The Good King Rene

  The good King Rene was in favor with his subjects, in all of his kingdoms.  He maintained several castles and palaces, in which he was quite well revered, for his extravagant parties and lifestyle.

  Entertainers and artisans came from all over Europe to display their arts and skills. One of his favorite places was the Palace at  Palos, which he used for a retreat, where he escaped with his beautiful Queen to write his books, in a peaceful environment.

 The Good King wrote on knighthood, voyages of adventure, heroic ordeals, and romance. His writings were illustrated with paintings that have survived five hundred plus years of history.

  In the Good Kings books, and sixteen portfolios of his illuminated thought, can gain a mindset of the renaissance. King Rene, and his predecessor of the same palace, the castle of Palos, where King Roger II, also known as, The Jolly Roger, are considered the Fathers of the Renaissance.

These writings are also what has become known as the “Grail Romances.” The Grail Romances have hidden meanings and messages reserved for those with Sacred Knowledge. 

 In order to interpret the hidden meaning you need to posses knowledge of mathematics and geometry which was an occult knowledge during this time of history.

  King Rene was the Ninth Grand Master of the Priory of Sion, the protectors of the Bloodline of Jesus and Mary Magdalene.  King Rene’s Castle’s were also known as “Rene’s Essence” which is where the term "Renaissance" comes from!

The King collected a vast array of titles: The Count of Bar, the Count of Provence, The Count of Piedmont, The Count of Guise. He was also a Duke: The Duke of Calabrea, the Duke of Lorraine, The Duke of Anjou, Last but not least he was the Monarch of more than one nation: The King of Hungary, The King of Maljorca, The King of Valencia, the King of Aragon, The King of Sardinia, the King of Sicily and the King of Jerusalem ! 

King Rene rode at the side of Jeanne d’ Arc in her crusade to Orlean’s.  Christopher Columbus gave credit to King Rene for providing him with his first ships commission and also as a 12 year old boy as a cabin boy on a “pirate” ship of the Good King’s out of Majorca.

King Rene was also known as a pirate. History frequently represents that Columbus was a cabin boy for the pirate Rene of Majorca.  In ancient times the conflict between nations was handled at sea through piracy. 

King Rene’ was instrumental in establishing the first” Library of Europe” open to the public.  The King and other noblemen  from throughout Europe and the Mideast collected manuscripts in the establishment of this facility. 

It is known today as the Library of San Marco which currently makes available the history and thoughts that have been suppressed for centuries, opening the renaissance and taking Europe out of the Dark Ages. 

Both of Nostradamus grandfathers were physicians in the palaces of King Rene as was Leonardo Da Vinci's father.  Nostradamus was also raised and educated by his grandfathers in the palace prior to attending the University of Marseilles.                                                      

The Battle of Teba

  The village of Teba sits 50 miles from the seaport of Maluga Spain. In 1330 a battle took place which wasn't related to the sovereignty of Scotland but contributed to the demise of the temples age old enemy the Muslims.

  The events that led to that conflict started on the death bed of Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland. The Bruce had always wanted to lead a crusade to the Holy Land.

 Robert the Bruce was dying from leprosy, unusual to die from natural causes with such a turbulent history as a warrior.  His lifelong friend and chief of his army the “ Good Sir James” was instructed that upon his death he was to remove his heart, embalm it, place it in a silver casket, and deliver it on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and bury his heart at the Holy Sepulcher at Jerusalem.

  Sir James Douglas father, was Sir William Lord Douglas, who was murdered in the Tower of London by King Edward I.  The Good Sir James had been born into a family whose loyalty to the Scottish crown was beyond reproach.

 The Good Sir James was educated in Paris and returned home when he was 18, motivated by his father’s death he immediately laid claims to his lands, which King Edward I denied him and was the first nobleman to pledge loyalty to the excommunicated King of Scotland.

 He fought along the side of the Bruce all his life and also died in service to his King in 1330 at the battle of Teba. During the battle of Bannockburn he was second in command.  He struck fear into the hearts of the English army by chasing them across the Bannockburn River.

 

  His Templar warrior monks chased them dry-shod across the river and all the way to Berwick, without stopping, and earning the name of the “Black Douglas”.

  Prior to the battle of Bannockburn Sir James along with Sir Robert Keith were co-commanders of a reconnaissance force which made missions over the border of England on Intelligence gathering operations.

 His terrorizing of bordering counties and villages to the south of Scotland drove fear into the hearts of English women and children to the point they were afraid to close their eyes at night.

 The Good Sir James took the Bruce's heart upon his death in 1329, embalmed it, put it in a small silver casket. Templar Grand Master Earl Henry Sinclair, the 7^th Baron of Roslyn, Organized a pilgrimage to the Holy Land that departed from Berwick and laid a course fetching Luys Flanders in the spring of 1330.

