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 9th February 2010
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 Aigues MortesLinks with the CrusadersBefore visiting the medieval stonghold of Aigues-Mortes, brush up on some of the important names, dates and societal structures which shaped the future of this important Crusade site:The Orders of the Hospitallers In 1095 the Pope Urbain II called for the first Crusade to recapture the tomb of Christ in Jerusalem. Noble families sent their best fighters off under the leadership of Over time, the hospitals became fortresses to defend themselves against the Saracens. The "soldiers of Christ" became monk soldiers and followed different religious orders. The founding of the Hospitaliers de Saint-Jean-de-Jerusalem took place in 1099. They were Benedictine monks who followed the Saint-Augustin code and managed the pilgrim’s hospital in Jerusalem. They were called the “black monks” and later the “Knights of Rhodes or Cyprus or Malta”. The Order of Malta still exists today. The Order of the Templars  In 1118 nine French knights dedicated their cause to pilgrims and took on the name “the Poor Knights of Christ”. The King of Jerusalem, Baudoin II (who was brother to Godefroy de Bouillon) allowed them to live in the palace. They became known as the "Poor Knights of the Temple". Theirs was a monastic order and they protected pilgrims along the route to Jerusalem. They took a vow of poverty and their seal demonstrated this with the image of two knights on a horse. Because of their vow of poverty and their defense of the Holy Land, they were entrusted with much wealth which was passed between Europe and the Holy Land along with other supplies. Because those who joined them had to take the vow of poverty, they also contributed all their wealth, which meant that the Knights grew in influence and established command posts along the route along with fortresses and hospitals. They reported directly to the Pope and held considerable political power. It was these two orders that left their imprint on the Languedoc-Roussillon. They also spread to Normandy, Brittany, Poitou and England.The Fall of the Order of the Templars  During the fourteenth century, relationships between the Order and the King Philippe IV le Bel deterioriated. The state coffers were empty whilst certain cavaliers flaunted their financial wealth. Rumours of intitiation rites that included spitting on a crucifix or denying the cross, or even acts of a homosexual nature, led to multiple arrests in 1307 and the confiscation of their wealth. The Chancellor Guillaume de Nogaret brought a trial of heresy and sorcery. Knights were tortured into confessions. The last Master of the Order, Jacques de Molay, was burnt at the stake and allegedly cursed the Imprint of the Knights on the Languedoc-Roussillon Today it is possible to find many traces of the Knights across the region. Montpellier took over the lead role as port for the Knights from 1216 to 1234. Many troops and assets were located at Nîmes, and Saint-Gilles was the last place where crusaders gathered prior to embarking at Aigues-Mortes. In Nîmes the Templars built a church, the Notre-Dame-du-Temple, in 1151 where the Collège Feuchères is now situated. They also had a fort on the city walls where the archaeological museum is situated, which was called the “Templar Tower”. In Montfrin, not far from the Pont du Gard, you will find the church Notre Dame de Malpas, built in the twelfth century by the Templars. Half the chateaux in Montfrin and Meynes belonged to the knights in 1146. They also owned the village of Théziers and a farm at Orgnes du Rhône. They were given the church Saint-Martin-de-Tréveils near Ponteils, and a farm at Caissargues. At the time of the arrests, there were 33 Templars in the command post at Alès, 45 at Aigues-Mortes, where they were locked in the tower, and 150 at Nimes. The command posts reached from the Lozère over to Pont-Saint-Esprit and down to Beaucaire and further north to Calvisson, Aubais, and Générac. No wonder that Nogaret was able to purchase several properties in Nimes and in the Vaunage valley when the goods of the Templars were seized.
Sources: The World of the Crusaders, by Joshua Prower, (Weidenfeld and Nelson) Philippe Ritter, descendant of the Knights of Malta, quoted with permission Reports in the Midi Libre newspaper, quoted with permission. For more interesting reading: www.crystalinks.com/templars1.html en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_Templar Languedoc Roussillon | Languedoc Roussillon France Home Page |
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