Templar Timeline

This timeline is a work in progress and involves many references.  Info will be added as it becomes avaiable.

Templar Timeline.


66 Jewish revolt in Jerusalem.

70 Romans take Jerusalem. Possible treasures hidden by Jews.

11-27-1095 Pope Urban II called the First Crusade at Clermont in France.
There was alot of conflict between the factions.
A Fear of Muslin incursions into the west.
Pope called Christians to "Rise Up."
General Passage: allowed criminals to join in exchange for absolution of crimes.


1099 Jerusalem taken by the First Crusade in July.
Muslim, Jews, and Christians in Jerusalem were slaughtered.
Tourism increased, but passage was dangerous.
Most crusaders went home, left Jerusalem without protection.
 

1100 The Hospitaller Order of St. John was founded by Gerard (Geraldus) the Hospitaller. St. John the Almoner was the patron of hospital work. Recognized by Pope Pascal II in 1113. Gerard died in 1120.

1118/19 Hugues de Payens and Godefroi de Saint-Omer formed a religious community to protect pilgrims. These nine knights, making their vows before the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Warmund of Picquigny, accepted the Augustinian Rule under the guidance of the canons of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. As part of their profession, it was agreed “that they should protect the roads and routes to the utmost of their ability  against the ambushes of thieves and attackers, especially in regard to the safety of  pilgrims.” (William, Archbishop of Tyre). Baldwin II, King of Jerusalem, provided quarters in part of his palace (the site of al-Aqsa Mosque) thought to be remains of  Solomon’s Temple. First known as The Poor Knights of Christ; they were later called  The Knights of the Temple (militia templi).
de Payens was a veteran of the first Crusade.
Purpose was to protect travelers to and from the Holy Land.
All nine Knights were older.
Engaged in an Archeology dig beneath the Dome of the Rock.
Possibly looking for Sacred Relics.
  Acquired lodging on the site of the Dome of the Rock/Solomon's Temple.
There is no record concerning "protecting pilgrims."

1120 Fulk V, count of Anjou joined the Order in the Holy Land as a lay associate.

1123 Raymond du Puy, the new Hospitaller master, began the transition of his Order from a charitable/care of pilgrims order into a partially military one. Only after the Third Crusade did it become a primarily military order.

1125 Hugues, Compte de Champaigne, after ceding his lands, joined the Order in the Holy Land.

1126 With a delegation of knights, Hugues de Payens traveled to France to recruit members and to seek support from the Cistercian abbot, Bernard de Clairvaux, in obtaining papal recognition and the creation of a “rule of life.”

1128 Hugues de Payens visited England and Scotland to seek recruits for the Order. By this date the Templars were actively supporting the King of Aragon, Alfonso I, “the Battler.”

1128/29 At the Council of Troyes The Order of the Temple was recognized and a Rule was approved  based on the Benedictine/Cistercian model. Known as The Latin Rule, it consisted of 76 articles. The white mantle of the Cistercians was adopted by the professed knights as symbolic of loyalty and purity of life. Pope Honorius II (1124-30) approved the recognition. Hugues de Payens was chosen as the first Master of the Temple (Magister Militae Templi). Magister Militum was the title for the commander-in-chief in the Western Roman Empire.
  Templars begin recruiting from the wealthy families.
Templars receive grants of land in Europe.
Templar Knights has to be knobe bourne, legitimate descent, already a knight.
They had to surrendor all positions over to the Order.

1130 Raymond-Berengar III, count of Barcelona and Provence, joined the Templars as a lay associate.

1130s Early in the thirties the Templars acquired castles and fortresses in northern Syria, such as Baghras (Gaston), Darbsak (Trapesak), La Roche de Roussel and La Roche Guillaume.

1136 By this date Bernard de Clairvaux wrote De Laude Novae Militae in which he described the Templars as “a new type of order in the Holy Places.” The Order was seen as a fusion of knightly and monastic life. The Order of St. Lazarus was founded with links to the Templars. At the death of Hugues de Payens, Robert de Craon (Burgundy) was chosen as the second Master of the Temple. As “the great administrator”, he recognized the need for papal support and freedom from local church authorities.

