THE BATTLE OF BANNOCKBURN PART III

  Since his landing at Ayrshire in 1307, King Robert had demonstrated time and time again that he was willing to take risks, but these were always measured and calculated. He had no intention of chancing all on the outcome of a day, as had William Wallace at the Battle of Falkirk. Almost to the last minute, he was prepared to withdraw.

The Chronicle of Lanercost seems to confirm that the English also believed he would seek to retreat as it states that " . . . the king’s [Edward's] advanced guard, commanded by Lord de Clifford, began to make a circuit of the wood to prevent the Scots escaping by flight". King Robert was persuaded to remain by news of the poor state of morale in the English army. But undoubtedly the most important factor in persuading him to make a stand was the ground before him. 

The Bannockburn, over which the English army had to cross on the way to Stirling, and its sister streams flowed over the Carse of Stirling. A carse is an area which is wet in winter, but hard in summer, and most of it was used for growing wheat, oats, and barley.

With the trees of the New Park covering Bruce's army to the west, the only approach apart from the Pows to the east was directly over the old road from Falkirk. If this route, virtually the only solid ground on which heavy cavalry could be effectively deployed, were to be denied to the English, they would have no choice but to wheel right to the northeast, on to the Carse.

  To force Edward to take this route, Bruce adopted tactics similar to those he had used at the Battle of Loudon Hill: both sides of the road were peppered with small pits or 'pots', each three feet deep and covered with brush, which would force the enemy to bunch towards the centre of a dangerously constricted front.

Once on the Carse, the English army would be caught in a kind of natural vise, as the main action on 24 June showed, with waterways to the north, east, and south. Such natural advantages were not easily obtained, and were unlikely to occur again. There is some confusion over the exact site of the Battle of Bannockburn, although most modern historians agree that the traditional site, where a visitor center and statue have been erected, is not the correct one.

Although a large number of possible alternatives have been proposed, most can be dismissed and two serious contenders can be considered:   the area of peaty ground known as the Dryfield outside the village of Balquhiderock, about three-quarters of a mile to the east of the traditional site and  the Carse of Balquhiderock, about a mile and a half northeast of the traditional site, accepted by the National Trust as the most likely candidate.

It was on the old road that the preliminary actions of the Battle of Bannockburn took place on Sunday, 23 June. For the English, things started to go wrong before the first blow had been struck. Sir Philip Mowbray, the commander of Stirling Castle, who had observed Bruce's preparations on the road, appeared in Edward's camp early in the morning, and warned of the dangers of approaching the Scots directly through the New Park.  Mowbray also pointed out that there was no need to force a battle, as Edward was now close enough to the castle to constitute a technical relief in terms of the agreement with Edward Bruce.

But even if the king was disposed to act on Mowbray's advice, it was already too late; for he was showing signs of losing control of his formidable but unwieldy host.

 The vanguard under the earls of Gloucester and Hereford, appointed to joint command by Edward after a quarrel about who would take the lead a compromise that satisfied no one — were already closing in on the Scots from the south, advancing in the same reckless manner that had almost brought disaster at Falkirk.

Following the line of the Roman road, they crossed the ford over the Bannockburn towards King Robert's division at the opening of the New Park.  There now occurred one of the most memorable episodes in Scottish history.

Henry de Bohun, nephew of the Earl of Hereford, was riding ahead of his companions when he caught sight of the Scottish king. De Bohun lowered his lance and began a charge that carried him to lasting fame. King Robert was mounted on a small palfrey and armed only with a battle-axe. He had no armor on.

As de Bohun's great war-horse thundered towards him, he stood his ground, watched with mounting anxiety by his own army. With the Englishman only feet away, Bruce turned aside, stood in his stirrups and hit the knight so hard with his axe that he split his helmet and head in two. This small incident became in a larger sense a symbol of the war itself: the one side heavily armed but lacking agility; the other highly mobile and open to opportunity.

Rebuked by his commanders for the enormous risk he had taken, the king only expressed regret that he had broken the shaft of his axe.  Cheered by this heroic encounter, Bruce's division rushed forward to engage the main enemy force. For the English, so says the author of the Vita Edward Secundi (Life of Edward II), this was the beginning of their troubles.

After some fierce fighting, in which the Earl of Gloucester was knocked off his horse, the knights of the vanguard were forced to retreat to the Tor Wood. The Scots, eager to pursue, were held back by the command of the king.  In the meantime, another English cavalry force under Robert Clifford and Henry de Beaumont skirted the Scottish position to the east and rode towards Stirling, advancing as far as St. Ninians.

Bruce spotted the maneuver and ordered Randolph's schiltron to intercept.  Randolph's action was a foretaste of the main contest the following day: unsupported by archers, the horsemen were unable to make any impression on the Scots spearmen, precisely what had happened in the opening stages of Falkirk. The difference now was that the Schiltrons had learned mobility and how to keep formation at the same time. The English squadron was broken, some seeking refuge in the nearby castle, others fleeing back to the army. The captives included Sir Thomas Gray, whose son and namesake later based his account of the Battle of Bannockburn in his book, the Scalacronica, on his father's memories 

The English army was still approaching Stirling from the south. Bruce's preparations had made the direct approach to Stirling too hazardous. Edward made the worst decision of all: he ordered the army to cross the Bannockburn to the east of the New Park.

  Not long after daybreak on 24 June, the Scots spearmen began to move towards the English. Edward was surprised to see Robert's army emerge from the cover of the woods. As Bruce's army drew nearer, they paused and knelt in prayer.

Edward is supposed to have said in surprise "They pray for mercy!" "For mercy, yes," one of his attendants replied, "But from God, not you. These men will conquer or die."  One of the English earls, Gloucester, asked the king to hurry up, but the king accused him of cowardice. Angered, the earl mounted his horse and led the vanguard on a charge against the leading Scots spearmen, commanded by Edward Bruce.

Gloucester, who according to some accounts had not bothered to don his surcoat, was killed in the forest of Scottish spears, along with some of the other knights. The very size and strength of the great army was beginning to work against the English king, as his army could not move quickly and lost a lot of time in getting into position.

  Bruce then committed his whole Scots army to an inexorable bloody push into the disorganized English mass, fighting side by side across a single front. Edward's army was now so tightly packed that if a man fell, he risked being immediately crushed underfoot or suffocated and the English and Welsh longbowmen failed to get a clear shot in fear they might hit their own men.

After some time they moved to the side of Douglas's division and began shooting into its left, but upon the command of Robert the Bruce who oversaw this Scottish 500-horse light cavalry under Robert Keith dispersed them. The returning fleeing archers then caused the infantry itself to begin to flee. Later the knights began to escape back across the Bannockburn.   With the English formations beginning to break, a great shout went up from the Scots, "Lay on! Lay on! Lay on! They fail!"

This cry was heard by Bruce's camp followers, who promptly gathered weapons and banners and charged forward. To the English army, close to exhaustion, this appeared to be a fresh reserve and they lost all hope. The English forces north of the Bannockburn broke into flight. Some tried to cross the River Forth where most drowned in the attempt. Others tried to get back across the Bannockburn, but as they ran, “tumbling one over the other” down the steep, slippery banks, a deadly crush ensued so that “men could pass dryshod upon the drowned bodies”.

