Tags
Catholic, Crusades, death, Friday the 13th, Inquisition, Knights Templar, legend, lore, origins, religion, superstition, Templar, torture
When you hear “Friday the 13th”, what comes to mind? Bad luck? Superstition? Black cats? A gruesome movie franchise involving a serial killer in a hockey mask and fake blood by the bucket-full? Or maybe the season premiere of Syfy’s spooky mystery show, Haven? (Yah!)
I know. Most, if not all, of the above, right? But do you know where the idea that Friday the 13th is unlucky originates? I’m betting probably not.
All of superstition is rooted in some sort of fact. And the dreaded, much-feared Friday the 13th is no different.
On this day, September 14, in 1307, King Philip IV “The Fair” of France (1268 – 1314) issued a sealed mandate to his police officers throughout France, asking that discrete preparations be made for the arrest of every French Templar at dawn on October 13, 1307.
On Friday the 13th, Templar Grand Master, Jacques de Molay and every Templar in France were thrown in jail. Of nearly 5,000 French Templars, fewer than 20 escaped.
Jacques de Molay
Founded in 1119, the Knights Templar (or Poor Knights of the Temple of Solomon, or Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Jesus Christ) were a religious military order of knighthood and began at the time of the Crusades.
Crusader
Jerusalem, still known today as the Holy City, was a place of pilgrimage for Christians at the time. But these peasants were often endangered by marauding Muslim bands. After a group of 700 pilgrims had been attacked on the eve of Easter in 1119, a number of knights led by Hugues de Payens – the first leader of the Templars — formed an order to protect the people who wished to travel to and from the Holy Land.
Hugues de Payens
Over the years, they were able to expand and diversify. At their height, the Templars numbered about 20,000 knights.
In time, they came to acquire considerable wealth; they owned much property thanks to the generosity of kings and nobles. The Templars’ military strength enabled them to safely collect, store and transport bullion to and from Europe and the Holy Land. The Templars were eventually used as bankers by both kings and pilgrims alike.
But being in a position of such great financial power didn’t come without consequence.
The Templars had enemies, and by 1304, false rumours began circulating throughout Europe. Enter King Philip IV. The allegations against the Templars included heresy, sodomy, unspeakable crimes against God, Christ, the Church and Europe, as well as witchcraft, treason, sexual perversion, and many other such heinous offences. King Philip, using his influence over Pope Clement V, issued a warrant for the arrest of the Templars, to be carried out on Friday, October 13, 1307.
Philip was a war-monger and his exploits left he and his kingdom in near financial ruin. His attack on the Templars brought him substantial financial gain. By his own admission, he believed himself to be called by God to act as judge of the morals and welfare of his subjects. He believed that he and his kingdom were guarded by God and were chosen as special defenders of the Catholic faith. He was proud, and being inspired by his great sense of mission, he was receptive to accusations of sin and heresy brought against others. And he was ruthless in the persecution of those charged with such failings.
The story of the Templars is not unlike that of the Salem Massachusetts Witch Trials of 1692. Some Templars admitted to the charges. Clement himself heard damning confessions from the mouths of representatives of the Order, but only after many, if not all, of the men were tortured.
Interrogation of Jacques de Molay
This was during the time of the Inquisition, where torture was the legal and accepted method of conducting interrogations. Creative torture techniques were plentiful.
Perhaps the most well-known device of torture was the rack. Bound by the ankles and wrists, the victims were stretched until their arms and legs were dislocated from their sockets. They were often subjected to further torture while so painfully confined: being burned or having their finger/toe nails ripped out.
The Strappado
Another popular method of torture was the strappado. After binding the hands behind the back with one end of a rope and throwing the other end over a ceiling beam, the victim would be hoisted up and then dropped—then yanked to a halt inches from the floor, cracking and dislocating arms, shoulders, wrists and ribs. Then of course you had the usual beatings, starvation, irons and chains, deplorable conditions — run-of-the-mill stuff.
Many of the Templars died in prison, and some desperately took their own lives. And some, including Jacques de Molay, were burned at the stake. But after the torture-induced confessions, many Templars retracted their earlier admissions, insisting that the Order was innocent and that the confessions had been made because of the torture and not due to guilt. Molay and Preceptor of Normandy Geoffroi de Charney were among these. On March 18, 1314, they loudly proclaimed their innocence and orthodoxy as they were burned to death on Ile de Javiaux, a small island in the Seine, drawing much reverence from the crowd of onlookers who collected their ashes as holy relics. The four ranking Templar leaders were tried that day. Two died, and the other two spent the rest of their lives in prison. The Knights Templar were no more.
