually searching for pillage. They attacked defenseless caravans and residential districts in the Holy Lands and the borders where civilians lived in grand houses. Nevertheless, what they were doing was actually similar to the actions of gangsters: usurpation, ransacking, abduction, and mass murder.
The most interesting example of their actions was the order's collaboration with the corrupted group of Assassins. The two organizations made an agreement with each other in return for an annual payment of 2,000 besants. Assassins organized the assassinations of monarchs who were known to be the Templars' rivals. The Knights later adopted the same methods of this corrupt group that they admired and employed. 7
The Templars were so eager and obsessed about ransacking that they caused the Christians to be defeated many times, as is also revealed by historical documents. In the attack to Aschkelon in 1150, a city wall was brought down, giving Christians an opportunity to win the battle. But at this point, Grand Master Bernard de Tremelay stopped the Crusaders and let the Templars enter the city to pillage it first.
The Templars attacked villages and carried off their Muslim inhabitants, selling them as slaves in Europe or else using them for their own purposes.
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However, the Templars' obsession with wealth eventually resulted in their defeat and the demise. William of Tyre, the famous historian and clergyman of the time, blamed the Knights of chasing after their worldly ambitions:
Bernard de Tremelay had ordered his knights to prevent anyone else from joining them in this initial assault because he wanted to reserve for his Order the glory of taking the city and a lion's share of the booty. 8
After amassed a certain store of money, the Templars applied the technique of bribery more often to get their works accomplished. Ultimately, they found it possible to do almost anything by bribing and being bribed in turn. When they wanted to settle down in a given region, they would bribe the district's ruler under the guise of an aid. This way, they could obtain the district as well as some privileges for themselves.
After the death of King Richard I, the Templars preserved their rights and privileges by bribing his heir, King John with horses and 1,000 pounds. Buying the influence of Europe's poor aristocrats at very low cost and cheap gifts increasingly encouraged the Templars, and enabled them to move more easily throughout Europe. The Templars grew accustomed to receiving bribes as a source of income, just as they got used to handing them out. In so doing, they were of course abusing the special privileges the Church had granted them.
Nobles who did not care to go to war often made a substantial donation to the Knights, who would then go fight in their names. Any aristocrats who had become outcasts could easily redeem themselves by that same method. Criminals wanted by the law in various jurisdictions devoted themselves to the Knights and were thus granted the right of immunity.
Clearly, Templars were abusing the privileges the Papacy had granted them, and from time to time, that deeply angered the Vatican. In 1207, Innocent III declared that the knights had grown proud and misused their prestigious position. The Pope complained that virtually anyone with money in his pockets could join the order, and that people previously refused access to the Church, those who were excommunicated and "those who add sin to sin, like a long thread,¨ were being buried in holy ground. The Pope demanded that the necessary action be taken. 9
The Roman Emperor Frederick II, known as a friend of Muslims, joined forces with the Pope and seized all the assets of the Templars who had fought against him. He freed hundreds of Muslim slaves working for the order, thus becoming a target for the Knights’ hatred.
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After establishing deals with construction, real estate, and transport, the Templars abused these businesses in order to speculate and as a result of these speculations, increased both the taxes and the rents they were enjoying. They were also speculating over products they were trading and mines whose value they had increased by "salting" them with high-grade ores. For example, their activities increased by 50% the value of the lands and properties in England. Due to their commercial privileges, they earned still more money by exporting English wool to the entire continent of Europe.
But this, of course, was only a cover operation.
Pope Gregory IX
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Gathering money from the poor, Templars claimed that they were fighting a great struggle in the name of Christianity. However, this was simply an alibi to keep alive their sources of donations. After the Council of Troyes, the Templars got defeated in their next three wars. In contrast to the stories of heroic deeds, which were usually exaggerated, the Knights were not undefeatable warriors. Mainly, all they did was murder the innocent and the defenseless. When faced with no choice except to fight, they were doomed to lose, because they had simply hoarded a great deal of their dark donations, instead of expending the fortune on arms and defense.
In addition to these covert operations, the Templars also became organized in slave trading and smuggling. When the methods they employed in slave trading were finally revealed, the Pope was forced to admonish them. As is well known, slave trading was not illegal at the time, but Christians were forbidden to own Christian slaves. Accordingly, Templars were kidnapping innocent Muslims by attacking Palestinian villages and enslaving the young people. They either sold them to Europe, or else used them for their own cruel purposes.
Collaborating with the Pope, and the Roman Emperor, Frederic II, known as a friend of Muslims, seized the Templars' property by force. He freed hundreds of Muslim slaves, though he received nothing in return. Thus he became truly hated by the Knights. 10
For the Templars, trading Muslim slaves was not enough. They were also selling Greeks, Bulgarians, Russians and Romanians (the latter of whom were Orthodox Christians), claiming that they were Muslims. Pope Gregory IX complained about these abusive deeds to the Syrian bishop and the Grand Master of the Templars. Nevertheless, the Templars continued their exploiting of humans through slave trading. African peoples soon provided a significant source of their income.
Beside these underhanded methods, the Templars performed some nefarious deeds in politics, as well. Through dishonest methods, they turned themselves into a very rich organization that more and more people grew to resent. No longer perceived as religious, their cruel tactics especially caused great troubles to local populaces. Their aberrant beliefs and life styles that were later disclosed so tarnished their reputation that they finally became an embarrassment to Christendom.
CHAPTER III.
THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR ENCIRCLING EUROPE
 The Knights Templar tried in every way to make their idea of world sovereignty come to pass, as an anti-Christian order. As soon as they obtained the assurance they'd sought, they abandoned their pretense of being devoutly religious and the oaths they had given as alleged missionaries. And they immediately settled down to using finances to achieve a greater sovereignty. The Templars' web encompassed all of Europe and the Mediterranean's sea lanes and ports, which provided the heart of the sea trade. The equivalent of these organized actions can be seen only in the international Mafia cartels of our day. Members of the order infiltrated a major share of maritime and inland commerce from northern countries like England and Ireland.
Meanwhile, the Templars were spending the income they had earned in illegal ways for several investments, the first among which were buying lands and construction. They had become experts in building substantial castles and churches, while constructing villages, towns and even cities in the lands they owned. Establishing residential districts was an easy way to penetrate their influence and to obtain legitimate but important sources of income like tax and tribute.
The Templars began their transport activities by way of the sea.
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After banking, real estate and construction, navigation was most important to the Templars. In that era, traveling by land was costly, very dangerous and difficult; whereas the sea lanes were rather comfortable, economic and relatively safe. Therefore, effecting fast, secure transportation between the ports controlled by Christians was quite profitable. As a result, Templars shifted their transport firms from land to maritime.
Initially they mastered navigation and constructed their own fleet by working together with professional mariners like the Venetians and the Genoese.
Marseille was then the most important Mediterranean port and enjoyed great commercial privileges. Nevertheless, the Templars' wealth was not limited to Marseille. The order had centers and a merchant marine in every significant port from Alexandria to Tripoli, from Antioch to Sidon. While exerting superiority over the transportation routes, the order attained great naval power between the years 1216 and 1233, which caused hard times for individual merchants who were doing their private nautical trading. Their great naval experience would play a significant role later when they fled the Inquisitions and emigrated to further places like America and also in their various colonies.
In 1220, the Roman Emperor Frederic II realized the dangerous conduct long before the King of France. Philip IV, did and forbade the Knights Templar to buy lands freely without limit, since he feared that it was possible for them to own the whole country. In the course of time, Frederick impounded the goods of the Templars living in his territories and abolished their privileges.
These actions angered the Templars-and thus, the Papacy. Pope Gregory IX excommunicated Frederic II in 1227, and thus, the order won a chance to sustain their activities for a while longer without any interruption.
In 1258, when the King of Sicily Manfred, son of the Roman Emperor Frederick II, ascended to the throne, Albert de Canella, the master Templar in the region, became Manfred's private protector, because he took back the rights the Templars had lost by convincing the King through bribery.
During these times, the Templars spread throughout Europe and they formed essentially a new international government within the local governments. Their administration unit and systems were active in every important center of Europe.
The historian Henry D. Funk describes the true face of the Knights as follows:
They came out and claimed that they were the Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ. However, this was hardly true. One could see the wealthiest men of Europe and the leading bankers from London and Paris among the Templars: Hugh Conte de Champagne, Alphonse de Poitiers, Robert of Artois, the ministers of finance of James I of Aragon, and Charles I of Naples, the chief advisor of Louis VII, King of France, were all Templars. 11
A Templar maritime colony
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Holy Rom an Emperor Frederick II
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Louis VII of France, whose principal advisors were the Templars
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The order paid special attention to some specific countries and regions, where they founded their own centers: Jerusalem, Tripoli, Antioch, France, England, Poitiers, Aragon in Spain, Portugal, Apulia in Italy and Hungary were the first of these. In England alone, Knights owned 5,000 real estates. Alan Butler and Stephen Dafoe explain with these words:
As a result, the Templars became so wealthy that some rulers of the kingdoms where the Knights were very active became completely dependent on their support. Most of the English kings mortgaged the royal treasury to the Templars' center in London as a means of repaying their heavy debts to the order. This helped the Templars attain a great power and exert an influence over royal decisions. Templars also used their influence to offer consistent arbitrations between rulers who were constantly quarreling with each other. 12
Templars' economic dominance has been reported in yet another source:
The Templars became so wealthy that the rulers of some countries in which they operated became totally dependent on them. A 13th-century Templar castle
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King Henry III of England constantly borrowed money from the Templars.
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The Templars turned into a huge private organization employing illegal methods, and carefully concealing all their knowledge, keeping that subject secret even from the Church.