Edward fled with his personal bodyguard, ending the remaining order in the army; panic spread and defeat turned into a rout. He arrived eventually at Dunbar Castle, from here he took ship to England. From the carnage of Bannockburn, the rest of the army tried to escape to the safety of the English border, ninety miles to the south.

Many were killed by the pursuing Scottish army or by the inhabitants of the countryside that they passed through. Historian Peter Reese says that, "only one sizeable group of men—all footsoldiers—made good their escape to England." These were a force of Welsh spearmen who were kept together by their commander, Sir Maurice de Berkeley, and the majority of them reached Carlisle.

Weighing up the available evidence, Reese concludes that "it seems doubtful if even a third of the footsoldiers returned to England." Out of 16,000 infantrymen, this would give a total of about 11,000 killed. The English chronicler Thomas Walsingham gave the number of English men-at-arms who were killed as 700, while 500 more men-at-arms were spared for ransom.

The Scottish losses appear to have been comparatively light, with only two knights among those killed.

 

 

 

BATTLE OF BANNOCKBURN PART II

This was a grand feudal army, one of the last of its kind to leave England in the Middle Ages. King Robert awaited its arrival south of Stirling near the Bannock Burn in Scotland.

The English army marched rapidly to reach Stirling before Mowbray's agreement expired on 24 June. Edinburgh was reached on 19 June and by 22 June, it was at Falkirk, only 15 miles short of its objective. Edward's host followed the line of the old Roman road, which ran through an ancient forest known as the Tor Wood, over the Bannockburn and into the New Park, a hunting preserve enclosed at the time of Alexander III. 
Bruce's army had been assembling in the Tor Wood, an area providing good natural cover, from the middle of May. On Saturday, 22 June, with his troops now organized into their respective commands, Bruce moved his army slightly to the north to the New Park, a more heavily wooded area, where his movements could be concealed and which, if the occasion demanded, could provide cover for a withdrawal. 
Bruce's army, like William Wallace's before him, was chiefly composed of infantry armed with long spears. It was probably divided into three main formations.  Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray, commanded the vanguard, which was stationed about a mile to the south of Stirling, near the church of St. Ninian, while the king commanded the rearguard at the entrance to the New Park. His brother, Edward, led the third division. According to Barbour, there was a fourth nominally under the youthful Walter the Steward, but actually under the command of Sir James Douglas.
The army might have numbered as many as nine thousand men in all, but probably more of the order of six thousand to seven thousand. It was gathered from the whole of Scotland: knights and nobles, freemen and tenants, town dwellers and traders:  men who could afford the arms and armor required.
Barbour tells that King Robert turned away those who were not adequately equipped. For most, such equipment would consist of a spear, a helmet, a thick padded jacket down to the knees and armored gloves. It is highly probable that a large proportion of the spearmen had acquired more extensive armor given that the country had been at war for nearly twenty years.
This is in contrast to the modern romantic notion of the Scots army, which depicts its foot soldiers clad in kilts, painted wood and little else. The balance of the army consisted of archers and men-at-arms. The Scottish archers used yew-stave longbows and it is not to be thought that they had weaker or inferior bows but rather had inferior numbers. Consisting of possibly only 500 archers, they played little part in the battle.
There is first hand evidence from the captured Carmelite friar, Robert Baston in his poem, written just after the battle, that one or both sides employed slingers and crossbowmen Each of these troop types was indistinguishable from their counter parts in France or England many of the Scottish men-at-arms (recruited from the nobility and the more prosperous burgesses) served on foot at Bannockburn.

BATTLE OF BANNOCKBURN PART I

THE BATTLE OF BANNOCKBURN

At the battle of Banockburn in 1314, the Templar’s were a strong part of Robert the Bruce’s army, The English were 38,000 strong and Robert the Bruce’s force was 9,000.  The Templar’s used a Technique called a decapitation assault that they learned from the Muslims during the crusades.  Instead of sending hundreds or thousands of soldiers into battle you send in { assassins} which is Arabic for hashish eaters.  To eliminate the leadership of the opposing force.  By eliminating the leadership of the opposing force usually they are fairly undisciplined and the force falls apart.

The Knights Templar encountered this technique frequently during the crusades.  Not only did they fight their enemy the Muslims but they learned from them also and not limited to battle technique, as we shall soon see.

Just to digress for a moment, this is also a underlying method of modern day special forces, and an excellent example is the recent operation by US Special Operations command, in this case Seal Team six.

Seal Team six and US Army Delta are specific. Their only function is Hostage Rescue, using stealth operations. You don't see them you feel them. They go in frequently posing as regular forces. They don't brag, they don't strut. They go in take care of business, and leave dead people in their wake.

When Delta commander Colonel Charlie Beckwith was briefing President Carter, when the green light for desert one was given. In response to the Presidents query, “ colonel can you avoid terminating the kidnappers by a non lethal shot to the leg or shoulder” Col. Beckwith responded “Mr. President just to be clear we will shoot any kidnappers present twice between the eyes and recover the hostages”.

When Seal Team Six, arrived on station in Pakistan to recover Bin Laden. They went in with the intention of killing any armed forces. They went in to kill Bin laden and any one who got in the way, to gather intelligence, and to depart.

They didn't make press releases, they didn't want any recognition, they didn't brag or strut. They just went in and took care of business, they eliminated the leadership of the opposition.

There are many different accounts of the battle of Bannockburn what is consistent is that Robert the Bruce had a highly untrained and unarmed, except for farm tools, axes and clubs.  And a force of about nine thousand men. The English had a force estimated between twenty thousand and thirty eight thousand depending on which account you read. It is said that the Templar’s had a small force but highly disciplined, trained and experienced.  This would be the force from the missing Templar fleet in addition to which there were at least two Irish contingents of Templar in the area for at least several years prior to the Battle of Bannockburn.

Each contingent of Templar is a bout one hundred and fifty Knights, and each knight had a support team of six to ten individuals. They would be the Calvary, there was a force of light artillery with light cannons, perhaps a sling shot apparatus, and then the foot soldiers most with spears, ax’s, and farm tools, but some also had long bows and cross bows, these warriors were also known as Infantry.  All of these elements make up a contingent which accounts for a bought 2500 men. In today’s army a contingent would be similar in size and organization to a Regiment under the command of a General Officer.

My thought on the battle of Bannockburn is that Robert the Bruce probably had the two Contingents of Templar’s and around one Thousand to three thousand untrained local militia to make up a force between six and nine thousand warriors.

 Edward came to Scotland in the high summer of 1314 with the preliminary aim of relieving Stirling Castle: the real purpose, of course, was to find and destroy the Scottish army in the field, and thus end the war. England, for once, was largely united in this ambition, although some of Edward's greatest magnates and former enemies, headed by his cousin, Thomas of Lancaster, did not attend in person, sending the minimum number of troops they were required to by feudal law.

Even so, the force that left Berwick-upon-Tweed on 17 June 1314 was impressive: it comprised between 2,000–3,000 horse (likely closer to 2,000) and 16,000 foot. The precise size relative to the Scottish forces is unclear but estimates range from as much as at least two or three times the size of the army Bruce had been able to gather, to as little as only 50% larger.