14th century depiction of the burning of Jacques de Molay and Geoffroi de Charney
That fateful Friday morning on the 13th of October, 1307, is still remembered today as the unluckiest of days. It struck such a cord that it birthed a superstition. The beginning of the end of the dutiful and brave Knights Templar is the reason Friday the 13th is considered unlucky.
706 years ago today, the wheels were set in motion by a greedy and ungodly king, who let his lust for money destroy the lives of these men of God. But perhaps the Templars saw justice after all.
A number of legends were quickly birthed regarding these men who were still highly regarded throughout Europe.
The most poignant of these stories is perhaps the curse thought to have been uttered by Jacques de Molay. As he was engulfed in flames, it is said he demanded that if the Order was innocent, that the pope be summoned before God’s court within forty days, and the king within the year, to answer for their vicious crimes. In thirty-three days, Pope Clement was dead. Eight months later, King Philip died also. Philip’s throne was succeeded by three of his sons. All were dead within fourteen years of Philip’s death, and with them ended the 300-year reign of a prominent royal family.
Legend? Fact? Or maybe God’s poetic sense of justice for His people …
“As He then drove out with His mighty hands the principalities of darkness, so now does He attack their disciples, the sons of disobedience, banishing them by the hands of His protectors.”
Seeker of Truth 
What an absorbing and interesting post, my friend! When you told me you were writing a post about Friday the 13th, I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. Horror? History? (Both, as it turns out.) I only knew that, judging from your track record, it would surely be excellent. And when you gave me a preview, I was delighted to see that it was even better than I expected. Very, very well done.
I’ve always been a history buff. It drives me crazy when I hear someone say it’s boring. In reality, it’s anything but. Fact truly is stranger than fiction, as you’ve illustrated so beautifully with this fascinating post. If you were my history teacher, I’d never cut a class!
In fact, I’m hoping you’ll do more posts like this. There are so many superstitions that people are aware of, but whose origins are shrouded in mystery. Solving them sounds like the perfect job for everyone’s favorite Seeker of Truth. It could even become a regular feature, one that I’m certain would prove very popular.
The Templars were indeed very unlucky. But your readers certainly aren’t. :)
Well, thank you kindly! I’m glad you enjoyed it so much, and that you have such confidence in my writing ability. I aim to please and impress. And it sounds like I hit the mark with this one. :)
Yes, history is anything but boring! There’s so much to learn from it. And it’s filled with interesting places and people. This is a post that I’ve been dying to write for quite some time. Templars and the Crusades have always been a favourite subject. I’m always surprised when I ask people if they know where the Friday the 13th superstition came from and they have no idea. As a Seeker of Truth, I always like to learn why and how things came to be. So it was a no brainer for me to write this post.
It was very spur of the moment and I know that you were pleasantly surprised when I told you about it, but thanks a million for your irreplaceable editing eye. I’m only confident about publishing a post after you’ve read it.
And I hope to do more posts like this too! I have a few ideas brewing which I’m certain I’ll be telling you about soon. ;)
Very interesting, Wendy! I had no idea the Templars had anything to do with it. I’d been told Friday the 13th was unlucky because of old Christian superstitions having to do with Friday (day of crucifixion) and 13 (13 people at the Last Supper, including the traitor) conflating. This makes a lot more sense since it, y’know, actually involves a Friday the 13th!
I also have to say, I like how you end the post in a kind of Serlingesque theological key. I can hear the Marius Constant music now….!
Interesting stuff. Thanks for it!
Thank you, Mike! I’m glad you enjoyed it and that you learned something!
And what a compliment about the ending! “Serlingesque”. I like that. And to be perfectly honest, that’s exactly what I was shooting for. :)
Ah, yes! The Templars – I actually DID know about the origin of Friday the 13th (history major), as I read quite a bit about the Templars around the time “The Da Vinci Code” was popular, but your post did serve to remind me! You know a superstition that’s always intrigued me – why are black cats considered unlucky in America but lucky in the U.K.?? Believe it or not, I’ve never Googled it!
Excellent! I’m thrilled that someone was already familiar with this! And yes, I agree, the conflicting black cat superstitions are interesting. I may have to look into that!
Reblogged this on Anglo-Orthodox Church and Fellowship.
Thanks for reblogging!
Pingback: Reflections from Sleepy Hollow, 1.6: “The Sin Eater”
Thank. You very much for the very substantial information around the 12th to 17th century Freemasonry history especially about the Chinon Parchment absolving J De Molay and the Knights of Templar.