The Da Vinci Code

L-R: Masters Pillar, William St.Clair Kt.Templar,Apprentice Pillar,
all inside Rosslyn Chapel, near Edinburgh

The K.T. arose from the Crusades to the Middle East in the 12th Century. The Crusades were joined by many but included noblemen and their small cadre of fighting militia. To pay for all this the noblemen had to remortgage or sell all or part of their Estate (there was always going to be a strong commercial focus to the Crusades). Four Crusades and 200 years later the K.T. were fantastically wealthy and influential. Their fate was sealed however when they continually refused King Philip IV of France additional money. On Friday 13th 1307 the King arrested hundreds of Templars overnight. Those that could fled to the Templar Fleet lying in wait at La Rochelle, what happens next is guesswork...

More about Crusader Castles