Part Fourth: The Death of an Order and the Survival of a Spirit

The Cost of Riches: Surviving the "New Pilate"

Part Fourth of Robert Macoy’s The Knights Templars (1874) relates the "miserable and cruel fate" of the surviving brethren following the loss of Christian territory in Palestine in A.D. 1291. Once their military services were no longer required, European sovereigns began to regard their vast wealth and immense possessions with "an eye of covetousness". Macoy boldly claims that their extraordinary riches were their "true and only crime".

The primary antagonist of this chapter is King Philip IV of France, whom Macoy calls "the new Pilate". Philip was a needy and "avaricious" monarch who had resorted to "the most violent expedients" to replenish his "exhausted exchequer".

4     Historical Claims: The Trials of the Temple

1)    The "Debt-Driven" Execution King Philip’s primary motive was financial desperation. The Templars were the "bankers" for the royalty of Europe, and Philip’s financial situation was desperate due to the wars with England and Flanders. He first seized wealth from the Jews and Italian bankers before turning to the Templars. The Templars were especially annoying for the following reasons.

a)    The Templars were bankers and had lots of money

b)    The Order held thousands of manors and estates that were exempt from taxes and tithes.

c)    He owed the Templars an estimated 500,000 (leev-ruh Toor-nwah)  livres tournois (todays money would be close to hundreds of millions).

d)    Macoy quotes the historian Fuller to explain the King's brutal logic: "He could not get the honey unless he burnt the bees."

2)    The "Puppet Pope" Calamity King Philip successfully put his own pope in the Papal chair as Clement V. Macoy paints the Pope as an "obedient slave" and a "vile extortioner" who authorized the torture of the Order to satisfy the King's demands.

3)    The Torture and False Confessions The Inquisition employed "expert torturers" to extract proofs of heresy. Macoy details the "roasting" of feet over slow fires—where flesh was burnt off the heels—to wring out confessions of "absurdities," including worshiping a cat or a "gilded head."

4)    The Martyrdom of Jacques de Molay On March 18, 1313, Grand Master Jacques de Molay was brought to a public scaffold in Paris. He revoked his forced confession, declaring it a "crime" to say that which was untrue. As he was burned to death that evening, he summoned the Pope and King to meet him at the "tribunal of God" within a year—a prophecy Macoy notes was fulfilled by their deaths shortly thereafter.

4 Actions for Modern Leaders: Surviving a Hostile Takeover


Beware the "Covetous Eye"Success breeds jealousy. In business or the Lodge, those who no longer see your "military service" as useful may begin to target your assets.

    • The Action: Fortify your "Independent Stronghold." Maintain impeccable legal and ethical boundaries so that a "King Philip" in your industry has no legitimate Macoy says "conjectures" to use against you.


Maintain Your "Standard" Under Pressure Jacques de Molay initially succumbed to torture but reclaimed his "Mastery of the Order" in his final moments.

    • The Action: If you have been led into a compromise, it is never too late to reclaim your integrity. As De Molay proved, the only thing you take to the "August Tribunal" is your character.


Don't Be a "Puppet" to “Avarice”

Clement V sacrificed a renowned Order to maintain his own political standing.

    • The Action: In leadership, never trade the well-being of your "brethren" or your team for professional advancement. A leader who is an "obedient slave" to someone else's greed will eventually be "hurried to his grave" by the weight of that dishonor.


Recognize the "New Pilate"

Identify leaders who use "probable conjectures" and "suspicion" rather than facts to attack competitors.

    • The Action: When you see a competitor or leader using "dark rumors" to replenish their own "exhausted exchequer," do not walk "unhesitatingly into the death-trap." Be "wise as serpents" and seek mentors who have survived similar hostile takeovers.

Watch the video of this blog here


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