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In fact, the throne of England chronically owned a lot to the Templars. King John and Henry III, whose treasure got consumed in the military expeditions during the years between 1260 and 1266, continuously took accommodation from the Templars. 13
In their mansions the Knights dealt with politics, commerce and finance in the city centers, while ruling over such sectors as agriculture, cattle-breeding and mining. Each Templar center housed approximately two or four Knights, brothers who provided control over and management of the far-flung operations.
Their system can be likened to that of a multinational company in our own day. The Templars grew to become a huge organization that sustained its existence through illegal ways, keeping the company's secrets with great care and never revealing any kind of information, not even to the Pope.
However, it is possible to obtain various information about the Templars' secret acts through close reading of various data. According to the historical resources, there were at least 20,000 Knights, with seven or eight servants for each Knight. These groups dealt with any kind of business under the control of the order's members; from navigation to trade and from agriculture to construction. Simple calculations show that at the time of their persecution, the Templars employed a staff of at least 160,000. 14 This cadre, surrounding Europe and all shores of the Mediterranean, was also the most powerful widespread organization of its time.
Neither the Pope nor the King of France could confiscate the order's property, which had expanded into such a great area. Later, when the Templars were fleeing the Inquisition, their property-which was then comparable to the wealth of kings-was enough to provide the protection and security they required. In these times, the methods of exploitation they had first invented, such as colonialism, imperialism, brutal capitalism and international organized crime and money, were all widely applied.
The author of a book titled The Temple and The Lodge, draws the reader's attention to this subject by stating, "No medieval institution contributed to the rise of capitalism as much as the Templars did." 15
The courts that began interrogating the Templars in 1307 proved that Frederic II had been right to have his doubts. After several years of arrests, persecution, and executions, the order was claimed to have been officially wiped out by the Papacy. But no matter-they continued to maintain their actions throughout Europe by changing their name and their identities.
As the information and examples so far clearly show, the Knights Templar who brought all of Europe under their control were hardly of a religious order dedicated to Christian principles.
On the contrary, all of their actions were completely against the religious moral values. As you will see in the following chapter, the beliefs and actions of those who dominated the Templars had set up an un-Christian, even an anti-Christian, structure.
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CHAPTER IV.
THE PERVERTED RELIGION OF THE TEMPLARS
Those who founded the Templar cult, and the great majority of those who subsequently joined it, eventually became quite far removed from Christianity. Saint Bernard, one of the most eminent original supporters of the cult, had aimed to turn the warrior knights into soldiers loyal to the Church. His plan ended in failure, however.
The agreement they forged, which at first had appeared to favor the Church, soon began working against Christianity. The main reason was that the Knights rejected the faith that the Church offered and turned to follow a very different system of belief.
Ever since it was first established, Christianity had been gravely troubled by different movements. Another few hundred years passed before Christian unity could finally be established. During that period, a great many movements, from Gnosticism to Aryanism, from Bogomilism to Waldensianism, had offered themselves as alternatives to the Catholic Church. Although up to a certain point it managed to suppress or even eliminate these movements, the Church's absolute sovereignty later came to an end with the reactions that climaxed in the Reformation.
Long before this, the Church had effectively maintained dominion over the whole of Europe. But especially during the time of the Knights, very different popular Christian beliefs still persisted. For example, great differences in terms of faith, rituals and traditions existed between the Latin peoples dominating Southern Europe and those residing in the North, particularly the Germans. Generally the northern European peoples, from whom most of the Knights originated, maintained their own beliefs and superstitious traditions, largely because their local kings had obliged them to convert to Christianity, onto which they managed to append their old beliefs.
The Kabbalah is a work of Jewish mysticism, and refers to a secret tradition passed on by word of mouth. The Templar crosses on the Kabbalah are worthy of note.
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Thus it was that many who were outwardly Christian, but who actually lived by their own traditional beliefs, emerged onto the chessboard of history.
In these dark Medieval times, Europeans lay in a state of terrible ignorance. Even among institutions affiliated with the Church, literacy was very low. Since almost all religious texts were written in Latin, those who spoke only other vernacular languages knew them largely by hearsay. Ordinary people's connection with the Church was through local religious authorities who often worked them like slaves, imposed heavy taxes and donations, and themselves lived lives of great wealth in monasteries. But these clerics had no satisfactory knowledge of their own to pass on to the ordinary laity. The ignorant populace was kept under control through legends and fabricated information, instead being set free by the true words of Allah.
As a result, fantasies that had originated from ancient Egypt, Persian and Indian legends, plus legends from Greek, Roman, Viking and Celtic mythology, were believed unreservedly by a large part of the population. Superstitious practices such as sorcery, using charms and magical talismans to cure the sick, alchemy and fortune-telling were condemned but also widely employed to obtain powerful advantages. In addition to such irrational practices, belief in enchanted forests and such fantastic creatures as fairies, monsters, and dwarves (also known as homunculi), occupied an important place in this darkened world.
In this climate, the perverted beliefs of the Templars took root. Supposedly loyal to Christianity and the Church, the Knights were still under the influence of superstitious traditions established in their own homelands. Furthermore, Christian belief among the aristocracy was far more flexible than among the ordinary people. Kings and nobles never hesitated to oppose the Church whenever it suited them. They entered into relationships of mutual self-interest with the clerics. Both intelligence from different sources and information regarding events in far-off countries led kings and nobles to be suspicious of the Church, and even to regard senior Church dignitaries as rivals for their local power.
The Kabbalah was believed to offer methods of controlling natural forces and contained information regarding magic spells, mysteries and symbols and how these were to be employed. The reason the Templars took such a close interest in the Kabbalah is obvious: They sought supernatural help to obtain the wealth they desired.
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Dreams of acquiring the great treasures of the East and being elevated as heroes seduced the Templars as much as they did nobles throughout impoverished Europe. Yet the Templars who settled in the Holy Land suffered a terrible disappointment when they failed to find unlimited wealth. They even excavated the base of the Temple of Solomon in the hope of finding sacred objects they believe would bring them infinite powers. 16
Albert Pike, one of Freemasonry’s best-known names
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But in the face of their disappointment, the Templars persisted in their objectives and began implementing new methods to secure world dominion. At this time, members of the cult entered into a kind of training period and acquired a whole new perspective from various teachings such as Jewish mysticism, Cabbalism, Gnosticism and those of the Assassins; and from heretical Christian sects such as the Monarchians, Paulines and Cathars. They also received instruction and experience from Jewish experts in subjects such as sea-faring, commerce, engineering and science.
By the end of this period, the perverted mindset that the Templars acquired can be summarized as follows:
1- Fundamentally, the Templars had fallen under the influence of the Cabbala, a system of Jewish mysticism that entails the word-of-mouth transmission of secret traditions. Some Cabbalist masters aim to establish relations with-and direct-infernal powers by using various meditations, magical and talismanic techniques. The Cabbala itself, a collection of writings that they imagined to be a means of controlling natural forces, contained information about mysteries and how spells, talismans, and symbols, could be employed. The Knights were indoctrinated with these traditions.
At this time, as already stated, the validity of such matters as magic, alchemy and astrology were accepted in without question. The Templars learned Cabbalistic knowledge directly from Cabbalists. The reason why they took such a close interest was obvious: They believed in order to obtain the material power they desired, they needed supernatural assistance.
Albert Pike, one of the best-known figures in Freemasonry, sets out the Templars' objective in his book, Morals and Dogma:
The Templars were influenced by satanic indoctrination, in a similar manner to modern-day satanists.
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Thus the Order of Knights of the Temple was at its very origin devoted to the cause of opposition to the tiara of Rome and the crowns of Kings, and the Apostolate of Kabalistic Gnosticism was vested in its chiefs. . . . To acquire influence and wealth, then to intrigue, and at need to fight, to establish the Johannite or Gnostic and Kabalistic dogma. 17
2- In addition, the Templars had also fallen under the influence of the dualist belief that began with Manicheanism in Persia and reached its peak with the Cathars in France. According to this perverted belief, the way to obtain world dominion was by serving the devil. And so, the Templars fell under the influence of satanic indoctrination, much as have modern-day satanists.
As we are told in the verse, "Do you not see that We send the daemons against those who disbelieve to goad them on?" (Surah Maryam, 83), satan deceived the Templars, as he has with all other Allah-deniers, by means of such false promises, turning them away from the true path and leading them to Hell.
In the Qur'an, Almighty Allah, the Lord of all on the Earth and in the skies, describes the nature of satan, who deceives and leads people to Hell:
He makes promises to them and fills them with false hopes. But what satan promises them is nothing but delusion. The shelter of such people will be Hell. They will find no way to escape from it. (Surat an-Nisa', 120-121)
When the affair is decided, satan will say, "Allah made you a promise, a promise of truth, and I made you a promise, but broke my promise. I had no authority over you, except that I called you and you responded to me. Do not, therefore, blame me, but blame yourselves. I cannot come to your aid, nor you to mine. I reject the way you associated me with Allah before." The wrongdoers will have a painful punishment. (Surah Ibrahim, 22)
The Templars regarded homosexuality as legitimate. The figure on the official Templar seal above is said to represent this perversion.
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Like human beings, satan is an entity created by Allah and remains under His control in all respects. He has no power or influence of his own-as revealed in another verse:
Those who believe fight in the way of Allah. Those who disbelieve fight in the way of false gods. So fight the friends of satan! Satan's scheming is always feeble. (Surat an-Nisa', 76)
Allah has made of satan a means whereby human beings are tested, and has promised Hell to the deniers who adhere to and follow him, and Paradise to those who follow the true path revealed by Allah.
