Inquisition & Templars

When King Phillip the Fair of France declared the Knights Templar to be heretics, agents of the Inquisition initially believed the accusations laid against the Templars. The Inquisition spear-headed the attack on the Templars, raiding several of their strongholds in France on October 13th, 1307. 
The reason the Inquisition believed the charges and assisted in what the Templars call the 'Great Betrayal' is due to the secret activities of the Templars themselves. Hugh de Payens is said to have been a Theist and the Templars, after their time in the Mid-East, were known for their research into foreign theologies and learning. 
It also doesn't help that the Templars refused to participate in the Albigensian Crusade, the only official crusade conducted in Europe against heretics (and which was led by the Inquisition). 
Naturally, all of this raised the eyebrow of the Inquisition. And when the King of France declared that he had evidence for their practice of Infernalism, the Inquisition leaped to action.
However, the Templars survived the Great Betrayal and went to ground, losing themselves in the occult underworld where they regrouped and rebuilt their power base. Joining themselves to Freemasonry and other similar groups, they eventually returned to exact revenge on those who betrayed them...
Category:Inquisition
Category:Templar