1139 Pope Innocent II (1130-43) in his bull, Omne datum optimum, brought the Templars under direct papal authority, providing them with privileges and exemptions that made them an autonomous corporate body, allowing them to secure an economic base for financing military activities in the Holy Land. They were to defend the Church against all enemies of the Cross.
  Templars could cross borders and avoid paying taxes.
Rumors prevail concerning Templars atonomy.

1144 Pope Celestine II (1143-44) issued his bull, Milites Templi, adding more privileges. The Templars could now collect their own funds.

1145 Pope Eugenius III (1145-53) called the Second Crusade. He issued the bull, Militi Dei, allowing the Templars to have their own churches and clergy exempt from episcopal control. Subsequent popes would reissue these bulls, adding further privileges.

1146 Pope Eugenius III permitted the Templars to add the red cross pattée on the left breast of their tunics and the shoulder of their mantles, symbolizing willingness to shed their blood and die for the Faith.

1150 Templars no longer guarded the Roads.
Pilgrims began leaving their wealth with the Templars.
Templars issued coded chips to travelers.
They also gave out loans and could charge interest. (usuary)

1160 Military orders, modelled on the Templars, were founded in the Spanish kingdoms, such as the orders of Alcantara, Calatrava and Santiago. Templars were supporting the rulers of Aragon, Leon and Castile in the Reconquista. Under Gualdim Pais, the first Templar Master in Portugal, the castle of Tomar was built. Templars played an active role in the expansion of the Kingdom of Portugal.

1163 The Retrais et establissements de Temple was added to the Rule, covering the conventual life, defining the hierarchical status, regulating the chapters, election of the Master, determining the penance and punishments for violations of the Rule and Statutes, and admission to the Order. Pope Alexander III (1158-81) recognized the amended Rule. The following motto was inscribed on the Templars black and white standard: Non nobis, Domine, non nobis sed nomini tuo da gloriam. The Order’s seal showed two knights on horseback with the inscription: Sigillum militum Christi. A French translation of the Rule became known as The French Ancient Rule. An Aragonese translation was known as The Catalan Rule. It required the Templars to swear fealty to the rulers of Aragon.

1177 Templars defeat Saladin at the battle of Mon Sigard. 500 Templars with support defeated 27000 soldiers of Salidin on their way to Jerusalem.

1180's Poet's began writing about the Holy Grail in poems.

10-4-87 Saladin defeated the Crusaders at the Battle of Hattin, resulting in the loss of Jerusalem. Over 200 Templars were killed. Pope Gregory VIII called the Third Crusade. The Hospitallers and Templars established themselves on the island of Cyprus. Templars developed a naval force.
  A letter written claims Templars found a piece of the real Cross.

1190 By the nineties the development of a network of Templar preceptories within Europe allowed them to become a major economic power with a reputation for providing reliable, honest and efficient financial services. The temples in London and Paris served as treasuries patronized by the rulers of England and France, as well as by the nobility. The Templars were pioneering international banking.

1191 The Port of Acre captured by the Third Crusade. It became the new Templar headquarters.
 
1198 The Teutonic Knights founded at Acre.

1207 Reports claim Templar's had their own ships.

1228 The Templars supported the conquest of Majorca and Valencia in 1238 by Alfonso II, King of Aragon.

1244 The Templars suffered a serious defeat at the battle of La Forbie.

1250 The battle of Mansurah in Egypt was a disaster for Louis IX of France and the Templars.

1271 The Mamluk sultan of Egypt, Baibars, captured the major fortress of the Hospitallers at Chastel-Blanc, of the Templars at Krak du Chevalier, and of the Teutonic Knights at Montfort (Syria).

1274 At a church council in Lyon, France, a proposal to merge the Hospitallers and the Templars was discussed, revealing doubts about the future of the Christian presence in the Holy Land.

1291 With the fall of Acre to the Mamluks, Cyprus became again the Templar military headquarters. The Templars evacuated the castles of Tortosa and of ‘Atlit, ending their presence in the Holy Land. The Templars lost not only their land base but their raison d’etre.

