Secretum Templi II

Secretum Templi II – Ediciones Grial – Several Owners

France/Spain — 1308–1312

Original documents of the Knights Templar stolen in 1985: the unbroken fascination of the testimonies of the daily life, organization, and ceremonies of the Knights Templar, their persecution, and their absolution in Spain and Portugal

  1. The Knights Templar grew from 8 knights when they were founded in 1118 to nearly 20,000 members

  2. Their power and wealth attracted jealousy and suspicion, leading to their downfall in 1307

  3. This collection of documents includes various records of interrogations, a letter from a papal envoy and the absolution of the Spanish Templars

Secretum Templi II

  1. Description
  2. Facsimile Editions (1)
Description
Secretum Templi II

Founded in 1118 by a group of nine knights protecting pilgrims in the Holy Land, the Knights Templar or Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon grew in to one of the wealthiest, most powerful, and famous monastic military orders of the Middle Ages. At the height of their power, they had nearly 20,000 members and controlled hundreds of castles and other properties. However, their downfall was just as spectacular when they became victims to a plot by the heavily indebted King Philip IV of France the Fair (1268-1314) at the beginning of the 14th century, whereupon the Templars were put on trial for heresy and other trumped-up crimes in 1307. In addition to the famous Chinon Parchment of 1308, the Secretum Templi II document collection features various records of interrogations and other documents relating to the trials of the Templars on the Iberian Peninsula as well as the written absolution of the Knights Templar in Spain dating from 1312.

Secretum Templi II

This compendium of documents consists of records from the interrogations of the Templars that occurred after the Order was accused of heresy and various other crimes. Most of these are records of the interrogations at Chinon (August 17–20, 1308), Lleida (February 15-March 17, 1310), Medina del Campo (April 1310), and Valladolid (May 1310). Other documents include a letter from the Papal envoy in Lleida dated the 6th of March 1311, Berardo de Poggio Bustone, to the bishops of the Kingdom of Aragon concerning the preparation of the investigations against the Templars and a sentence of absolution given to the Spanish Templars by the Council of Tarragona (November 4–7, 1312), which nonetheless disbanded the Order, allowing some of the members to join other orders or assigning them life pensions.

The Crusades’ Greatest Warriors

Founded in 1119 and headquartered at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, more commonly known as the Knights Templar, emerged out of a need to protect pilgrims from bandits and anyone else who would harm them. It grew from an impoverished order of only 9 knights into the richest, most powerful monastic military order of the Middle Ages with a network of 1,000 commanderies and fortifications stretching from the Holy Land to Scotland. They also helped to develop many banking techniques like checks and letters of credit and are considered to be the world’s first multi-national corporation.
In fact, only 10% of the Templars were actually knights, the rest of the order, numbering as much as 20,000 at its peak, were in charge of the banking, bureaucracy, and logistics supporting their military operations. Nonetheless, those brothers who trained for war did so with religious fervor and fought without fear of death and as such, the presence of even a small number of Templars on a battlefield could be enough to change the outcome of an engagement. They were simply some of the most capable warriors in the entire Crusades.

Downfall of the Templars

As the Crusaders were gradually pushed out of the Holy Land, the Templars found themselves without a mission and became the victims of a conspiracy by King Philip IV of France. Heavily indebted to the Order, Philip levelled accusations of heresy at the Templars and on Friday October 13th, 1307 had many of the order’s top members arrested. They were subsequently tortured into giving false confessions and burned at the stake – while also having their assets seized by the French Crown of course. Pope Clement V, a French pontiff who was the first Avignon pope and arguably a puppet of the French King, disbanded the order in 1312, with most of the Templars assets and membership going over to the Hospitallers and other orders.
As he burned at the stake and prayed, Grand Master Jacques de Molay predicted that he would soon meet both Clement and Philip before God saying “God knows who is wrong and has sinned. Soon a calamity will occur to those who have condemned us to death”. Clement was dead within a month, Philip was dead eight months later, and his male line was extinguished by 1328. The whole affair scandalized people’s sense of justice and it was whispered across Europe that this had been divine punishment for sins of the King and the Pope.

Codicology

Alternative Titles
Secretum Templi II "Proceso contra los Templarios en España"
Size / Format
Diverse documents / 21.0-67.0 × 21.0-62.1 cm
Origin
Spain
Date
1308–1312
Style
Language
Illustrations
1 decorated initial and several symbols
Content
„Chinon Parchment" (1308), "Interrogation of the Templars" (Castile and Leon, 1310), "Interrogation of the Templars" (Catalonia, Kingdom of Aragon and Navarre, 1310) and the "Absolution of the Templars in Spain" (Kingdom of Aragon, 1312)

Available facsimile editions:
Secretum Templi II – Ediciones Grial – Several Owners
Ediciones Grial – Valencia, 2013
Limited Edition: 700 copies
Facsimile Editions

#1 Secretum Templi II "Proceso contra los Templarios en España"

Ediciones Grial – Valencia, 2013

Publisher: Ediciones Grial – Valencia, 2013
Limited Edition: 700 copies
Binding: The collection is presented in a handmade, leather-bound box
Commentary: 1 volume by Barbara Frale
Language: Spanish
1 volume: Exact reproduction of the original document (extent, color and size) Reproduction of the entire original document as detailed as possible (scope, format, colors). The binding may not correspond to the original or current document binding.
Facsimile Copy Available!
Price Category: €€
(1,000€ - 3,000€)
You might also be interested in:
Grievances of Guitard Isarn – Millennium Liber – Pergamí 1910 (4-III-4) – Biblioteca Nacional de Catalunya (Barcelona, Spain)
Grievances of Guitard Isarn
Spain – 1080–1095

The oldest known, non-literary text in Catalan: the complaints of the nobleman Guitard Isarn about his defaulting vassals as an glimpse into medieval feudalism

Experience More
Pledge Letter of El Cid – Siloé, arte y bibliofilia – Catedral de Burgos (Burgos, Spain)
Pledge Letter of El Cid
Spain – 11th century

Written July 19, 1074 and first rediscovered in 1596: the long-forgotten marriage contract between El Cid and his wife as one of the few personal documents of the Spanish knight and national hero

Experience More
Magna Carta – The Folio Society – Cotton MS Augustus ii.106 – British Library (London, United Kingdom)
Magna Carta
Runnymede, England (United Kingdom) – 1215

63 fundamental articles as the basis of modern democracy: one of the most important documents in English and democratic history, signed by King John "Lackland"

Experience More
Secretum Templi – Ediciones Grial – Several Owners
Secretum Templi
France – 12th century – early 14th century

With letters from Jacques de Molay and the Templar Rule: a unique collection of documents on the richest, most powerful, and mysterious order of knights in history

Experience More
Trial Against the Templars – Scrinium – ASV A.A. Arm. 208, 209, 210 and 217 – Archivum Secretum Vaticanum (Vatican City, State of the Vatican City)
Trial Against the Templars
Poitiers (France) – 1307–1312

The trial against the Knights Templar and the interrogation protocol of Jacques de Molay: official documents from one of the most notorious and mysterious events in history were rediscovered only a few years ago

Experience More
Bayeux Tapestry – The Folio Society – Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux (Bayeux, France)
Bayeux Tapestry
United Kingdom – Ca. 1070–1079

One of the best known and most important works of art of the entire Middle Ages: a 68 meter long embroidery depicting the invasion of England in 1066 by William the Conqueror

Experience More
Blog articles worth reading
Filter selection
Publisher