http://www.templarhistory.com/history.html Addison's History of the Knights Templar We are pleased to make Charles G. Addison's 1842 edition of The History of the Knights Templar available to visitors to templarhistory.com. All 14 chapters, as well as the Preface and detailed Table of Contents are presented. Addison's History of the Knights Templar The Seal Of The Knights Templar Before looking at the seal that has become synonymous with the Knights Templar, it is important that we have an  understanding of the purpose of such seals. The most common way to show the authenticity of a document during the middle ages was to affix a seal to it. These seals were images carved  into a block, which, when pressed into warm wax, left behind an inverse image of the carving - working much like a modern photo negative does.  This seal identified the author of the document and was meant to stop people from forging or tampering with official documents and correspondences. In an age when even illiterate people needed to conduct business transactions, seals allowed a person to declare their agreement even if they could not sign their names. Ecclesiastical bodies, monarchs, individuals and even orders like the Templars each had their peculiar seals. Although one image would, in modern times, become synonymous with the order, there were in fact many seals used by the Templars throughout their two centuries of existence. However, it is but one seal, often  referred to as the 'traditional seal,' that has garnered the most attention and speculation. The traditional seal of the Knights Templar depicted two knights riding a single mount and was used by several Grand Masters over the Templars' 200 year history. As is the case with any symbol, the attached meaning can vary and great studies have been done into symbolism - perhaps most notably the eminent psychologist and occultist Carl Jung. The image of the two knights astride a single mount was said to represent their vow of poverty - the original members who founded the order being so poor that each knight could not afford his own horse. This seems to have been little more than a poetic tradition, for as early as the Council of Troyes, when the Latin Rule was composed an individual knight was permitted to have three horses and a Grand Master was permitted to own even more. Some have theorized that the dual knights riding a single mount was a  reference to the homosexuality that the knights were accused of practicing. This theory most certainly came into existence after the  accusations brought against the order during and after their arrest in 1307. There has been some thought that the Templar seal's two knights is neither a representation of the Templar's vows of poverty or alleged homosexual activities, but rather a representation of the duality or conflict that existed in the order: They were poor by vow, yet rich beyond belief (in their assets) They were introspective, yet well versed in the matters of the world They were monks on one hand, yet feared as warriors on the other Others have cited the Gospel of Matthew as the source of the seal's symbolic meaning claiming that the one knight represented a Templar while the other depicted Christ. This comes from the passage in Matthew  where Jesus Christ says: "Wherever two or more of you are gathered in My name, there am I, in the midst of them." The reverse of the traditional seal depicted the dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, although many have erroneously claimed that it is the Dome of the Rock. http://www.templarhistory.com/philip.html   Philip IV - 1268 - 1314 Philip "Le Bel" called Philip the Fair was born in the year 1268, 0ne hundred and fifty years after the formation of the Knights Templar and was King of France from 1285-1314. How could someone as corrupt as he, be called by the people, Philip the Fair? The term "The Fair" was a reference to Philip IV's good looks, being tall and handsome with long blonde hair and blue eyes. Philip Le Bel, in contrast to his pleasing looks, was a cold and secretive man who had strong wishes for France to be the head of the empire. In order to accomplish this plan he would need great financial resources (which the Templars possessed) and a week and subservient Papal Throne. Philip is well known for his battles with Boniface VIII (see chronology below) At one point Philip publicly burned Boniface VIII's Bull Unam Sanctam which gave the Pope absolute supremacy over everyone. There was, at the time of around 1305, a plan to unite all the religious fighting orders into one order called the Knights of Jerusalem. A plan, which Jacques de Molay was involved in but disapproved of, for fear that the other orders were not, as disciplined as his Templar Knights. The supreme ruler of this order (The Rex Bellator or War King) was Philip Le Bel's desire. In fact he even went so far as to make this a proposal to Rome, stating that future Kings of France should automatically be given the title and any extra revenues of the order given to the Rex Belletor. The uniting of the orders never did come to be. Philip's persecution of the Templars in his quest for money was not his first attempt to destroy a people. He first went after the Jews and the Italian bankers (Lombards) He expelled Jews from France after taking their properties. "First he seized all the Jews in his kingdom and forced them to give up their fortunes by removing one of their eyes and threatening to remove the other" The Magic Of Obelisks Peter Tompkins Philip in his quest for more and more money, recalled all the coinage and melted it down for his usage. He then replaced it all with coins minted of lesser value. This in a round about way, is probably the first recorded case of devaluing currency. It was when Philip so devalued the French currency that he was forced to seek refuge from his people in a Templar shelter. Here in the Paris temple, Philip became aware, perhaps for the first time of the true wealth of the Knights Templar. It was here in the protecting arms of the order that he first manifested the idea of stealing their vast wealth for his political agenda. As the Templars were free of all authority save for that of the Papal Throne, the only way Philip could lawfully seize Templar assets was to accuse them of magic and heresy, which he did through his right hand man, Guillaume de Nogart, who