Edward was accompanied by many of the seasoned campaigners of the Scottish wars, headed by the Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, and veterans like Henry de Beaumont and Robert de Clifford, 1st Baron de Clifford. The most irreconcilable of Bruce's Scottish enemies also came: Ingram de Umfraville, a former Guardian of Scotland, and his kinsman the Earl of Angus, as well as others of the MacDougall’s, McCann and Sir John Comyn of Badenoch, the only son of the Red Comyn, who was born and raised in England and was now returning to Scotland to avenge his father's killing by Bruce at Greyfriars Kirk in Dumfries in 1306.

THE KNIGHT TEMPLAR'S PART VII / JOLLY ROGER

                                 WHAT THE TEMPLARS BELEIVED

The root of the Templar’s faith have always been claimed to be the Bible. But only in part. To truly understand the Templar’s one must go deeper into the studies of the Gnostics, the esoteric followers of the TRUTH and farther back to the early Hebrew traditions to the time of Solomon when there were not only Yahweh but also the Goddess  Ashtoreth or as she was known in Mesopotamia as Astarte.

Ashtoreth or Asherah is mentioned several times in the Old Testament and were openly worshipped by the Israelites until 6th century B.C. when she was replaced by the single supreme male god of Jehovah.

In one painting of the Middle Ages hanging in the Louvre, the Magdalene is shown in the pose so often seen in Sumerian sculptures of the Goddess Astarte with her hands cupped under her breasts.

The Templars were known for the high value they placed on women, their role as "knights in shining armor" from the Middle Ages. Some say they were followers of the ancient wisdom or Sophia, the Goddess of truth and wisdom.

The Templars relationship to the Grail stories of Wagner, of King Arthur and the Lady of the Lake, their place in the arts, poetry and the expounding of courtly love of the middle ages surely places the Templar’s if not within the realm of Goddess worship at least within the realm of their acknowledgement of the feminine principal of divinity.

Because of the Inquisition and the persecution of the Templar’s they went underground, using sacred geometry, symbology, art, and architecture to pass their beliefs, knowledge and secrets to the generations and only the select few with sacred knowledge could interpret them.

 The Holy Grail was an allegory term to hide the real meaning of the treasure.  History records it as the Chalice that Joseph of Arminthia caught blood from Jesus side wound.  Also it is thought to be an allegory reference to the womb of Mary Magdalene as the Sangrail, another name of the Holy Grail that was to contain the Holy Blood or bloodline of Jesus Christ.

With the loss of their properties, nine thousand estates throughout Christendom, their suppression by the Church of Rome, and the country of France.  They could no longer act as the shippers of the Nobel’s between Europe and the Holly Land, provide protection for pilgrims, and be the bankers to France and England. They could no longer use the ports of England, Ireland, Spain, and Italy.  But still had their material wealth which exceeded two hundred tons of gold and silver they still had sacred knowledge and a Secret they held over the church.

 They were still welcome in Norway, Scotland, Portugal, and Sicily.  The Templars needed a refuge but they were at war with the Vatican and the countries under her domain, because those countries were essentially a  puppet government of the Vatican.

There were several repercussions relevant to the lost Templar Fleet.  An upsurge in piracy, the beginnings of Atlantic exploration by Templar’s from Scotland and Portugal and many charts of accuracy that is inexplicable in their accuracy for that day and age.

 The Templar Fleet was divided into three sections, the Mediterranean fleet stayed in the Mediterranean, they traded the sails of the Rosy Cross, for one of several flags of the Jolly Roger.

 The second fleet stayed in Portugal or also known as Port-o-Grail, and became the Fleet of the Knights of Christ, the Naval Fleet of Henry the Navigator and the Navy of Portugal.

  The northern portion of the Fleet went to Scotland, became associated with the Sinclair Family who gave them refuge on their estates, they became married to the local women established homesteads and became part of the Army and Navy of King Robert the Bruce and his decedents.  In this authors opinion eighty-five percent of the Scottish force under Robert the Bruce were Templar’s.

 In the Temple and the Lodge Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh describe the area of one of the Sinclair estates;

 “ Some three miles south of  Edinburgh  lay the village of Roslyn. It consists of a single street with a parade of shops, houses, and at the end of the street two pubs.  The village begins at the edge of a steep wooded gorge, the Valley of the North Esk. Seven miles away, where the North Esk joins the South, lies the former preceptor of Balantrodoc now simply called the Temple.

The valley of the North Esk is a mysterious haunted place. Carved into the large moss covered rock, a wild pagan head gazes at the passer-by. Further downstream, in a cave behind a waterfall, there is what appears to be another huge head with cavernous eyes—perhaps a weathered carving, perhaps  a natural product of the elements.

  The path leading through the valley is crossed by numerous ruined stone buildings and passes by a cliff face with a dressed stone window.  Behind this window is a veritable warren of tunnels, sufficient to conceal a great number of men and accessible by only a hidden entrance.   One had to be lowered down a well.  According to legend, Bruce found refuge here during one of many crises that beset his campaigns.

Perched on the very edge of the gorge is an eerily strange edifice, Rosslyn Chapel.  One’s first impression is that it seems that it appears to be a cathedral in miniature. Not that it is particularly small. It is so overloaded, so dripping with gothic carvings and floridly intricate embellishments that it seems somehow to be a truncated part of something greater like a fragment of Chartres transplanted to the top of a Scottish hill.

It conveys a sense of great gothic lushness, as if the builders, after lavishing their most dazzling skills and costly materials upon the structure, simply stopped abruptly.  The fact is that they did, they ran short of money.  Rosslyn Chapel was originally intended to be part of something much greater, the ‘Lady chapel’ of a vast collegiate church, a full sized cathedral on the French scale!  In the absence of funds the project was never realized.  From the existing west wall massive blocks of stone jut forth, awaiting others, which never arrived.”

JOLLY ROGER

King Roger was a Templar Norman King who conquered Sicily during the time of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Because the Templars could no longer fly the Rosy cross, they flew their war flag, of which there were several to choose from.

The Jolly Roger is named after King Roger II of Sicily (1095-1154) Roger was a Templar from the crusades and conquered Apulia and Salerno in 1127 A.D. despite opposition from Pope Innocent II.   His court was full of dancers, musicians, and entertainers and was known as Jolly Roger.   His conflict with the Pope was legendary especially among seafarers and traders.  Jolly Roger was well known for his palace at Palermo, dedicated to the arts, sciences and letters.

It is thought that the Renaissance actually began with events at Jolly Rogers Palace at Palmero.  Jolly Roger established a center for Navigation and he employed Jewish and Moslem scholars much to the Vatican’s distain.

 The Moslem Scholar Ibn Idrisi produced a Celestial Disc and a terrestrial disc, both in silver, which represented all the astronomical and geographical knowledge of that time.  Jolly Rodger through the Moslem scholars that visited his Palace was able to acquire a very desirable library of ancient but extremely accurate charts of the day. Many of them acquired through the Alexandria Egypt center of knowledge.

After the persecution of the Templars by France and the Church of Rome, pirates were found in abundance in the Atlantic and the Medeterainian flying the Jolly Roger. They only attacked Spanish, Italian, and French ships.  The Jolly Rogers skull and cross bones had a message that was very clear!  A vow to oppose the Roman Church to the death, which was the message of the skull and cross bones of the Jolly Roger, and also on the grave stones of Templars and master Freemasons.

