Geoffroi de Charney - History, Motivation, Inquisition and Imprisonment

History, Motivation, Inquisition and Imprisonment

The Order of the Templars was originally created to protect the Pilgrims on the road to Jersaleum. The Templars' mission was then expanded to fight in the Crusades.

The persecution of the Templars began in France as a plan by King Philip IV, with the complicity of Pope Clement V. On October 13, 1307, the King ordered a dramatic arrest of all Templars in France. The Pope, Clement V, in November 22, 1307, under pressure from the King, also issued a papal decree, called Pastoralis praceminentiae, ordering all monarchs of the Christian faith to arrest all Templars and confiscate their lands in the name of the Pope and the Church. Though the order went out to England, Iberia, Germany, Italy and Cyprus, the leader, Templar Grand Master Jacques de Molay, Geoffrey de Charney and many other Templars were in France, and, under the orders of the French king, were arrested and severely tortured until they confessed to the series of horrible crimes of which they were accused.

In 1307, the Pope sent two Cardinals to interview Jacques de Molay and Hugues de Pairaud, a Templar who is referred to as "the visitor of France", at which time they recanted their confessions and told the other Templars to do the same. Two other Templars, Pierre de Bologna and Renaud de Provins also tried to convince other Templars to recant their confessions and by early May 1310, close to six hundred did so. After that Pierre de Bologna was never seen again and Renaud de Provins was sentenced to life imprisonment.