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Still on a Templar trail…
I’ve been wondering about the part that Troyes played in the rise (and fall?) of the Templars and the Cistercians and what might have been the “secret plan” that was being carried out by the Counts of Champagne behind the scenes. I’ve put together some very quick and rough notes (included below and mostly cribbed from various Wikipedia articles) but I was wondering if anyone knew of some books which looked specifically at this question. I know that many touch on it (e.g. Lynn Picknett’s) but I haven’t found anything which focusses primarily on Troyes/The Counts of Champagne. Any suggestions much appreciated.
- Simon
The Counts of Champagne ruled the region of Champagne, France from 950 to 1316. Champagne evolved from the county of Troyes in the late eleventh century.
Hughes of Champagne (aka Hughes of Troyes) was the first to officially use the title “Count of Champagne” and held this title from 1093 until 1125.
The third son of Theobald I of Champagne, his older brother Eudes IV of Champagne died in 1092, leaving him master of Troyes, Vitry, and Bar-sur-Aube.
Robert (later “de Molesme”) was a member of the nobility in Champagne, a younger son, who entered the abbey of Moutier-la-Celle, near Troyes. In 1098 Robert and several of his monks left Molesme with the intention of never returning. Renaud, the viscount of Beaune, owned a desolate valley in a deep forest, which he gave to Robert and his companions, and thus they founded the monastery of Citeaux.
Count Hughes visited Jerusalem for a second time in 1108, accompanied with Hughes de Payens (born in Troyes, 1070) who remained there after Count Hughes returned to France.
The fledgling Cistercians were on the point of bisbanding when they were joined by Bernard (later “of Clairvaux”, born in 1090 at Fontaines near Dijon) and 30 of his brothers and friends (date?). Bernard left Cîteaux Abbey to found Clairvaux Abbey in 1115. Clairvaux was situated in a wild valley of a tributary of the Aube, on land given by Count Hughes.
1118 (or earlier?) Knights Templar founded by Hughes de Payens.
In 1125 Count Hughe went of to fight in a crusade, joining the Knights Templar and transferring his titles to his nephew.
1127 (?) Bernard writes his PR piece to Hughes de Payens “In Praise of the New Knighthood”.
1128/(29?) Council of Troyes, Knights Templar officially recognised – due in large part to the support from Bernard of Clairvaux.
“Perceval, the Story of the Grail” (First Grail Romance), written between 1181 and 1190 (and left unfinished) by Chretien de Troyes.
Not my field at all, but I did find out from a book review of the Penguin edition of Chretien’s Arthurian romances that Chretien was a poet at the court of the Count and Countess of Champagne, invented the ‘courtly romance’ and apparently wrote his Arthurian stories at the suggestion of Marie de Champagne, which is interesting in itself.
Michael
Chretien de Troyes
(Notes taken from ‘The Complete Romances of Chretien de Troyes’ introduced by David Staines.)
Guesstimation; born circa 1140 died before 1200. Very little is actually known about his life.
His ‘Knight of the Cart’ shows his connection with the royal court of Champagne. As he begins this romance with extended praise for Countess Marie of Champagne,
Marie Countess of Champagne was the eldest daughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Louis VII of France. She married ‘Henry the Liberal’ Count of Champagne in 1159.
In Chretien’s own words, in the forward of ‘The Knight of the Cart’,
“… Christien is beginning his book of the Knight of the Cart. The Countess presents him with the matter and the meaning, and he undertakes to shape the meaning…”He worked for nobility. Writing what they commissioned or requested he wrote. Same to with ‘Le Conte du Graal’, he didn’t invent it completely, Count Philip of Flanders gave Chretien a ‘history’ and Chretien wrote it into Romance. (Chretien says this himself)
Champagne was a hotbed. David Staines writes,
“…The court of Champagne was the center of literary activity. Among the many writers associated with the court were, aside from Chretien, Andreas Capellanus, the lyric poet Gace Brule, and the romancer Gautier de Arras…”Chretiens ‘Le Conte du Graal’ was dedicated to and commissioned by Philip the Count of Flanders (cousin and close friend of Marie of Champagne)
Philip became Count of Flanders in 1168, left on the 3rd crusade in 1190 and died in the Holy Land in 1191… so ‘Le conte du Graal’ had to of been started before 1191.
Marie’s marriage in 1159 and Phillips death in 1191 are the only ‘fixed marker dates’ to which any biography of Chretien can be speculated… how long he lived before or after these dates, no one knows.
You might like to try Rex Deus: The True Mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau and the Dynasty of Jesus by Tim Wallace Murphy.
[url:2shp3jbn]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rex-Deus-Mystery-Rennes-le-Chateau-Dynasty/dp/1862044724[/url]
While the reviewers make it clear there are no new revelations (and much inevitable speculation) in this book, it seems to be a good summary of the whole Rex Deus shenannegans.
There’s also The Dragon Legacy: The Secret History of an Ancient Bloodline by Nicholas de Vere.
[url:2shp3jbn]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dragon-Legacy-History-Ancient-Bloodline/dp/1585091316/sr=1-1/qid=1157837469/ref=sr_1_1/026-2799519-4090037?ie=UTF8&s=books[/url]
[url:2shp3jbn]http://www.nicholasdevere.com/[/url]
Quite a trip this one, apparently!
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