1292 Jacques de Molay became Master of the Temple.

1300 By now the Templars failed to justify their continued existence as a military order, and had no secondary mission as the Hospitallers did. They appeared to have given their economic interests the higher priority, allowing enemies jealous of their wealth and power to begin accusing them of corruption and blaming them for the loss of the Holy Land.
  Templar numbers increased to 10's of thousands of member.

1305 Both Pierre Dubois and Ramon Lull recommended that the Hospitallers and Templars be fused into one military order.

1306   Clemente V excommunicate Scotish King Robert de Bruce and all Scots, along with Templars.

10-13-07 Already Edward I and Edward II had violated the temple of the Templars in London. Philip IV of France, heavily in debt, saw his opportunity. Rumors circulating of Templar corruption were turned into fact. On 13th October, Philip ordered the arrest of all Templars in France, turning them over to the Inquisition. Under pressure, Pope Clement V (1305-14) agreed to an investigation. His later Bull, Pastoralis Praeeminentiae, issued on November 22, ordered the arrest of all Templars in the Christian West.
  Report of 18 Templar ships in La Rochelle, next day fleet was gone.
Templars possibly fled to Scotland.

1308 Under pressure from the Pope, Edward II ordered the arrest of all Templars in England with their property coming under royal control. What remained of the property was turned over to the Hospitallers in 1323.

1311 Except in France and areas under French dominance the charges against the Templars were not substantiated. The crisis forced the Pope to convoke a council.

1312 The Council of Vienne found that the charges against the Templars lacked merit. On his own authority Pope Clement V issued a bull, Vox in excelso on March 2, dissolving the Templar Order. A second bull, Ad proviendan, turned over Templar property to the Hospitallers, partly to pay pensions for ex-Templars. In Scotland the bull was not promulgated since the King, Robert the Bruce, was under excommunication. It would appear that Templars from France had fled to Scotland, some taking refuge with the Saint-Clairs of Rosslyn. Templar support seemed to have been crucial for the Scottish victory over the English at Bannockburn on June 24, 1314. The King fused the Templars with the Hospitallers into the Order of the Temple and of St. John. This Order was  suppressed by the Scottish Reformation Parliament in the 16th century.

1314 Templars join Robert de Bruce in fight for independance in the Battle of Bonichburn.

3-18-14 Evening time, Jacques de Molay and Geoffrey de Charnay, the Preceptor of Normandy, were burned to death on an island in the Seine. Both had recanted their previous confessions, which had been obtained under torture. Before he succumbed to the flames, Molay is alleged to have sworn a curse on both Philip and the Pope. Within a year, both were dead.

1317 Pope John XXII (1316-34) approved the request of King James II of Aragon to form a new military order, that of Montesa. Templar property in Aragon along with Hospitaller property in Valencia were turned over to this new Order. Since there were few Templars remaining, knights from the Order of Calatrava were asked to join Montesa. The first Master was a Calatrava knight.

1319 In Portugal Pope John XXII approved the request of King Deniz to organize Templar property and remaining members into a new military order: The Order of Christ. Unlike the Spanish military orders that became increasingly chivalric and under direct royal control after 1500, the Order of Christ continued its military role by supporting Portuguese expansion into Africa and Asia. Its most famous Grand Master was King Henry the Navigator.

1546 Mary of Geese (mother of Mary, Quenn of Scots) wrote letter to William Sinclair about "great secret" within Rosalind Castle built by the Sinclairs.

1571 Templar archives in Cyprus, now in the possession of the Hospitallers, appeared to have been destroyed by the Ottoman Turks.

1606 The Order of Lazarus was restored in France by King Henry IV (1589-1610) as the Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and of St. Lazarus; while in Italy the Pope made the Duke of Savoy the hereditary Grand Master of a restored Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus.

1715 Upon becoming Regent of France, Philip, the Duke of Orleans, involved himself in the military orders within France. His legitimate son became the Grand Master of the Order of Mount Carmel and Lazarus, while an illegitimate son became a Knight Hospitaller and Grand Prior of that Order in France. In 1314 the former Templar Temple in Paris had become the Hospitallers’ headquarters. The “restorers” of the Order of the Temple in 1804 will claim that the Templars had survived after 1314 with a line of secret Grand Masters leading to the Duke of Orleans, who seemingly ended the Templars hidden existence by holding a Convent General at Versailles that recognized the Duke as Grand Master and issued the Statutes of 1705.

