THE TEMPLARS IN SPAIN

The column on the picture is one of the most extraordinary things I have ever seen. I mean, have

you seen many columns with a belt and buckle? As it turns out, this architectural detail was

supposed to remind the templars who lived in the castle and saw the column daily about their knight

duty. Although the history of the templars is usually linked to France, their influence went long

beyond French borders. In Spain, they had a big role too, and who knows, maybe they left some of

their unimaginable treasures here.

The Knights Templar are one of the most famous and mysterious knight orders in history. Founded

in France in 1118, in almost two centuries of their existence, the order accumulated immense wealth

and became one of the protagonists of Medieval history. Legends about their feats and treasures are

still a concern for many.

Having quickly reached significant influence, the order turned into a valuable ally for many

European aristocrats who gave the knights land, castles, and gold. Spanish nobility was no

exception but the knights’ destiny in Spain was different from their less lucky brothers in France.

It was as early as XII century when the templars settled in a presented to them castle in the Pyrenees, gradually spreading their influence on the region and further on the south. Modern

territories of Navarra, Cataluña, Aragón, Castilla, and even Andalucía still bear the imprint of the

templars’ impact.

Spain attracted the knights not only with generous gifts but also an opportunity to continue the

sacred fight against the Muslim as back then, on the Iberian peninsula, Islam occupied huge

territories. Spanish kings were interested in the support of such a powerful military order as the

templars. However, not everyone trusted the foreigners, which is why the history of the knights is

Spain is full of perypeties linked to a change in the political course or attitude towards the knights.

One of the most important turns in this history was the testament of Alfonso I, the king of Aragón,

who due to having no successors left his lands to several knights orders, including the templars.

Thanks to that, the templars became particularity influential on the territories of Aragón and

Cataluña.

Repeating the destiny of the templars all around Europe, the Spanish knights raised to huge political

and military influence, which, the same as in France, gradually resulted in the tension between the

order and land rulers, When the French finally decided to eliminate the order, the Spanish also acted

on the matter. Unlike their neighbours, the Spanish kings did not want blood on their hands. This is

why all around the country, there were trials, which although did not take the templars’ lives away,

deprived them of their possessions and influence. This way, Spanish monarchs replenished their

treasury and got rid of a rival for power but kept alive the templars as well as their heritage.