Knights Templar, the Famous Crusading Order

Knights Templar, the Famous Crusading Order The Knights Templar were also known as Templars, Templar Knights, Poor Knights of Solomons Temple, Poor Knights of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon,  and Knights of the Temple. Their motto was Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy Name be the Glory, from Psalm 115. The Origin of the Templars The route traveled by pilgrims from Europe to the Holy Land was in need of policing. In 1118 or 1119, not long after the success of the First Crusade, Hugh de Payns and eight other knights offered their services to the patriarch of Jerusalem for just this purpose. They took vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, followed the Augustinian rule, and patrolled the pilgrim route to aid and defend pious travelers. King Baldwin II of Jerusalem gave the knights quarters in a wing of the royal palace that had been part of the Jewish Temple; from this they got the names Templar and Knights of the Temple. The Official Establishment of the Knights Templar For the first decade of their existence, the Knights Templar were few in number. Not many fighting men were willing to take the Templar vows. Then, thanks largely to the efforts of Cistercian monk Bernard of Clairvaux, the fledgling order was given papal recognition at the Council of Troyes in 1128. They also received a specific rule for their order (one clearly influenced by the Cistercians). Templar Expansion Bernard of Clairvaux wrote an extensive treatise, In Praise of the New Knighthood, that raised awareness of the order, and the Templars grew in popularity. In 1139 Pope Innocent II placed the Templars directly under papal authority, and they were no longer subject to any bishop in whose diocese they might hold property. As a result they were able to establish themselves in numerous locations. At the height of their power they had about 20,000 members, and they garrisoned every town of any considerable size in the Holy Land. Templar Organization The Templars were led by a Grand Master; his deputy was the Seneschal. Next came the Marshal, who was responsible for individual commanders, horses, arms, equipment, and ordering supplies. He usually carried the standard, or specifically directed a specially-appointed standard-bearer. The Commander of the Kingdom of Jerusalem was the treasurer and shared a certain authority with the Grand Master, balancing his power; other cities also had Commanders with specific regional responsibilities. The Draper issued clothes and bed linen and monitored the brothers appearance to keep them living simply. Other ranks formed to supplement the above, depending on the region. The bulk of the fighting force was made up of knights and sergeants. Knights were the most prestigious; they wore the white mantle and red cross, carried knightly weapons, rode horses and had the services of a squire. They usually came from the nobility. Sergeants filled other roles as well as engaging in battle, such as blacksmith or mason. There were also squires, who were originally hired out but later allowed to join the order; they performed the essential job of caring for the horses. Money and the Templars Though individual members took vows of poverty, and their personal possessions were limited to the essentials, the order itself received donations of money, land and other valuables from the pious and the grateful. The Templar organization grew very wealthy. In addition, the military strength of the Templars made it possible to collect, store, and transport bullion to and from Europe and the Holy Land with a measure of safety. Kings, noblemen, and pilgrims used the organization as a kind of bank. The concepts of safe deposit and travelers checks originated in these activities. The Downfall of the Templars In 1291, Acre, the last remaining Crusader stronghold in the Holy Land, fell to the Muslims, and the Templars no longer had a purpose there. Then, in 1304, rumors of irreligious practices and blasphemies committed during secret Templar initiation rites began to circulate. Very likely false, they nevertheless gave King Philip IV of France grounds to arrest every Templar in France on Oct. 13, 1307. He had many tortured to make them confess to charges of heresy and immorality. It is generally believed that Philip did this simply to take their vast wealth, though he may also have feared their growing power. Philip had previously been instrumental in getting a Frenchman elected pope, but it still took some maneuvering to convince Clement V to order all Templars in all countries arrested. Eventually, in 1312, Clement suppressed the order; numerous Templars were executed or imprisoned, and the Templar property that wasnt confiscated was transferred to the Hospitallers. In 1314 Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Templar Knights, was burned at the stake.

List of Naturally Occurring Elements

List of Naturally Occurring Elements Some elements have been made by man, but do not exist naturally. Have you ever wondered how many elements are found in nature? Of the 118 elements that have been discovered, there are 90 elements that occur in nature in appreciable amounts. Depending who you ask, there are another 4 or 8 elements that occur in nature as a result of radioactive decay of heavier elements. So, the grand total of natural elements is 94 or 98. As new decay schemes are discovered, its likely the number of natural elements will grow. However, these elements will likely be present in trace amounts. There are 80 elements that have at least one stable isotope. The other 38 elements exist only as radioactive isotopes. Several of the radioisotopes instantly decay into a different element. It used to be believed that of the first 92 elements on the periodic table  (1 is hydrogen and 92 is uranium) that 90 elements occur naturally. Technetium (atomic number 43) and promethium (atomic number 61) were synthesized by man before they were identified in nature. List of the Natural Elements Assuming 98 elements can be found, however briefly, in nature, there are 10 found in extremely minute amounts:  technetium, atomic number 43; promethium, number 61; astatine, number 85; francium, number 87; neptunium, number 93; plutonium, number 94; americium, number 95; curium, number 96; berkelium, number 97; and californium, number 98. Here is an alphabetical list of the natural elements: Element Name Symbol Actinium Ac Aluminum Al Antimony Sb Argon Ar Arsenic As Astatine At Barium Ba Beryllium Be Bismuth Bi Boron B Bromine Br Cadmium Cd Calcium Ca Carbon C Cerium Ce Cesium Cs Chlorine Cl Chromium Cr Cobalt Co Copper Cu Dysprosium Dy Erbium Er Europium Eu Fluorine F Francium Fr Gadolinium Gd Gallium Ga Germanium Ge Gold Au Hafnium Hf Helium He Hydrogen H Indium In Iodine I Iridium Ir Iron Fe Krypton Kr Lanthanum La Lead Pb Lithium Li Lutetium Lu Magnesium Mg Manganese Mn Mercury Hg Molybdenum Mo Neodymium Nd Neon Ne Nickel Ni Niobium Nb Nitrogen N Osmium Os Oxygen O Palladium Pd Phosphorus P Platinum Pt Polonium Po Potassium K Promethium Pm Protactinium Pa Radium Ra Radon Rn Rhenium Re Rhodium Rh Rubidium Rb Ruthenium Ru Samarium Sm Scandium Sc Selenium Se Silicon Si Silver Ag Sodium Na Strontium Sr Sulfur S Tantalum Ta Tellurium Te Terbium Tb Thorium Th Thallium Tl Tin Sn Titanium Ti Tungsten W Uranium U Vanadium V Xenon Xe Ytterbium Yb Yttrium Y Zinc Zn Zirconium Zr The elements are detected in stars, nebulas, and supernovae from their spectra. While pretty much the same elements are found on Earth compared to the rest of the universe, the ratios of the elements and their isotopes are different.