1717 In London English Freemasonry began its institutional history with the combination of four small lodges into the Grand Lodge. Already a Scottish Rite Freemasonry had developed as more of a political force for the restoration of the Stuarts. Medieval Templar traditions had become part of various noble clans. By the 18th century such Templar traditions now infused with legend and myth became part of Scottish Freemasonry.

1730 Scottish Masonry began to spread to France as part of an exiled Jacobite political force. The Grand Masters of the early French lodges were Jacobite Scottish nobles. Members of the French aristocracy were attracted to this Freemasonry due to its nature as pro-Catholic/Stuart and anti-Hanoverian.

1736 Andrew Michael Ramsay, a Scottish Freemason and convert to Catholicism, who had been received as a knight (Chevalier) into the Order of Mount Carmel and Lazarus under the Duke of Orleans, delivered an Oration to the Masonic Lodge in Paris, claiming that Masonry had begun in the Holy Land among the crusades. Masonic lodges began to adopt rituals and symbols associated with the medieval military orders.

1742 A German noble, the Baron Karl Gotthelf von Hund, was received into the Scottish Masonic Rite while in Paris.

1745 After the failure of the rebellion led by the “Young Pretender” Bonnie Prince Charlie, Jacobite Freemasonry gradually died out in France. Adopting the more moderate approach of the Grand Lodge of England, French Freemasonry became more Deistic, advocating the ideals of the Enlightenment. This contributed to the papal condemnation of Freemasonry.

1750 Upon his return to Germany Karl von Hund claimed a “new” form of Freemasonry directly descendant from the Templars, who had continued the Order in Scotland after its suppression. Known as the Strict Observance, it brought much of the occult, the magical and the mystical into continental Freemasonry. To support his claims, he provided a list of alleged “secret Grand Masters”, beginning with Aumont and Wildgaf de Salm, who allegedly fled to the island of Mull in 1312, where they preserved “the secret beliefs” of the Templars.

1789 At the beginning of the French Revolution the National Assembly abolished “medieval” associations, including the military Order of Mount Carmel and Lazarus. In 1791 the more radical National Convention abolished the Hospitaller Grand Priory, confiscating the former Templar Temple in Paris, turning it into a prison. The most famous inmates would be the King of France, Louis XVI, and his family.

1804 A “restored” Ordre du Temple evolved out a Masonic lodge in Paris, that of the Chevaliers de la Croix, associated with the Grand Orient. Three members, Ledru, a medical doctor; de Courchamp, a notary; and de Saintot, appeared to have founded the Ordre du Temple. A noble, Claude-Mathieu, Radix de Chevillon (un homme de paille) provided a connection with the alleged last secret Grand Master, the Count of Cossé-Brissac, and a source for the Larmenius, Charter of Transmission, that purportedly proved the survival of the Templars after 1314. Chevillon also ennobled the three  founders and made them “Princes of the Order.” The Charter was written in ciphers, with Latin versions appearing only after 1804.
The Statutes of 1705 were also discovered with spurious relics. Bernard-Raymond Fabré-Palaprat, a chiropodist and “a leading Masonic figure,” was included among the founders. When Chevillon refused to serve as Grand Master, Fabré-Palaprat accepted the office. He was the last to sign the Charter of Transmission using the ciphers. This “restoration” had the approval of the newly proclaimed Emperor of France, Napoleon Bonaparte. Distrustful of the anti-monarchical principles of Freemasonry, perhaps he saw this Order of the Temple as an alternative that would appeal to his newly created nobility and to his supporters. Noble members of the Masonic Lodge of St. Caroline were recruited.

1806 The Templar Order had developed its structure and organized itself as a chivalric, hospitable, tolerant, traditional and universal institution.