From this point the Templar fleet was divided into four divisions.  The Scottish,  Norwegian fleet, which would sail from the Orkney Islands to New Scotland in present day Canada.  As pirates flying the Jolly Roger.  As the Portuguese Navy Under the Knights of Christ. And the fleet of Jolly Roger of Sicily.

There  was now a war of two flags that would encompass world affairs for the next several hundred years. Would the flag of the Jolly Roger reign or will the Flag of the Vatican reign?   The Naval war of the Templars against the Vatican had begun, a war that would encompass vast fleets of ships, transatlantic empires, unimaginable treasure, which we are salvaging from the Ocean depth’s to this day

THE KNIGHT TEMPLAR'S PART VI

Close to a year before the lethal date of 1307 the Temple had gained intelligence that King Philippe was to begin a persecution of the order. They started making preparations, they called in many of the order financial records, books, rules, and had them burned.  A knight that was withdrawing from the order was told by the Treasurer that he was making a very wise decision, because something was in the winds!  An official decree was issued to all preceptories in France instructing them not to release any information  on  the Orders policies, rituals and procedures.

Many knights fled the preceptories  in France, there was an orderly evacuation of certain knights all of whom were associated with the Treasurer.   Under torture one knight confessed that the Templar treasure was taken from the Paris Preceptories, and was taken shortly before the arrests.  The same witness also stated that the Precepitor of France also left France by sea with fifty horses.

Historians believe that the Templars were acting under orders when they were arrested because these fierce warriors went passively, without hostility, as though they had been waiting for the event.

At dawn on Friday the 13th, 1307. The Atlantic fleet had already departed Rochelle France during the preceding night.  Orders were unsealed throughout the country of France, with actions that were sudden swift and lethal.

  But only six hundred twenty Templars were arrested, including the leadership of the order.  They were all tortured, most killed, some were tortured for years.

 The Grand Master of the order Jacques de Moray was tortured extensively for several years.   He was blinded by red hot irons stuck into his eyes, his genitals were boiled in oil, and then pulled off with cords, most of his bones had been broken or dislocated on the rack and was finally after seven years of torment slowly burnt alive by order of the King and Pope.  

There were only two knights who confessed under torture to charges of homosexuality, blasphemy, spitting on the cross and heresy

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The Templars had at least two fleets of ships, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic fleet.  There is also a possibility that they had a separate fleet that serviced the Hanseatic League, in the Baltic sea.  The ships left their respective home ports and the whole order of the Templars went through an immediate reorganization, they went underground, they regrouped joined several already existing Knight groups and started a few of their own.

The fleet out of La Rochelle with 13 ships sailed as a fleet, for security they had merchant ships and armed galleys they used for protection.  They moved  on  the night of October 12, 1307 out of le Rochelle harbor and begat one of the greatest mysteries of the world.  From that point no one has ever seen the ships again.  Or have they?

 Legends have it that They initially stopped in the Sein River, where they picked up fleeing Templars from the Paris Preceptories, fifty horses, and at least part of the Solomon/Cathar/Templar treasure which has been known to history as the Holy Grail.  There was a material portion to the Holy Grail, a knowledge portion, and a secret that they held

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 From the Sein River they headed for Scotland, they went by the west coast of Ireland to avoid detection from the English or French forces.  They went to Scotland which wasn't under the control of the Pope. But was under the control of the St. Clair family.   

                                                                           PORT-O-GRAIL             

The Mediterranean fleet came around to Portugal where the Templars had reorganized into the Order of the knights of Christ.  Almourol  Castle was a Templar strong hold, on an Island in the Tagus River near Abrantes  Portugal (Port of Grail) 

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The castle was built in 1171 over the foundation of a Roman castle, which in turn was built over the foundation of a Phoenician castle.  It was built by Master Templar Gualdim Pais, who was also an excellent navigator and sailor.

Portugal is extremely important in the history of the world but little credit is given to them.  The history of Portugal is directly related to the Templars and their “lost fleet”.   King Alphonso IV, became the Grand Master of the Order of the Knights of Christ and later Prince Henry the Navigator and also Christopher Columbus became Grand Masters.

Portugal has always had close ties to England, where the Templars were very strong, England was like Portugal’s big brother.  To be as small as Portugal  is and to remain independent in the Middle Ages it helps to have a very strong army and to be strong in seafaring. The entire country of Portugal was a Templar strong hold and I wouldn't be over stating it if I said it actually was a Templar country!

                           ORDER OF THE TEMPLE TO THE ORDER OF CHRIST

On December 30th 1308, while the case of the Knights Templar had already been a burning issue in France over the past year, the pope ordered King Denis of Portugal to arrest the Knights Templar under his jurisdiction.

 A commission of enquiry was created in the country and was chaired by the Bishop of Lisbon and attended by the superior of the Franciscan Order and a jurist, Joao de Luis.   Twenty-eight  knights were then questioned, as well as six other witnesses.  To prevent the Temple's possessions from falling into other hands, the king ordered the possessions to be confiscated in January 1310, until such time as the Church had officially reached a verdict concerning the accused order.

 The enquiry conducted in Portugal, though without resorting to torture, could not find any blame concerning the Temple or its members, and a provincial council held shortly after to decide on any follow-ups came to the same conclusion.

 CREATION OF THE ORDER OF CHRIST

King Denis was worried about the rumors that the pope was apparently thinking of awarding all the Temple's possessions to the Hospitallers. The Hospitallers already owned several possessions on the south bank of the Tagus, and giving them the Templar holdings on the north bank of the same river would provide them with such a build-up in what was a strategic area that they would undoubtedly be capable of undermining the royal authority. After various negotiations, the king  obtained the ruling in 1319 whereby the Temple's possessions would go to a new, specifically Portuguese order.

The bull of foundation( Ad ea ex quibus) granted by Pope John XXII on 14 March 1319 first proclaimed the creation of a new order called the "Order of the Knights of Christ" (Ordem de Cavalaria de N. S. Jesus Cristo) and established the fortress of Castro Marim as the knights' house in the south-easternmost part of the country, at the mouth of the Guadiana.

   Then it imposed the rule of Calatrava on the new brotherhood,  and appointed Dom Gil Martins as Grand Master, the previous Grand Master of the Order of Aviz.

 It transferred all the possessions and rights of the Knights Templar to the new militia, but placed it under the eminent authority of the Cistercian abbot of Alcobaça Monastery, in the diocese of Lisbon. The abbot was therefore entitled to visit and collect all the houses belonging to the Order of Christ.

 Each master of the order had to pledge his loyalty to the abbot, ultimately representing the Supreme Pontiff.  Finally, should the master's position be left vacant, the bull stipulated that the new master should be someone both military and religious, and specifically professed by the new order.

Unfortunately, in the following century, this protective framework could not hold up against the greediness of the Portuguese sovereigns, attracted to the order's considerable wealth.

                                 THE NEW ORDER

                                           

Historians believe that the Order of Christ was the main refuge for the Knights Templar that escaped the spate of arrests on Friday, 13 October, 1307.  From the Mediterranean  the new Portuguese order became the (only?) resurgence of the Order of the Temple.

