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by: RojoTrooper

date posted: Aug 05, 2006 8:21 AM

Knights of Templar and the Jedi Knights

I watched an incredible documentary on the Knights of Templar, "Templar Code".
http://www.templarhistory.com/history.html

http://wwwhttp://www.wikinfo.org/wiki.php?title=Knights_Templar.wikinfo.org/wiki.php?title=Philippe_IV_of_France

It was incredible the parallels that Templar Knights and Jedi Knights have..
My apologies for this.. History of the Templar Knights and Crusades in a nut shell...
Templar Knights began as Poor Knights of Templar serving the land with almost no possessions. They were the best trained warriors of the time (similar to modern day Special Forces). With the Knight's success kingdoms and even the papacy began to grant the Knights land, money, and favors granting them carte blanche for protecting lands of East and West Christianity from the Muslims and foreign invaders.
The Templar Knights were very succesful in the First Crusade.. almost always outnumbered the Knights were tenacious fighters vowing to never surrender or be ransomed..
The Knights returned to Europe with the Christian Relics and treasures and expanding and recruiting throughout Western Europe. The Knights soon began to face military defeats in the Holy Land retaking Jerusalem time and time again from the Muslims and until the overwhelming Muslims and Turks forced the Knights of Templar and the Crusaders out of Eastern Christendom back into Europe...
Returning to Europe Phillipe IV and Pope Clement the V arrested the leaders and the Knights of Templar. Bringing in the Clergy for the Inquisition to torture confessions to bizzarre accusations for a very secret society, Geoffroy de Charney and Jacques de Molay were accused by the King of France and the Pope (wanting the Templar's land and banking system and not wanting to repay the Templar debt )and burned at the stake. Before they died they cursed the King and Pope (and they both died a year later).
Of the 3,000 Knights roughly 650 died during the Inquisition. The other knights disbanded and spread throughout Europe and the Middle East and some sailed across the Atlantic to following the Vikings routes to the Americas..Creating other socities.. Knights of Christ and meshing with the Free Masons..
The Jedi Knights of the Republic Order are the guardians of Jedi are the guardians of peace in the galaxy. Jedi use their powers to defend and protect, never to attack others. Jedi respect all life, in any form.Jedi serve others rather than ruling over them, for the good of the galaxy. Jedi seek to improve themselves through knowledge and training.
But as an exclusive and secretive Jedi Order society their opponents can raise any accusation or charge against them. That turns public favor against them no matter if they "Stand as Guardians of Peace"..They can br brought down..
I see the Master Jedi and the Jedi Council similar to the Templar Knights and the Grand Masters..
King Phillipe IV and Pope Clement V would be an excellent Sith Master and Apprentice..
What do you think?

The Crusaders and Templar Knights have inspired literature and film since the middle ages..(That is an understatement).
Are the Jedi the 20 and 21st century equivalent?
THX,
CE

http://blogs.starwars.com/SWRAC/153

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	adambombski The New Imperial Times (On Break)
date Posted: Aug 05, 2006 8:47 AM I read another blog not too long ago on this same subject. It is very interesting to compare them to the Jedi Knights and such.

	MomOf2YoungPadawan Mamadala's Lair
date Posted: Aug 05, 2006 9:29 AM Such a fabulous comparison! I know little of the Templar Code other than some brief encounters. Nicely done, here!

jedivnsnator
The Trash Compactor

date Posted: Aug 05, 2006 10:04 AM

Ohhh, boy...I'm glad I got here early...

While your source of information regarding the Knights Templar is a credible one, it seems that it is your only source. And yes, based on that one source, Jedi Knights and the Knights Templar seem to have a lot of similarities.

When, in fact, they are more dissimilar than similar. First, a brief history of the crusades: the reality of the crusades were not the romanticized, heroic era that has been presented to most of us. The crusades were some of the most brutal wars of the time- not only in violence, but in every other way.
(cont.)

jedivnsnator
The Trash Compactor

date Posted: Aug 05, 2006 10:11 AM

(cont.)
It was ironic that the church itself called into action a war that stimulated everything the church itself claimed to stand against. Most of the crusaders were monsters- raping young women, slaughtering innocent people, even cannibalism in one recorded event. There was very little that was 'heroic' about any of them. Even the commanders, (I'm fairly sure Godfrey of Bouillion was one of them) who claimed to avoid the immoralities practiced by their troops, and yet committed acts of assasination in attempts to overthrow the governors of allied cities, in the hopes of gaining those cities, and their wealth, for themselves.
(cont.)