1808 The success of recruitment resulted in the establishment of Priories and Commanderies within the Grand Empire. Candidates that did not possess proof of nobility were ennobled. To further separate itself from its Masonic origins, the Order “professed the Catholic Apostolic and Roman religion.” Membership was refused to Protestants. The Order revealed its public existence at a grand ceremony at the Church of St. Paul, honoring Jacques de Molay and other martyrs of the Templars.

1812 By now Fabré-Palaprat with a certain Mauviel, the former Constitutional Bishop of Cayes in Haiti, had formed the Johannite Church of the Primitive Christians. It was based on an unorthodox version of the Gospel of St. John and the Levitikon, another document “discovered” by Fabré-Palaprat, who was then consecrated a bishop by Mauviel. Fabré-Palaprat now added the title of Sovereign Pontiff & Patriarch to that of Grand Master. This caused dissension within the Order. Fabré-Palaprat resigned as Grand Master on November 21 and conferred the Mastership on de Courchant. Regretting his resignation, Fabré-Palaprat politically maneuvered are turn as Grand Master by December 19. This resulted in the first schism, with the dissidents choosing Charles-Louis Le Peletier, count of Aunay, as Grand Master.

1814 In England, Admiral Sir William Sidney-Smith, who had fought in the naval war against Napoleon; the Duke of Sussex, son of George III; and Charles Tennyson d’Eyncourt, uncle of the poet, formed an Order of the Temple. Fabré-Palaprat recognized Sir William Sidney-Smith as the Grand Prior of England. In France the restored Bourbon King, Louis XVIII gave the Templars his royal protection, fearing various groups opposed to the monarchy. This encouraged a reunion of the Order with the resignation of the Count of Aunay “for the good and peace of the order.” Sir William Sidney-Smith played an important role in this reconciliation.

1820 Sir Walter Scott wrote Ivanhoe. Along with The Talisman, this work contributed towards “disfiguring” the medieval Templars, portraying them as greedy, lecherous, tainted with heresy and subverting the crusades for their ends. His works influenced both the American and English view of the Templars.

1821 Fabré-Palaprat appointed the count of Chabrillan as Prior for the Grand Priory of Switzerland, founded in 1809.

1825 The Grand Priory of Belgium was founded July 18 in Paris by the Marquis Albert-Francoise du Chasteleer, a close friend of Fabré-Palaprat.

1830 French Templars supported the revolt against Charles X, who threatened the return of absolute monarchy. Templars also supported the Belgian revolt against Dutch control, resulting in the independence of Belgium in 1831.

1833 Fabré-Palaprat had begun to impose his Johannite beliefs on the Templars, demanding they accept his “new faith.” He was accused to revising the Statutes of 1705, giving himself absolute authority. The result was another schism. Various Grand Priories chose autonomy.

1837 In poor health Fabré-Palaprat retired to the south of France. Dissident Templars, seized the opportunity and established an Executive Commission, which convoked a Convent General.

1838 The death of Fabré-Palaprat in February opened the way for reform and the possible reunion of the two Templar factions. The Convent General formed a new Executive Commission. Since the Statues of 1705 had been “corrupted” under Fabré-Palaprat, the Convent General approved a new document, removing the Johannite influence and “renewed the knightly traditions and obedience to the Catholic Church.” The attempt to reunify the more orthodox and palaprien factions failed. When Sir William Sidney-Smith was chosen as Grand Master, the palaprien Templars refused to recognize him.

1841 At a major international meeting in Paris, the General Assembly of the Order of the Temple adopted a Declaration of Principles which committed the Order to inter-denominational Christian membership and active charity.

1845 Upon the death of Sir William Sidney-Smith it would appear that the Prince de Chimay assumed leadership of the orthodox Templars. In 1845 he went to Rome to request papal recognition. Pope Gregory XVI (1831-46) insisted that all Templars had to be Catholic. Talks continued until the Revolutions of 1848. The palaprien Templars chose a series of Regents from Fabré-Palaprat’s Lieutenant-Generals. Under Jean-Marie Raoul these Templars became inactive due to declining membership. Reacting to the confusion in France, a Magisterial Legation was formed in Brussels.

1853 By decree, Emperor Napoleon III recognized the Order of the Temple (palaprien) as a sovereign power with the right to wear its insignias and decorations within France.