 As a result, the Order of Christ inherited the Templars' knowledge in terms of construction and maritime navigation.  It was used a century later by the  Henry the Navigator, the Grand Master of the Order of Christ, to develop his famous caravel, whose sails proudly flew the Templar cross, and later still by Christopher Columbus, who was also a Grand Master of the Order of Christ.

There are two aspects to the Knights Templar. The Templars were protectors of the Holy Grail, part of their methods of operation was by compartmenting information. As you grew in rank you were given more responsibility and knowledge. There were only three Templars including the Grand Master who knew the location of the secret,  and the Holy Grail.

Their covert aspect was the Priory of Sion whose entire reason of existence was to protect the Bloodline or descendants of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. The descendants were the Merovingian Royal family of France, and their offspring that exist today.  And yes the Priory of Sion still exists and is very active.

                              

KNIGHT TEMPLAR'S PART IV

Pope Clement called for hearings run by the papacy to try members of the order, and many withdrew their confessions given under torture. It was normal practice at that time to burn at the stake anyone who recanted their confessions of heresy as relapsed heretics, and when the Templar’s did so Philippe had many burnt in Paris to force the proceedings along. A document found in the papal archives in 2001 known as the Chinon Parchment and records the papal trials showing that Pope Clement absolved the Templar’s of all heresies in 1308. King Philippe applied pressure to Pope Clement, even threatening military action and Pope Clement finally disbanded the order in 1312 at the Council of Vienne with the papal bull Vox in excelsior and the papal bull Ad providam which turned over the majority of the Orders assets to the Hospitaller's.

Jacques de Molay the Grand Master of the Order and Geoffrey de Charney the Preceptor of Normandy both retracted their statements and declared guilty of being relapsed heretics. Both were burnt to death in Paris on 18th March 1314. Jacques de Molay is reported to have said that both Pope Clement and King Philip would soon meet him before God. Pope Clement died a month later, and before the end of the year king Philip died in a hunting accident.

The remainder of the Templar’s were either arrested and tried or absorbed into other military orders such as the Knights of Christ, or left to live their lives out peacefully. Some fled to other countries, and in Portugal the Order changed their name to Knights of Christ.

Many sites today are related to Templar sites such as Temple Bar in London, Cressing Temple in Essex, and Temple combe in Somerset. Some societies today such as some Freemasonry groups use symbols of the Order or claim links to the Order. Much controversy has been caused over the allegations of heresy, and links to the Holy Grail. The Turin shroud thought to be a fake between was first publicly displayed in 1357 by the grandson of Geoffrey de Charney 

King Philippe IV of France also known as Philippe le Bel or Philippe the Fair was an extremely ambitious King.  He had grand ambitions for his country, and willing to destroy anyone who crossed his path.  He had kidnapped and murdered Pope Boniface VIII, and is widely believed to have poisoned Pope Benedict XI.  By 1305 he had installed his boyhood friend Pope Clement V on the throne of the church.  In 1309 he moved the Papacy from Rome to Avignon France where it essentially became an arm of the Crown of France, and Pope Clement V a mere governor to the King.

Over the next seventy years the church was in Turmoil, the Avignon Captivity, and a scheme which produced Popes competing against one another, creating an atmosphere of unrest and divided the church until 1377.  With the Papacy in his pocket Philippe had all he needed to move against the Templar’s.

He had many motives for doing so, and a personal grudge against the temple.  He had asked to be accepted into the order as Honorary Templar.  King Richard I had received this treatment from the Knights but King Philippe was rejected by the Temple.  Later in June 1306, Philippe was forced to ask the Temple for protection from a rioting mob and was given refuge in Paris Temple.  While there he witnessed the monetary wealth and power of the Temple.   And this frightened the King to no end.

 He desperately needed money and the Templar Treasure was vast.  Greed, Humiliation from being rejected as an honorary Knight, and retaliation from the King with low self- esteem were a deadly combination for the Templar’s.  To Philippe the Templar’s posed a real threat to the stability of France. 

 The Templar’s were searching for land to call their own.  After the fall of Acre the Knights took up temporary quarters in Cyprus while they searched for a more permanent home.  The area that made the most sense to them was the Languedoc, which then wasn’t part of France, and contained a third of the nine thousand estates that were a part of the Temple’s assets.  Although the Languedoc was annexed from France, Philippe had claimed it any how and a Templar kingdom on his southern border was too much to bear.

Philippe was meticulous in his preparations for destroying the Temple.  He had the church in his pocket, he had infiltrated the order with his spies, he had alleged confessions from a renegade Knight and with these allegations he was free to pursue charges against the Order.

The actions of the King and Pope were sudden swift and deadly.  Sealed orders were issued to his senchaels and sheriffs throughout the country.  They were to be opened simultaneously throughout the country and implemented at once.  At dawn on Friday the 13th of October 1307, the orders were implemented, all the Knights Templars in France were to be seized and arrested.  Their preceptories were taken over by the King, their goods seized, all except the incredible treasure of the Temple.

 Very few of the Knights were actually arrested, according to Inquisition records later found in the Vatican Archives only six hundred and twenty fewer than five percent, and the ones that were, went willingly without a fight , as though under instruction.

 The Templars were expecting this event, they destroyed their financial records, most of the knights fled prior to the event, they removed their treasury and treasure, and departed some went with the lost Templar Fleet to Scotland and the most of the ones in the medeterainian went to Portugal.

    

KNIGHT TEMPLARS PART III

Yves de Lessines was a Cistercian monk of the Cambron Abby in Orval Belgium. He was old at this time and entered the brotherhood late in his life; he was an intelligent man who spent a great deal of time writing not only theological works but also poetry and was very involved in the arts.  He was in charge of the farms and agriculture of the Cambron Abby.

Brother Yves was made aware of a conflict in the brotherhood of the warrior monks.  The leadership of the Templar's was in denial of information that their informants were providing them.  One of their informants the Count of Flanders was summoned by King Philippe on the 26^th of March, 1307.  The purpose of the meeting, six months before the infamous date of October 13, 1307 was to inform the count of King Philippe’s plans to arrest the Templar’s throughout Christendom, all at once, and to request the counts co-operation in this event.

The unusual part of this plan is that France and Flanders were at war with each other.  The count must have held a big chip on his shoulder because a short five years earlier the count, Robert de Bethume and his father Gui de Dampierre, were imprisoned by King Philippe, following the Peace of Athis and the King seized the southern part of Flanders. They were only released from prison when France was defeated on July 11^th, 1302 at Courtrai.

The warrior monks had been pre warned six months prior to the fateful date in 1307, but they didn’t realize the gravity of the conspiracy.  But the Templar’s had indeed been pre warned, and when at day break on Friday the 13, 1307 all throughout France and certain other European nations the Knights who lived by the Latin Rule written by Bernard of Clairveau, were out of their garb, without their weapons, and were waiting for the soldiers, and went peacefully like lambs into the den of wolves.

The knights are never out of their garb, they are never without their weapons, and they absolutely never surrender, they always fight to the death, that is why their reputation as fierce warriors has preceded them for the last two hundred years and they gained that reputation through all six of the crusades. This is the Latin rule, which also regulates how many horses each Knight would maintain, how much staff, when they could speak which was never when taking meals, there were initially 76 rules and that increased to 160 rules over the years.