jedivnsnator
The Trash Compactor

date Posted: Aug 05, 2006 10:13 AM

(cont.)
And then we come to the Templars...you are right in saying they were like the special forces of their time- only in that they were amongst the few crusaders who were actually trained knights. But that didn't automatically make them good men. While their deaths at the stake were not well justified and the accusations of a 'secret society' against them were sketchy at best, they did just as many evil things as the other crusaders- but worse. They didn't only do it to their enemies, they did it to fellow crusaders.
(cont.)

jedivnsnator
The Trash Compactor

date Posted: Aug 05, 2006 10:15 AM

(cont.)
Shortly after the launch of the First Crusade, a French monk took it upon himself to launch what he called the 'Peasant's Crusade', a brother crusade in which thousands of poor peasants left their farms and hovels, took arms, and marched to the Holy Land. These 'crusaders' were essentially the cannon fodder of their time. The Templars often took advantage of the poor peasants, taking things from them, stealing what the peasants had stolen from others, and in general treating them rather badly.
(cont.)

jedivnsnator
The Trash Compactor

date Posted: Aug 05, 2006 10:19 AM

(cont.)
Yes, during all that taking and re-taking of Jerusalem, the Knights Templar shined their brightest, showing valor and in some instances dying for each other. They were often recognized as the commanders during the first success against Jerusalem.

...And that's about where their heroism and chivalry stopped. They were simple Knights, only trained better and thought smarter than their fellow crusaders.

Cortez was prized with the capture of Tenochtitlan, but his means never justified his end, much the same way the behavior of the Knights Templar did not justify their own.

Knight557
Expanded Universe

date Posted: Aug 05, 2006 11:08 AM

You have to remember the times jedivnsnator. It wasn't uncommon for brutality in war. The Jedi are based on the Templars in my opinion. And what you said about the peasant crusade is false. They had nothing to do with the Templars, so you get your facts straight. The Templars weren't created until after the first crusade to defend the holy land from muslim attacks.

They did alot of good, and were often extremely tolerant of other cultures, except for when it came time to fight. They created the first banks in Europe, and protected pilgrims from attack.

	Knight557 Expanded Universe
date Posted: Aug 05, 2006 11:13 AM Godfrey was not a templar Check it yourself .http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Knights_Templar http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Knights_Templar Don't spread lies because you don't know what your talking about, and what kind of a name is jedivnsnator!!

	Knight557 Expanded Universe
date Posted: Aug 05, 2006 11:14 AM Read 'RISE' in the first one, it says that the Templars were founded after the first crusade. They didn't have anything to do with the Peasant's Crusade, keep your facts straight. When it comes to history I'm the man to come to.

	Knight557 Expanded Universe
date Posted: Aug 05, 2006 11:16 AM I hate it when misinformed people spread lies as facts!! Do research, and then comment, or learn it like I did.

darthmokyris
Where do you get your news? What do you want for your collection?

date Posted: Aug 05, 2006 12:41 PM

An aggressive stance doesn't afford such 'good and friendly conversation'. It is our way often to compete with one another using hostility and to be the smartest, using little tolerance for another.What makes us similar to the Templars, Romans, and Jedi is we have become a selfish arrogant society. We seek to gain power and not lose it. While enjoying such a derranged view we've become lazy and hostile. We compete for some false sense of victory. Look at it in the most simple format: do you react while driving or in a parking lot? Look at office politics or HOA's. I think the basis of the Jedi order was mirrored from many societies and political groups. We do not learn from others mistakes.

RojoTrooper
Star Wars Recycled Art Project

date Posted: Aug 05, 2006 2:16 PM

Thanks for the great comments.. It is hard to sum up the Templar Knights and the Crusades in one sentence. As a historian myself I should be ashamed. I didn't want to bore non-history SW fans with all the reading so, I gave some links to the Knights Templar and the Crusades. I am glad you guys liked this.. I watched that Amazing Video that is on the bottom of the website.. The Knights Templar were peasant warriors but, over time and the with the support of the Kingdoms and Vatican of Western Christendom collectively were thier own "corporation" military industrial complex.. I was inspired by the video and reminded of Star Wars and the Jedi.
May the Force Be With You!
CE

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