1865 The Belgian Grand Priory split, with the Catholics forming the Priory of St. John d’Hiver and the palaprien Templars creating the Priory of the Trinity of the Tower, adopting the Strict Observant Freemasonry of Karl von Hund.

1866 A.G.M Vernois became the last Regent of the palaprien faction. In 1871 he deposited the records of the Order into the National Archives of France.

1867 Excavations begin at Temple Mount.  The site had alreadfy been excavated, Templar artifacts found.

1868 Prosper Beechman of the Trinity of the Tower tried to restore an International Order despite serious divisions between the English, French and German Grand Priories. At a Chapter General he was recognized as the Guardian of the Grand Magisterium of the Order. The War of 1870 caused a rupture between the French and German Grand Priories.

1894 An International Secretariat of the Templars was formed in Brussels to exercise Magisterial authority.

1930 The Prior of the Trinity of the Tower, Emile Briffaut, proposed its abolition. Documents associated with the palaprien Templars were deposited in the Belgian archives.

1932 Nine former Templars of the Trinity of the Tower formed the Grand Priory of Belgium. At the first chapter it was decided to name the order: The Sovereign and Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem. A Grand Prior was chosen.

1933 The Belgian Grand Priory restored an international association of Templar Grand Priories. A Magisterial Council was formed with Theodore Covias as Regent.

1934 Emile-Isaac Vandenberg became Regent and Guardian of the Order. He devoted his energy and talent to revitalizing Templar Priories across Europe, including those of Italy and of Switzerland. 1942 Fearing the suppression of the Templars during the German occupation of Belgium in the Second World War, Vandenberg transferred the archives of the Order to the care of the Portuguese Grand Prior, Antonio Campello de Sousa Fontes. Vandenberg retained the Title and Office of Regent.

1945 At the war’s end, Vandenberg requested the return of the archives, but Antonio Campello de Sousa Fontes ignored the requests. When Vandenberg died suddenly, de Sousa Fontes assumed the title of Regent. While some Priories accepted his authority, others did not.

1947 Revised Statutes were issued by de Sousa Fontes. There is no record of them being approved by a Convent General.

1948 In an attempt to retain the Regency in his family without record of authority from a Convent General, de Sousa Fontes designated his son, Fernando Campello de Sousa Fontes, by a “Proces Verbal” as his successor.

1952 Dead Sea Scrolls uncovered.  The Copper Scroll details gold and other treasures hidden by Jews before Jerusalem was conqered by Rome.

1959 Some Templars separated from de Sousa Fontes’ authority.

1960 Fernando Campello de Sousa Fontes assumed the regency upon the death of his father, eventually styling himself Prince Regent. In the early 1960s, Anton Leuprecht, the Grand Prior of Switzerland and Mondial Chieftain of All Autonomous Grand Priories, invited Americans to join his Swiss Grand Priory.

1962 At the request of Anton Leuprecht, William Y. Pryor, with other American Knights Templar, initiated action to form an Autonomous American Grand Priory. In June corporate documents were filed in Newark, New Jersey. On June 29 the American Grand Priory was recognized under the laws of New Jersey as a corporate body. The self-styled Prince Regent, de Sousa Fontes, recognized the American Grand Priory under its first Grand Prior, Crolian William Edelen.

1964 His Majesty, Peter II, King of Yugoslavia living in exile, became the Royal Patron of the American Grand Priory.

1970 In 1969, de Sousa Fontes issued a Magistral Edict convoking a Convent General that would meet in three sessions. The first session met in Paris in September, 1970. During this meeting, it appears a schism took place. Grand Priors who had not accepted the de Sousa Fontes obedience formed a separate association, known as the Ordo Internationalis Militiae Templi. General Antoine Zdrojewski, the Prior General of Europe, was chosen as the Grand Master of this new alliance. De Sousa Fontes declared the session invalid.

1972 At the second session in Chicago, Illinois, various resolutions were approved. Resolution III stated that the Order was to be “universal and not limited to any one nationality or language,” though Latin was recognized as “the official language.” Resolution VI authorized a search for a member of a hereditary house to become Grand Master. The houses of Hohenzollern, Oldenburg, and Windsor were considered.