In the Qur'an, Allah informs us what He said to satan:
He said, "Go! And as for any who follow you, your repayment is Hell, repayment in full!" "Stir up any of them you can with your voice and rally against them your cavalry and your infantry and share with them in their children and their wealth and make them promises! The promise of satan is nothing but delusion. But as for My servants, you will not have any authority over them." Your Lord suffices as a guardian. (Surat al-Isra', 63-65)
These superstitious beliefs adopted by the Templars led them on to yet another perversion: Homosexuality between knights was regarded as legitimate. During the Templars' trials in France, it emerged that this sexual depravity had become widespread among them.
3- As a result of all these perverted beliefs, the Templars had turned their backs on Christian moral values and had become a completely dark organization interested only in its own worldly gain.
The Templars' ideals, summarized here, would later be inherited by Freemasonry, and would survive and persist as the fundamental mindset of those wielding power secretly, behind the scenes. The architects and practitioners of the still-widespread philosophy that is incompatible with religion are none other than the heirs of this perverted cult, the loyal servants of satan.
The Knights of the Temple and their successors, the Freemasons, were communities largely of those who followed satan’s path and sought to impose satan’s perverted philosophy on the world.
The Templar mindset and ideals were inherited by Freemasonry and have survived and remained influential right down to the present day, constituting the mindset of those who hold the hidden reins of power.
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In fact, satan is the origin of all these evils cherished and committed by the Templars. In Jerusalem, they came under the influence of satan's twisted philosophy and adopted his path from the moment they were taken in by the Cabbala and other mystical teachings. From then up to the present, their heirs-the Knights of the Temple and many of the Freemasons-have represented communities that follow in the path of satan and seek to impose satan's perverted way of thinking on the world.
 In fact, this is an excellent lesson for believers in terms of revealing the evil end that awaits those who follow satan. In the Qur'an, Allah warns the faithful not to comply with him:
You who believe! Do not follow in the footsteps of satan. Anyone who follows in satan's footsteps should know that he commands indecency and wrongdoing. Were it not for Allah's favor to you and His mercy, not one of you would ever have been purified. But Allah purifies whoever He wills. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. (Surat an-Nur, 21)
However, never forget that some Masons-who for centuries have been under the influence of satan, "the arranger of evil" and "he who commands ugly depravities"-must have help in order to be liberated. Using pleasant words, tolerance, modesty and affection to invite Masons to adhere to the faith of Allah and helping them escape this world of darkness is an important responsibility incumbent on all believers.
No doubt they will experience intense regret, both in this world and in the Hereafter, when they realize the losses inflicted by this corruption that has persisted for hundreds of years.
But once they have made this decision, they will abandon their wicked actions. Allah will help them to find the true path, will impart peace and security in their hearts, and bestow on them lives of peace and love. For that reason, the moment they understand the true facts, Masons must leave behind all their wickedness and turn aside from their paths of perversion.
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CHAPTER V
BYZANTINE INTRIGUE IN THE HOLY LANDS
 The Templars who settled in the Holy Lands gradually began following a very different course from their ostensible aim in founding the order. The Knights were responsible for protecting pilgrims and safeguarding holy sites, and had taken vows of poverty. But they set these duties aside and began behaving in accordance with their true objectives.
Throughout this period, the Knights Templar established 53 headquarters in different regions, and also constructed a large fleet of ships, established private relations with the local inhabitants, and engaged in commerce and exchanges of information. 18 However, they did not do so in order to serve Christianity, as they maintained, but for the sake of their own worldly interests. They turned the Mediterranean region into a privileged commercial centre exclusively for themselves, and obtained large sources of income through their trade with Europe and the money they extorted from the region. It has been estimated that the annual revenue from Acre Castle alone was 50,000 pounds of silver-more than the entire revenue of the king of England at the time. 19
The Knights Hospitaller
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The Templars were unwilling to have such a comfortable and profitable order disrupted, and so took great care to avoid two eventualities. The most important of the start of any war that might close down their sources of revenue, cause them to lose the goods and money they had acquired and endanger their own lives. For that reason, although the Templars were oppressive and aggressive enough, they did all in their considerable power to prevent the outbreak of war, simply because this would conflict with their own interests.
The second danger was that the region's commercial opportunities in their possession might fall into the hands of different kings or rival orders, particularly the Hospitallers.
The Templars, masters of intrigue, frequently resorted to it in their competition with other orders. Their greatest advantage lay in the support they received from the Church, but in order for the Vatican's support to continue, they had to behave in accord with the Church's interests. In other words, they had to exhibit a martial nature as well as devotion to the Pope. Donations and alms flowed into their coffers in return for the supposed protection they provided and the role they presumed to play. In addition, they also managed to avoid any other responsibilities by declaring that their task was to protect the Holy Land. They were thus able to devote all their time to their own plans, without scrutiny or argument from outsiders.
However, this state of affairs did not escape everyone's notice. Following complaints, Pope Gregory IX warned the order's Grand Master:
. . . that your chief aim is to increase your holdings in the lands of the faithful, when it should be to pry from the hands of the infidel the lands consecrated to the blood of Christ. 20
It soon emerged that the Templars’ actual objective was to make money rather than to protect the Holy Lands.
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Despite such occasional papal warnings, the Templars continued to increase their power and privileges, due to their various powerful mutual relationships of interest that had begun with Saint Bernard and continued with various senior Church figures, cardinals and clergy.
At this time, the secret collaboration between certain circles inside the Church and the Templars was also continuing. King Louis IX of France's departure for the Crusades gravely displeased the Templars, who were concerned about damages to the commercial relations they had established, about the king gaining influence in the Holy Lands, and the uncovering of their covert activities. The Templars' fear was not groundless.
In 1248, the Templar Grand Master, who had been insisting on his own policies and offered a deal instead of war, was warned in very harsh language and told to take no action without royal permission. 21
Naturally, the Templars were keen to avoid war-not because they were tolerant people or out of a love of Muslims, but in order to protect their own property, prestige, and fortunes. It was entirely within their natures to turn against the Muslims if that was what their interests demanded. In fact, the Templars found themselves unwillingly obliged to embark on a war in which they would likely suffer a terrible defeat, for the sake of protecting their own positions. The Templars' efforts to prevent the outbreak of war greatly angered the king's brother Robert, commander-in-chief of the army. Robert criticized the order, saying that he could win the war so long as he was not prevented by the Templar, who had been using the Crusades for their own ends-and that even if he captured Egypt, remaining in sole charge of lands from which the order obtained such considerable revenues would be a very difficult problem.
Army commander-in-chief Robert, the brother of the king
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Robert's verdict regarding the Templars was unequivocal: "What could be more reliable than Roman Emperor Frederick II, who has experience of their falsity, bearing witness against them?"
Just as the order did not limit itself to political stratagems in order to protect its own interests, it did not hesitate to wage bloody fights against Christians when necessary, despite there being a total prohibition on harming people with whom they shared the same faith. The order that fought against Frederick II in Sicily also fought against King Bohemond of Tripoli in the Holy Lands. This event is described in historical records:
". . . This was the beginning of a great war between the prince and the Temple, from which much evil arose." 22
The Knights also took part in the war between the houses of Anjou and Aragon, and supported the king of England in his war against the king of Scotland. 23
As you can see from these examples, the Templars' true nature had appeared long before the trials in France. The European aristocracy that spent fortunes for the sake of such supposedly sacred objectives as the protection of the Holy Lands realised very early on that all those endeavours had been brought to naught by the Templars, who had used them for their own ends. However, various reasons-such as relationships of mutual interest, events befalling Frederick II, the influence of the Church and the support given to the order by the people-had prevented definitive measures being taken.
As all these political intrigues continued, the presence of the Crusaders in the Holy Lands gradually began to wane. First, the Muslims retook Jerusalem. Acre was the last in a succession of losses. Major defeats and the loss of the Holy Lands were a turning point and effected a huge shock effect in Europe, where all political balances were cast into turmoil. As the facts slowly became apparent during this time, the confidence that had been felt in the Knights was replaced by anger. People now began gossiping about the Templar frauds committed behind closed doors, their perversions and relationships based on mutual interests, and the Templars lost a great deal of prestige. These developments led to the kind of popular climate that King Philippe IV of France had been waiting for, and he finally moved against the Templars.
The French King’s Success
The present appearance of Acre Castle
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King Philippe was not the first to perceive what a threat the Templars actually represented. Shortly after its foundation, the order had drawn criticism from various sections of society, but had always managed to neutralize it. The ordinary people tired of the ruthless methods employed by the Templars. The soldiers and army commanders who had served with them in the Holy Lands, kings and nobles who had been caught in their commercial webs, and truly devout religious figures who had witnessed their hypocrisy all expressed their complaints and tried to take measures against this dark order. However, the fact that the Templars had their supporters inside the Church, the greatest political power of the time, had always prevented the necessary measures being taken.
King Frederick II had accurately identified the Templars' future plans and realized the scale of the potential danger. He enjoyed some measure of success against them, despite the campaigns waged against him and the threats from certain figures inside the Church. But the lethal blow, which the Templars had not been expecting, came from the French King, Philippe IV.
In the wake of the loss of the Holy Lands, major changes took place in Europe. Blame for the loss was placed at the Church's door and that institution, having had lost a large measure of respect, had become open to political exploitation. Various powers made plans to establish their own dominion over the damaged organization, and did all in their power to have a Pope elected who would protect their own particular interests. In this chaotic political climate, the Templars lost much of the patronage they had enjoyed. The whispered complaints against them from ordinary people and rulers began to be expressed more loudly. The Order's perversions and crimes were now being openly discussed, and rulers were openly joining forces against it.
The Templars in the Holy Lands first lost Jerusalem, and Acre Castle finally fell into Muslim hands. Here, Acre Castle is being recaptured by the Templars.
