1297

Financed in part through Templar loans, King Philippe IV attacks various areas in Europe with mixed success.

A Scottish army under the command of William Wallace and Sir William Sinclair defeats English King Edward’s 30,000-man army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. 

Henri Sinclair, son of William, becomes Baron of Roslin.

1298

On July 13, death of Jacopo di Voragine (a.k.a. Giacomo da Voragine, Jacopo di Viraggio, Jakub de Voragine), author of The Life of Mary Magdalene, part of his famous book Golden Legend (a.k.a. Legenda Aurea).  According to di Voragine, Mary Magdalene was the young woman Jesus raised from the dead (see Matthew 9:18-25).  He identified her father as Chief Priest Syrus the Jairus and the mother as Eucharia.

William de la More becomes Master of the London Templars until 1307.

1300

Templars try unsuccessfully to attack Egypt through coastal raids.

1301

The young Louis IV becomes King of Bavaria.

1302

Pope Boniface VIII prevents King Philippe IV from collecting taxes from the French Church.  Philippe in turn closes the borders to the export of money or materials to the Vatican and begins a smear campaign against the Pope.  These actions result in Philippe’s excommunication and the issuance of the Unam Sanctum, an edict which requires complete submission to the Papacy, saying “We declare, we say, we defend and pronounce that to every human creature it is absolutely necessary to salvation to be subject to the Roman Pontiff.”

After many casualties from attacks by the Mamluks under Egyptian Sultan al-Malik al-Nasir Mohammad, Templars leave Ruad for good and move to Cyprus.

King Edward of England seizes the Templar treasury in London and offers to give it to the poor.  Pope Boniface intervenes and Edward returns the money.  Undaunted, and with unpaid troops from previous military campaigns wanting compensation, he enters the London Temple on false pretenses and robs it again.

1303

On September 7, King Philippe IV’s advisor, the Cathari Guillaume de Nogaret (dies 1314), storms the Papal home in Anagni and captures Pope Boniface VIII.  Although the Pope is quickly rescued, he dies of the stress five weeks later.  His successor, Pope Benedict XI (a.k.a. Niccolo Boccasini, 1240-1304), is at first conciliatory but later excommunicates de Nogaret 

France puts its treasury back under Templar control until 1307.

The English and the Scots fight at Roslin, a battle won by the Scots with the help of Templar knights.

1304

The anti-clerical Dolcinites, believing in the holiness of poverty in rebellion against a wealthy Church, wipe out entire Catholic towns, kill priests, and make many enemies.  Their leader Friar Dolcino is of Novara.

On July 7, Pope Benedict XI dies, many believe from poisoning by Guillaume de Nogaret.

1305

Death of King Philippe IV’s wife, Jeanne of Navarre, sister of the Count of Champagne.  To date, King Philippe IV’s various military campaigns have taken a huge financial toll on the treasury, accruing large amounts of debt to the Templars.  When his wife dies he applies to become a Templars, offering to abdicate to his son in return.  Templars insist he pay off his substantially overdue debt first, which he refuses. 

In November, King Philippe IV installs Pope Clement V (1260-1329, a.k.a. Bertrand de Goth), whose mother is Ida de Blanchefort of the family of Bertrand de Blanchefort, former Templar Grand Master.

1306

In February, Pope Clement V excommunicates Robert the Bruce (1275-1329) for the murder of John Comyn, Robert’s rival for the Scottish throne.

A large group of Ethiopian representatives meets with Pope Clement V in Avignon.

The Countess of Buchan crowns Robert the Bruce King of Scotland at Scone.

In June, King Philippe IV devalues the French currency and has to take refuge from angry mobs inside the Paris Templar preceptory.

Templars help overthrow King Henry II on Cyprus and his brother Amaury de Lusignan, Lord of Tyre, takes over.

On July 21, to raise funds, King Philippe IV orders the arrest and expulsion of all Jewsxe "Jews" in France and takes their property, for which the Templars publicly criticize him.

The Hospitallers, under the command of Grand Master William de Villaret, conquer the island of Rhodes from the Byzantine Emperor and change their name to the Knights of Rhodes.

1307

Bernardo Gui (1261-1331) becomes the Catholic Inquisitor for Toulouse until 1323.  After great success oppressing Cathari, he later moves to Paris to torture Templars.