 The Knights that Earl Sir Henry Sinclair selected were based upon their lifelong allegiance to the king, their service in the battles of the war of independence, and their unwavering loyalty to the crown of Scotland.

 They included Earl Sir Angus Og MacDonald, Earl Sir Alan Cathart, and Sir Symon Locard, who had distinguished himself several times during the war of Scottish independence.

 For his services he rode to the right of The Good Sir James as the “Key Holder” of the perpetual silver casket, containing the heart of Robert the Bruce.

  Sir Symon Locard, became famous for the jewel that became known to history as the “Lee Penny”.  Sir William and John Sinclair the sons of Earl Henry Sinclair, was in ill health and was unable to participate in the pilgrimage.

  Sir William Sinclair was commander of the Templar’s during the battle of Bannockburn.  His brother John served as his squire. Sir William Keith, son of Robert Keith, was a senior General in the army of Robert the Bruce, and was commander of the “fresh force” of Knight Templar's, who charged in an assassin strike, against King Edward II, during the battle of Bannockburn. They were accompanied by 29 Gentlemen of the Temple.

   All of the brother warrior monks of the poor knights of Solomon's Temple had been granted save passage by King Edward III of England. The pilgrimage set out in the spring of 1330.

  They departed Berwick and made an uneventful passage to the origins of the Temple in Flanders, where they remained for 12 days, resting after their journey, and where other warrior monks were arriving from throughout Europe waiting to join the pilgrimage.

 They were to set sail for Finnestere in the northwest of Spain; however word reached them that the King of Castile, Alphonso XI, in his efforts to drive the Saracens out of Grenada had laid siege to the (castle of the stars) at Teba, which had been captured by the Saracen army.

 The Good Sir James sent word that they were prepared to join forces with King Alphonso. The King was delighted; the Good Sir James reputation had preceded him.  King Alphonso awarded him the right flank of the Castilian army.

 On the morning of August 25^th 1330, the Saracen army had assembled below the castle and sounded their trumpets:

  The Good Sir James misinterpreted the trumpets as a rally to charge. Sir James charged the Saracens, although not supported by the rest of the Castilian army, because of a lack of communication.

  He was able to contain the Saracens, they were unable to withstand the charging Templar’s; the Saracens began fleeing; with Sir James true to his reputation giving purist.

 Shortly a good portion of his mounted Calvary fell off, to rejoin the main army.  History is unclear whether this was by command of Sir James, or standard operating procedure, or a decision made by subordinate commanders.

  Soon after Sir James turned his horse to join the Knights, but observed Sir William Sinclair surrounded by the enemy; immediately Sir John Sinclair, Earl Sir Angus Og MacDonald, Earl Sir William Cathart and Sir Robert & John Logan, with most of the 29 Gentlemen of the Temple engaged the enemy. 

 The Good Sir James, the Black Douglas, removed the silver casket that was hung around his neck shouting the words  “A Bruce—A Bruce” and hurled the silver casket into the massing Saracens shouting “Be thou in the van brave heart as thou wast ever wont and Douglas will follow or Die”.

 The Good Sir James and the entire Templar contingent were all slaughtered, but they were able to divert enough Saracens away from the main thrust to enable King Alphonso Castilian army to overrun the remainder of the Saracens and capture the castle.

 Sir William Keith had broken his arm the day before the battle so wasn't in the conflict, Sir Symon Locard, survived the battle, history doesn't show why, both these knights were the only Scottish survivors of the battle.

  Sir Symon Locard took an Emir (prince) captive and put him up for ransom.  The emir's mother came to pay ransom with gold, silver, and a jewel.  History indicates that the Jewel wasn't part of the ransom and was taken against her will, but she allowed it to same her son’s life.

 The Jewel was said to have magical powers, it was said to stop bleeding, reduce fevers, reduce inflammation from animal bites, and was able to be used in the veterinary sciences.

  This is the tradition of the Lee Penny. The jewel or stone is dark red in color and triangular in shape. It is mounted on a silver coin which hangs from a silver chain.

 The penny is dipped in water; the water is drunk to reduce fevers, and used as an irrigation fluid to cleanse wounds animal bites, and also to bathe patients in.

  During the use of the solution, it must be administered without speech, under the Latin rule or it will be ineffective. If words are used a person could be accused of sorcery!

 The ability of the stone spread throughout Europe like wild fire and there were many recorded occasions where it was successful.  It was common practice right into the 19^th century to be commonly used in many dispensaries and by veterinarians.

 Sir William Keith is credited with retrieving the remains of the fallen Knights and the silver casket containing the heart of Robert the Bruce. Although Bruce never achieved leading a crusade in his lifetime he was at the battle of Teba in spirit!