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The Templars, concentrated in France in particular, had spread widely through the lands and properties they had acquired and ruthlessly exploited the kingdom. The order, which had acted as the kingdom's treasurer for many years, collecting taxes and operating like a kind of finance ministry, had managed to acquire enormous wealth, and had come to represent a second monarchy, one even wealthier than the kingdom of France itself.
Philip IV prepared the groundwork by collecting all the widespread allegations about the Templars and ensuring their arrest.
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Their headquarters in Paris was the most important treasury, containing the wealth of both the state and the Order: the Knights' treasury was also the royal treasury. All the kingdom of France's finances had thus come under Templar control.
Philip III attempted to halt them but failed, and the Knights were able to continue their activities. Philip IV, who ascended to the French throne after him, also realised the seriousness of the situation. The king, aware of what had been happening ever since the days of Frederick II, considered that temporary measures and simple sanctions would not be sufficient to halt the order, and instead set in motion a permanent solution.
First of all, he established connections with the Church, the source of Templar immunity, and attempted to establish control over self-interest groups as well as Pope Boniface VIII, who had claimed that the papacy enjoyed a superior status to that of kings. Boniface therefore expended all his energies struggling against the rulers of the time, particularly the French king. Following a long campaign and much political intrigue, Philip managed to have Clement V, a more pliable individual, elected as pope to replace Boniface. And then, the protective armour that had hitherto surrounded the Templars began to lift.
In the second phase of his plan, Philip collected all the various accusations against the Templars being bruited about and prepared the groundwork for their arrest:
Boniface VIII, who reigned as pope during the reign of Philip IV of France.
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The king admitted that at first he had doubted the truth of the accusations, because he felt that informers of this kind and carriers of rumours so unfortunate might have been acting more from 'the malice of envy, or the stirring of hatred, or the roots of cupidity, than from fervour of the faith, zeal for justice, or the compassion of charity. But so great was the accumulation of accusations and so probable did the arguments put forward begin to appear, that violent presumption and suspicion was aroused. 24
Philip set about exposing the truth exposed by meeting with the Pope, as well as the country's most eminent lawyers, clergymen and nobles. Thus began the first and most comprehensive investigation into the Templars. Despite being under the influence of the French king, Clement V also had a major responsibility as head of his Church, which also contained a powerful group of cardinals, representatives of religious orders and representatives of various regional rulers in the Church. The majority of them were acting in consort with the Knights and protected them because of their close financial relations. Truly devout individuals, on the other hand, calculated that this time, the Vatican-which was rapidly losing public esteem in any case-, would suffer another heavy blow on account of the crimes committed by the Templars.
King Philip IV of France dealt the really fatal blow to the Templars
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The Pope found himself in a difficult position. On the one hand, he was unwilling to sacrifice this great power in his hands, in other words the Templars, while on the other hand, he was wondering how to deal with the accusations being made against them. Yet at the same time, he also feared incurring the wrath of the French king. Looking for the easiest way of resolving this dilemma, the Pope recalled the Templar leader, Jacques de Molay, even though de Molay was involved in preparing for war on Cyprus, and charged him with investigating the accusations. This way, the Pope calculated that he might obtain a better position and thus spoil the French King's plans.
The Templars’ leader, Jacques de Molay
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In light of the continually developing situation and the means at the order's disposal, it can be seen that long beforehand, the Knights were well aware of the investigations and the French king's plans. But for various reasons, the Templars did not regard themselves as being at risk. Heading the list of these reasons was the rivalry between the Church and the monarchy: They firmly believed that the Church would protect them. In addition, the Church and France were not the Order's only source of support; they knew that in several countries, especially England, they possessed sufficient spiritual and material power. In short, they believed that in the wake of any investigation, matters would calm down and that they would be exonerated, and they believed that ultimately, they could defeat the king of France.
The Templars also possessed the wherewithal to flee their pursuers and escape to more secure locations. However, they were unwilling to surrender to hostile institutions the wide influence and enormous fortune they possessed in Europe. Indeed, the Order did not sit by idly before or during the trials, which lasted several years. It made preparations for all eventualities, transferring much of its men and assets to more secure regions, liquidated much of its real estate, and established the links necessary in order to maintain its existence in such countries as England and Portugal.
During their rituals, the Templars worshipped various idols, “Baphomet” being one, and animal figures they believed to possess supernatural powers, believing that they will gain world dominion in return.
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The Pope-or rather, the Church-was known by all to have supported the Templars right from the beginning. Now, the Vatican resorted to various ways of prolonging the court proceedings, such as instigating commissions of enquiry and investigations. However, Philip IV of France soon realised what was going on. He organized the arrest of the Templars and for obtaining important evidence and confessions right from the very first sessions. As a result of the lengthy investigations, the joint confessions from the members of the order were seen to be in accord with the legal charges, which were laid out as follows:
1. That the Templars hid their true beliefs from devout Christian brethren, and concealed their rites and meeting from them, who were generally among the lower ranks of the Order. Candidates for membership of the Order were first tested and indoctrinated, using a method that would later become customary in Freemasonry. A candidate who adopted their views and thus won the right to join this perverted order had by this point adopted a pagan, devil-worshipping religion. In this sense, the candidate is expected to deny Allah, Prophet 'Isa (as) and sacred matters (Allah is beyond this) and to adopt the perverted beliefs of the Knights. In addition, during and after the membership process a perverted ceremony known to the Church as "The kiss of shame" (Osculum infame) was administered to certain parts of the body.
2. Specific areas in castles constructed by the Templars had been specially designed for secret ceremonies. During these rites, they worshipped various idols and animal statues believed to possess extraordinary powers, and believed that thanks to these idols, they would obtain world dominion. These idols, which were mentioned in all the members' confessions, were described as a black cat and a statue of a devil known as "Baphomet." In addition, members of the order would also commit such disgusting acts as spitting on the cross, regarded as sacred in Christianity, and holy images.
3. The Templars did not perform Christian rites and ceremonies, and did not believe in them. In fact, they regarded the Church as an institution serving a religion to which they were hostile. The Grand Master or other brethren one rank lower were able to forgive the brethren's sins.
The papal bull “Vox in Excelso” issued by Pope Clement V on 22 March, 1312, officially disbanded the order and put an end to it.
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4. In line with their heretical teachings, the Knights encouraged and practiced homosexuality. During the investigations, it emerged that a large number of Knights had entered into such relationships, with many being forced to do so, and that Grand Master de Molay himself had several times engaged in such unnatural relationships.
5. The Templars regarded it as quite legitimate to resort to illegal means and to disobey the laws of the Church in order to increase their wealth and property.
When these claims, which the Church had hitherto preferred to regard as gossip, acquired such concrete form, the Pope stated that statements issued under torture might be unreliable and wanted to question the Templars himself in a special environment. However, this did nothing more than to confirm these claims still further. Indeed, when 72 Templars were once more questioned in the presence of the Pope, they swore to tell the truth and confirmed that their previous statements had been true. In other words, they confirmed that they had denied the Jesus, spat on the cross during membership rituals and committed "terrible and disgusting" acts, in the words employed in the Church records. They then fell to their knees and begged for forgiveness. This invalidated the counter-claim made against King Philip that he had "waged a campaign against the Templars for financial reasons, by way of false imputations." Moreover, it was realized that, contrary to the propaganda campaign being waged, the King, who accepted the transfer of the Templars' assets to the Church, had not eradicated the order for the sake of its money. 25 It was no longer possible for the Pope to hold out. Furthermore, the concerns that had condemned the Templars were now being turned against him, and popular gossip was starting to spread to the effect that the Pope had taken bribes and collaborated with heretics. 26
In 1312, the Council of Vienna proscribed the Templars all across Europe and punished those members who were caught, beginning with Grand Master Jacques de Molay.
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In conclusion, the Templars were proscribed all across Europe by order of the Council of Vienna in 1312, and those members who were caught were punished. The papal bull Vox in Excelso, issued by Pope Clement V on 22 March, 1312, formally put an end to the order by breaking it up:
" . . . Hark, a voice of the people from the city! A voice from the temple! The voice of the Lord rendering recompense to his enemies. The prophet is compelled to exclaim: Give them, Lord, a barren womb and dry breasts. Their worthlessness has been revealed because of their malice. Throw them out of your house, and let their roots dry up; let them not bear fruit, and let not this house be any more a stumbling block of bitterness or a thorn to hurt.
"A little while ago, about the time of our election as supreme pontiff before we came to Lyons for our coronation, and afterwards, both there and elsewhere we received secret intimations from the master, preceptors, and other brothers of the order of Knights Templar of Jerusalem and also against the order itself . . . Roman Church honoured these brothers and the order with her special support, armed them with the sign of the cross against Christ's enemies paid them the highest tributes of her respect, and strengthened them with various exemptions and privileges; and they experienced in many and various ways her help and that of all faithful Christians with repeated gifts of property. Therefore it was against the lord Jesus Christ himself that they fell into the sin of impious apostasy, the abominable vice of idolatry, the deadly crime of the Sodomites, and various heresies." 27
Under a second bull, Ad Providam, published on 2 May, 1312, all the properties and revenues belonging to the Templars were transferred to the Hospitallers. Thanks to this success of Philip's, the true nature of the Templars emerged, and the order was erased from history-albeit only on the surface. The sources of the revenue had been cut off. Thus, the irresistible rise of the Knights, now outlawed, was dealt a heavy blow. However, the effect of this blow was mainly felt in lands under French rule. In other countries the Templars merely changed their identity and survived without being subjected to any great pressure.
CHAPTER VI.
