THE TEMPLAR KNIGHTS

[Jill Elvgren]

THE TEMPLAR KNIGHTS
Grand Masters from 1118 to 1314

Hughes de Payens (1118-1136)
Robert de Craon (1136-1146)
Everard des Barres (1146-1149)
Bernard de Tromelai (1149-1153)
Andre de Montbard  (1153-1156)
Bertrand de Blanchefort (1156-1169)
Philip de Milly (1169-1171)
Odo de St Amand (1171-1179)
Arnold de Toroga (1179-1184)
Gerard de Ridefort (1185-1189)
Robert de Sable (1191-1193)
Gilbert Erail (1193-1200)
Philip de Plessiez (1201-1208)
William de Chartres (1209-1219)
Pedro de Montaigu (1219-1230)
Armond de Perigord (?-1244)
Richard de Bures (1245-1247)
William de Sonnac (1247-1250)
Reynald de Vichiers (1250-1256)
Thomas Berard (1256-1273)
William de Beaujeu (1273-1291)
Tibauld de Gaudin (1291-1293)
Jacques de Molay (1293-1314)

http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/names/knights.htm

[Jill Elvgren]

Grand Masters of the Knights Templar

Each man who held the position of Grand Master of the Knights Templar was the supreme commander of the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon (also known as the Knights Templar), starting with founder Hughes de Payens in 1118. The position was held for life, though this tenure could often be quite short considering the military nature of the Order.

Each country had its own Master, and the Masters reported to the Grand Master. He oversaw all of the operations of the Order, including both the military operations in the Holy Land and eastern Europe, and the financial and business dealings in the Order's infrastructure of western Europe.

Grand Masters could also be active military commanders, though this was not always a wise choice, as seen by the embarrassing blunders made by the 12th century Gérard de Ridefort, who ended up beheaded by Saladin in 1189.

[Jill Elvgren]

Hughes de Payens

Hughes or Huges de Payens or de Pains or de Payns (c. 1070 - 1136), a French nobleman from the Champagne region, was the first Grand Master of the Knights Templar. He organized the original nine monk-knights to defend pilgrims to the Holy Land in response to the call to action of Pope Urban II.

He was probably born at Château Payns, about 10 km from Troyes, in Champagne. He was originally a vassal of Count Hugh of Champagne, whom he accompanied on the First Crusade. It is likely that Hugues served in the army of Godfroi de Boullion during the Crusade. Count Hugh of Champagne visited Jerusalem for a second time in 1108, accompanied by Hugues, who remained there after he returned to France. He organized the original nine monk-knights to defend pilgrims to the Holy Land in response to the call to action of Pope Urban II.




De Payens approached King Baldwin II of Jerusalem with eight knights, two of whom were brothers and all of whom were his relatives by either blood or marriage, in order to form the first of the Knights Templar.

The other knights were Geoffrey de St. Omer, Payen de Montdidier, Archambaud de St. Agnan, Andre de Montbard, Geoffrey Bison, and two men recorded only by the names of Rossal and Gondamer. The ninth knight remains unknown, although some have speculated that it was Hugh Comte de Champagne.

De Payens was born at Château Payns, about 10 km from Troyes, in Champagne, France. He was a veteran of the First Crusade (in 1099) and had spent twenty-two years of his life east of Europe.

It is likely that Hughes de Payens served in the army of Godfroi de Boullion during the First Crusade. As Grand Master, he led the Order for almost twenty years until his death, helping to establish the Order's foundations as an important and influential international military and financial institution.

As Grand Master, he led the Order for almost twenty years until his death, helping to establish the Order's foundations as an important and influential international military and financial institution.


On his visit to London in 1128, he raised men and money for the Order, and also founded their first House there, initiating the history of the Templars in England.

He died in Palestine in 1136 and was succeeded as Grand Master by Robert de Craon.

[Jill Elvgren]

Baldwin II ceeding the Temple of Salomon to Hugues de Payns and Gaudefroy de Saint-Homer.

[Jill Elvgren]

Coat of arms of Robert de Craon, a member of the Medieval Knights Templar.

Robert de Craon

Coat of arms of Robert de Craon.Robert de Craon (died January 13, 1147) was the second Grand Master of the Knights Templar, from June 1136 until his death.