King Philippe had three sons only his middle son held the respect of the King, his eldest son Louis X le Hutin, married Marguerite de Bourgogne, while his third son Charles the IV, was married to her sister.  They were both the daughters of the duke of Burgundy, Robert II.

Although the King held his eldest and third son’s in contempt they were never the less Princes of France and thus attended functions at the palace and attended the Kings council.  This was the source of the leak, as pillow talk goes, when the eldest son Louis, spent time with his unfaithful wife, giving her the blow by blows of every detail going on in the palace, to include future covert operations, such as the pending arrests of the Templars.

This information of course was detailed to her parents in every minute detail, her mother Mahaut d’ Artois the Duchess of Burgundy, was also very interested in this because she had a special relationship with the local Templar precatory because they were her bankers she was prevalent in the linen and tapestry trade and the Templars were very prominent in the transportation of these goods not only in caravans but also with their merchant shipping fleet.

The Cistercian was frequently in conflict with the Disciples of the Dominican Monks or also known as the Domini-canines or the” Dogs of the Lord.” The Dominicans were not confined to Monasteries but roamed the countryside like stray dogs.  The preaching and imprecations of the Inquisitors have become known as the barking of big, ferocious, ugly, slavering and flea-bitten dogs.

Brother Yves, a brother of the warrior monks was approached by a Brother Cistercian who was a Flemish Knight.  He conveyed a message from the Templar Order through the network of spies they had in both the Palace of King Philippe the Fair and the Vatican they knew that they were going to be arrested, dismantled and closed by the Church of Rome which was by now a puppet arm of the Kings Palace. They knew that the Dogs of the Lord would come knocking and the order needed to make preparations.

Eighty years prior to the demise of the order, Frederick II Hohenstaufen, Emperor of Germany,  who lived in the first half of the 13^thcentury, and was known to history as less a Prince than a Butcher. Frederick was engaged in turmoil with the Vatican. His Grandfather Frederick I had an “anti-pope” elected. The German clergy referred to the Roman Pope as the Antichrist from Rome!

The Vatican’s Pope’s were primarily elected by the Mafia families of Italy, and the Pope usually managed to have Sicily attack the Empires of the Baltic Nations.  Having an opportunity that presented itself Frederick I arranged a Marriage of his son Henri to Constance of Sicily.  Constance was the sister of King Guillaume of Sicily, with the marriage; the Kingdoms of the Vatican were surrounded by the Baltic countries to the north and Napoleons lands to the south.

This put the Vatican in a very preposterous position, to add insult to injury, Queen Constance, decided to give birth in public, under a tent, in the public square of Jesi, near Ancona.  The Vatican put out the rumor that the Queen had lain with a butcher.  The Vatican went on to say that the “thing born at Jesi” was but a bastard of the Sicilian Queen, and had no rights to the Empire of Sicily.

There wasn’t any less prestigious job in the middle ages than that of a butcher.  Throughout his life Frederick II was known as the butcher’s son!  In reality he was low, mean, unpleasant, and unscrupulous. He was attempting to pose as a distinguished gentleman but he wasn’t.

The men of the meat trade like to remind him he was the son of a butcher.  He had left on the sixth crusade and attacked the people he was supposed to protect, history shows that the pilgrims revolted against Frederick at that point, the pilgrims began to riot and to prevent the pilgrims from tearing him apart he took refuge in the fortress of St Jean D' Arc.

He wanted to retreat to his starting point to escape by sea but could not find any soldiers to protect him.  Even his own troops abandoned him he was under siege in the fortress where he remained for several months.

He remained in the fortress until the Knights Templar finally came to his rescue.  The only route from the fortress to the seaport went through the village and right past the meat market where the butchers were waiting for him.  They covered him with waste and excrement, foul smelling and furious he entered the safety of a Templar ship.

Later back in Sicily he started a smear campaign against the Templar’s as a means of showing his gratitude.  Eighty years later King Philippe the fair, took up where the Frederick the ll, had failed.  The Templar's had learned their lesson with King Frederick II, and held all kings in distain.

King Philippe IV of France was deeply in debt to the Templar’s and on Friday 13th October 1307 accused them of heresy and had them arrested in France. Many were tortured to obtain confessions of heresy. This was a way to avoid paying back debts, and by confiscating further Templar assets Philippe was able to make further money. Pope Clement under pressure from King Philippe then issued the bull Pastoralis Praeeminentiae on November 22, 1307, instructing all Christian monarchs in Europe to arrest all Templar’s and seize their assets.

KNIGHT TEMPLAR'S PART II

The knights were the special forces of their day. Just the appearance of them on the battlefield would send the enemy that outnumbered them six to one running. They became extremely wealthy, both the countries of France and England banked with them. They invented international banking and the concept of checking accounts. When their clients would travel usually under their protection, they would deposit money in a depository in one country and draw it out from a precepitory at their destination. The purpose or perhaps better to say the cover story for the knights was to protect pilgrims enroute to the Holly Land on pilgramages. They took up residence over the stables in Solomon’s Temple and spent nine years uncovering its secrets.

They are said to hold the temple treasure which contains the ARK of the COVENANT, jewels, tons of Gold, documents, some say the archive left by Moses, containing knowledge from before the flood. A secret so great that the Church of Rome permitted them to operate without paying taxes in the entire world that they operated in. The Mediterranean, Atlantic coasts of Spain, Portugal, France, England, Baltic coasts and its estuaries and rivers

The knights controled the shipping in between all of these countries, the textiles, and minerals transporting of goods and peoples throughout Europe, tax free. They were exempt from tolls on roads, bridges and rivers.

The Templars sole purpose was to protect Pilgrims and to fight Muslims in the Holly land since 1118 A D. In 1291 the siege of Acre was the beginning of a losing streak for the Templars the Muslims took over Jerusalem and the Templars moved to the Island of Cypress. The Templars were not able to regain the support of European nations and their mission was to go through a reorganization they were still very strong financially.

In the mid-12th Century the Muslims started to unite and the Christian factions had internal fighting which weakened their positions. Two other Christian orders the Knights Hospitaller and Teutonic Knights were at times at odds with the Order. In 1185 the Patriach of Jerusalem, Heraclius visited England and consecrated the Temple Church in London, it is thought that his aim was to gain support and unite the Christians. In 1172 king Henry II had vowed to take the cross and go on a crusade. Henry II summoned a Great Council at Clerkenwell and gave Heraclius his answer: 'for the good of his realm and the salvation of his own soul' he declared that he must stay in England. He would provide money instead. Heraclius was unimpressed: 'We seek a man even without money - but not money without a man.' Virum appetimus qui pecunia indigeat, non pecuniam quae viro.

Finally Jerusalem fell in 1187, was retaken in 1229 but fell again in 1244. The Templars set up headquarters in Acre, but that fell to in 1291, their strongholds of Tortosa and Atlit fell later, and the Order set up their new headquarters at Liassol on Cyprus. The Order did manage to keep a foothold on the island of Arwad but this finally fell in around 1302 to 1303. When the holy land was lost, they maintained their European possessions, but their original purpose was lost.

Pope Clement V in 1305 wanted to discuss merging the Order of the Temple with the Hospitaller's, but neither the Templar Grand Master Jacques Molay or the Hospitaller Grand Master Fulk de Villaret wanted this to happen. However in 1306 the Pope summoned them both to discuss the idea .