THE PERIOD OF RECONSTRUCTION
 At the time when King Philip IV of France set about eradicating the Templars, the order had assumed such a form that it was next to impossible to eradicate it entirely. The French courts had severed only one of the octopus's tentacles; the others were still alive. The Knights were subjected to no serious pressure or surveillance in other lands where they had maintained strong presence, such as Spain, Portugal, England, Germany, Rhodes and Cyprus. There were various reasons for this: Political rivalries with France, the belief that the Pope was under the influence of the French king, commercial and financial relations established by the Templars, conflict between different churches and sects-and most important of all, the preparations made by the Knights themselves-prevented the operation initiated by Philip and the Pope from having the same results in other countries.
The Knights had no difficulty in restructuring so as to compensate for the damage inflicted on them by France. Secrecy became a priority, and they adopted symbolism, secrecy and mystery in all their activities.
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Show trials exonerated those Knights who supposedly repented, and a large number survived by entering other orders. The Order was effectively found completely innocent in countries such as Germany and Hungary. However, they were not yet out of danger. Because even though the Church had lost considerable prestige, it was still a major political power. On the other hand, the Hospitallers, another influential order, were hastening to lay hands on the Templars' assets. In the light of the prevailing difficult conditions, the Templars decided to withdraw and go underground.
Thanks to the organization they had developed and reinforced over the years, the Knights had no difficulty in recovering from the heavy blow they had been dealt in France and in laying the groundwork for reconstruction. This was a new experience for the Order. After this, the element of secrecy became more important; they turned to inference, symbolism and occultism in all their activities, even in communications among themselves as they withdrew to continue their struggle.
To summarize the position of the Templars as they entered into this new process of reconstruction:
They were still the major financial power of the time. The Knights knew how to launder illegal funds and collaborate with usurers. Even if they had lost some of their estates and the privileges bestowed on them by the Church, they maintained their financial relations in countries apart from in France, and preserved their fortunes.
The Templars laid the foundations for the Rosicrucian Brotherhood in Germany.
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Many of the knights holding administrative rank and who were experts in their own particular fields were still at their posts. Losses of no more than 620 individuals in France had little impact on an order of 20,000, perhaps more-and the organisation was still thriving.
The order was not only the major financial power of the time, but was also highly organized in the fields of ship-building, trade, construction and mining, and was managing a highly experienced administrative team.
Thanks to their high rank, the Knights knew all the secrets of the state and the Church, and they used these in their own interests when necessary. Since they had retreated underground, they were now easily able to implement the techniques of extortion we examined in earlier chapters.
The Templars established Freemasonry in England.
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As you have seen, even if official Church documents portrayed the Templars as having been eliminated, they had actually survived with all their power intact. However, they had now assumed a more insidious, more secret, darker, more organized and more dangerous form. In earlier times, the Knights had been out in the open as a foe of Christianity, but now they had covered their tracks, assumed new characters and identities, and had begun plotting their revenge and planning to assume new power by establishing secret societies.
At this stage, the Templars adopted two different methods. The first was to continue their activities under a different identity, by remaining loyal to the Church and the monarchy, in those countries in which they were able to control political power such as Scotland, Portugal, Germany and the Netherlands. This would increase their power by providing them with commercial and political advantages.
This measure achieved a high level of success: In these countries, they elevated maritime trade and the exploitative activities based on it to the highest levels. Thanks to their exploitative companies they became a major power in European commerce. In particular, through stock market speculation around goods brought in from the colonies, the slave trade and piracy, they were able to enhance their wealth still further.
The second method employed by the Templars was to establish organizations that could serve as sources of new members, through which they could spread their ideology and in which they could conceal themselves without difficulty. With that aim in mind, they transformed the order into a powerful underground organization by laying the groundwork for the foundation of the Rosicrucians in Germany and Freemasonry in England.
CHAPTER VII
PORTUGAL: THE TEMPLAR KINGDOM
 In the wake of the events in France, the Templars now focused their activities in two areas, of which Portugal was the more significant. Although Scotland may appear to have been the Freemasonic homeland, Portugal represented the Templars' commercial base, source of revenue and headquarters.
In one sense, Portugal is a country that was actually founded by the Templars. The order had begun settling and becoming influential in the country ever since 1128, and had also began taking over the country's military and commercial strength. In 1128, Teresa of Portugal endowed the Knights with the region of Fonte Arcada, granting them privileges of all kinds there. In return, the Templars supported her expansion of her then-'weak country'. One portion of the lands occupied during this period of expansion were granted to the order. The Castle of Tomar, built in 1160 and surviving down to the present day, was the Order's headquarters in Portugal.
The Castle of Tomar, the Templars’ headquarters in Portugal
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The King Alfonso of Portugal had a particular interest in not just the Templars, but also in the Cistercian order. He corresponded with Saint Bernard and welcomed his monastic order with open arms. He had large monasteries and churches constructed and placed them, together with wide-ranging estates, under Cistercian control. As we saw earlier, Saint Bernard, one of the most powerful figures of the time when it came to matters of religion, was affiliated with the Cistercian order, which had very austere rules regarding poverty and solitude. It achieved renown as an honest and upright order inside the corrupt institution of the Church, and attracted many aristocrats into its ranks. Some of the Popes from this period had also been educated within the Cistercian order. 28
The Templar castle in Portugal
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In 1294, at the initiative of the Templars, the Treaty of Windsor was signed between England and Portugal, with the aim of bestowing large commercial and military power on both countries. The anti-Templar movement that had begun in France had had much less effect in Portugal. The Order was exonerated in Castille and in Portugal under the rule of King Denis, and was thus able to survive throughout the Iberian Peninsula. Nonetheless, there was still pressure on and opposition to the Order. The Knights therefore agreed on a plan with King Denis in order to rid themselves of that pressure and opposition. Under this joint plan, the Order would seem to disappear from view, but would actually be re-established under another name and affiliated to the Portuguese monarchy. This would prevent the assets of the Templars falling into the hands of the Church and permit the Knights to continue in existence.
Again thanks to this plan, the order would be affiliated to the king rather than to the Church. From that time forward, the Templars in Portugal changed their name to the Order of Christ. They would now be able to carry out their illegal activities under the protection of the king.
King Henry started the tradition of Portuguese kings also being Templar Grand Masters.
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Being under royal control represented a major advantage for the Knights, since they no longer needed to abide by the rules of the Church and could act with far greater freedom. Indeed, soon afterwards they gradually began abandoning the rules of their old Order. In addition, a large part of their revenue that was formerly made over to the Church now remained in the Templars' hands. Thus under royal protection, they came to constitute a freer, richer and more perverted sect:
Vasco de Gama was also a Templar.
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The Order of the Templars having been abolished in France by King Philip IV, its property confiscated, and the members persecuted and expelled with the sanction and authority of Pope Clement V; it was revived in Portugal, where it flourished under the name of the Knighthood of . Jesus Christ. 29
Despite the oppression they were subjected to in France, the Templars found a more liberal environment in Spain and Portugal under their new name and management, and began to expand upon these possibilities. Under these suitable conditions, Pope John XII recognised the Order of Christ in 1319, out of his desire to win the Templars back to the Church. The Order thus acquired the essential conditions to be able to spread itself throughout Spain, Italy, Germany and even its former homeland, France. The Church was unwilling to lose the Templars, who represented a major military, financial and logistical power, and was at the same time preparing for war against the Muslims in Spain. A simple ceremony of regret was sufficient for the Templars to return.
The Knights made over all their assets, including those in Tomar, to the Order of Christ, the grand mastership of which was given to Gil Martins, former Templar master in the Avis region. From then on, the Templars added to their wealth while also looking for new sources of revenue. Thanks to their seafaring knowledge and the connections they had established over hundreds of years, the Knights transformed Portugal into a major maritime power and established the infrastructure necessary for their own colonizing activities. These maritime activities accelerated still further under the reign of King Henry, known as the "Navigator." Henry, a Templar and a leader of the Order, began the tradition of Portuguese kings also being Templar masters. 30
The organization adopted the name “Freemasonry” because of its symbolic significance.
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From then on, Portugal-a small and newly established kingdom-became one of the most powerful nations of the time, effectively run by the Knights. Thanks to their colonialist activities, a huge colonial empire came into being, extending from Africa to India, China to Malaysia and from the Canary Islands to Brazil. Under the leadership of Templar explorers such as Vasco de Gama, new lands and new trade routes were discovered. And the knights acquired enormous wealth at the same time. 31
As an encouragement to further conquests and discoveries, they were finally promised, also, the independent possession (under, however, Portuguese protection), of all the countries which they might happen to discover." 32
The founding symbol of the London Grand Lodge
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The money in question was the illegitimate funds with which the order was so familiar. The Templars either killed or enslaved innocent, defenceless local populations, and then seized all the wealth of the area concerned, making money by selling these assets in Europe. The Knights had no qualms about engaging in the drugs trade, and so highly organized were they that they eventually established a crime cartel the like of which has seldom been seen since. In return for bribes, the Templars acquired the right to marry and own property, and thus laid the groundwork that the order desired:
While these foreign expeditions kept alive the military spirit of the order, its religious discipline was declining. Pope Alexander VI, in 1492, commuted the vow of celibacy to that of conjugal chastity, alleging the prevalence among the knights of a concubinage to which regular marriage would be far preferable. The order was becoming less monastic and more secular, and was taking on more and more the character of a royal institution. . .Brother Antonius of Lisbon, in attempting a reform, succeeded in bringing about the complete annihilation of religious life among the knights of the order. 33
The outside of the London Masonic Lodge
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Under these new reforms, the order became an organization whose free enterprise was known only to the rich and aristocrats: Its aim was to achieve commercial and political success, and to redraft the laws of the Church in a manner compatible with capitalism. (These ideas, whose essentials had emerged hundreds of years before in the Holy Lands, also determined the general intellectual framework of Freemasonry.)