1973 At the third session, held in Tomar, Portugal, a Resolution was adopted that the Order “shall be a Christian Order. The word “Catholic” in the Statutes shall be replaced with "Christian.” The American Grand Prior, Gordon Malvern Fair Stick, was elected Lieutenant of the Order, and several other American Templars were elected to the Grand Magistral Council. General Zdrojewski reformed the statutes of the OIMT Confederation. Each member Grand Priory was recognized as autonomous.

1975 Upon becoming King of Spain, Juan Carlos authorized the restoration of the four Spanish orders: Alcantara, Calatrava, Montesa and Santiago, as Catholic, Chivalric and Royal. The Holy See granted the Crown the Grand Mastership and Perpetual Administration of these Spanish orders under their individual Priors.

1981 The Grand Priory of Scandinavia was formed, uniting the Priories of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

1982 An Autonomous Grand Priory of Scotland was recognized by Anton Leupreucht.

1987 The International Federative Alliance (IFA) was organized at the castle of Siguenza with the participation of the Grand Priories of England, France, Scandinavia, Scotland and Spain. The purpose was to “group all the autonomous Priories in the world to achieve unity, and under the Primitive Rule to proceed to the election of a universal Grand Master and Magisterial Council.”

1990 De Fontes issued revised non-democratic Statutes of which he presented a new Article 11 which would allow him to become Grand Master, if a Grand Master could not be elected with 903 days. The “Prince Regent” could also designate his successor. Being contrary to the democratic edicts of the Order, most Templars reject these proposals as an autocratic attempt to make himself Grand Master for life; a proposal that was totally contrary to the historic and established rules of the Order. These revised Statutes were to be presented before a future Convent General.

1992 Maximos V Hakin, Patriarch of the Melkite Catholic Church, became the Religious Protector of the Grand Priories of Austria, England, German and NATO. King Carl Gustaf XI recognized the Templar Grand Priory of Sweden; King Harold recognized the Templar Grand Priory of Norway; and the President of Finland gave recognition to the Finnish Grand Priory.

1993 De Fontes, presented his revised Statutes to a Convent General in Santiago, Spain (Toja). They were neither considered, nor approved.

1995 In June at an International Conclave of Templars in London it was decided to hold a Grand Convent in Salzburg, Austria. De Fontes refused to authorize the meeting. At Salzburg I, recognition was withdrawn from de Fontes as head of the OSMTH. A Grand Council of Grand Priors was formed to administer the Order. The Statutes were to be revised and updated. Candidates for Grand Master were to be identified.

1996 In March the Grand Council of the OSMTH met in Paris. In order to promote unity among the Templars, a proposal was made to de Fontes, offering him the title Prince Regent Emeritus as an honorary position in the Order. The offer was rejected.
Salzburg II: In November a Grand Convent met to consider revised statues, candidates for Grand Master and recommendations for cooperation and eventual association with Priories that had not accepted or rejected the de Sousa Fontes obedience. When Dr. Werner Rind, the Secretary General, tried to impose his will upon the Grand Priors regarding the nature of the Order and insisted upon his candidate for Grand Master, the meeting ended.
The Grand Priors, in order to preserve unity formed the International Grand Council with Sir Roy Redgrave, as Grand Commander. The Templar Order of Merit was created to recognize and honour both members and non-members who have performed significant service to humanity.

1997 Princess Elisabeth of Ysenburg und Büdingen, Princess of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein, Stormam, Ditmars and Oldenburg, became the Royal Protector of The Grand Priory of the United States. The International Grand Council met in Alexandria, Virginia.

1998 The Grand Magistral of the OSMTH met in Turku, Finland, July 3-4. Sir Roy Redgrave was elected as the interim Grand Master for a term of 18 months. RADM James J. Carey was elected as the Grand Commander for a term of three years.

1999 For the SMOTJ to be recognized by the United Nations as a non-governing organization, the Order was registered as an international agency in Switzerland to give the Order greater influence over international charitable and humanitarian endeavours. The search for international unity continues, while promoting the basic tenets of the Order: Christianity, chivalry, and charity.