1140

The Council of Sens condemns Peter Abelard.

Templars build Castle Safed on the road between Acre and Damascus.

Assassins take the castle of Masyaf.

Damascus and Jerusalem collaborate to attack Zwengi.

Construction begins on the Cathedral of Kilwinning in Scotland.

King David I of Scotland founds a Cistercian monastery in Newbattle.

Templars build five preceptories in France at Laon, Paian, Pazenas, Beauvais, and Montsaunes.

William of Malmesbury makes the first written reference to a “holy grail.”

1141

Death of Hugh of Saint Victor, Saxon philosopher and theologian, who defined faith as “about things absent, above opinion and below science.”

Bernard de Clairvaux at the Council of Sens condemns the writing of Peter Abelard. The vocal support of one of Abelard’s more radical students, the infamous Arnold of Brescia, does not help his credibility with Catholic leaders.

Templars build preceptories at Nantes in France and Ambel in Spain.

1142

On April 21, Peter Abelard dies.

Many Bogomils burn at the stake for heresy in Cologne, Germany.

Templars build the Castle Moab (a.k.a. Stone of the Desert) in Jordan.

French King Louis VII starts a war by seizing the properties of Count Thibald of Champagne.  Bernard de Clairvaux intercedes and settles the dispute.

King David I of Scotland founds a Cistercian abbey in Dundrennan.

1143

In April, Byzantine Emperor John II Comnenus dies and his son Manuel I takes the crown.

Templars build preceptories at Arles, Manzon, Chalamara, Albango, and Ramoullins in France.

Templars rebuild the huge Castle Kerak (a.k.a. Krak, Karek) as a prison and to control the roads between Damascus and Egypt.  They also build the fortress of Geth near Lydda.

Count Ramon Berenguer IV contracts with the Templars to fight Muslims in Aragon in return for gifts of property.

In September, Pope Innocent II dies, replaced by Celestine II, who issues Milites Templi, essentially the same sweeping support of the Templars as Omne datum optimum.

On November 10, Baudouin III (1130-1163) becomes King of Jerusalem at age 13, with his mother Queen Melissande as regent.  He will later marry Theodora Comnenus, niece of the Byzantine Emperor.

Peter the Venerable at Cluny translates the Qur'an into Latin.

1144

On March 8, Pope Celestine II dies, replaced by Lucius II, who issues his version of Milites Templi, again reaffirming the Omne datum optimum.

In what Laurence Gardner interprets in the Magdalene Legacy as a reference to a Jesus bloodline, the English monk Theobald of Cambridge writes, “The chief men and rabbis of the Jews who dwell in Spain assemble together at Narbonne, where the Royal Seed resides, and where they are held in the highest esteem.”

On December 24-25, Muslims under Zwengi capture many Templar castles plus Edessa, where there is an especially brutal killing of 5,000 Catholics.  Their deaths create a call for a Second Crusade a year later.

1145

Pope Lucius II dies and is replaced by Eugenius III (dies 1153), a Cistercian monk and colleague of Bernard de Clairvaux.   Eugenius III issues a fourth version of Omne datum optimum called Militia Dei

Bernard de Clairvaux arrives in southern France to convert the Cathari to Catholicism.  While disliking Catharism as a doctrine and expecting to find vile heretics, he instead finds the Cathari to be loving, gentle, peace-loving people.  He worries, however, about the pervasive acceptance of Cathari practices such as allowing women as clergy, or parfaites.

Death of Henry of Lausanne.

On December 25, Pope Eugenius III calls for a second crusade.

1146

On March 1, Bernard de Clairvaux, Pope Eugenius III, and King Louis VII of France launch the Second Crusade on Easter Sunday at Vézélay.   It is agreed that the crusade will leave one year later. Queen Eleanor of Aquitane (1122-1204), wife of Louis VII, is so moved by Bernard’s speech that she vows to go on the crusade herself, a novel idea at the time.

Other crusaders include:

1.      Robert, Count de Dreux, brother of King Louis VII

2.      Alfonso-Jordan, Count of Toulouse

3.      William, Count of Nevers

4.      Thierry, Count of Flanders, married to the stepdaughter of Jerusalem Queen Melissande

5.      Henry of Flanders

6.      Amadeus, Count of Savoy

7.      Archimbald, Count of Bourbon

Arnold of Brescia comes to power in Rome and drives Pope Eugenius III out of town for eight years, a remarkable feat for a grassroots movement.  Arnold believes Catholics should conform fully to the original ideals of Jesus and xe "Jesus"criticizes Catholic Bishops for their wealth and dishonesty.  He insists that clergy acknowledge spirit is not worldly and renounce all material power -- land and money -- a noble but very unwelcome request.

On September 14, Muslim leader Zwengi is murdered.  His son Nur al-Din succeeds him in Aleppo.

1147

On April 27, Paris Templars welcome Pope Eugenius and King Louis as they prepare for a Second Crusade. 

