Maritime Activities of the Knights Templar
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Born amidst the struggle for the Latin Kingdom in the Middle East; and charged with a religious responsibility born in all Christians, the Poor Knights of the Temple of Solomon were founded to defend pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land. For the Order to carry out its every expanding responsibility, it depended on an immense staff of bureaucrats, administrators, clerks, servants, artisans, craftsmen, masons and chaplains. To be able to continually communicate with its holdings, the Templars also possessed a substantial fleet.
Merchant as well as naval vessels, these ships operated not only in the Mediterranean but also in the Atlantic. Medieval accounts contain frequent references to Templar ports, ships, and naval resources with historical documents bearing the signatures and seals of Templar naval officers (Baigent & Leigh, 1989, p. 61).
As their position improved, the Order’s ships allowed them to take full advantage of the new opportunities the Crusades offered. This including transporting men, equipment and pilgrims to view the Holy Relics in Jerusalem; and in bringing new commodities from the Middle East back to the West.
Introduction
After the success of the 1st Crusade, nine knights who had distinguished themselves at the siege and capture of Jerusalem, led by Hugues de Payens, formed the Holy Brotherhood in Arms of the Knights Templar. A title which came in part from their residence within the Temple on Mount Moriah, (Mosk el-Aksa), the “Temple of Solomon,” granted by Baldwin II, king of Jerusalem (Serbanesco, 1969, pp. 209-210). These men entered into a solemn pact to aid one another in guarding the roads and in protecting the pilgrims on their way to the Holy City. The Templar Knights renounced the world and its pleasures, and in the Holy Church of Resurrection embraced vows of perpetual chastity, obedience, and poverty, aft the manner of monks.
Privileges of the Order
From the beginning, the objective of these knights was to protect those traveling to the Holy Lands. As the Order grew however, other interests soon dominated their ranks. These new considerations included acquiring large estates, accumulating portable forms of wealth and participating in the every expanding world markets. With the help of Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, the Templars soon succeeded in winning the approval of the Church. The highest privileges of the Order date from the Papal Bull of Innocent II, Omne datum optimum, granted in 1139. This gave the Templars power that superseded the governing bishops. The Templars could appoint their own clergy and build their own churches, placing the Order solely under the Pope’s jurisdiction; most importantly it was exempted from tithes (Barber, 1975, p. 230). As conceived by Innocent II,
“Since those who defend the Church should live and be supported by the goods of the Church, we entirely prohibit the exaction of tithes against your will from movables or animals or from anything which pertains to your venerable house (Forey, 1973, p. 163).”
