h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The simultaneous arrests of the Knights Templar across France on the order of King Phillip IV (called 'the Fair') of France which led to the torture of many Knights to force confessions, the eventual burning of 54 Templars as replapsed heretics near Paris in 1310, and the execution of James of Molay and Geoffrey of Charney in 1314. The Order was supressed in 1312.

Why was this done? Basically for property and financial reasons.

Similar arrests followed in other countries, with or without the torture and cruel imprisonment and the consequences depending on the country and monarch at the time. In the UK there was resistance by Edward II who said he couldn't give credence to Phillip's accusations of the Order. But he too came under papal pressure .

Oh, Friday the 13th lives on in superstition to this day as being an unlucky day ..

Excellent academic books about the Knights Templar include The Trial of the Templars by Malcolm Barber, and The New Knighthood by the same author, as well as many others ....

Just one date in history that has made a big impact upon this lass - and my studies into this fascinating Order and era have only just begun....... so apologies if I have got anything wrong

Interesting stuff - what is your view on the long-term historical impact of these events? I always try to distinguish between things that look dramatic but basically 'go with the flow' of history, those that go against the flow but don't change anything in the long term, and those rare events/movements which actually DO change the course of history.

I liked the part about the origins of the Friday 13th superstition too - I hadn't heard that one before

I thank you for your kind comments.

The arrest of the Templars maybe didn't have a huge long term effect upon history, other than a chance for conspiracy theorists and people wanting to find some link to the Masons etc etc.. You know what I mean ... the Templars have been much maligned over time. chuck enough mud and some of it sticks, and people just tend to prefer to believe the bad and bizarre rather than the mundane truth.

However, they did have a big impact upon society. They had a lot to do with the British legal system, and the exchequer. They are also credited with the invention of the cheque! Pilgrims would pay their money into the Templars, who would issue them with chits to use to buy food etc etc along their road to the holy land. The Inner and Outer Temple ...

So the date is significant for the end of an order that caused a lot of subtle changes in society, or at the very least made a major contribution to this ... at least that's my understanding of it.

Excellent! I love conspiracy theories (without necessarily believing any of them myself) because you can play mind games with them (i.e. insert theory into head of gullible person, point them in the desired direction and press GO

I will check out more about the history of the Templars, they sound interesting.

Oh, that's one way to have fun with conspiracy theories .

The Templars are very interesting, and I'm sure you'll have great fun finding out about them, as I do!

Have you ever played a card game called 'Illuminati' (published by Steve Jackson Games, you can find em on the web)? The funniest conspiracy-theory geme ever IMO (altho Junta is also pretty good!)

ps. I don't work for SJG or get paid anything for promoting their games

Ah but you see they really don't need to pay anyone to promote their games;-P. After playing them you're addicted and of ourse you have to share this with all your friends. Well at least thats how it works with me--still in hot water over the introduction of Munchkin and Chez Geek to my friends.

Munchkin is excellent too. I probably shouldn't enquire about 'Chez Geek' - far too many gaming addictions already!

Oh come now--you mean to tell me that you don't want to know about the game where you get points for getting nookie? Or where Justifiable Homicide is actually a card you can play?

NOOOOOOOOO!

Stoppit right now! If you insist on addicting me to another game I will have to tell you about 'Lunch Money' and 'Valley of the Mammoths' and...it could all go nuclear very soon



[goes off to look up 'Chez Geek']

ps. apologies to Mmmminx for dragging this thread Off Topic!

No apologies necessary

There is no such thing as coincidence, just interesting connexions. An interesting connexion I note is that this is the 13th Conversation in this Great Dates thing.