Templars under Master of France Everard des Barres accompany the sizable forces of German King Conrad III and King Louis VII on the Second Crusade.  They leave France and with difficulty make it to Jerusalem via Antioch, where Eleanor’s uncle Prince Raimond de Poitiers welcomes them. Along with Eleanor of Aquitaine are her courtiers Sybelle, Mamille, Florine, and Faydide.  Although Eleanor wants to stay in Antioch, Louis VII takes her by force to Jerusalem.

On October 24, Catholic forces in Portugal expel the Muslims from Lisbon and other parts of Spain.

1148

Malachi O’More of Ireland (born 1094), known for his prophecies about future Popes, dies in the arms of Bernard at Clairvaux. Malachi predicts there will only be 112 more Popes (Pope John Paul II is 110 or 111, depending on how you count).

On July 24, Jerusalem King Baudouin III, German King Conrad III, French King Louis VII, Hospitallers, Templars, and other crusaders attack Damascus in Syria, their only real Muslim ally. By July 28, after a humiliating defeat, Catholic forces withdraw and blame the Eastern Orthodox church as the reason this and other crusades did not succeed.

The Council of Reims condemns heretics in Provence

Anna Comnena (1083-1148), daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenus, writes Alexiad, a history of the crusades.

Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), one of the few women mystics approved by the Catholic Church, corresponds at length with Bernard of Clairvaux on her beautiful visions, writings, and illustrations.  She founds a monastery at Rupertsburg.

Catholics capture Tortosa in Spain from the Muslims.

1149

On January 13, French Master Everard de Barres becomes Grand Master of the Templars upon the death of Robert de Craon.

In April, Nur al-Din captures and kills Raimond of Antioch, capturing much of the land around Antioch but not the city itself.

In July, King Louis VII returns to Italy from the Second Crusade defeated.  Blaming failure to overcome the Muslims on the Eastern Orthodox Christians at Constantinople, he calls for another crusade - against them.  He also loses the affection of wife Eleanor of Aquitane which means a potential loss of an enormous dowry of money and property in France.  Shamed by the rejection, he accuses her of infidelity.

Templars take control of the strategic castle at Gaza.

According to Karen Ralls, King Baudouin III with approval of the Patriarch of Jerusalem gives Flemish Knight Dietrich of a crystal vial believed to contain drops of Christ's blood collected by Joseph of Arimathea.  (This vial is now in Belgium.)

From the failure of the Second Crusade, rumors begin against the Templars concerning their alliances with various Muslim groups. These rumors will later evolve to charges of heresy and “consorting with the infidel.”

1150

At the Council of Chartres, Bernard de Clairvaux calls for a third crusade but after the defeat of the second there is no interest.

In April, Nur al-Din captures Joscelin of Edessa and blinds him.  Joscelin’s wife sells six fortresses to the Byzantines and moves to Antioch.

1152

Henri I (a.k.a. “The Liberal”), son of Thibaud II, becomes the Count of Champagne until his death in 1181.

Holy Roman Emperor Conrad III dies on March 4 and his nephew, Friedrich I, takes the crown.

In May, after her marriage to King Louis VII of France is annulled in March by the Council of Beaugency, Eleanor of Aquitaine marries French King Henri d’Anjou (a.k.a. Henri Plantagenet).

Assassins kill their first Templar, Count Raimond II of Tripoli (son of Count Pons).  His wife Hodiema serves as regent for their son, Raimond III.  Templars strike back, winning annual payments from the Assassins after a short attack in Syria.

Upon the resignation of Everard de Barres to join the Cistercian monastery at Clairvaux, Bernard de Trémélai becomes Templar Grand Master.

King Baudouin III of Jerusalem tires of his mother's regency and they quarrel constantly.  To resolve their differences, they decide to divide the kingdom.

By now Cistercians have built an amazing 350 abbeys, up from 7 in 1118.

1153

In January, French King Henri begins invasions of England.

In March, Friedrich I reconciles his disputes with the Pope over the Vatican’s authority.

In July, Pope Eugenius III dies and four days later Anastasius IV takes office for a year, during which he officially recognizes the Order of Malta. 

In August, Templars assist in taking the Muslim fortress at Ascalon.  Grand Master Bernard de Trémélai dies in the battle.  Original Templar André de Montbard becomes the 5^th Grand Master.

On August 20, Bernard de Clairvaux dies. 

1154

King Baudouin III and his mother Queen Melissande resolve their differences.  She retires to a convent in Bethany run by her sister the Abbess Joveta. 

On April 25, Muslim leader Nur al-Din takes control of Damascus and unifies Syria.

On December 3, Pope Anastasius IV dies and Adrian IV (a.k.a. Hadrian IV, 1105-1159, the only English Pope) is elected the next day. 

On December 18, Henri of France is crowned King of England.

1155

In March, Pope Adrian IV and Frederick I retake Rome from Arnold of Brescia and and hang him as a warning to other heretics. 

Later that year, Pope Adrian IV will preside over Frederich I’s ascent to Holy Roman Emperor but they will also quarrel frequently over Papal supremacy.

Pope Adrian IV grants Ireland to King Henry II.

1156

On January 17, upon the decision of Andre de Montbard to become a monk at Clairvaux, Bertrand de Blanchefort becomes the 6^th Grand Master.  

