The Knights Templar enjoyed immunity from interference by monarchs, nobles, and bishops and were accountable solely to Rome. Successive popes showered privileges on the Templars provoking jealousy and anger in some quarters. Why did the Roman Catholic church support the knights so strongly?
From the earliest years of the their formation, the papacy took the Knights Templar under their wing. The popes bought into the idea of a permanent standing army in the Holy Land made up of soldiers who took monastic-style vows and didn’t return to Europe at the end of the fighting season to look after their estates. The perilous situation during the crusades demanded new ways of fighting and the Templars fitted the bill.
- The Templars were highly skilled warriors, crucial for defending Christian interests in the Holy Land
- The Templars were dedicated to the Christian faith and their vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience aligned with Church teachings
- By directly pledging allegiance to the Pope, the Templars were not subject to local bishops, allowing them to operate with greater freedom
- The Templars were adept at managing finances and could raise significant funds to support the Crusades
A string of papal bulls – official, binding declarations from the popes – strengthened the Templars:
OMNE DATUM OPTIMUM – Issued by Pope Innocent II in 1139, this bull endorsed the Knights Templar and approved their rule. The Latin phrase Omne Datum Optimum translates as ‘Every perfect gift‘, which is a phrase from the Epistle of James. It states: “As for the things you will receive from the spoils, you can confidently put them to your own use, and we prohibit that you be coerced against your will to give anyone a portion of these.”
This proved to be very provocative and led to tongue wagging that the Templars now had a license to loot at will and hold on to their gains. Innocent II was a twelfth century pontiff whose reign has been characterised as a moment when the popes achieved near supreme power in medieval Europe. An era of papal monarchy had dawned. And the Templars were to enjoy the benefits of that with the pope as their protector. However, it would backfire spectacularly in the early fourteenth century as papal power waned and the fortunes of the Templars in the Holy Land declined.
MILITES TEMPLI – Issued by Pope Celestine II in the year 1144, this order the clergy to protect the Templars and the faithful to contribute to their coffers. The knights were able to go full blast on fund raising even – controversially – in kingdoms that the pope had placed under interdict. That is the pope had forbidden the sacraments to be given to the faithful, normally because the king concerned had been excommunicated for falling out with the popes over some or other issue. Essentially – it was spiritual blackmail. But the Templars could just ignore it.
MILITIA DEI – Issued by Pope Eugenius III in 1145. He was the first Cistercian to become pope – from the order of monks that enjoyed a close relationship with the Templars, through Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. Though Bernard didn’t approve of Eugenius becoming pope, he certainly supported this bull which elaborated further on the right of the knights to raise tithes and arrange burials in their cemeteries. It reaffirmed the independence of the order from local bishops and abbots – which would become a source of deep grievance.
QUANTUM PRAEDECESSORES – Also from Eugenius III, this papal bull called for the Second Crusade to be launched after the fall of Edessa to the Muslims in December 1144. That cataclysmic event could have undermined the whole crusading project and with that, the very existence of the Templars. Instead, the pope insisted on a redoubling of effort to hold on to the Holy Land. This was music to Templar ears.
If you would like to know more about the Templars – get yourself a copy of The Knights Templar: History & Mystery by Tony McMahon, published by Pen & Sword, available on Amazon, Waterstones, WHSmith, Barnes & Noble, and other great online bookstores.
