King John of England was one of the least popular monarchs ever but curiously he received significant support from the Knights Templar. Even when his barons were moving in on him, the Templars remained resolutely loyal to this treacherous king.
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King John stays with the Templars before Magna Carta
England’s kings supported the military orders such as the Hospitallers and Templars – but especially the latter. They not only provided manpower for the crusades but were deployed as heavies to collect taxes and as a safe deposit box for royal jewels. They also acted as political advisers to a monarch who needed plenty of advice – faced with rebellious barons.
We know that King John borrowed varying sums from the Templars – on one occasion, requesting a single gold Mark. And one of the great knights of his reign – William Marshal – was close to both the king and the Templars, which explains why he was eventually buried in the Temple church in London – and you can still see his tomb there today.
John was the third king of the Angevin dynasty, ruling after the death of his father Henry II and brother, Richard the Lionheart. They had both enjoyed close relations with the Templars and Richard had spent a great deal of time on crusade in the Holy Land. But John was just not in the same mould. He lacked his father’s political touch and his brother’s charisma and military flair.
During his reign, his barons rose up in revolt and forced John to sign an extraordinary document – the Magna Carta – relinquishing royal powers to the nobles. This was a revolutionary charter that American historians like to claim influenced the Declaration of Independence centuries later. It was a complete humiliation for the king though he was soon reneging on its key points.
King John, the Templars, and Magna Carta
It’s an interesting fact that when King John was first presented with the demands of the barons, he was staying at the New Temple in London with Brother Aymeric (sometimes spelt Elmeric), master of the Order in England. This was rather like lodging with your bank manager who also happened to enjoy a papal seal of approval and have a handy stock of weapons and well trained soldiers.
Despite the hostility that John managed to provoke among all classes in England, the Templars remained resolutely loyal to him. Why was that? Well, the knights were averse to getting involved in intra-Christian disputes that might damage their credibility and ability to operate. Ultimately, the Templars primary loyalty was to their grand master and beyond him, the pope. Their rule book specifically stated that they were not to get embroiled in conflicts between different Christian factions. Studied neutrality and dogged loyalty were the default position.
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King John uses the Templars as his personal bank
The Templars were very much John’s bankers, particularly after he was declared excommunicate by Pope Innocent III. John seems to have both deposited and taken out multi-thousand ‘mark’ amounts to protect his wealth and to use it to hire troops. Aymeric also helped John out with his papal problems – particularly important as Innocent III was beyond doubt the most powerful pope in history.
John was excommunicated for refusing to recognise Innocent’s recommendation of Stephen Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury – head of the Roman Catholic church in England. The pope did not expect to be contradicted when it came to church appointments, though many medieval kings wanted to have their say. John dug his heels in and in 1209 was cast out of the church with the entire kingdom being placed under ‘interdict’.
That meant, any Christian was morally entitled, even obliged, to try and overthrow John and the interdict meant that the English people were denied the holy sacraments – particularly communion. In the early 13th century, being excommunicated was a big deal and to be avoided. It gave your opponents all the excuses needed to rebel or invade.
Why did the Templars support the Kings of England?
The Templars were enthusiastic supporters of the Angevin kings and did rather well out of them. Henry II was a keen benefactor and John gave them the island of Lundy, bits of Northampton and Cameley amongst other bequests.
Aymeric St Maur may have been related to Milo St Maur, one of the rebel barons. Entirely plausible as they were all from the same Norman knightly class. It’s also claimed that the St Maur family were ancestors of the Seymours from whom Jane Seymour emerged, third wife of Henry VIII – two hundred years after the crushing of the Templar Order.
If you would like to know more about the Knights Templar – buy The Knights Templar: History & Mystery – by Tony McMahon – published by Pen & Sword – available on Amazon, Waterstones, WHSmith, and Barnes & Noble.