According to Holy Blood, Holy Grail, Edouard de Bar becomes Grand Master of the Prieuré de Sion.

On March 23, Pope Clement V arrests and executes Dolcinite Friar Dolcino in Novara.

Pope Clement V calls a meeting with Templar Grand Master Jacques de Molay and Knights of Rhodes Grand Master William de Villaret about merging their orders and reporting to King Philippe IV. William de Villaret cannot attend but de Molay sails to La Rochelle from Cyprus (with eighteen Templar ships).  Once in France, he meets in Paris with King Philippe IV.

In May, de Molay and King Philippe IV travel to meet with Pope Clement V in Poitiers.  De Molay defends himself against charges of heretical practices and declines the Pope’s request to merge the Templars with the Hospitallers and place both under King Philippe IV.

In August, Jacques de Molay meets with the Pope for a second time and asks him to intervene against King Philippe IV’s continuing campaign to control the Templars.

On September 14, King Philippe IV secretly orders the arrest of all Templars.

On Friday, October 13, all Templars within King Philippe IV’s jurisdiction are arrested on many charges including secret rituals, non-Catholic beliefs, homosexuality,  teaching abortion to women, worshipping idols, disrespecting the cross, and associating with Jews and Muslims.  The King's forces find only 620 of an estimated 3000 Templars.  Those captured and imprisoned include Grand Master Jacques de Molay, Hughes de Peyraud, and Geoffroi de Charnay (1248-1314), Preceptor of Normandy. 

Pope Clement V quickly calls a commission in Poitiers. One of the main cardinals was Pierre de la Chapelle. The commission met privately and after several days condemned the actions of King Philippe IV.

The treasury of the Templars’ Paris preceptory disappears prior to the arrival of Philippe IV’s forces.  Where did it go?  Eighteen Templar ships based in La Rochelle on the coast of France also disappear, suggesting the treasury was moved from the country.  According to Andrew Sinclair in Sword and the Grail, French Masonic tradition places nine Templar ships at the Isle of Mey near Edinburgh.  According to Baigent and Leigh in The Temple and the Lodge, ships of the Templar fleet sail around Ireland to land in the Argyll area of Scotland -- where they are warmly received.  However, according to Karen Ralls in The Templars and the Grail, “we have no concrete evidence that a number of ships left La Rochelle in 1307 after the arrests.”  Ralls proposes that any escape by sea would have been from Aragon, an area under greater Templar control than La Rochelle.

Hearings on the Templars begin in Paris on October 19. 

Under torture, Jacques de Molay confesses on October 24 to denying the divinity of Jesus but claims innocence on other charges. 

On October 27, Pope Clement V orders the arrest of all remaining Templars. 

On November 9, Hughes de Peyraud confesses.

On December 24, de Molay and other Templar leaders withdraw their confessions before the Papal committee.

1308

In January, King Edward II arrests Templars in England and imprisons the English Grand Master.  Like his father, Edward II robs the Templar’s London treasury, this time getting not Templar loot but funds belonging to the Bishop of Chester, a Templar banking client. 

In February, Pope Clement V suspends the Inquisition against the Templars for a month.

In May, Templars on Cyprus surrender to the Order-friendly King Amaury de Lusignan and proclaim their innocence.

On May 26, King Phillippe IV and de Molay visit Pope Clement V at Poitiers, ostensibly to discuss a new crusade.  It is at this point Phillippe demands de Molay confess to various heresies and threatens the Pope to more fully condemn the Templars.

Pope Clement V issues Regnas in Coelis, which orders the leaders of all Catholic lands to conduct their own investigations into the Templars.

On June 27, to pressure greater Templar condemnation, King Phillippe IV sends Pope Clement V 72 handpicked Templars to confess personally.

The Pope creates a special Papal commission to interview 54 Templars, including Jacques de Molay, Geoffroi de Charnay, and Hughes de Peyraud held in Chinon Castle. The Templars’ geometrical carvings on the walls of the Chinon prison tower still exist but have never been deciphered.  The Cardinals of the commission include Berenger Fredeol, Etienne de Suisy, Landolfo Brancacci and Pierre de la Chapelle, who determine the Templars were faithful to the Church and absolve them in a document later referred to as the "Chinon Parchment.”  This document does not become public for almost 700 years.   The Templar prisoners at Chinon are turned over to Cardinal Pierre de la Chapelle, who unknown to the Pope was on King Phillippe’s payroll, receiving 16,000 pounds earlier in the month.  King Philippe IV refuses to recognize the Papal pardon.