Using their experience in Portugal, the Templars reached the peak of their power by adopting a capitalist lifestyle. At the same time, and particularly in the wake of the Reformation, the Knights-aware that the Church had been seriously weakened and had played a considerable role in this process-attached ever-greater importance to the relations they had established with royal institutions.
The Templars also observed that the knightly orders under the control of Church had been weakened along with it. At this point, they decided to set up an equivalent society with no religious image but which actually served the same function. They were thus able to maintain their commercial means and commercial/political relations by way of this new organization which functioned under the supervision of aristocrats and to spread their ideology with even greater ease.
This organization, whose foundations were laid in England, adopted the name of "Freemasonry" and represented one of the most influential and dangerous powers to survive down to the present day.
CHAPTER VIII.
TEMPLAR-MASONIC BRETHREN
 The Templars who had fled from France had little difficulty in finding themselves a secure refuge. Simply by changing their name, in fact, they continued their activities from exactly where they had left off in almost all of Europe, with the exception of France. They encountered no difficulties in matters of trade. And by infiltrating the professional guilds, the most important trade bodies of the time, they even acquired a new power base.
In any case, the Knights had been collaborating closely with the guilds, which was a requirement of their business affairs for many years. The Order had played a major role in establishing and developing guilds, back when they were engaged in construction, commerce, animal husbandry and agriculture. Thanks to the collaboration and organization among the guild members, they would enjoy a monopoly in a particular sphere in a given region, would set prices and ensure various advantages for themselves and others. For example, wool producers would set up a guild and produce and sell the wool produced in that local region. Thus in a very short space of time, their power grew and they became a monopoly controlling an even larger area.
The guilds also contributed to the administrations of the towns and cities in which they were active, in proportion to their financial strength. In particular, from the 13th century onwards, guild members rose to occupy important positions in society, and guild membership imparted social status:
The Guilds is a regional monopoly that has an absolute authority over the quality, amount and cost of production. They got the most powerful financial and political positions for their own members in the cities, in the last period of the Middle Ages. 34
The Knights who fled from France regarded the stonemasons’ lodges as best suited to their adoption.
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By the 13th century, the merchant guilds of Western Europe were officially recognized by many town governments, comprising, as they did, the wealthiest and most influential citizens in many towns and cities. In the larger towns, a Guildhall would often be provided by the merchants' guilds. They became intimately involved in regulating and protecting their members' interests, both in long-distance trade and local town business. Guilds came to control the distribution and sale of food, cloth, and other staple goods, and so often gained a powerful monopoly. 35
With the experience and knowledge they had acquired in such industries as trade, construction and manufacturing, the still outlawed Templars rose to the very highest positions as master artisans, easily infiltrating such guilds. The guilds afforded the Knights the opportunity both to protect and reinforce whatever organizations they liked. In this way, an organization that sought to eradicate the king of France was able to resuscitate itself by maintaining its links with brethren settled in other countries.
At this time, the Knights turned their attention to England after Portugal. There were a number of reasons why: the first being that, after France, England was the country where the order had been best organized, best known and able to act with the greatest freedom. Second, the Knights enjoyed familial links with many nobles in England and benefited from their protection. Third, the persecution and repression in France had never taken place in England, and the order's crimes had been covered up. Finally, the Scottish King Robert the Bruce, who did not recognise the authority of the Catholic Church, opened his doors to the Knights and supported them in all matters. The Knights also gave Bruce their own backing and found a homeland in which they would survive safely for the next 300 years.
England's true importance in terms of Templar history, however, was that in that country, the transition to Freemasonry began:
The emblem of the York Rite is a combination of that of the Knights and the stonemasons’ original York Rite.
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The Templar banking system became the foundation of the banking system that had been developed throughout the Renaissance. The Knights who did not reappear as a religious institution after being removed got united with the York Rite of the Masonry. 36
As already described, as the Knights made their bid for world domination, there were two areas of particular importance: The first was to achieve financial power using various methods, because financial strength would bring with it dominion. A second issue, no less important, was to spread their heretical ideas by finding new members for the Order. Using their investments and experience in the commercial sphere, the Knights had been easily able to find new members for the headquarters that they established under the Church's protection. When this was eliminated, the Templars stepped up their efforts to find new sources of members. At this point, they settled on the trade guilds as offering the possibilities they were looking for.
The Knights developed the esoteric beliefs they learned in the Holy Lands from the teachings of the Kabbalah, which had its origins in ancient Egyptian mysteries, Pythagoreanism and Jewish mysticism. According to this superstitious belief, various numbers, geometrical shapes, symbols and spells were able to control supernatural events.
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Among the various guilds, the Knights identified the stonemasons' guilds as best suited to their purposes. There were various reasons for this, the most important being the esoteric beliefs the Knights had acquired in the Holy Land. According to the mystical beliefs originating from the Kabbalah, the foundation of the ancient Egyptian mysteries, Pythagoreanism and Jewish mysticism, various numbers, geometrical shapes, symbols and totems were thought to have the power to control natural phenomena. The Templars even believed that these formulae had been employed by Master Hiram and large numbers of stonemasons in the construction of the Temple of Solomon.
On the basis of these ideas they had come by in the Holy Land, the Knights used secret geometrical formulae, geometrical shapes and numerical formulae and symbols in the castles they constructed, Tomar Castle in particular. They possessed the superstitious belief that various dark forces would assist them in their plans for world domination. The accumulation of all these beliefs led them to look in the direction of the masonic guilds.
This process is described as follows in the Freemasons' own historical sources:
The Templars began constructing Byzantine-style churches in Paris, London and many other European cities. The knights then installed themselves in these “commanderies,” which promulgated the essence of Freemasonry.
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The Knights Templars pledged to give such a freedom to the construction workers and all masons they encouraged by benefiting from the spiritual and physical freedom they had in their own sects. The only requirement was to have those who applied do an occupational test and have them accepted. Besides, they were giving a pledge to be loyal to their masters and their occupations. When the news was spread throughout the Europe saying that the masons could work freely for Kingdom of Jerusalem, a great rush started towards the holy lands. The number of their families who settled there increased. The corpses of those who died were buried together with that of the Knights. Masons who spend their daily life with the Knights got their occupational and philosophical initiation from them. When the second Crusade ended, many Europeans were sent back to their countries. The Templars sustained their facilities in Jerusalem, settled down in Europe and started building Byzantine-style churches in Paris, London, Segovia and in many other European cities. Commanderies of the Knights settled down those places. The Commander of the temple in London had the church in Fleet Street built by the masons he brought from Jerusalem and those formed the core of the freemasons in London. The most important Templar facility was certainly in Paris. This facility got all the spiritual and physical exemptions given by the French King, Louis VI. All the masons working here got the privileges of freemasons. . . . Meanwhile, during the process of burning the Grand Master, it was rumoured that many freemasons wanted to come to his rescue but as they were disarmed, they were burned in the same place as well. It is not known what happened to 30- 40,000 Knights Templar and the freemasons working with them. It is said that those hidden in the freemasons lodge under their control and ran away from France to England. A part of these founded the Kilwinning lodge of freemasonry in Scotland. It is said that this lodge is registered in the matricule of Scottish lodge as number 0. Under the disguise of freemasonry, the Templars Order was founded again and had the patronage of Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland. This patronage continued being sustained by Stuarts, as well. 37
The same process is described in these terms in a journal published by the Masonic Order:
The Templars had no great difficulty in taking over the masonic guilds they regarded as similar to their own system or in imposing on them their own philosophy, beliefs and rituals.
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Some Templars disguise themselves as masons and save their lives by being among them. Some use Laissez passers [documents permitting free passage] given to masons in order to go abroad. A group of Templiers joins the sects of Caltrava, Alcantara, Saint Jacques de l'Epée by going to Spain and the other group goes to Portuguese and transforms into l'Ordre du Christ. Another group goes to Roman-German Empire and joins Teutonic Knights. A large group of them gets attached to Hospitallers. Templiers in England are arrested and interrogated during the sequence of this event, but soon they are released. Moreover, in some countries no transaction has taken place.
Templars are seemed to be drawn back from the stage of history by 1804, that's to say until Bernard-Raymond Fabre-Palabrat becomes the Grand Master of the order again. What this person coincidentally discovered in 1814 is very interesting. In 1814, he sees a manuscript in the tables of a second-hand bookseller by the river Seine in Paris. In Greek manuscript, there is a commentary on the Gospel of John. The book lacks the last two sections. Instead, there are some explanations divided with the triangles. Then, after examining these parts, he notices that this is a list including all the grand masters of Templiers from the fifth Grand Master Bertrand de Blanchefort (1154) to the 22nd Grand Master Jacques de Molay and from the 23rd Grand Master Larmenius de Jerusalem (1314) to Claude-Mathieu Radix de Chevillon (1792). It is assumed that Jacque de Molay bequeathed the position of grand mastery to Larmenius de Jerusalem. And this is a proof that shows the Templiers never truly disappeared. In fact, the Templiers are all freemasons in our day. 38
Churches, castles and the Templars’ secret meeting places were constructed by stonemasons registered with operative lodges. Likenesses of satan were scattered about among those of master stonemasons on the walls of churches.
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The Templars had no difficulty in securing the Masonic lodges and in having their philosophy, belief and rituals accepted. The classification done by the system of hierarchy as apprentice-fellow craftsman-master made it easy to last the tradition of keeping secrets about the craft and the so-called religiously symbolic links of the constructions eased the Knights' way. Shortly after, the guilds completely changed their identity and, rather than remaining strictly occupational became the Templars' headquarters where the dark thoughts were openly discussed and political conspiracies designed.