  As was the custom in the middle ages Sir William Keith boiled the bodies in vinegar, separating the flesh from the bones, as in Templar tradition, He placing the bones in a small bone box or casket, with the femur crossed under the skull, and the rest of the bones at the bottom of the casket.

  Sir William then delivered the casket to the Royal Families, with the dreadful news and the Caskets for burial.

 Robert the Bruce was buried at Melrose Chapel. Sir James Douglas was interred in St. Bride’s chapel in Lancashire Scotland; Angus Og MacDonald was interred at Iona in the Herbicides Islands. Sir William & John Sinclair were interred at the family property Roslyn Castle not to be confused with Roslyn Chapel which wasn’t built yet.

Battle of Bannockburn Part IV

  Bannockburn was decisive, one of the most meaningful battles of the middle ages, probably the most significant battle ever fought on British soil.  As we look at the battle we are able to see some very meaningful but underlying evidence that the Templar's were more involved than is historically reported.

  The Reign of Robert the Bruce after Bannockburn was stormy until the time of his death in 1329, it put an end to the English oppression of Scotland and for the next 289 years Scotland was to remain an independent Kingdom.

  Robert was Childless and had decided that his brother Edward would succeed him.  Edward had departed for Ireland and was Crowned King of Ireland in Dundalk in 1316.  This put him in the position to unite both countries under one crown, however he died in 1318, which left both countries without a monarch once again.

 It was then decided that the thrown of Scotland would pass to his grandson, Robert the son of Marjorie Bruce and Walter the Stewart.

In 1329 Robert the Bruce died, and his grandson Robert II became the King of Scotland the first of the Stewart dynasty.

  Before his death he had requested that upon his death, his heart be removed, placed in a casket, and brought to Jerusalem and buried at the church of the Holy Sepulchre.

  In 1330 an entourage departed for the Holy Land of 26 Knight’s and “Gentlemen of the Temple”. Templar Knights Sir William Sinclair, Sir James Douglas, Sir William Keith were their leaders.

  Sir James Douglas carried Bruce's heart in a silver casket hung around his neck. Their path took them through Spain where they joined Knight Templar King Alfonso XI of Castile.  They accompanied King Alfonso on his campaign against the Moors of Grenada.

  On March 25, 1330 at the battle of Tabas de Ardales, the Scots riding in the Vanguard, were surrounded.

                      To be continued

Battle of Bannockburn Part III

  Cheered on 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.

 They 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 Scottish spear men.

 This is exactly what happened in the opening stages of Falkirk. The difference now was that the Schiltrons had learnt 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,  based on his father's memories.

  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 spear men 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."

   The English Earl of 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 Scottish spear men, commanded by Edward Bruce.

  The Earl, 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 Scottish 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. The English and Welsh long bowmen failed to get a clear shot in fear they might hit their own men.

  After some time they moved to the flank of Douglas's division and began shooting into its perimeter. However King Robert the Bruce, who oversaw this Scottish division, Instructed Knight Templar Sir Robert Keith with his complement of 500 mounted Knight Templar's to charge the force's of King Edward.

  The returning fleeing archers then caused the infantry itself to begin to flee. Later the English 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 a 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 sizable group of men—all foot soldiers—made good their escape to England." These were a force of Welsh spear men 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;  "it seems doubtful if even a third of the foot soldiers 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

  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 risking 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 north-east, 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 center 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 north-east 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 preparation 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. 

                            To be Continued

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.  They were 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.

  There are many different accounts of the battle of Bannockburn  but what is consistent is that Robert the Bruce had a highly untrained force. They were 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's in the area for at least several years prior to the Battle of Bannockburn.

  Each contingent of Templar's is about 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 infantry.

  The precise size, relative to the Scottish forces is unclear. The 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. 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.  Others of the MacDougall’s, McCann and Sir John Comyn of Badenoch.

 John Comyn was 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.

  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 organised into their respective commands, Bruce moved his army slightly to the north to the New Park. Which was a more heavily wooded area, where his movements could be concealed.

   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.

  king Robert Bruce 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 Stewart, but actually under the command of Sir James Douglas.

  The army might have numbered as many as 9,000 men in all, but probably more of the order of 6,000–7,000. 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 Bruce 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 spear men 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.  Friar Baston wrote a poem just after the battle which states 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.

                               To be Continued

Knight Templar's Part XV

  Wool, livestock, and other agricultural items also would not have attracted attention.  This also would be a common sight because of frequent thefts and pillaging from soldiers in the area from the frequent battles with France over the last several years.

 The Flemish Knight and brother Yves had their work cut out for them.  In the back of a distillery on the grounds of the Paris preceptor they had acquired 21 large barrels and had transferred the gold, silver, jewels, precious stones, and documents to the barrels and covered them with a thick coat of grease.