According to Holy Blood, Holy Grail, Templars under Grand Master de Blanquefort import German miners for a massive digging operation at Pech Cardou near Serres, the site of an old Roman gold mine.  To maintain secrecy, the miners are forbidden to interact with the local community.  Cesar d’Arcons, an engineer surveying the site in the 17^th century, concludes the German miners were not mining -- they were putting something in.

According to The Templars, Prince of Antioch Reynald de Châtillon and Thoros of Armenia attack Cyprus in anger at Byzantine Emperor Manuel Comnenus.  Not caring that the island’s inhabitants were Christian, “their women were raped, their children and old people murdered, their churches and convents robbed, their cattle and crops sequestered.” 

In June, Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich I marries Beatrice of Burgundy. 

The Saint Clair family starts to use the shortened version Sinclair.  King David I appoints Sir Henri Sinclair (son of the original crusader Henri de Saint Clair) as Ambassador to England.

Founding of the Order of Alcantera, Spanish warrior/monks based on the Knights Templars with a mission of reconquering the Iberian peninsula away from the Muslims.

1157

Muslims imprison Templar Grand Master Bertrand de Blanquefort after his unsuccessful attack on Muslim territory.

In August, earthquakes hit the Holy Land, bringing most hostilities to a halt temporarily.

In October, Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich I conquers his wife’s homeland of Burgundy.

The Council of Reims condemns the Cathari.

1158

King Baldwin III marries Theodora, Byzantine Emperor Manuel’s niece.  Her large dowry replenishes the kingdom’s treasury.

Founding of the Order of Calatrava, Spanish warrior/monks based on the Templars with a mission of reconquering the Iberian peninsula from the Muslims.

Templars Robert de Pirou, Tostes de Saint-Omer, and Richard of Hastings occupy the castle at Gisors until 1160 as a result of a treaty between England and France.

In October, Byzantine Emperor Manuel Comnenus attacks Cilicia including Prince of Antioch Reynald de Châtillon and Thoros of Armenia.  Thoros escapes and de Châtillon is imprisoned and later pardoned. 

1159

Pope Adrian IV dies and Pope Alexander III (1100~1181) takes office declaring exclusive right to confer sainthood, taking the privilege away from local bishoprics.  Meanwhile, parties favorable to Holy Roman Emperor Frederich I elect their own Pope, Victor IV, but neither Pope is able to control Rome.

Marie, daughter of Eleanor of Aquitane and King Louis VII of France, marries Count Henri I de Champagne.

Through a treaty and ransom negotiated by Byzantine Emperor Manuel Comnenus, the Muslims release Templar Grand Master Bertrand de Blanquefort.

In September, King Henry II of England begins a siege of Toulouse.

1160

On February 11 at the Synod of Pavia, Holy Roman Emperor Frederich I declares Victor IV as Pope.

On March 24, Pope Alexander III excommunicates Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich I.

The Byzantine Emperor attempts to build relations with Italy by marrying Mary of Antioch.

Richard de Hastings becomes Master of the London Templars.

Portuguese Templar Master Gualdim Pais (dies 1195) builds the Convento de Christ (a.k.a. Castle Ceras) in Tomar, Portugal with a large eight-sided chapel. 

In November, Muslims under the Governor of Aleppo Nur Al-Din ambush Prince of Antioch Reynald de Châtillon and imprison him for the next 16 years.  No Christians come forward to provide his ransom.

Templars turn Gisors over to English King Henry II, much to the anger of King Louis VII who exiles them from France.

1161

The London Templar preceptory moves to a new location between Fleet Street and the Thames River.

1162

On February 10, Baudouin III dies and his brother Lord Amalric I of Jaffa and Ascalon (a.k.a. Amaury) becomes King of Jerusalem until 1174.  He immediately begins a series of attacks on Egypt that will last until 1169.

Pope Alexander III issues Omne Datum Optimum, another proclamation in support of the Templars.

Assassin leader Muhammad dies and his son Hasan II takes over until 1166. 

1163

Construction begins on the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.

The Council of Tours denounces the Cathari.

Shirkuh, Nur al-Din’s top officer, takes control of Egypt briefly and passes control to his nephew, Saladin (a.k.a. Salah-al-Din Yusuf ibn-Ayyub, 1138-1193).

1164

On January 30, King Henry II calls a Council of Clarendon in England to determine laws regarding Church and state.  Some of his decisions cause a rift with Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket. English Templar Grand Master Richard de Hastings attempts to reconcile their differences.

On August 10 at the Battle of Artuh, Syrian leader Nur al-Din defeats and captures Count Raimond III of Tripoli, Count Bohemond III of Antioch, and Count Joscelin III of Edessa.  Nur al-din later releases Bohemond III for ransom.

Marie Capet, elder daughter of Louis VII of France and Eleanor of Aquitaine marries Count de Champagne Henri I.  She becomes a patron of literature including authors Andreas Capellanus and Chretien de Troyes.

1165

Alarmed by the Cathari’s growing influence, the Council of Albi in France condemns them as does the Council of Lombez.

Eleanor leaves King Henry II and returns to her homeland in Aquitane.

1166

In the dead of winter, authorities in England capture, torture, and send out in the cold some thirty Cathari missionaries.