He was born around the turn of the 12th century, the youngest of the three sons of Renaud de Craon. He settled in Aquitaine and was engaged to the daughter of the lord of Angoumois, but gave up his fiancée and travelled to Palestine after learning of the foundation of the Templar Order by Hughes de Payens. He soon showed his military valour and his piety, and in 1136, after the death of Hughes, he was chosen as the new Grand Master. He proved to be a brilliant organizer and legislator, and turned the Order into a major force in the Crusader states. On March 29, 1139, Pope Innocent II issued the bull Omne Datum Optimum, which exempted the order from tithes and made them independent of any ecclesiastical jurisdiction. The Templars were also granted the habit of a red cross over a white tunic, which has since become the popular image of any crusader.

He was less fortunate as a military leader. As soon as he had been elected, he defeated Zengi, the emir of Aleppo and let his knights plunder the enemy camp; Zengi returned and destroyed the unorganized pillagers. Robert authorized the Spanish Templars to lead a naval expedition of about 70 ships against Lisbon, but this also ended in defeat. In 1140 the Templars resisted a numerically superior Turkish army at the Battle of Tecua. In 1143, after protracted negotiations between Raymond Berenguer IV (the Count of Barcelona and a Templar) the order's mission on the Iberian peninsula was defined. According to William of Tyre, Robert participated in the Council of Acre during the Second Crusade in 1148, but according to the Obituary of Reims, he died in January of 1147, and was succeeded by Everard des Barres in April of that year

[Jill Elvgren]

Seal of Everard des Barres.


Everard des Barres

Seal of Everard des Barres.Everard des Barres (died 1174) was the third Grand Master of the Knights Templar from 1147 to 1151.

As Preceptor of the Templars in France from 1143, he was one of the highest dignitaries of the Order when Robert de Craon died in 1147. He was chosen to succeed Robert, and as soon as he was elected, he accompanied Louis VII of France on the Second Crusade, and was among those sent ahead to Constantinople before Louis' arrival there. He later saved Louis during a battle with the Seljuk Turks in Pisidia.

According to the chronicler Odo de Deuil, Everard was extremely pious and valiant. He seems to have had a strong influence on Louis. After the failure of the crusade at the Siege of Damascus in 1148, Louis returned to France, followed by Everard, who was in charge of the king's treasury. Everard's Templars stayed behind and helped defend Jerusalem against a Turkish raid in 1149.

Back in France, Everard abdicated officially in 1151 and became a monk at Clairvaux, despite the protests of the Templars. He was succeeded by Bernard de Tremelay (who actually led the Order since Everard's departure in 1149) and died in 1174.

[Jill Elvgren]

Bernard de Tremelay

Bernard de Tramelay (died August 16, 1153) was the fourth Grand Master of the Knights Templar.

He was born in the castle of Tramelay near Saint-Claude in the Jura. According to Du Cange, he succeeded a certain Hugues as Master of the Temple, although this Hugues is otherwise unknown. He was elected Grand Master in June of 1151, after the abdication of Everard des Barres, who had returned to France following the Second Crusade. King Baldwin III of Jerusalem granted him the ruined city of Gaza, which Bernard rebuilt for the Templars.

In 1153 the Templars participated in the Battle of Ascalon, a fortress at that time controlled by Egypt. The Templars constructed a siege tower, which was burned down by the Egyptian soldiers inside Ascalon. The wind caught the flames and part of the walls of Ascalon burned down as well.

According to William of Tyre, knights of the Order rushed through the breach without Baldwin's knowledge while Bernard prevented other crusaders from following, as he did not want to share the spoils of the city with the king. Bernard and about forty of his Templars were killed by the larger Egyptian garrison. Their bodies were displayed on the ramparts and their heads were sent to the sultan.

In a differing account by a Damascene chronicler in the city, the breach of the wall is mentioned as a pre-cursor to the fall of the city; he makes no mention of the incident with the Templars. Regardless of which account is believed, Bernard was killed during the fighting.

A few days later, Baldwin captured the fortress; shortly thereafter, the Templars elected André de Montbard as their Grand Master.

[Jill Elvgren]

André de Montbard

André de Montbard (c. 1103-January 17, 1156) was the fifth Grand Master of the Knights Templar and also one of the new founders of the Order.

