The Knights TemplarsAddison, C. G. (Charles Greenstreet)
History
The Knights Templars
Addison, C. G. (Charles Greenstreet)
Templars
Pope Gregory X. died in the midst of his exertions for the creation
of another crusade. The enthusiasm which had been partially awakened
subsided; those who had assumed the cross forgot their engagements,
and the Grand Master of the Temple at last returned, in sorrow and
disappointment, to the far East. He reached Acre on St. Michael’s day,
A. D. 1275, attended by a band of Templars, drawn from the preceptories
of England and France. Shortly after his arrival Bendocdar was
poisoned, and was succeeded by his son, Malek Said. Malek Said only
mounted the throne to descend from it. He was deposed by the rebellious
Mamlooks, and the sceptre was grasped by Malek-Mansour-Kelaoun, the
bravest and most distinguished of the emirs. As there was now no hope
of recovering the towns, castles, and territories taken by Bendocdar,
the Grand Master directed all his energies to the preservation of the
few remaining possessions of the Christians in the Holy Land. At the
expiration of the ten years’ truce, he entered into various treaties
with the infidels. One of these, called “the peace of Tortosa,” is
expressed to be made between sultan Malek-Mansour-Kelaoun, and his
son Malek-Saleh-Ali, “honour of the world and of religion,” of the
one part, and Afryz Dybadjouk, (William de Beaujeu,) Grand Master
of the order of the Templars, of the other part. It relates to the
territories and possessions of the order of the Temple at Tortosa,
and provides for their security and freedom from molestation by the
infidels. The truce is prolonged for ten years and ten months from the
date of the execution of the treaty, (A. D. 1282,) and the contracting
parties strictly bind themselves to make no irruptions into each
other’s territories during the period. To prevent mistakes, the lands
and villages, towers, corn-mills, gardens, brooks, and plantations,
belonging to the Templars are specified and defined, together with the
contiguous possessions of the Moslems. By this treaty, the Templars
engage not to rebuild any of their citadels, towers, or fortresses, nor
to cut any new ditch or fosse in their province of Tortosa.
Another treaty entered into between William de Beaujeu and the
infidels, is called the peace of Acre. It accords to the Christians
Caiphas and seven villages, the province of Mount Carmel the town and
citadel of Alelyet, the farms of the Hospitallers in the province of
Cæsarea, the half of Alexandretta, the village of Maron, &c., and
confirms the Templars in the possessions of Sidon and its citadel, and
its fifteen cantons. By this treaty, sultan Malek Mansour conceded to
the inhabitants of Acre a truce of ten years, ten months, and ten days;
and he swore to observe its provisions and stipulations in the presence
of the Grand Master of the Temple and the vizir Fadhad. But all these
treaties were mere delusions. Bendocdar had commenced the ruin of the
Christians, and sultan Kelaoun now proceeded to complete it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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