Assassin leader Muhammad enrages many Muslims by proclaiming himself divine.  He is killed by his brother-in-law and his son Muhammad II reigns until 1210. 

1167

Syrian leader Nur al-din’s general Shirkuh moves to attack Egypt.  Egyptian Vizier Shawar calls on Jerusalem, his former enemy, for help.

On March 18, Shirkuh defeats both Vizier Shawar and King Amalric I of Jerusalem at Ashmun.  Shirkuh then takes Alexandria to the north, where on August 4, King Amalric of Jerusalem lays siege and eventually negotiates their departure back to Syria.  To keep Christians away, Shawar negotiates an annual payment to Jerusalem with Templars Hugues de Cesaree and Geoffroi.

The Cathari Grand Council at Saint Felix de Lauragais (near Toulouse), under the influence of the Bogomil leader Nicetas from Constantinople, formally adopts the belief in dualism between good and evil.  The Council sets up bishoprics for the surrounding area and steps up competition with the Catholic Church.

The Byzantine Emperor tries to patch things up with the West by promising one of his nieces in marriage to King Amalric I of Jerusalem.

1168

On January 2, Bertrand de Blanquefort dies and Philip de Milly of Nablus becomes the 7^th Templar Grand Master. As the Templars honor the treaty with Egyptian Vizier Shawar, de Milly refuses King Amalric I’s request for the Templars to attack Egypt again. 

On November 4, King Amalric turns instead to the Hospitallers and they attack the Egyptian city of Belbeis, slaughtering the entire population including other Christian sects.  Crusaders to the same for the Egyptian city of Tanis.  These atrocities energize the young Sultan Saladin who will later drive the West from all the Holy Land.  Belbeis is soon abandoned as Muslims counterattack.

On November 13, King Amalric tries to attack Cairo but is turned back by newly arriving armies from Nur al-Din under the command of Shirkuh and his nephew, Saladin.  They take Cairo from Vizier Shawar easily and Shirkuh becomes Vizier.  Historian Charles Addison notes that because of “the unjustifiable expedition of King Amalric and the Hospitallers against the infidels, the powerful talents of the young Kurdish chieftain would in all probability never [have] developed.”

1169

In January, King Amalric I retreats to Jerusalem.

Shirkuh dies and on March 23, Nur al-Din appoints Saladin becomes the Vizier of Egypt.

Byzantine Emperor Manuel I, Jerusalem King Amalric I, and Bishop Ralph of Bethlehem jointly celebrate the renovation of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

Now allies, Byzantine Emperor Manuel I and Jerusalem King Amalric I attack Damietta in Egypt, taking it easily and killing 77,000.

1170

Saladin invades the border areas of Palestine with 40,000 troops.  The Muslim victory motivates the Pope to issue Omni Datum Optimum giving the Templars further exemption from taxation and the right to give the excommunicated religious services once a year. 

Eleanor of Aquitaine and her daughter Countess Marie of Champagne set up a school to teach poetry and courtly love in Poitiers.  About the same time, Lambert le Begue creates an order of laywomen, the Beguines, who commit to the monastic life but without traditional monastic vows -- or the requirement of a dowry (as in convents).  The Beguines are Quietists who believe that union with God comes from quiet, spiritual, contemplation; sex (if chosen) is a form of union with God; and use local-language scriptures rather than depending on the priesthood for translation.

Four knights decide upon hearing of King Henry II’s anger with Thomas Becket that they will kill Becket on December 29.  The knights are sentenced to 14 years with the Templars in the Holy Land.  King Henry donates money for their support.

Founding of the Order of Caceres, which changes into the Order of Santiago (a.k.a. Military Order of Saint James of the Sword, Order of the Cockle) by 1175. 

1171

de Milly resigns and Odo de Saint-Amand becomes the 8^th Templar Grand Master.

A small crusade heads to the Baltics.

Abu l-Walid Muhammad ibn Ahmad Ibn Rushd (a.k.a. Averroes, 1126-1198), Muslim philosopher and advisor to a series of Caliphs, becomes Kadi of Cordoba in Spain.  Averroes is an expert on Aristotle as well as medicine, astronomy, and religion.  In 1180, he will write The Incoherence of the Incoherence about the fusion of Neo-Platonism, Aristotelian philosophy, and Islam.  Although he consistently advanced the idea of one truth (as contained in the Qur'an), Averroes believed unlike his Muslim brethren in the equality of men and women as equal participation increases an economy.

1172

In September, Saladin overthrows the Fatimids and increases his territory in Egypt.  He declares Sunnism as the official Muslim religion and finds himself in conflict with his superior Nur al-Din.  Soon they will be enemies.

1173

The Waldensian (a.k.a. the Vaudois) movement at Lyons defies Pope Alexander III by having lay people (including women) teach and read the Bible and perform sacraments (only Catholic priests have these privileges). Leader Peter Valdes bases his movement on scriptural authority and not that of the Papacy.  The Waldensians believe that anything that serves to separate them from material wealth brings them closer to God. Valdes renounces wealth believing that suffering from being poor is good for the soul. He and his followers believe true xe "Christian"virtue is demonstrating love and care for mankind. Valdes goes to Rome to obtain papal approval for his order, but Pope Alexander III condemns him.