In 1307. Charges of Heresy raised by a Templar who left the Order in 1305 were discussed by Jacques de Molay and Pope Clement V and agreed to be unfounded, but Clement asked King Philip IV of France for help in investigating the charges.

Capt EJ's Explorations: THE KNIGHT'S TEMPLAR PART I

Capt EJ's Explorations: THE KNIGHT'S TEMPLAR PART I: THE POOR KNIGHTS WHERE DID ALL THE TEMPLARS AND THERE GREAT WEALTH GO? THE BRETHR...

THE KNIGHT'S TEMPLAR PART I

THE POOR KNIGHTS

WHERE DID ALL THE TEMPLARS AND THERE GREAT WEALTH GO?

THE BRETHREN, THE MASTERS OF THE TEMPLE,

WHO WERE WELL STOCKED AND AMPLE

WITH GOLD AND SILVER AND RICHES

WHERE ARE THEY?

HOW HAVE THEY DONE?

THEY HAD SUCH POWER ONCE

THAT NONE DARED TAKE FROM THEM

NONE WAS SO BOLD

FOREVER THEY BOUGHT AND NEVER SOLD

In 1307 the Church of Rome and the country of Gaul (France) turned their Inquisition loose on the Knight Templar’s, and their fleet of ships went missing! Or did it?

The Knight Templar’s were nine knights from the Champagne region of France called Gaul in medieval times, the nine knights were later joined by the Count of Champlain as the tenth knight.

Knights of the order wore white mantles, assigned to the Templar’s in 1129 at the Council of Troyes and surcoats quartered by a red cross or “Rosy Cross”, a symbol of martyrdom, probably added at the start of the Second Crusade in 1147, and were heavily armored knights from the aristocracy with war horses. Knights had to wear their white mantles at all times, even when eating and drinking. Knights of the Order would never surrender unless the Templar flag had fallen, and even then they should try and regroup with other Christian orders. They had a solemn initiation ceremony that outsiders were discouraged from attending that was to later cause mistrust of the order. New members generally joined for life, and had to willingly hand over their wealth and goods to the order and took vows of poverty, chastity, piety and obedience. Married men could join if they had their wives permission but they were not allowed to wear the white mantle, and occasionally knights were allowed to join for set periods of time.

Below the knights were sergeants who wore a black surcoat with a red cross and a black or brown mantle, and There were lightly quipped cavalry. Chaplain’s were ordained priests who looked after Templar spiritual requirements. Other members looked after its infrastructure which grew rapidly to large proportions, mainly through gifts of land from wealthy benefactors. They used their finances to build castles and fortifications throughout the Mediterranean and Holy Land, and to purchase further lands, farms, vineyards. They were involved in manufacturing, import and export and even had their own fleet of ships.

With this military strength, financial stability and their large wealth, the Templar’s developed a banking system in 1150A.D. to ensure the safe transfer of money, by using encoded documents to note deposits of wealth the documents could be used to retrieve funds at the travelers destination, making them less susceptible to robbery.

The First Grand Master of the Knights Templar Hughes de Payen was married to Catherine St. Clair and there has always been a strong connection between the Knights and the St. Clair/Sinclair family whose name has under gone a few changes in spelling over the years. St. Clair being the French contingent of the family, Sinclair the Norman Scot contingent.

The knights were a threat to the church and the King of France had a huge debt with them and wanted out from under the debt by destroying the knights. The knights held a major piece of information which they were black mailing the church with. Because of this the church put out a papal decree that permitted the knights to be able to operate without paying taxes among other privileges throughout Christendom.

At the time of their demise they were twenty thousand strong, with over nine thousand estates throughout Europe and the Middle East. The estates were Castles, real estate, dairies, farms, vineyards, distilleries, shops, architectural firms all types of building guilds and shipping. All of these entities were owned by the Knights Templar’s and not by individuals.

All of the knights most of whom came from nobility and families of distinction, donated all of their wealth and assets to the knights and lived as monks in commune. Their actual name was the Poor Knights of The Temple of King Solomon.

KING ROBERT THE BRUCE

KING ROBERT THE BRUCE

Earl of Carrick, Robert Bruce was born at Turnberry Castle, Ayrshire, in 1274, of both Norman and Celtic ancestry. Two years before his birth, Edward Plantagenet had become King Edward I of England. The ruthlessness of Edward, who earned the title "the Hammer of the Scots" brought forth the greatness of Bruce whose astonishing victory at Bannockburn in 1314 over the much larger and better-equipped forces of Edward II ensured Scottish freedom from control by the hated English.

This struggle for control of Scotland began when Alexander III died in 1286, leaving as heir his grandchild Margaret, the infant daughter of the King of Norway. English King Edward, with his eye on the complete control of his northern neighbors, suggested that Margaret should marry his son, a desire consummated at a treaty signed and sealed at Birgham. Under the terms, Scotland was to remain a separate and independent kingdom, -- "separate, distinct and free in itself without subjection from the realm of England" --though Edward wished to keep English garrisons in a number of Scottish castles. On Margarets way to Scotland, somewhere in the Orkneys. The succession was now open to many claimants, the strongest of whom were John Balliol and Robert Bruce.

John Balliol was supported by King Edward, who believed him to be the weaker and more compliant of the two Scottish claimants. Balliol was an English baron belonging to a house with an established tradition of loyalty to the English crown. At a meeting of 104 auditors, with Edward as judge, the decision went in favor of Balliol, who was duly declared to be the rightful king in November 1292. The English king's plans for a peaceful relationship with his northern neighbor now took a different turn. In exchange for his support, Edward demanded that he should have feudal superiority over Scotland, including homage from Balliol, judicial authority over the Scottish king in any disputes brought against him by his own subjects and defrayment of costs for the defence of England as well as active support in the war against France.

Balliol could not stomach these outrageous demands. Showing courage, in front of the English king he declared that he was the King of Scotland and should answer only to his own people, refusing to supply military service to Edward. The impetuous man then concluded a treaty with France prior to planning an invasion of England.

Edward was ready. He went north to receive homage from a great number of Scottish nobles, as their feudal lord, among them none other than 21 year-old Robert Bruce, who owned estates in England. Balliol immediately punished this treachery by seizing Bruce's lands in Scotland and giving them to his brother-in-law, John Comyn. Yet within a few months, the Scottish king was to disappear from the scene. His army was defeated by Edward at Dunbar in April 1296. Soon after at Brechin, on 10 July, he surrendered his Scottish throne to the English king, who took into his possession the stone of Scone, "the coronation stone" of the Scottish kings. At a parliament, which he summoned at Berwick, the English king received homage and the oath of fealty from over 2,000 Scots. He seemed secure in Scotland.

Flushed with this success, Edward had gone too far. The rising tide of nationalist fervor in the face of the arrival of the English armies north of the border created the need for new Scottish leaders. Following a brawl with English soldiers in the market place at Lanark, a young Scottish knight, William Wallace, after killing an English sheriff found himself at the head of a fast-spreading movement of national resistance. At Stirling Bridge, a Scottish force led by Wallace won an astonishing victory when it completely annihilated a large, lavishly equipped English army under the command of Surrey, Edward I's viceroy.

