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 six hundred and twenty Knights arrested but only two confessed under torture to charges of homosexuality, blasphemy, spitting on the cross and heresy.
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.
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) .
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!
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