Falsely anticipating a rumor of leader Rashid al-din Sinan’s conversion to Christianity, King Amalric I begins negotiations with the Assassins.  Templars mysteriously murder Amalric’s envoy, Walter, as he returns from the first meeting.  Despite Amalric’s formal apology to the Assassins and arrest of the Templar killer, discussions between the groups end.

The sons of King Henry II of England rebel and confine Eleanor of Aquitane on charges of conspiring with the French.

Approximate founding of the Order of Montegaudio.

1174

Pope Alexander III recognizes Bernard de Clairvaux as a Saint only 21 years after his death.

On May 15, Muslim leader Nur al-Din dies after taking Damascus but before completing plans for an attack on Saladin in Egypt.  Count Raimond III of Tripoli is finally released for ransom after ten years imprisonment.

On July 11, on the way back from proposing an alliance with Damascus against Saladin, King Amalric I of Jerusalem dies of typhus and dysentery.  His son by his first wife (and cousin) Agnes of Courtenay, Baudouin IV, becomes King of Jerusalem at age 13 with Count Raimond III of Tripoli as regent.  Weakened by leprosy, he is not expected to live long.

On October 28, Saladin conquers Damascus.

1175

Publication of Sefer ha-Bahir (Book of Brilliance) in Provence.  This classic work on Kabbalistic philosophy (Jewish esoteric mysticism) first mentions the idea of a “tree of life” and sets the stage for the growth of Jewish mysticism in Septimania.  Kabbalists circumvent the Jewish doctrine of only one God by a complex assortment of names for various elements of God – and by believing the creator and the created are one.  This is a major problem for traditional Jews and Catholics who fear such beliefs place too much emphasis on the self.   Kabbalists claim a “secret knowledge” of God through sacred texts containing special arrangements and anagrams of Hebrew letters, claiming these have special power when spoken or written.

In May, the Caliph of Baghdad recognizes Saladin as the Sultan of Syria and Egypt.

On July 3, Pope Alexander III approves the Order of Santiago in Benedictus Deus.  By 1186 the Order of Santiago has lands in Toledo, Palmella, and later in Italy, England, France, and Palestine.

1176

In gratitude for crusader help against Saladin’s attack on Montsigard, the Governor of Aleppo releases former Prince of Antioch Reynaud de Châtillon and Count Joscelin of Edessa. de Châtillon gains possession of the immense castles at Krak and Montreal through marriage to Stephanie of Milly (a.k.a Stephanie of Oultrejourdain).

In August, Saladin attacks the Assassin fortress at Masyaf.  Assassin envoys make their way into Saladin’s court and pressure him to withdraw.

On September 17, Seljuk Turks under Sultan Kilij Arslän II successfully attack the Byzantines under Emperor Manuel at Anatolia.  

In fall, Sibylla of Jerusalem marries William Longsword of Montferrat, Count of Jaffa and Ascalon.

Monk and former Templar Grand Master Everard de Barres dies at Clairvaux.

Founding of the Order of Aviz (a.k.a. Avis, Order of Evora).

1177

William of Longsword dies in June from malaria, leaving a widowed Sibylla pregnant.

On November 25, at the battle of Montsigard, Templars under Saint-Amand and Reynaud de Châtillon nearly kill Saladin in his tent but he escapes. 

Saladin comes back with a resounding capture of Ascalon.

Pope Alexander III confirms the Order of Alcantera (a.k.a. the Order of San Julien del Peirero).

1178

Pope Alexander III officially confirms and condones the Prieuré de Sion’s possessions. 

1179

In March at the 3^rd Lateran Council (11^th Ecumenical) Pope Alexander III and Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa condemn the Cathari and Waldensians and launch an educational campaign to discredit both groups.  With encouragement from Templar critic Guillaume de Tyre, the Council admonishes the Templars and the Hospitallers to stick strictly to monastic vows.  They also decree that Jews wear identifying badges, observe strict curfews, live only in certain areas, and be forbidden from government and trade positions.

In April, the Templars complete construction on a castle at Jacob’s Ford.  By August, Saladin completely destroys it anc captures Templar Grand Master Odo de Saint-Amand in the Battle of Marj Ayun.  Refusing ransom, Saint-Amand dies in prison in Damascus.  Arnold de Toroga becomes Grand Master.

About this time, Chrétien de Troyes (1144-1190) writes the first Grail epics under sponsorship of Countess Marie de Champagne at Troyes.  de Troyes is the first author to reference the Holy Grail. 

1180

Count Henri de Champagne, Marie’s husband, travels to Jerusalem to fight the Muslims.

Death of Abraham Ibn Daud (born 1110), Spanish Jewish philosopher and historian, in Toledo.  He attempts a synthesis of Judaism and Aristotelianism and writes the book Sefer ha-Kabbalah (Book of Tradition).

Sometime in the 1180's, Guillaume de Tyre writes the first outsider history of the Templars.

Sibylla, Princess of Jerusalem, marries Guy de Lusignan.  King Baudouin IV and Saladin agree to a two-year peace treaty.