The Montbard family came from Hochadel in Burgundy, and André was an uncle of St. Bernard of Clairvaux. He entered the Order in 1129 and went to Palestine, where he quickly rose to the rank of seneschal, deputy and second-in-command to the Grand Master. After the Siege of Ascalon on August 22, 1153, André was elected Grand Master to replace Bernard de Tremelay, who had been killed during an assault on the city on August 16.

He died on January 17, 1156, in Jerusalem and was succeeded by Bertrand de Blanchefort.

[Jill Elvgren]

Seal of Bertrand de Blanchefort

Bertrand de Blanchefort

Bertrand de Blanchefort or Blanquefort (c. 1109-January 2, 1169) was the sixth Grand Master of the Knights Templar, from 1156 until his death.

He was the younger son of Godfrey of Blanchefort, a knight of Aquitaine. He succeeded André de Montbard, and introduced reforms to the Rule of the Order. He obtained from the Pope the right to use the title "Master by the grace of God", and to carry the baton known as the Abacus. During his rule, he fought against Nur ad-Din, and was taken prisoner after King Baldwin III of Jerusalem was defeated at Banyas in 1157. He was held in captivity for three years in Aleppo before being released to Byzantine emperor Manuel I Comnenus when the emperor made peace with Nur ad-Din.

Bernard accompanied King Amalric I during the expedition against Egypt in 1163. The expedition ended in failure and a treaty was negotiated by the Templars. Because of this treaty, Bernard refused to participate in a second expedition in 1168.

He died on January 2, 1169, and was succeeded by Philip of Milly.

Blanchefort petitioned the Pope to use the title, "Master by Grace of God", which fitted the Templar's position as rising stars in the church, a favor which Rome gladly granted. His internal reforms were more important however. He wrote the "Retraits", which established structure within the order. This meant knights had clearer roles and protocols. He also established checks within the leaderships of the order, which stopped future Grand Masters deciding the direction of the Templars, without the backing of the knights. His work on creating negotiating roles within the order is also worth noting. After the failed expedition to Egypt, it was the Templars that helped draw up a peace treaty.

[Jill Elvgren]

Philip of Milly

Philip of Milly, also known as Philip of Nablus (c. 1120-April 3, 1171) was the seventh Grand Master of the Knights Templar.

Philip was the son of Guy of Milly, a knight from Picardy who participated in the First Crusade, and his (possibly second) wife Stephanie of Flanders. Guy and Stephanie had three sons, all born in the Holy Land, of whom Philip was probably the oldest. He was first mentioned as Guy's son in 1138, and must have become lord of Nablus sometime between that date and 1144, when his name next appears. By this time he had also married his wife Isabella.

As lord of Nablus, Philip became one of the most influential barons in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. In 1144, Queen Melisende sent him to relieve the siege of Edessa, but he arrived after the city had already fallen. In 1148, upon the arrival of the Second Crusade, Philip participated in the council held at Acre, where he and the other native barons were overruled and the ill-fated decision to attack Damascus was made.

Along with the powerful Ibelin family, into which his half-sister Helvis had married, Philip was a supporter of Melisende during her conflict with her son Baldwin III. In the division of the kingdom in 1151, Melisende gained control of the southern part of the kingdom, including Nablus. Despite this arrangement, Philip seems to have been completely loyal to Baldwin, participating in the king's capture of Ascalon in 1153 and the relief of Banyas in 1157.

In July of 1161, as Melisende lay dying, Philip exchanged the lordship of Nablus with Baldwin III in order to become lord of Oultrejordain. This allowed Baldwin to regain control of the southern half of the kingdom while his mother was in no condition to oppose him, but he was probably also aiming to strengthen Oultrejordain with a powerful and loyal baron. Baldwin died in 1163 and was succeeded by his brother Amalric, who was a friend of Philip and a fellow supporter of Melisende during the earlier struggle in 1151.

Philip's personal life is largely a mystery, but it is known that sometime after he became lord of Oultrejordain, he made a pilgrimage the monastery of St. Catherine's on Mount Sinai. With his wife Isabella he had a son, Rainier, and two daughters, Helena and Stephanie, but Isabella died probably in 1166, which apparently caused Philip to withdraw from public life and to join the Knights Templar. This withdrawal was brief, however, as he joined Amalric's invasion of Egypt in 1167. The Ibelin family later recalled an event during the siege of Bilbeis, in which Philip saved the life of Hugh of Ibelin, who had broken his leg when his horse fell in a ditch, although the veracity of this story is unknown.

