“The templars were no worse than the other christian orders of their time, they got a bad reputation because the king of france at the time wanted all their money and so called them heretics and tortured a load of them so that they would support this”
Not only. Phillip II wanted to unite the kingdom and refused any power in the power. Remember he was the one who fought and won Bouvines (27th of July 1214). In succeeding that, he secured his dynasty on the throne, obliging the Holly Romans Imperator Otto II to forget all his dreams about France (future) but more importantly, it was the end of the Plantagenet’s dream (John Lackland) of the French throne, at least for one century. The French Chivalry got her reputation in this battle… His son even become King of England for a short period, but lost all in the battle at Lincoln (20th of May 1416) and forced to accept a small amount of money in return of the Crown of England.
Anyway, the Templar effused a fusion with the Hospitaliers (and other order) in order to prepare a new crusade. Jacques de Molay was scared to loose his job. The French King didn’t appreciate and the 13th of October 1307, Friday the, all Templar are in jail.
The 3rd of May 1312, the Pope allocated the Templar’s fortune to the Order of the Hospitaliers. One year later this order re-paid the French King of 200,000 Pounds.
The Templars were the victims of the French Kings (Capetiens) will to be free from all Church influence…
Irony of history, his daughter, married with the English King Edouard III will give the pretext for the English King to claim the throne of France of the “Chef” of his wife, all Phillip’s sons dead without heirs….