On September 24, Manuel I dies and his son Alexius II becomes the Byzantine Emperor.

On October 8, Arnold de Toroga, Templar Master in Spain, becomes the 9^th Grand Master of the Templars.  He leaves for Europe with Hospitaller Grand Master Roger des Moulins and Jerusalem Patriarch Heraclius to seek financial and military help from Italy, England, and France to fight Saladin. 

William Sinclair, son of Sir Henry Sinclair and Margaret Gratney, becomes Baron of Roslin.

1181

Reynald de Châtillon breaks the peace treaty by attacking a Muslim caravan, causing Saladin to retaliate by imprisoning 1500 Catholic pilgrims shipwrecked off the Egyptian coast. 

On August 30, Pope Alexander III dies and is succeeded by Lucius III.

Count Henri de Champagne dies and his wife Marie serves as regent their son, Henri II, until 1187. 

Heraclius consecrates the Templar preceptory in London.

1182

Reynald de Châtillon takes on Saladin through a brilliant and bold new strategy - building ships, hauling them over land to the Red Sea, and attacking Muslim pilgrims to Mecca.  Saladin’s brother Malik thwarts de Châtillon just as he plans to steal Muhammad’s body from Mecca.

Saladin captures Mosul.

In September, Andronicus I Comnenus kills Alexius II and his mother to take over the Byzantine crown.

In October, Saladin captures Edessa.

King Philippe II exiles the Jews from France.

1183

Reynald de Châtillon escapes from Saladin who publicly vows to find him and kill him.

Princess Isabella, daughter of King Baudouin IV, marries Humphrey IV of Toron when she is 13.

On June 18, Saladin conquers Aleppo, sealing his power for nearly all the territory between Egypt and Syria.

On August 24, Saladin makes Damascus the capital of his empire.

1184

Pope Lucius III (1110~1185) issues an Inquisition against the Cathari which has little impact. He also excommunicates the Waldensians and the Humiliati who believe in a life of simple work and prayer without fealty to Rome.

The Council of Verona condemns the Cathari and the remaining Arnoldists.

Saladin and the Assassins form an alliance against the Templars and the Hospitallers.

In a rare defection, English Templar Robert of Saint Albans decided to fight for Saladin, leading Muslim forces against Catholic-held Jerusalem.

On September 30, Templar Grand Master Arnold de Toroga dies in Verona. Gérard de Ridefort becomes the 10^th Templar Grand Master.

1185

On March 16, King Baudouin IV dies of leprosy, without a wife or direct heir. King Baudouin IV's seven-year-old nephew by his sister Sibylla, Baudouin V, becomes King of Jerusalem.  Count Raimond III of Tripoli, former regent for Bauduoin IV, again becomes regent but is tricked into leaving Jerusalem by Joscelin of Courtenay.

Fluent in Arabic, Count Raimond III of Tripoli negotiates his own four-year peace treaty with Saladin, a decision other crusaders consider treason.

According to Graham Phillips, 14^th century Arab chronicler Numairi wrote that knights discovered and explored a sealed cave at Jebel Madhbah in the 1180’s, finding a golden chest. “There was no specific reference to the Ark of the Covenant, but the knight did claim that these were holy relics that had belonged to the ancient Israelites.  Numairi describes the chest as being made from paneled gold with two winged figures on the lid which he describes as being similar to ancient statues that still survived in his native Egypt.”

According to Graham Hancock, Templars accompany the exiled Prince Lalibela from Jerusalem to Axum in Ethiopia where legend says the Ark of the Covenant resides in the Church of St Mary of Zion.

Saladin takes back Castle Krak from the Templars.

In September, rioters kill unpopular Byzantine Emperor Andronicus I in Constantinople and his cousin Isaac II Angleus takes the crown.

On November 24, Pope Lucius III dies and Urban II becomes Pope.

1186

On March 3, Saladin takes Mosul.

In August, young King Baudouin V dies and Gérard de Ridefort  sponsors the coronation of Sibylla as Queen of Jerusalem.  She quickly makes her second husband, Guy de Lusignan, King of Jerusalem. 

Meanwhile, perpetual troublemaker Reynald de Châtillon again breaks the peace by continuing to kill and plunder Muslim caravans, including one with Saladin’s sister.

1187

Henry II formally takes over as Count de Champagne from his mother Marie, ruling until his death 1197.

On May 1, Saladin’s son Malek al-Afdal crosses the Jordan river and defeats Templar and Hospitaller forces at the border, beheading all of them.  Sixty knights die, including Hospitaller Grand Master Roger de Moulins.  Only Gérard de Ridefort and two knights escape.

On July 1, Saladin takes Tiberius.  The next day, Saladin takes Tripoli.

On July 3-4, Saladin defeats the Catholics under Reynald de Châtillon, Gérard de Ridefort, and King Guy de Lusignan at Hattin.  Saladin personally beheads Reynald de Châtillon for his numerous terrorist acts.  He captures about 30,000 crusaders, releasing most of them for ransom.  He beheads all the Templars and the Hospitallers except for their Grand Masters. 