In August, Pope Clement V moves from Rome to the Dominican monastery at Avignon.  Over the next 70 years, Avignon will become known as a center of religion -- and prostitution.  Avignon’s brothel industry booms and entrepreneurs such as Johanna of Naples have thriving businesses.  Johanna eventually sells her business to Pope Clement VI who keeps it going under the name The Abbey.

Many Templars are massacred at St-Martin-de-Vesubie.

1309

Four Templars from Temple Dinsley are imprisoned after arrest by Edward II in Hertford Castle.

On August 8, the Paris Commission begins hearings in Vienne to more objectively investigate charges against the Templars.

On November 26, de Molay and others are made to appear at the Paris Commission.  

1310

On March 28, imprisoned Templars in Poitiers request an audience with Pope Clement V, which King Philippe IV refuses. 

On April 7, the Paris Commission brings 127 charges against the Templars in seven categories:

Ø      Denying the divinity of Jesus

Ø      Worshipping a head with magical powers

Ø      Disbelieving in the Catholic sacraments

Ø      Receiving confessions without being official priests

Ø      Conducting homosexual-oriented acts

Ø      Being materially oriented

Ø      Having secret meetings and rituals

King Henry II retakes power in Cyprus and retaliates against the Templars, destroying their castles and removing official protections against their persecution.

Under direction from King Philippe IV, Archbishop of Sens Philip de Marigny, brother of the King’s finance minister, convenes the Council of Sens, asserts authority over the Templar trials, and burns between 54 and 120 Templar prisoners on May 12.

In Salamanca, Spain, King Dinis I declares the Templars innocent in Iberian territory.

1311

In May, after a year of discussions, the Paris Commission finds the Templars innocent, although many Templars admit to some degree of the beliefs charged against them, such as that Jesus was a man and not God.

King Philippe IV persecutes the Lombards and takes their assets.

On October 16, Pope Clement V convenes the Council of Viennes (15^th Ecumenical) along with King Philippe IV of France, King Edward II of England, and King James II of Aragon.  Impatient to get the Templarxe "Templar" riches, Philippe IV pushes the slow-moving Council to be tougher. The Pope declares the Templars abolished but his own clerics demand some kind of due process before taking action.  Beside the Templars, the Council condemns the Beghards and the Beguines, although treatment of the female Beguines is much more lenient.  The Council declares anyone who believes that “the rational or intellectual soul is not the form of the human body in itself and essentially, must be regarded as a heretic.”

1312

In March, alongside King Phillippe IV and his sons, Pope Clement V issues Vox in excelso and Ad Providam to officially dissolve the Knights Templar.

In May, Pope Clement V transfers all Templar property except for lands in Spain to the Knights Hospitallers. 

1313

Pope Clement V declares Pope Celestine V a Saint. 

1314

On March 14, King Philippe IV orders the execution of Templars Jacques de Molay, Geoffroi de Charnay (Grand Preceptor of Normandy), Hugh de Peyraud (Visitor-General), and Guy d’Auvergne (a.k.a. Guy de Daphiny, Grand Preceptor of France). 

On March 18, Jacques de Molay and Geoffroi de Charnay are scheduled to burn at the stake in Paris on the Ile des Javiaux on the Seine River. Hugh de Peyraud and Guy d'Auvergne confess and get life imprisonment.  Fearing crowd reprisals, authorities delay execution of de Molay and de Charnay after their passionate speeches stir the crowd.

A few hours later, King Philippe IV has de Molay and de Charnay burned privately near the convent of St. Augustine. 

Legend has a man in the crowd cursing all those associated with the executions to death within a year.  On April 20, Pope Clement V dies.  On November 29, King Philippe IV dies in a hunting accident.

On June 24, Scottish troops led by Robert the Bruce and Sir Henry Sinclair defeat the English at the Battle of Bannockburn, making Scotland an independent nation.  Legend has it that Templars fleeing persecution in France assist the Scots in this victory.

Some authors theorize that fleeing Templars create the state of Switzerland which will become an international banking center.