IN
SEARCH OF THE LOST TEMPLE TREASURE
Where
did the Templars go after 1307
It
is for sure, that Philip the Fair got rid of his debts with the
Templars, but there was nothing much material gained. No treasure and
the Templar-lands were given to other monastic orders by the Pope.
His profit was hardly enough to cover the costs to emprison, trial
and execute the 603 Knights, that were arrested (out of the 3000
Templars in France) in 1307. The same happened in England, but in
other states, the Templars were not bothered. At is height there were
about 50.000 knights. Between 5 – 10% were warrior-monks. After the
defeat by Muslim-armies in 1128 and the fall of Acra, the links with
the Holy Land were broken and the Poor Knights of Christ became the
first multinational economic corporation, with special privileges
given to the Order by the Holy Chair.
The
Templars had a fleet, with experienced sailors, who transported among
other things, pilgrims to and from the Holy Land. Judea was a
dangerous place to travel, so the travellers were given a knightly
escort to Jerusalem and probably lodging on the Temple Mount.
The
main Templar harbour was La Rochelle in France.
At
the day of ambush and arrest of the Templars in France, local tales,
tell of 18 ships of the Order, left La Rochelle, never to be seen
again. The local traditions state, that on the evening before, a
number of horse-drawn carts arrived. The content was laden onto the
Templar-ships. In it? The Templar Treasure, of course.
So
far, we can conclude, that many Templar-knights escaped, even in
France and England. The French king did not find any treasure. There
is some evidence, that the Knights brought their possessions by ship,
out of La Rochelle. Where did they possibly go. They could not stay
in France or go to England, because they, and their treasure, were
not safe.
First
candidate is Switserland. In the years after the Templar downfall,
the Swiss rebelled against their Austrian overlords, successfully.
Here we find stories, that the Swiss were helped by about a 100
heavyly armoured knights, who suddenly. After establishing their
authority and regional claims, the Swiss became praised soldiers and
mercenaries. Even now, the Pope's safety and security is in the hands
of the famous Swiss guards. A second argument is the Swiss famous
bankingsystem. The foundations there-of could be laid by the “Templar
Bankers”.
Second
candidate as the hide-out for the fugitive knights and place of the
hidden treasure, is Scotland. It is historical fact, that the
Scottish king sympathised with the Order. Scotland just recently
regained their independence and were willing to fight for it. In
Scotland too, that local stories describe the decisive support Robert
de Bruce, the Scottish King, had on the battlefield; help from
mysterious knights. Researchers point to Rosslyn-chapel, as the place
were the Templar treasure is hidden. The chapel is decorated with,
a.o. Templar and pagan symbols. There is a “crypt” with Templar
graves and an underground chamber is detected with ground-penetrating
radar. Authorities have prevented further action. So far.