The “True Cross” carried by the Catholics in battle passes to Saladin, who according to legend takes it to Damascus then move it to a Baghdad mosque to be symbolically trampled by Muslim feet.

Saladin’s brother, al-Adil, takes Jaffa.  On July 10, Saladin takes Acre without a fight.  Nablus and Toron surrender soon after.   On July 29, Sidon surrenders.  On August 9, Beirut surrenders. Saladin begins a siege of Jerusalem on September 20.

On October 2-3, Saladin conquers Jerusalemxe "Jerusalem" and takes the al-Aqsa mosque from the Templars.  Rather than killing everyone, Saladin negotiates with Balian of Ibelin to ransom Jerusalem’s citizens.  The rich easily pay, but most are put into slavery for Saladin.  Templars refuse to use their extensive funds to buy freedom for the poor.  Saladin reclaims the Temple of Solomon for the Muslims but allows Orthodox and Jacobite Christians to stay and maintain their holy places.  Saladin will soon defeat the remaining Catholic strongholds either by battle or through surrender in exchange for prisoner releases.   

On October 20, Pope Urban III dies suddenly at Ferrara upon learning Saladin took Jerusalem.  Gregory VIII is Pope for two months. During that time, he calls for a 3^rd crusade in Audita Tremendi.

In November, Conrad of Montferrat manages to keep Saladin out of Tyre.

In December, Clement III becomes Pope, returns to Rome, and make amends with Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich I.

The Order of Alcantera merges with the Order of Santiago.

1188

In January at Gisors, King Henry II of England and King Philippe II of France reach a truce and agree to combine their efforts to beat Saladin.  According to Holy Blood, Holy Grail, until now the Prieuré de Sion and the Templars shared the same Grand Master.  During a joint meeting an argument under an elm tree split the Templars and the Prieuré de Sion into separate organizations.  This incident will be known as the Cutting of the Elm.  Templar Jean de Gisors (1133-1220) is named first Grand Master of the Prieuré de Sion, which now takes the subtitle Ormus, a word associated with light or enlightenment.

England raises its taxes to support the new crusade against Saladin.

In July, Saladin releases King of Jerusalem Guy de Lusignan and Grand Master Gérard de Ridefort who then travel to Antioch.

In November, Sultan Kilij Arslan II abdicates and civil war breaks out as his eleven sons fight between themselves.

In December, Saladin takes Castle Safed.  At this point, the only area remaining in Catholic control is the port of Tyre.

1189

On May 11, Friedrich I leaves for the 3^rd Crusade with an army of 100,000.  On the way to Jerusalem, he attacks Constantinople, getting Byzantine Emperor Isaac Angelus to surrender.

On July 6, King Henry II of England dies.  Eleanor of Aquitaine regains her freedom from confinement upon his death and serves as regent for her son Richard I, who grants the Templars a charter of special privileges. 

In September, at King Richard’s coronation, a mob angry at the wealth of the Jews massacres many of them.

Saladin grants Coptic Christians from Ethiopia a site for their altar in Jerusalem.

On October 4, King Guy de Lusignan has Gérard de Ridefort lay siege to Acre.  Saladin again captures de Ridefort -- and this time kills him.  Crusaders abandon their forts at Petra in Jordan.

On December 12, King Richard I leaves England on a third crusade against the Muslims.

1190

On June 10, Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich I drowns in the Saleph River at Cilicia.

On July 4, new allies King Richard I and French King Philippe II meet at Vézelay in France and march together against Muslim-held Jerusalem.  Templar Ralph de Sudeley offers his lands back home as a training camp for both Templar and non-Templar soldiers.

In October, King Richard I seizes the strategic port of Messina in Sicily.

Creation in Jerusalem of the Teutonic Knights of Saint Mary’s Hospital.

1191

On March 30, Pope Clement IV dies and cardinals elect Celestine III, who crowns Henry VI as Holy Roman Emperor the next month.

On May 12, King Richard I marries Princess Berengaria of Navarre aboard a ship outside of Cyprus.  On the 13th, he and Jerusalem King Guy de Lusignan successfully attack Cyprus and rescue hostages taken by Byzantine Prince Isaac Ducas Comnenus, now an ally of Saladin

On July 12, King Richard I of England and King Phillippe II of France defeat the Muslims at Acre and ransom its citizens for 200,000 besants, the return of Catholic prisoners, and the return of the “True Cross.” 

On July 28, King Richard I of England and King Phillippe II of France have a disagreement causing Phillip to leave on a mission to attack Jaffa.

On August 20, impatient with Saladin to fulfill surrender promised from Acre brutality, King Richard I beheads 2700 Muslim  citizens in Jaffa, one by one, a carnage that lasts three days.

On September 7, King Richard I defeats Saladin at the Battle of Ansluf.

Robert de Sablé becomes the 11^th Grand Master of the Templars and buys Cyprus from King Richard I for 100,000 besants.

1192

Princess Isabella is divorced from Humphrey against her will and married to the throne-seeking Conrad of Montferrat.

On April 5, nobles depose Jerusalem King Guy de Lusignan in favor of Conrad of Montferrat. 