 One at a time they were loaded onto a cargo vessel in the Seine River and they made their way to the Atlantic.  At a property close to the mouth of the Seine river they were transferred with other cargo to ships from the seaport at le Rochelle which in turn delivered their cargo without a lot of pomp and splendor to Luys Flanders where they were again met by brother warrior monks who assumed they were just transferring agricultural products to the barn at Cambronchaux.

  They were escorted in company of Knight Templar's in full battle dress, to protect them from the highway robbers, unemployed soldiers, who were laying around waiting for another war, pillaging the local fields and farmers to survive.

  With a large frame in the barn other young monks were waiting to unload the barrels and set them along the side of the interior of the barn one at a time, under the supervision of brother Yves.  The young monks thought it strange that such a man of intellect was doing mundane chores around the barn, but the old monk just smiled and said he had writers block from time to time.

  The old monk's name was Yves le Lessines he came at the Abbot's request, and with a two minute discussion it was decided to take immediate action and left with the Flemish Knight at once.

  When they arrived at the Paris preceptory the Flemish knight gave the signal and certain knights took action like a well-oiled machine.  Immediately the signal was sent to every preceptory in Europe, the knights went to a heightened state of security; all knights were instructed not to discuss any of the orders business with anyone.

 They immediately started an audit of all assets. They started to call in debts,  destroying records, documents pertaining to the order, daily routines, and financial records were all destroyed.

However the audit records which were to be transferred to the Paris preceptory, along with the assets of the treasury from each preceptory were not destroyed.

  The Masters of the preceptories throughout Europe started making excursion with small caravans, transferring farm goods, hay, livestock and normal looking barrels and chests on horse drawn carts from one location to another, throughout the 9,000 properties under the order of the Temple.  The knights making the trips weren't aware of what was in the barrels and chests; they didn't have the need to know.

   The Temple had learned a lesson from seventy years ago when brother warrior monks were persecuted by yet another corrupt King.  Emperor Frederick II Hohenstaufen (1194-1250) had made the warrior monks his scapegoats for his horrendous behavior during the 6^th Crusade in 1229.

  He had persecuted the pilgrims he was supposed to protect then turned his  wrath on the Italian Templar's after they had rescued him from the fortress of Jean de Arc that he had taken refuge in and was kept under siege for over a month.

  They delivered him under an armed escort to a Templar ship. However he had treated the men of the meat trade poorly and they were waiting for him on the pass through the village on the way to the ship and pelted him with excrement and animal waste. He arrived at the ship humiliated, stinking  and seeking revenge.

  To show his gratitude he persecuted the Italian Templar's raiding their preceptory and stealing their assets and property. 

  The warrior monks had long memories they never again trusted any monarch and they made preparation for future assaults against the Order.

 Seventy years later when the church and the Crown of France were preparing to persecute them they were prepared. They had decided that if they were ever in a crisis in the future they would not obey a brother monk but a signal.

 This would protect them in case they were infiltrated by a traitor. Select monks, not part of the Grand Masters leadership would each have select responsibilities to perform.

  When you hide a treasure it is to be retrieved at a later date, not necessarily by the same knights who had hidden it. It needed to be placed in a safe place where it wouldn't be noticed. The area needed to be politically stable, security and compartmentalized information was of utmost importance.

  Only a few people should know the location and these people shouldn't be in a position of leadership, but have eyes on the ground. Be aware of what’s going on, in a position to observe the daily happenings, whos coming and going, the general gossip, Such as a modern day cab driver.

The area needed to be Templar friendly, a place where they don't attract attention and have had a good relation with the local's. Someplace not in France, England, Germany, Italy, or Spain.

 This left Scotland, Portugal, Flanders or America.  The Templar's knew about America for quite some time, the Norse roots of the Temple run deep.

Question: Where would you hide a pebble?        Answer: On the beach!

  Today Flanders is a political community with in Belgium.  In the Middle Ages Flanders was one of the most urbanized and richest parts of Europe. This was because of the textile industry.

  The Temple was very involved in this industry. They produced wool from their farms, they weaved it into textile, and they distributed it not only on their ships but also on overland caravans into France, Germany and the Netherlands. They of course were also the bankers to the industry.

  Warrior monks were both a common site and well respected in Flanders. The Abbey of Cambron, was outside of Wodecq Flanders, which was a very unique area due to a Papal Decree making it exempt from any civil or religious rule. 

  The local bishop didn't have any rights in that area and he wasn't allowed to excommunicate any of the Cistercian monks or citizens of Wodecq.

The Cambronchaux a very large Cistercian farm outside of Wodecq had an extremely large barn. This was an ideal site for the destination of the Treasure.  No one would question monks going about normal farming activities.  Warrior monks escorting carts of hay, agriculture items, barrels would be normal unassuming cargo.