The Templars as a whole refused to support Amalric's invasion, and the king blamed them for the failure of the expedition. After the death of their Grand Master Bertrand de Blanchefort in January of 1169, Amalric pressured them to elect Philip in his place, which they did in August of that year. Not much is known about Philip's time as Grand Master, although he likely led the defense of Templar-held Gaza when Saladin, who had gained control of Egypt in 1169, attacked the city in 1170.

For unknown reasons he resigned as Grand Master in 1171, and was succeeded by Odo de St Amand. Philip accompanied Amalric to Constantinople as ambassador to the Byzantine Empire in order to restore good relations with them after the failure of the Egyptian invasion. He probably died on April 3, before reaching Constantinople.

[Jill Elvgren]

Odo de St Amand

Odo de St. Amand (or Eudes or Odon) was the 8th Grand Master of the Knights Templar, between 1171 and 1180.

St Amand was born to a family from Limousin, France. He was Marshal of Jerusalem and later Viscount. He was a headstrong leader of the order, which earned him praise and resentment in equal measure. An example of this can be found 1172. When a Templar knight, Gauthier du Maisnil, was accused of murdering an Islamic dignitary by King Amaury I, St. Amand refused to hand him over. He cited the Papal Bull which stipulated the only power over the Templars was Rome.

St. Amand took part in several expeditions during his time as Grand Master. He spearheaded military action in Naplouse, Jericho and Djerach, scoring considerable victories with the Templars. Perhaps his finest hour was at the battle of Montgisard, where his knights convincingly defeated a superior detachment of Saladin's army.

In March 1179, St Amand oversaw the construction of the Chastellet fortress. Its position and impregnability made it a thorn in Saladin's side and he offered considerable amounts of money to have it destroyed. It was so effective that Saladin's May assault on Jerusalem in 1179 was defeated. His forces broke on the fortress's thick walls, and the fierce fighting of the Templars stationed there scored heavy losses on the Muslims. Trying to capitalize on the victory, an assault on the Islamic forces was organized, the Battle of Marj Uyun. It was spearheaded by King Baldwin IV, Raymond III de Tripoli, Odo de St Amand and Roger des Moulins. However, Saladin had regrouped and decimated the Christian forces. Baldwin IV escaped the carnage, taking with him the True Cross, but St. Amand was captured and taken hostage.

In August 1179, the new Templar fortress was captured and the knights stationed there were beheaded by the Muslim forces. St Amand died in one of Saladin's jails sometime during 1180, although no exact date survives. His release was proposed, in exchange for one Saladin's captive nephews, but negotiations came too late.

Not only were St. Amand's victories important from a military standpoint, but they were vital in gaining fresh pledges of money and resources from homeland countries in Europe. Inspired by the Templar's sensational victory at Montgisard, Renaud, Lord of Margat, donated half of the income from several of his cities to the order's cause.

He was marshal of Jerusalem and later viscount. In 1157, during the siege of the Christian town of Banias near the source of the Jordan, he was taken prisoner along with then-master Bertrand de Blanchefort, during the disastrous fight that followed.

The construction of the Templar fortress at Jacob's Ford on the upper Jordan led to a fresh Saracen invasion and the disastrous Battle of Marj Uyun (1179), from which the young king Baldwin IV and the True Cross escaped with difficulty, while Odo de St Amand, the Grand Master, was carried away captive and never returned.

Odo de St Amand was succeeded as Grand Master by Arnaud de Toroge.

[Jill Elvgren]

Coat of arms

Arnaud de Toroge

Arnold of Torroja (in French, Arnaud de Toroge) was Grand Master of the Knights Templar from 1179 until his death in 1184.

In that year he set out with Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem and Roger de Moulins (Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller) to gather European support for the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He died at Verona on September 30, 1184.

[Jill Elvgren]

Gerard de Ridefort

Gerard of Ridefort (died October 1, 1189) was Grand Master of the Knights Templar from 1184 until his death.

He was the younger son of a Flemish lord, and, seeing no opportunity for success in Europe, joined the Second Crusade in 1146. After the failure of the crusade, he remained in the Holy Land, in the service of Raymond III of Tripoli. Raymond promised Lucia of Botrun to him, which would give him a valuable piece of land in the County of Tripoli, but Raymond later broke his promise when he was offered money by a Pisan merchant. Gerard then left Raymond's service and joined the Knights Templar. Around 1183 he became seneschal of the order, and in 1184 became Grand Master.

