Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com – In 1307, a pivotal moment in history unfolded when Philip IV ordered the arrest of all Templars in France, including their leader, Jacques de Molay, who met a tragic end at the stake.
This event prompted Pope Clement V to launch an investigation into the charges against them. Under significant political pressure, he extended this order across Christian Europe, leading to widespread arrests and property seizures. In England, however, while many Knights were detained and tried, they were not found guilty.
The aftermath saw much of the Templar property outside France transferred to the Knights Hospitaller by papal decree. Many surviving Templars also found refuge within this order. Intriguingly, some priories reportedly continued clandestinely for centuries afterward. The possibility that the Templars persisted as an underground movement after 1314 remains a topic of debate and contemplation.
Despite their absorption into other orders and institutions like the Hospitallers, questions linger about what happened to tens of thousands of Templars across Europe—especially considering there were once 15,000 “Templar Houses” and an entire fleet at their disposal. In France alone, where hundreds faced arrest on that fateful day before Friday the 13th in October 1307 at La Rochelle port—a mere fraction compared to an estimated total population exceeding three thousand—their fleet mysteriously vanished overnight.
Some scholars have proposed the theory that small groups may have escaped to North America, but concrete evidence supporting these claims remains lacking. Nonetheless, there are intriguing findings that suggest one influential Knight Templar may have journeyed to North America with his men. If verified, this would indicate pre-Columbian contact and suggest that traces of such interactions remain unexplored today.
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See also:
Enigmatic Newport Tower – Built By The Vikings, Knights Templar, Freemasons Or Someone Else?
The Mysterious Books Of Prophecies Of The Knights Templar – Where Are They Hidden?
Strange Engraving Made By Knights Templar In French Village – Part 1 – 2