Works written by Masons devote many pages to the symbolic features of this historical union, whereas the darker sides inherited by Freemasonry from the Templars were kept hidden. One source states:
Le Forestier kept a close track of the subject, and his conclusions seem indisputable for our day. The first document that brings the subject to the situation stating that the Templars are the ancestors of masonry is a Strasbourg manuscript dated 1760 revealing their interest in mysterious teachings. This document reveals the true origin of the legend and shows the order's secrets were transferred from Jacque De Molay to contemporary Masonry. "According to Le Forestier, the influence of German Rose- Croix is certainly there; yet, those had no goals but to find a new way of interpretation to the Masonic tradition and secret in condition of accrediting secrecy and particular intimacy. [emphasis added] 39
A Masonic lodge constructed in the Gothic style (top). Masonic rituals bear such a close resemblance to those of the Templars as to have been clearly copied from them.
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Examination of the architectural style that emerged in the wake of the Crusaders' capture of Jerusalem reveals that the first planned church construction in Europe emerged in the Gothic style, an architectural conception unique to the Templars. In his book The Sign and the Seal, Graham Hancock states that Gothic architecture was born during the construction of the north tower of Chartres Cathedral, one of the most important Templar headquarters.
The most important feature of Gothic architecture was the intensive use of Kabbalistic symbols, unique to the Templars, in buildings erected in this particular style.
With the Grand Master of the Temple also being a Masonic Grand Master, a gradual progression began from practical masonry to speculative masonry. Practical masonry was a professional organisation for stonemasons. Churches, castles and the secret meeting places of the Templars had been built by masons enrolled in practical guilds. After a particular process, however, symbols and mysteries-or rather, the perverted teachings and rituals of the Templars-began to dominate the lodges. In the wake of this process, masonic guilds ceased being professional organizations and became the secret organisation of the Templars. These new lodges went by the name of "speculative masonry." They no longer belonged to stonemasons, but became places where senior administrators, nobles and wealthy merchants were brought together by the Templars to further their own objectives.
The emblem of the Scottish Rite
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In addition, although other professions had headquarters in Paris, the fact that the masons had no separate headquarters and that they used the same base as the Templars is particularly noteworthy in terms of the close proximity between the two institutions. When the Templars were proscribed by the papal edict of 1312, the masons also lost their right to freedom of movement. For that reason, the masons in France fled to Germany, where the Gothic architectural style suddenly reached its peak. The operating masonic lodges where those Templars able to escape from France sought refuge gradually turned into centres of speculative masonry.
The Templars also shared the rules of the masons. As we have tried to make clear, the order of the Temple and the guild of masons, living side by side for two centuries, had a great influence on one another. Indeed, the rituals of the masons are so similar to those of the Templars that one can say they have been copied. It is therefore clear that the Masonic esotericism that the masons equated with the Templars and that actually appeared to be quite independent on the surface was actually a Templar legacy.
The lodges that fell into the hands of the Templars began being reconstructed and turned into shelters for a secret society. The Knights adapted masonic lodges to their own perverted teachings, organizational structure and symbols, and their devilish rituals and symbols became known as the Masonic Rite. The Scottish Rite, the oldest branch of Freemasonry, was first established by Templars seeking refuge in Scotland in the early 14th century and constituted a model for other local lodges.
Indeed, the names given to the highest officials of the Scottish Rite are titles given to Knights in the order of the Temple many centuries before. This tradition survives today. Baron Karl von Hund, one of the leading Freemasons of the 18th century, carried out a detailed study of the Scottish Rite and the Knights Templar, and described the Scottish Rite as the "restoration" of the Templars:
Baron Karl von Hund performed a detailed study of the Scottish Rite and the Knights Templar, and described the Scottish Rite as the “restoration” of the Templars.
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Moreover, according to the Masonic tradition, the Templars and the mason lodges of the time had certainly made a deal. . . Later on, they got themselves secured under the protection of Robert the Bruce, and seven years later they fought under his flag in Bannockburn against Edward II who removed the order in England. After this war, it was said that Robert the Bruce had founded the royal orders called H.R.M (Heredom) and R.S.Y.C.S (Rose Cross) knights . . . In 1314, it was indicated that Robert the Bruce brought the Templars, H.R.M Royal Order and the mason lodges (who were in his army) and combined them into one force in the famous Kilwinning Lodge to which Heredom name is added and is the true center of the order, founded in 1286. Scotland is basically the homeland of the operative masonry. When it's considered what the talents of the Templars contributed in terms of construction, what could be more natural than the union of the two groups? . . . A fertile union between the professional lodge of the medieval stone-masters and a secret group with the talents of sorcery. . .
In Lexicon of Freemasonry, a book by a high-ranking Mason, Lawrie mentions the situation, "We know that the Knight Templars not only possessed the mysteries, but performed the ceremonies, and inculcated the duties of Freemasons." 40
The Scottish Rite established by the Templars continued with few changes and formed the foundation of modern Freemasonry. The symbols, degrees, rituals and, most important of all, the aim of the organization, had become an unalterable tradition in Scotland. Despite its subsequent spread across the world and dividing into a number of branches, Freemasonry's fundamental Templar philosophy did not alter, the only changes being procedural adaptations in line with day-to-day developments: ". . . Among the most important movements that inherited the heir of the Scottish Rite was 'Strict Observance' Rite formed by von Hund. The name of its highest status was the 'Professed Knight,' and soon it managed to spread all around the Europe." 41
The basic Templar philosophy of Freemasonry never changed, the only adaptations being to the methodology, in line with day-to-day developments.The picture shows a Freemason member of the Templar “Strict Observance” Rite.
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As these examples show, the Knights had acquired two important weapons. On the one hand, as in the case of Portugal, they had acquired a broad range of financial means, allowing them freedom of movement, while on the other, they had established a powerful organization to disseminate and implement their ideology.
We can grasp what the Knights, under their new guise as Masons, were planning by summarising the Templar philosophy examined this far. The first and most important element is the Templars' hostility to religion, because Templar-Masonic philosophy is absolutely incompatible with religious moral values.
The Templars regarded religious morality as the principal obstacle to spreading their twisted philosophy across the world, for which reason they struggled to eliminate it. Their plan was obvious: material and spiritual hegemony and the eradication of any obstacles in their path. However, the Templars were also aware that this was no easy matter and that it would take a long time to put into practice. They planned their strategies accordingly.
But in fact, no matter what the deceptive orders and snares of the deniers-the Templars included-may be and no matter how sound they may appear, they are nevertheless doomed to failure. Allah reveals this in the Qur'an:
They hatched a plot and We hatched a plot while they were not aware. So look at the end result of all their plotting; We utterly destroyed them and their whole people! These are the ruins of their houses because of the wrong they did. There is certainly a Sign in that for people with knowledge. We rescued those who believed and who had fear of Allah. (Surat an-Naml, 50-53)
Allah also reveals that the unbelievers will be hoist by their own petard:
Or do they desire to dupe you? But the duped ones are those who do not believe. Or do they have some god other than Allah? Glory be to Allah above any idol they propose! (Surat at-Tur, 42-43)
Templar Philosophy, Masonic Action
Until the Masonic lodges became an influential force-that is, throughout the 300 years until the 18th century-the Templars concentrated on organizing against the Church and focusing on their commercial activities. Their colonial activities that reached a peak in Portugal led to the birth of the giant dominions named the East India Company and the West India Company. The stock issued by both of these companies became a major source of revenue. Following Portugal, England and Spain, countries such as the Netherlands, France, Italy and Germany also turned in the direction of colonialism and began to determine the capitalist structure of Europe.
During that same period, the Templars' banking activities and Jewish usurers began combining into banking institutions. The Netherlands and England became the centres of their financial activities. The Templars emerged as both wealthy merchants and bankers, influential noblemen in royal courts and also politicians with their hands on the public pulse in local lodges. As a result of long years of wars of religion, the Christian world had become fragmented with the formation of various Protestant sects, and the absolute dominion of the Catholic Church had come to an end. The Church had lost its control over Northern nations, particularly those in which Protestantism was influential, and had become an institution that attracted widespread public criticism.
The Templar-Masonic organization has made enormous efforts to bring under its control the main branches of science, especially biology, medicine and engineering, as is also the case in social and political spheres, and has attempted to use distorted materialist comments to give the impression that science is supposedly opposed to religion. As symbolized by the case of Galileo, the error of thinking that religion and therefore the Church, are opposed to science became widespread all over Europe, and resulted in the false idea that science belongs only to atheists. This erroneous idea spread even more widely in subsequent years and was frequently employed by materialist movements.
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Because of their new denominational perspectives, these countries played a significant role in the installation of capitalist-materialist philosophy, which the Church had previously condemned as being incompatible with religious moral values. In particular, the relaxation of restrictions on charging interest had a trigger effect on these activities.
These conditions led to a strengthening of anti-religious movements, on which the Templars had no difficulty in imposing their own twisted philosophies. Most people's lifestyles and world views also altered, together with the development of this capitalist mentality. Templar-Masonic circles attempted to wear down Church institutions, indoctrinating people with the idea that they should work solely for gain in this world and not in accord with the idea that they would have to account for their deeds in the Hereafter. People were thus encouraged to behave irresponsibly, to think of themselves alone, and that they had no need of affection, compassion and solidarity. Men of letters, philosophers and statesmen belonging to these same shadowy groups strongly supported this conception.
Those with philosophies hostile to organized religion's moral values emerging from the lodges soon became a political force capable of triggering such major events as the French Revolution. The common foundation of these activities was the way that people were encouraged to turn away from religious virtues and to live entirely worldly lives. Yet this situation was highly dangerous. The scale of the danger represented by people turning their backs on religious morality would be better understood in the light of later events.