Because of the broken marriage promise, Gerard held a grudge against Raymond for the rest of his life. In 1186, when Baldwin V of Jerusalem died, Gerard took the side of the royal court faction in the ensuing succession struggle, simply because Raymond was the leader of the baronial faction. Raymond opposed the accession of Guy of Lusignan, but Gerard and the Templars gave him the support he needed to counteract Raymond's influence.

In 1187 Gerard seized part of money sent by Henry II of England to be cared for by the Templars and the Knights Hospitaller. This money was part of Henry's penance for the murder of Thomas Becket, and was supposed to be spent at Henry's request, assuming he ever arrived in the kingdom. Instead, Gerard spent it raising mercenaries to defend the Kingdom of Jerusalem from Saladin. On May 1, Gerard and fewer than 100 Templars attacked Saladin at the Battle of Cresson; Saladin, however, had over 5000 men, and Gerard was one of a very small number of survivors.

In July of the same year Gerard led the Templars at the Battle of Hattin. Saladin had captured Tiberias and Guy was contemplating a march on the city to retake it. Raymond advised him to wait for Saladin to come to them, since they were in a well-defended, well-watered position, and would have to cross a dry open plain to reach Tiberias. Gerard opposed this, probably only because it was Raymond who proposed it, and convinced Guy to continue the march. He was supported by Raynald of Chatillon, a fellow participant in the Second Crusade decades before, and a fellow enemy of Raymond.

The Crusaders ended up trapped on the dry plain and were massacred on July 4. Raymond escaped but Gerard, Guy, and Raynald were captured by Saladin. The rest of the Templars were executed but Guy convinced Saladin to set Gerard free. Saladin did so on the condition that Gerard would surrender Gaza to him.

In 1189 Gerard led the Templars against Saladin in the Siege of Acre. This time he did not escape, either dying in battle or being captured and executed by Saladin on October 1.

[Jill Elvgren]

Gerard of Ridefort is thought probably to have been of Flemish origin, although some nineteenth-century writers suggested an Anglo-Norman background, apparently through misreading his designation as "of Bideford". It is uncertain when he arrived in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He appears in the charter record in the service of Baldwin IV of Jerusalem in the late 1170s, and by 22 October 1179 held the rank of Marshal of the kingdom.

It seems that he expected Raymond III of Tripoli to give him the hand of an available heiress. However, when Cécile Dorel inherited her father's coastal fief of Botrun in the County of Tripoli, Raymond married her (before March 1181) to Plivain or Plivano, the nephew of a Pisan merchant, for a bride-price of 10,000 bezants. By the mid-thirteenth century, when the Old French Continuation of William of Tyre (the so-called Chronicle of Ernoul) was compiled, the story of the bride of Botrun had evolved into a fanciful legend in which Plivain's uncle put the young lady (there renamed Lucie) on the scales, and offered Raymond her weight in gold, to obtain the marriage.

Gerard fell seriously ill, after which he took vows as a Templar. By June 1183 he held the rank of seneschal of the Order. He was elected Grand Master in late 1184 or early 1185, after the death of Arnold of Torroja in Verona.

Gerard continued to hold a grudge against Raymond of Tripoli, which influenced some of his political manœuvrings. In 1186, when Baldwin V of Jerusalem died, Gerard took the side of Queen Sibylla and her husband Guy of Lusignan in the ensuing succession struggle. Raymond and his allies the Ibelin family were the leaders of the opposing faction, who supported the claim of Sibylla's younger half-sister Isabella.

In the crisis of 1187, Gerard used the money sent by Henry II of England and deposited with the Templars in Jerusalem to Jerusalem to hire additional troops for the arrière ban to defend the Kingdom of Jerusalem from Saladin. (Henry had sent the funds for his own future crusading plans, in penance for the murder of Thomas Becket: some of it was deposited with the Templars, some with the Hospitallers, in Jerusalem and Tyre). Gerard and fewer than 100 Templars, together with some Hospitallers, attacked Saladin at the Battle of Cresson; Saladin, however, had over 5000 men. The Hospitaller Grand Master Roger de Moulins was killed; Gerard, though wounded, was one of the few survivors. Gerard's report of the battle was the source for a short narrative written by Pope Urban III to Baldwin of Exeter, archbishop of Canterbury.