has King Philip's chancellor. An interesting side note to Guillaume is that the lawyer's parents had been burned at the stake as Albigensian heretics. On Friday the 13th of October 1307 (the real reason the day carries bad luck) all the Templars in France were arrested on a variety of charges and accusations. The trials of the Templars lasted from that date through until March 19th, 1314 when Jacques de Molay the last (known) Grand Master of the order was burned at the stake. So the story goes, as he burned in agony, he invited both Philip and to join him within a year. Philip the Fair, accuser of the Templars died in 1314, perhaps helping to perpetuate some of the myths of occultism surrounding the Templar knights. Chronology Of Philip IV (The Fair) 1268 AD Birth Of Philip The Fair 1285 AD Succeeds his father (at the age of seventeen) as The King of France 1294 AD Boniface made Pope 1296 AD Boniface issues a Bull forbidding Clergy of paying Taxes (Clericus Laicos) This created a problem for Philip IV as he wanted these funds to bail himself out of debt 1299 AD Philip refuses to support Boniface against Aragon 1302 AD Boniface issues Papal bull Unam Sanctam giving absolute power over all 1302 AD Philip publicly burns Boniface's Bull 1302 AD Boniface offers French throne to an Austrian Emperor Albert 1303 AD Philip has Boniface VIII attacked...Boniface subsequently dies 1303 AD Edward I makes peace with Philip 1305 AD Philip makes Bertrand de Got Pope (Clement V) 1306 AD Attempt by Philip and Clement to unite orders of Templars and Hospitallers 1307 AD Templars arrested by Philips men on Friday October 13th 1314 AD Philip condemns Jacques de Molay to death by burning at the stake 1314 AD Philip and Clement both die within one year of de Molay's Death http://www.templarhistory.com/philip.html   Philip IV - 1268 - 1314 Philip "Le Bel" called Philip the Fair was born in the year 1268, 0ne hundred and fifty years after the formation of the Knights Templar and was King of France from 1285-1314. How could someone as corrupt as he, be called by the people, Philip the Fair? The term "The Fair" was a reference to Philip IV's good looks, being tall and handsome with long blonde hair and blue eyes. Philip Le Bel, in contrast to his pleasing looks, was a cold and secretive man who had strong wishes for France to be the head of the empire. In order to accomplish this plan he would need great financial resources (which the Templars possessed) and a week and subservient Papal Throne. Philip is well known for his battles with Boniface VIII (see chronology below) At one point Philip publicly burned Boniface VIII's Bull Unam Sanctam which gave the Pope absolute supremacy over everyone. There was, at the time of around 1305, a plan to unite all the religious fighting orders into one order called the Knights of Jerusalem. A plan, which Jacques de Molay was involved in but disapproved of, for fear that the other orders were not, as disciplined as his Templar Knights. The supreme ruler of this order (The Rex Bellator or War King) was Philip Le Bel's desire. In fact he even went so far as to make this a proposal to Rome, stating that future Kings of France should automatically be given the title and any extra revenues of the order given to the Rex Belletor. The uniting of the orders never did come to be. Philip's persecution of the Templars in his quest for money was not his first attempt to destroy a people. He first went after the Jews and the Italian bankers (Lombards) He expelled Jews from France after taking their properties. "First he seized all the Jews in his kingdom and forced them to give up their fortunes by removing one of their eyes and threatening to remove the other" The Magic Of Obelisks Peter Tompkins Philip in his quest for more and more money, recalled all the coinage and melted it down for his usage. He then replaced it all with coins minted of lesser value. This in a round about way, is probably the first recorded case of devaluing currency. It was when Philip so devalued the French currency that he was forced to seek refuge from his people in a Templar shelter. Here in the Paris temple, Philip became aware, perhaps for the first time of the true wealth of the Knights Templar. It was here in the protecting arms of the order that he first manifested the idea of stealing their vast wealth for his political agenda. As the Templars were free of all authority save for that of the Papal Throne, the only way Philip could lawfully seize Templar assets was to accuse them of magic and heresy, which he did through his right hand man, Guillaume de Nogart, who has King Philip's chancellor. An interesting side note to Guillaume is that the lawyer's parents had been burned at the stake as Albigensian heretics. On Friday the 13th of October 1307 (the real reason the day carries bad luck) all the Templars in France were arrested on a variety of charges and accusations. The trials of the Templars lasted from that date through until March 19th, 1314 when Jacques de Molay the last (known) Grand Master of the order was burned at the stake. So the story goes, as he burned in agony, he invited both Philip and to join him within a year. Philip the Fair, accuser of the Templars died in 1314, perhaps helping to perpetuate some of the myths of occultism surrounding the Templar knights. Chronology Of Philip IV (The Fair) 1268 AD Birth Of Philip The Fair 1285 AD Succeeds his father (at the age of seventeen) as The King of France 1294 AD Boniface made Pope 1296 AD Boniface issues a Bull forbidding Clergy of paying Taxes (Clericus Laicos) This created a problem for Philip IV as he wanted these funds to bail himself out of debt 1299 AD Philip refuses to support Boniface against Aragon 1302 AD Boniface issues Papal bull Unam Sanctam giving absolute power over all 1302 AD Philip publicly burns Boniface's Bull 1302 AD Boniface offers French throne to an Austrian Emperor Albert 1303 AD Philip has Boniface VIII attacked...Boniface subsequently dies 1303 AD Edward I makes peace with Philip 1305 AD Philip makes Bertrand de Got Pope (Clement V) 1306 AD Attempt by Philip and Clement to unite orders of Templars and Hospitallers 1307 AD Templars arrested by Philips men on Friday October 13th 1314 AD Philip condemns Jacques de Molay to death by burning at the stake 1314 AD Philip and Clement both die within one year of de Molay's Death