Yet Wallace's great victory, successful because the English cavalry were unable to maneuver on the marshy ground and their supporting troops had been trapped on a narrow bridge, proved to be a Pyrrhic one. Bringing a large army north in 1298 and goading Wallace to forgo his successful guerrilla campaign into fighting a second pitched battle, the English king's forces were more successful. At Falkirk, they crushed the over-confident Scottish followers of Wallace.

Falkirk was a grievous loss for Wallace who never again found himself in command of a large body of troops. After hiding out for a number of years, he was finally captured in 1305 and brought to London to die a traitor's death similar to that meted out a few years earlier by King Edward to Prince Dafydd ap Gruffudd, Welsh leader of yet another fight for independence from England. With the execution of Wallace, it was time for Robert Bruce, whose heritage as Earl of Carrick made him much more than "a mere Anglo-Norman fish out of water, grassed on a Celtic riverbank" to free himself from his fealty to Edward and to lead the fight for Scotland.

At a meeting in Greyfriar's Kirk at Dumfries between the two surviving claimants for the Scottish throne, the perfidious, but crafty Bruce murdered John Comyn, thus earning the enmity of the many powerful supporters of the Comyn family, but also excommunication from the Church. On March 27, 1306 he declared himself King of Scots. Edward's reply was predictable; he sent a large army north, defeated Bruce at the Battle of Methven, executed many of his supporters and forced the Scottish king into becoming a hunted outlaw.

Once again the indefatigable Scottish leader bided his time. After a year of demoralization and widespread English terror let loose in Scotland, during which two of his brothers were killed, Bruce came out of hiding. Aided mightily by his chief lieutenant, Sir James Douglas, "the Black Douglas" he won a first victory on Palm Sunday 1307. From all over Scotland, the clans answered the call and Bruce's forces gathered in strength to fight the English invaders, winning many encounters against cavalry with his spearmen.

The aging Edward decided to come to Scotland at the head of a large army to punish the Scots' impudence; but the now weak and sick king was ineffectual as a military leader. He could only wish that after his death his bones were to be carried at the head of his army until Scotland had been crushed. It was left to his son Edward II to try to carry out his father's dying wish. He was no man for the task.

Faced by too many problems at home and completely lacking the ruthlessness and resourcefulness of his father, the young Edward had no wish to get embroiled in the affairs of Scotland. Bruce was left alone to consolidate his gains and to punish those who opposed him. A series of successful campaigns against the Comyns and their allies left him in control of most of Scotland. In 1309 he was recognized as sole ruler by the French King and despite his earlier excommunication, even received the support of the Scottish Church. Thus emboldened, in 1311 Bruce drove out the English garrisons in all their Scottish strongholds except Stirling and invaded northern England. King Edward bestirred himself from his dalliances at Court to respond and took a large army north.

THE START OF SINCLAIR DYNASTY

In 1095, Baron Henri de St. Clair was on the first Crusade in the Holy, Land with the brother of King Henry I of England, Robert Courte-Heuze, Hugh de Payen, the count of Champagne Hugh I, who was a blood relative of Hugh de Payen. Hugh de Payen was also married to Katherine St. Clair, AKA Elizabeth de Chappes, a sister of Barron Henri de St. Clair. Andre Montband a blood relative of the Duke of Burgundy and Uncle of Bernard of Clairvaux, Godfri de Boulion head of the House of Flanders, a cousin of Baron St. Clair, was of the Rex Deus.

Godfri de Boulion was offered the crown of Jerusalem after its capture in 1099. But chose to rule as protector of the Holy Sepulcher. Godfri died childless and was succeeded by his brother Baldwin, who became known as King Baldwin I of Jerusalem. He was succeeded by Baldwin II who was King at the time of the formation of the Knights Templar.

King Baldwin and this line of family is descendant of the Merovingian dynasty and are the Blood Line of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. "One might therefore term Godfroi de Bouillon as a sort of ’king of kings’, or at least a maker of kings, since he founded the Order of Sion that could crown Kings of Jerusalem.

"To the south of Jerusalem looms the ’high hill’ of Mount Sion." By 1099 an abbey had been built on the ruins of an old Byzantine basilica at the express command of Godfroi de Bouillon. "According to one chronicler, writing in 1172, it was extremely well fortified, with its own walls, towers and battlements. And this structure was called the Abbey of Notre Dame du Mont de Sion.

 Richard the III of Normandy, the fifth Duke, Robert the Devil, Mauger the Young, were the sons of Richard the II, Fourth Duke of Normandy.  He had two daughters who also married right.  Alix became  the wife of the Count of Burgundy and Eleanor the wife of Boulion, the Count of Flanders. Neither Richard nor Robert the Devil, had any legitimate children.  Most of the Norman barons would have preferred the succession to pass to the son of the duke’s younger brother Mauger. A party formed by the constable of Normandy was formed that supported the claims of William, the bastard son of Robert the Devil; this man became known to history as William the conqueror.

Mauger had three sons;  Hamon, Walderne, and Hubert.   Hamon and Walderne were both killed at the battle of  Val-des-Dunes, where the succession of William the Bastard was ensured.  Two of Walderne children, Richard and Britel, became reconciled with William the Conquer and played a part in the conquest of England, where they were later given estates. 

The two remaining children Agnes and William were very young at the time of their father Maugers death. Agnes married Phillip Bruce, who was also of Norman origin, and an Ancestor of William the Bruce who became King of Scotland  after the battle of Bannockburn in 1309.

William became known to history as William the Seemly St. Clair, who escorted Princess Margaret to Scotland where she was to marry Malcome Canmore King of the Scots as a reward for his services he became the Baron of Roslyn.  He later commanded the Scots when they fought against William the conqueror who was now King of England.  William the Seemly St. Clair, the first Lord of Roslyn was later killed in a battle with the English in Northumberland..

In 1095, Baron Henri de St. Clair was on the first Crusade in the Holy, Land with the brother of King Henry I of England, Robert Courte-Heuze, Hugh de Payen, the count of Champagne Hugh I, who was a blood relative of Hugh de Payen. Hugh de Payen was also married to Katherine St. Clair, AKA Elizabeth de Chappes, a sister of Barron Henri de St. Clair. Andre Montband a blood relative of the Duke of Burgundy and Uncle of Bernard of Clairvaux, Godfri de Boulion head of the House of Flanders, a cousin of Baron St. Clair, was of the Rex Deus.

Godfri de Boulion was offered the crown of Jerusalem after its capture in 1099. But chose to rule as protector of the Holy Sepulcher. Godfri died childless and was succeeded by his brother Baldwin, who became known as King Baldwin I of Jerusalem. He was succeeded by Baldwin II who was King at the time of the formation of the Knights Templar.

King Baldwin and this line of family is descendant of the Merovingian dynasty and are the Blood Line of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. "One might therefore term Godfroi de Bouillon as a sort of ’king of kings’, or at least a maker of kings, since he founded the Order of Sion that could crown Kings of Jerusalem.

"To the south of Jerusalem looms the ’high hill’ of Mount Sion." By 1099 an abbey had been built on the ruins of an old Byzantine basilica at the express command of Godfroi de Bouillon. "According to one chronicler, writing in 1172, it was extremely well fortified, with its own walls, towers and battlements. And this structure was called the Abbey of Notre Dame du Mont de Sion.