In July of the same year Gerard led the Templars at the Battle of Hattin. Saladin had captured Tiberias and Guy was contemplating a march on the city to retake it. Raymond advised him to wait for Saladin to come to them, since they were in a well-defended, well-watered position, and would have to cross a dry open plain to reach Tiberias. Gerard opposed this, and convinced Guy to continue the march. He was supported by Reginald of Chatillon, a fellow enemy of Raymond.

The Crusaders ended up trapped on the dry plain and were defeated on July 4. Raymond and several other nobles escaped, but Gerard, Guy, and Raynald were captured by Saladin. The rest of the Templar prisoners were executed. Gerard remained a prisoner until 1188, during which time his Order was commanded by Brother Thierry (Terricus) from Tyre.

Gerard was given the condition by Saladin that, if he could convince a Templar fortress to surrender peacfully, he would be set free. He succeeded and on his release went to Tortosa, where he ably led the Templars' defence of their castle, which held out after the fall of the town to Saladin's siege forces. Having taken back control of his order from Thierry, he seems to have seized the remainder of Henry II's money which had been left with the Templars in Tyre. This provoked a complaint from the city's defender, Conrad of Montferrat, in letters of 20 September 1188 to Baldwin of Exeter and Frederick Barbarossa: "...graver still, the Master of the Temple has made off with the King of England’s alms".

In 1189, he again joined forces with Guy, taking the Templars to the Siege of Acre. He was either killed in battle or executed after being taken prisoner by Saladin on October 1.

[Jill Elvgren]

Robert de Sablé

Robert de Sablé was Grand Master of the Knights Templar from 1191 to 1193. He was also Lord of Cyprus (1191-1192) and Lord of La Suze and Briollay in Anjou, France prior to joining the order in 1191.

No exact record of his birth date exists, but it is believed he was relatively old at the time of his death. He was born to a respected military family in Anjou and was Lord of La Suze and Briollay, France, by birth right. He died sometime during January 1193. He was succeeded in Anjou by an his daughter Margaret de Sablé, who by marriage passed the entire honor to William des Roches, also a knight of the Third Crusade. Robert did have an elder son, Geoffrey de Cornillé, but it is unclear as to why he did not receive the Sablé barony.

Despite only having a short tenure, de Sable's reign was filled with campaigning, and successful campaigning at that. The collective might of Richard the Lion Heart's strategy, Philip II Augustus's seasoned troops and the elite Templar knights scored many victories. During the 3rd Crusade, they laid siege to the city of Acre, which soon fell. Throughout August 1191, they also recaptured many fortresses and cities along the Palestinian coast, which had been lost previously.

The new coalition's finest hour was the Battle of Arsuf, September 7th 1191. Saladin's Muslim forces appeared to have become far stronger than the Christians, and a decisive victory was desperately needed. Pooling all of the crusader's strength, the Knights Hospitaller joined the ranks, plus many knights from de Sable's native Anjou, Maine, and Brittany. They met Saladin's troops on the dry plains and soon broke his ranks. Those who stayed to fight were killed, and the remaining Islamic troops were forced to retreat.

Acquisition of Cyprus

At the end of 1191, Richard Lion Heart agreed to sell Cyprus to the Templars for 25,000 pieces of silver. Richard had plundered the Island from the Byzantine forces of a rival Emperor in Cyprus some months earlier and had no real use for it. Whereas the Hospitallers would later establish solid bases in Rhodes and Malta, de Sable failed to do the same with Cyprus. He was Lord for 2 years, until he gave (or sold) the island to Guy de Lusignan, King of Jerusalem, as he was without a Kingdom.

De Sable did manage to establish a Chieftain House of the Order in Saint-Jean d’Acre, which remained for almost a century.

Delayed Election

De Sable was lucky to have been Grand Master at all, as at the time of Gérard de Ridefort's death, he was not even a member of the Templar Order. However, the senior knights had become increasingly opposed to Masters fighting on the front line, and the capture and beheading of Grand Master Gerard de Ridefort became the final straw. They delayed elections for over a year so that the rules regarding active service of Grand Masters could be reviewed. During this hiatus, de Sable did join the order, just in time to be considered for election. When he was made Grand Master, he had been a Templar knight for less than a year.