Hugues de Payens
Hugues de Payens (c. 1070 – 1136) was a French knight and the first Grand Master of the Knights Templar.
History
By 1119, de Payens planned to turn the Templar Order into a public organization. He proposed to Baldwin II of Jerusalem that the Order be founded to protect pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land. Baldwin approved this, and ceded the Al-Aqsa Mosque to the Templars as a headquarters.[1]
Together with Bernard de Clairvaux, de Payens wrote the Latin Rule, the creed of the Templars, gained the support of the Church and ensured that the Order was recognized and confirmed during the Council of Troyes in 1129. Although the Templar Order was now public, its true goals remained secret. During this period, the Templars grew so financially, religiously and politically powerful that they were able to influence the kings, emperors and popes of the time.[1]
Trivia
Gallery
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Baldwin II ceding Al-Aqsa Mosque to de Payens and the Templars
References
