The Secret Story Of The Knights Templar 2of3 A Business Empire

 
Templar knights in their distinctive white mantles with a red cross, brave in the face of death rather than fleeing from the enemy, fighting for Christ and the Pope in the Holy Land during the Crusades. This documentary series aims at reconstructing, for the first time, in a complete fashion the evolution of the knights belonging to the Order of Solomon's Temple, whose original goal was to protect pilgrims during their travels to Jerusalem after the victory of the Crusaders at the First Crusade. The Knights Templar grew in power and wealth becoming the earliest banking institution of the Middle Age. They were so rich that they financed the King of France and benefitted from a direct and exclusive link with the Pope.

Through three episodes of 45 minutes each, you will discover the developments that led the Templars to extreme power and subsequently to becoming the target of an unprecedented campaign of hatred aiming to place them beyond the boundaries of humanity itself through inexpressible accusations of diabolism and monstrosity. Within two centuries, they were tortured, killed, burnt at the stake and completely extinct. The secrets and mysteries of their rise and fall will be attentively reconstructed by an accurate recourse to historical records which will also lead you through a time voyage in the period following the destruction of the Order. Discover legacies and mysterious traditions which claimed their posthumous survival.

Since the Middle Ages, the existence of the Templars has been shrouded in myths and legends. Thanks to the greatest experts in the history of the Order of the Temple, this documentary series reveals the origin of these knights of a new kind, both religious and combatants. From the arid lands of the Orient to the greatest royal courts of France and England, the Templars transformed a simple brotherhood of soldiers into a religious order ready to reign over the Middle Ages.
This three-part documentary charts the rise and fall of The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem - better known as the Knights Templar: an order of monks who also worked as soldiers and from 1120 quickly gained power, wealth and influence with the blessing of the Catholic Church.
Discover the secrets of the most mysterious and powerful knightly order of the Middle Ages, from the rise of their heavenly power through to their fall within the flames of diabolism. From the rituals and traditions within the medieval knighthood, through the exterminatory campaign against them, to their supposed secret survival and their official legacies bridging the Holy Land and the European continent.

In our series, the mysterious story of the Knights Templar will be unveiled for the first time. We will distinguish between the abundant mythology that has been created about them and the newly acquired historical facts.

 
Part 2: A Business Empire
The Knights Templar were born in the Middle Ages and vanished after 2 centuries in existence. Of these men remains the legends that made them famous: Their white overcoats bearing the iconic red cross, the riches they amassed, their discipline and ferocity in battle. In this episode, we explore the truth behind the treasures of the Templars and reveal how they became masters in the art of generating wealth. Mid-12th century: The fame of the Knights Templar continues to grow - as does the wealth of the order, which has become an amazing economic organization. They are masters of efficiency and bankers to kings: over the years, the Templars establish an innovative financial organization with secure custodians and transport routes. The goal: to finance wars in the Holy Land and to facilitate pilgrimages. The Knights Templar become the target of specific accusations arranged by the French court. The charges employed against the Templars constitute one of the earlies examples of a massive use of both traditional and novel stereotypes for the destruction of a specific social group: homosexuality, blasphemy, diabolism, heresy, secret rituals and idols to be worshipped, to mention a few. If Jacques de Molay was burned at the stake as a heretic, other Templars managed to survive, especially – but not only – in Portugal.