The Committee of Union and Progress that wreaked such devastation on Turkey and was founded in Masonic lodges was set in motion with the same ideals, and resorted to all possible means to impose Templar-Masonic philosophy on the country.
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As you saw in previous chapters, the Templars regarded magic and sorcery as a means of acquiring power. In line with the primitive beliefs of the time, they believed that wealth could easily be obtained by the use of such methods. However, long years of study in magic and alchemy had failed to produce the power they desired. With the Industrial Revolution and the changes brought about by technological progress, magic and mystery were replaced by science and technology. The Templars also adapted to this alteration, and began employing science instead of outdated methods such as alchemy for their own ideological purposes. As in the political and social spheres, the Templar-Masonic organization made great efforts to infiltrate all branches of science-biology, medicine and engineering in particular-and sought, by the use of capitalist interpretations of it, to place science in a framework in which it would supposedly be opposed to religion.
Templar-Masonic circles played a major role behind the widespread intellectual acceptance of materialist and evolutionist world views over the past two centuries. There are important reasons for their success in this sphere.
The first is the anti-clerical movement espoused by the public in the face of the conservative, dogmatic, oppressive attitude of the Catholic Church of the time.
The error expressed in the words, The Church, and therefore religion, is opposed to science, symbolised by the case of Galileo, spread widely, resulting in the unrealistic view that science is the domain of atheists. Spreading even more widely during the years that followed, it became an imaginary claim repeated by materialist circles.
The second reason was the way that atheist views, advanced by secularist philosophers, scientists and thinkers who agreed with the Templar mindset, were depicted to the ignorant public as facts demonstrated by science. All these factors, together with the backing from the order, led to materialist thinking coming to dominate the world of science. The Templars thus developed a new method to employ in their atheistic endeavours and began distorting science and employing deceptive methods in its name in order to turn the public away from religious moral values.
By using the local operative lodges established by craftsmen, the Templars had made of them a base for their own secret ideological endeavours and initiated their first activities aimed against religious moral values by using these lodges as a smoke screen. They ensured comprehensive support for movements opposed to the Church in countries such as Germany, Belgium and England in particular. These provocative actions bore fruit in a very short time, and wars of religion rocked all of Europe in the post-Reformation period.
During the time of these ruthless wars, the Templars enjoyed a climate in which religious unity was fragmented, inflicting serious damage to the political and social status of the Church, and in which they could easily put their own materialist objectives into action. Many events that took place during this period began the process in which ordinary people began turning their backs on religion.
The second great measure taken by the Templars indicates how influential the Masons had become. As certain spheres of activity came to the fore as a result of alterations in the social structure, doctors, lawyers, military figures and local politicians began working together in the lodges.
Political developments had now become able to be shaped by these people in the lodges. At exactly this time, the Templar-Masonic brotherhood organised the French Revolution:
In 1717, Accepted Masons working in the operative Masonic lodges decided to found an institution to provide them tolerance and freethinking in the religious political and intellectual environment of the 18th century. This organization took its traditions, signs and rituals from the institutions like masonry, Rosicrucians, Templars that were the secret institutions of its time; and they took their way of thinking from the idea of freethinking which was started and spread in England in 17th and 18th century. 42
The French Revolution was both a kind of revenge taken by the Templars on the king of France, and also the beginning of a method they would also employ in subsequent years.
Seeing that the Revolution happened in a very short space of time and had had a widespread and powerful effect, the Templars rapidly went into action in other countries as well. The Templar-Masonic mindset that came to power with the French Revolution and the overthrow of the king also constituted an unfortunate role model, the weakening of the Church and the spread of materialist thinking, first in Europe and then in the Balkans and subsequently in America. Revolutions followed one after the other, and the Church and those institutions supporting it suffered rapid and major defeats. The injuries done by the Templar-Masons to the Ottoman Empire also began at this time, and grew even stronger in the years that followed.
The Masons first organised themselves in the Balkans, inciting the local inhabitants against the Ottomans. Before too long, the Ottoman Empire had fragmented and collapsed. The Committee of Union and Progress (The Young Turks Revolution) established in Masonic lodges and which inflicted such harm on Turkey was set in motion by the same ideals, and was another means by which Templar-Masonic philosophy was brought to Turkey. In its edition of 20 August, 1908, the Paris-based newspaper Le Temps contained information from an interview with two important members of the group in Salonika, Refik Bey and Colonel Niyazi, that showed that Freemasonry was also influential in that movement:
The reporter carrying out the interview asked how much assistance the Committee of Union and Progress movement had received from Freemasonry between 1905 and 1908 and how much it had been influenced by it. The answer is an interesting one and may be summarised as follows: "Freemasonry, particularly Italian Freemasonry, gave us moral support. Various lodges were active in Salonika. Italian lodges helped the Committee of Union and Progress and protected us. Since the majority of us were Masons, we met in the lodges in order to organize. We generally tried to select our membership from the lodges. Istanbul began having suspicions about what we were doing in the lodges and managed to infiltrate a few agents into them. . . .". 43
The great Turkish leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk held the most accurate views regarding the Masonic lodges. Following the foundation of the Turkish Republic, Ataturk realised that the Masons were attempting to take over the Republican People's Party (CHP), and closed them down in 1935. However, the closure of the lodges did not put an end to the Masons' activities. Like their forebears the Templars, the organisation withdrew underground, and soon afterwards again began making its presence felt and having an influence in Turkish politics and the Turkish economy. That influence has persisted to the present day and has again made its presence felt recently by frequent appearances in the media.
All this goes to show that that in Turkey, as in the rest of the world, the Knights of the Temple are an active and organized force. They have found a home in a great many official and unofficial institutions and bodies, and even though its members may conceal themselves, their aims and the methods they employ are plain to see. The aim of the members of this shadowy organization is to do away with true Muslims who support national and spiritual values, who love and protect their country, and who call on others to believe in Allah and live by the moral values of the Qur'an, through the use of all forms of intimidation, provocation, slander and character assassination.
They dream of ruling the Turkish nation, which they regard as a major obstacle to their satanic work and objective of shattering national unity by weakening, in a manner that they desire, the various components that make up that religious nation. Muslim Turkey has been the target of such intrigues throughout the course of history, although such endeavours have always ended in failure.
Neither will it be possible for such devilish plans, snares and plots to achieve any success in the future. Because the great Turkish nation has sufficient faith, strength and intelligence to unravel such detestable schemes and turn them against their inventors. So long as the nation remains true to its essence and values, neither the Templars, nor the Freemasons nor any other axis of evil will ever be able to do any harm to its children!
The Turkish nation, which possesses its own conscience, will always strive with all its might to bring the Masons and Templars to the true path, and will eradicate evil by way of love, peace and tolerance. It is also clear that the Masons will not always remain fixed in their wicked ways, once they realize the damage the unholy alliance of which they are a part has inflicted on the world. They, too, will join the alliance of the good, which strives to replace corruption with love and toleration, and degeneration with moral virtue, and will work together for a better world.
Conclusion
As you have seen throughout this book, the Templars invented the first capitalist institutions in Europe. It was they who made a terrible weapon out of commerce and capital. At the end of the day, making money is the fundamental rule of the perverted belief system they have founded. The brethren, who recognise no laws or rules, conscience or virtue, made all possible forms of illegitimate methods a part of the commercial world.
The Templars stopped at nothing, from colonialism to looting, from speculation to bribery, and laid the foundations for organizations along the lines that the mafia would later adopt. The members of the order used their murky fortunes in order to eliminate religious morality, which they regarded as the most serious obstacle in their path, and had no difficulty in finding supporters, thanks to their economic strength.
These activities, which have continued ever since the 12th century, have reached a peak in our own day. Having achieved what they wanted in a great many Western countries, the Templars have for long been looking at those lands they have not as yet managed to lay hands on. The methods they employed in tearing Christianity apart were ineffective when it came to Islam. Their unholy indoctrination that calls upon mankind to live for this world alone will, by Allah's will, also have no effect on the Muslim Turkish nation.
Turkish-Muslim leaders in all periods of history, Ataturk in particular, have always foiled this order's cunning schemes, exposed their plots and engaged in an intellectual struggle against it. That struggle is continuing today: Honest, devout and patriotic people will always defeat the scheming of the Templar-Masons. They are also determined that their cunning foe will make no progress in the future, either. And by the will of our Lord, they will be successful in their intellectual struggle.
And that victory will be attained not through corruption, as is the case of those who organize wickedness and have done so for hundreds of years, but through moderation, love, justice, compassion and peace. This intellectual struggle based on the moral values of the Qur'an will spur the consciences of Masons and Templars, who are striving to establish a world order incompatible with religious moral values, and will eradicate this superstitious order.
Allah tells us of the final outcome of that struggle in Surat al-Anbiya':
We hurl the truth against falsehood and it cuts right through it and it vanishes clean away! . . . (Surat al-Anbiya', 18)
They said, "Glory be to You! We have no knowledge except what You have taught us. You are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise." (Surat al-Baqara, 32)
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To understand the Templars’ true identity and purpose and how they came about, one must go back to the time of the Crusades. Those who founded the order of the Templars were a group within the Crusader knights, who traveled and settled in Palestine with the excuse of “saving” and protecting the Holy Lands.
The Papacy of the time planned a combination of occupation and colonization, expecting to seize a good deal of the wealth of the East and thus, even more political power. As a result, the Vatican longed to attain an ultimate victory over its rivals in Europe, who were figures of temporal authority. But while doing so, the Church set aside the pacifism, humility, and non-violence which were the very fundamentals of Christianity and thus abandoned its own 1,000-year-old tradition.
