Database: Persecution of the Templars under Philip the Fair

When Philip IV of France, known as Philip the Fair, came to the throne in October 1285, he was determined to reorganize the kingdom's finances. The crown of France was in substantial debt to the Order of the Knights Templar, which had become an order of rich bankers. In order to seize its fortunes and destroy its political importance, Philip the Fair decreed the Order dissolved. He promptly arrested all the Templars in France, and urged other European sovereigns to follow suit. Arrested in Paris, 138 Templars faced the accusations of Guillaume Imbert de Paris, head of the Inquisition in France. Among other blasphemies, the Templars were accused of worshipping an odd idol: Baphomet. Legend has it that, at his execution, Jacques de Molay placed a deadly curse on his accusers: "Pope Clement! Chevalier Guillaume de Nogaret! King Philip! I summon you to the Tribunal of Heaven before the year is out! Curse you! Curse you! Curse you! Curse you all until the thirteenth generation of your progeny!"* -- * I'm totally using that the next time I'm thrown out of the local pub. "Curse you! Curse you all until the thirteen generation of your progeny!" --