Unable to settle there, Templars return Cyprus to King Richard I who sells it to Guy de Lusignan to remove him from Jerusalem.

On April 28, Assassins disguised as Catholic monks kill Conrad of Montferrat and Count Henri II de Champagne is voted King of Jerusalem.  Two days later, he marries Princess Isabella.

In May, King Richard I defeats Saladin at Doron and for a short time Catholics hold the entire coast.

On July 30, Saladin takes Jaffa but is driven out the next day by King Richard I.

On September 2, tired of their many disagreements and battles, King Richard I, King Henri II de Champagne, Templar Grand Master Robert de Sablé, and Saladin sign a five-year peace treaty at Jaffa and their armies disband.

On October 9, King Richard I leaves Palestine for home.  In December, the Duke of Austria Leopold V captures returning King Richard I near Vienna.   Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI then takes Richard I as prisoner.

1193

Robert de Sablé dies and on September 28, Gilbert Erail (a.k.a. Gilbert Horal) becomes the 12^th Templar Grand Master.

On March 3, Saladin dies in Damascus and after a period of civil war the Muslim empire divides between his brother al-Adil and other heirs.

1194

Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI releases King Richard I in exchange for ransom in February.

In May, Cyprus King Guy de Luisignan dies and is succeeded by his brother Amalric II.

In July, King Richard I declares war on France and defeats King Phillippe II at Fretevel.

1195

King Richard I arranges for the marriage of his sister Joanna to Count Raimond IV de Toulouse.

On April 2 at Bari in Italy, Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI calls for a new crusade against Constantinople and the Muslims.

On April 8, Byzantine Emperor Isaac I is deposed and imprisoned along with his son Alexius IV by Isaac’s brother Alexius III.

1196

In January, King Richard I of England and King Phillippe II of France make peace by the Treaty of Louviers, but in July Phillippe II attacks England again.

In July, Saladin’s brother al-Adil takes Egypt.

On December 25, Friedrich II becomes King of the Romans.

1197

Thibaud III becomes Count de Champagne until 1201.

King Henri II dies in Jerusalem in September.  Isabella takes her fourth husband, Amalric de Lusignan (brother of Guy de Lusignan) who becomes Amalric II, King of Jerusalem.

On September 28, Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV dies and his son Friedrich II becomes King of Germany and Sicily.

1198

On January 8, Pope Celestine III dies and newly elected Innocent III calls on all Catholics to go on another crusade.

Papal Legate Peter of Capua negotiates yet another treaty between King Richard I of England and King Phillippe II of France.

In summer, German Catholics form the Teutonic Knights as a monastic order at Acre.  They adopt the Templar monastic rule but wear a black cross on their white habits instead of red.

Countess Marie de Champagne dies.

In August, Pope Innocent III formally declares a 4^th crusade.

In September, King Richard I breaks the peace treaty and defeats King Phillippe II of France at Gisors.

1199

On January 13, King Richard I and King Phillippe II sign yet another truce. 

King Richard I dies on April 6 and John is crowned King of England.

Pope Innocent III (1161-1216) supports the Templars by reaffirming Omne Datum Optimum eight times.  He creates a vision of reuniting the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches and increases the power of the Papacy through direct taxation. 

1200

Pope Innocent III reinstates the Humiliati after they recant.

Approximate founding of the Order of San Jorge de Alfama.

1201

Thibaud IV becomes Count de Champagne for a record 52 years until 1253.  He has only one child, Jeanne (1274-1305) who will marry the future French King Philippe IV.  

In March, Frency nobles elect Count Thibaud IV to lead a crusade against Egypt and Constantinople.  They travel to Venice to negotiate transport by boat.

Philip de Plessiez becomes the 13^th Grand Master of the Templars.

Founding of the Order of Sword Brothers.

1202

Pope Innocent III launches the 4^th Crusade against the Egyptians and the Bogomils in Bosnia.  Some Bogomils flee to Europe, particularly to sympathetic Cathari communities in southern France. 

Alexius IV escapes imprisonment by Alexius III and plots with Boniface of Montferrat to divert crusaders to Constantinople to free his father and retake the city.

Unable to raise the money needed to pay Venetians to take them to Egypt, crusaders agree to barter by attacking Zara in Dalmatia on behalf of Venice.  On November 24, Crusaders take Zara and earn their trip.  The destination changes, however, as Alexius IV makes an attractive financial offer to free Constantinople from Alexius III.

1203

Fortification of Montségur, a mountaintop Cathari fortress for women in southern France, in anticipation of a Catholic attack.

After a brief return to the throne by his father, Alexius IV becomes Byzantine Emperor.

1204

In January, Alexius V Murtzouphlos deposes Alexius IV as Byzantine Emperor.

In February, Catholics and Cathars debate in Carcassonne under the sponsorship of King Peter II of Aragon.

On April 6, Venice attacks the Eastern Orthodox capital of Constantinople where its leaders gain a peaceful loss after promising ransom.  Templars go on the trip but refuse to fight against other Christians.

On April 12-15, after Constantinople fails to produce the money, crusaders spend three days conducting particularly gruesome orgies, riots, and mass killings that eliminate any