WHERE DID THE Knights Templar SURVIVE?

It was the most powerful secret society in history, possessing inestimable treasure and knowledge that could have brought down kings and popes. During the 12th and 13th centuries the crusading order of the Knights Templar was the most potent European institution. But then the Templars were suddenly wiped out. Or were they? At dawn on Friday the 13th in October of 1307, elite soldiers of King Philip IV stormed the quarters of the Knights Templar in France. Around 600 of them were arrested, including their grand master, Jacques de Molay. Accusations included idol worship and sodomy. But that wasn’t the real reason for the arrests…

Established as a religious military order of knighthood in the early 12th century, the Templars soon owned property across Western Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Holy Land. They served as bankers to kings and pilgrims and wielded great financial power throughout Europe as well as in the Middle East. But their growth did not go unnoticed—or unenvied, and their financial and military power made them a threat to the pope and the established secular powers, most of whom were in the Templars’ debt. Historian Michael Haag (author of The Templars: The History and the Myth) believes that the early 13th century would have seen a transfer of power, from traditional kingdoms to mighty states ruled by the Knights. Through their coup against the Templars, King Philip IV and Pope Clement V were responding to this impending crisis. The king’s arrest warrant says, “God is not pleased. We have enemies of the faith in the kingdom.” Six weeks after the first wave of arrests, Pope Clement issued a papal bull ordering all Christian monarchs to arrest the Templars and seize their assets. The Knights were tortured, and many of them confessed and were burned at the stake as heretics, including de Molay. The Templars were finished, their treasures divided among kings and popes, and the old balance of power was restored. But was that really the end of the Knights Templar?

Some 90 miles northeast of Lisbon in the municipality of Tomar, Portugal, lies the Convent of Christ, a Templar stronghold during the 12th century. It became a refuge for Knights who survived the massacre of their order. By papal exemption, the Portuguese King Dinis put all the Templar Knights and possessions in Portugal under his personal protection. In 1319 Pope Clement’s successor, John XXII, had approved the Military Order of Christ, and the remaining treasures of the Knights Templar passed to the new order. As Portugal’s fortunes rose in the world, the Templars made a major comeback under their new name, once again becoming a great force to be reckoned with. They promoted navigation and the discovery of new lands and trade routes. Portugal’s Prince Henry the Navigator became grand master of the Order of Christ at age 26. To a large extent the Order financed his voyages of discovery, and his ships had a red cross on their sails—the emblem of the Templars. Henry sent key mariners to explore the western coast of Africa, and they discovered the Cape Verde Islands, Sierra Leone, and possibly the Ivory Coast. Under his influence Portugal became a naval power, giving the Templars access to the New World. Columbus reached the West Indies under the flag of the Order of Christ in 1492, Vasco da Gama set sail for India in 1497, and Pedro Álvares Cabral discovered Brazil in 1500. The Order lost its military prerogatives in Portugal in 1834 and soon suffered the same fate in Brazil. Some believe its treasures are still hidden in Tomar, but no excavations have been allowed.