2153) The "Knights Templar", Niue Island: "Assassins Coin Series": The second $5 (Five Dollars), 2.00 Oz Silver Coin features the legendary, historical group which was founded in 1188 AD as a Catholic Military Order: Coin minted by Gdansk Mint, Poland: Year of Coin issue: 01/2022 (with year of issue inscribed as 2021):
This Coin Series titled "Assassins" is dedicated to legendary, historical groups that were specialised in killing. They were famous for their precision and effectiveness.
So far, the series has published: Assassins (2019), Knights Templar (2021).
About the "Knights Templar":
The "Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon" (or "Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Salomonici" in Latin), also known as the "Order of Solomon's Temple", the "Knights Templar", or the "Templars", was a Catholic military order founded in 1118 AD, which was headquartered on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem through 1128 AD, when they went to meet with Pope Honorius II.
They were recognized in 1139 AD by the papal bull "Omne datum optimum of Pope Innocent II". The order was active until 1312 AD, when it was perpetually suppressed by Pope Clement V by the bull "Vox in excelso".
The Templars became a favoured charity throughout Christendom, and grew rapidly in membership and power.
Their role was the Protection of Christian pilgrims on their way to the Holy Lands of Christendom. In the nature of "shock troops", they grew to a membership of 15,000–20,000 individuals at their peak, 10% of whom were knights.
Templar knights, in their distinctive white mantles with a red cross, were amongst the most skilled fighting units of the Crusades.
They were prominent in Christian finance, non-combatant members of the order, who made up as much as 90% of their members, managed a large economic infrastructure throughout Christendom.
They developed innovative financial techniques that were an early form of banking, building its own network of nearly 1,000 commanderies and fortifications across Europe and the Holy Land, and formed the world's "first multinational corporation".
The Decline of the Templars:
The Templars were closely tied to the Crusades; when the Holy Land was lost, support for the order faded.
Rumours about the Templars' secret initiation ceremony created distrust, and King Philip IV of France, while being deeply in debt to the order, took advantage of this distrust to destroy them to erase his debt.
On Friday the 13th of October 1307, King Philip IV had many of the Order's members in France arrested, tortured into giving false confessions, and burned them at the stake.
Pope Clement V disbanded the order in 1312 under pressure from King Philip. The abrupt reduction in power of a significant group in European society gave rise to speculation, legend, myth, and legacy through the ages.
Jacques de Molay was the 23rd and last grand master of the Knights Templar, leading the order from 20 April 1292 until it was dissolved by order of Pope Clement V in 1312. Though little is known of his actual life and deeds except for his last years as Grand Master, he is one of the best known Templars.
Jacques de Molay's goal as grand master was to reform the order, and adjust it to the situation in the Holy Land during the waning days of the Crusades.
As European support for the Crusades had dwindled, other forces were at work which sought to disband the order and claim the wealth of the Templars as their own.
When Molay later retracted his confession, Philip had him burned upon a scaffold on an island in the River Seine in front of Notre-Dame de Paris in March, 1314.
Both the sudden end of the centuries-old order of Templars and the dramatic execution of its last leader turned Molay into a legendary figure.
The Curse:
It is believed that Jacques de Molay cursed King Philip IV of France and his descendants from his execution pyre.
An eyewitness to the execution stated that Molay had shown no sign of fear told those present and shouted from his burning pyre that "God would avenge the deaths of everyone unjustly executed, and punish you for your heinous judgement to the living and true God, who is in Heaven", warning the Pope that, within a year and a day, both he and Philip IV would be obliged to answer for their crimes in God's presence.
Philip and Clement V both died within a year of Molay's execution.
Clement succumbed to a long illness on 20 April 1314, and Philip died due to a stroke while hunting.
Then followed the rapid succession of the last Direct Capetian kings of France between 1314 and 1328, the three sons and a grandson of Philip IV.
Within fourteen years of the death of Molay, the 300-year-old House of Capet collapsed.
This series of events forms the basis of "Les Rois maudits" ("The Accursed Kings"), a series of historical novels written by Maurice Druon between 1955 and 1977, which was also adapted into two French television miniseries in 1972 and 2005.
Pope Clement was described as shedding tears of remorse on his death-bed for three great crimes, the poisoning of Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor, and the ruin of the Templars and Beguines".
Modern Day Order of the Knights Templars:
The modern Masonic Knights Templars is an international philanthropic and chivalric order affiliated with Freemasonry, and begun in Ireland around 1780 AD.
Unlike the initial degrees conferred in a Masonic Lodge, which only require a belief in a Supreme Being regardless of religious affiliation, the Knights Templar is one of several additional Masonic Orders in which membership is open only to Freemasons who profess a belief in the Christian religion.
The full title of this Order is "The United Religious, Military and Masonic Orders of the Temple and of St John of Jerusalem, Palestine, Rhodes and Malta".
The Coin:
On the Reverse of the $5 Silver with partial gold gilding Coin is presented an exceptionally detailed image of the Templars going on a crusade. The high relief perfectly highlights every detail. The sword of the monk from the foreground has been gilded. The Coin is titled "KNIGHTS TEMPLAR" (on the upper periphery).
At the bottom of the coin the motto of the Knights Templar "Non nobis Domine, non nobis, sed nomini Tuo da gloriam!" ( meaning "Not for us, My Lord, Not for us, but to your Name give the glory"), is placed.
Next to it there is the motto of St Benedict of Nursia, "Ora et labora!" (meaning "Pray and work!").
5) Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931), Niue: First Silver Coin with a denominational value of 1 NZD (One New Zealand Dollar) in "Geniuses of the 19th Century Coin Series" minted by the Czech Mint on behalf of Niue: Date of Coin issue: 01/2020
6) Nikola Tesla, Niue: Second Silver Coin with a denominational value of 1 NZD (One New Zealand Dollar) in "Geniuses of the 19th Century Coin Series" minted by the Czech Mint on behalf of Niue : Date of Coin issue: 03/2020
7) Alfred Bernhard Nobel, Niue: Third Silver Coin with a denominational value of 1 NZD (One New Zealand Dollar) in "Geniuses of the 19th Century Coin Series", minted by the Czech Mint on behalf of Niue: Date of Coin issue: 07/2020
3) The Mystical Ancient Egyptian Labyrinth depicted on $10 Silver coins issued by Cook islands in 2016, under its "Milestones of Mankind Series". 4) King Arthur: The first coin in the six coins "Camelot Series". 5) Quilling Art: Silver 2 Dollars coins issued - Flowers (2016) & Bird (2017)
Links to other posts on Metropolis Tiffany Art Coin Series:
The 7-Summits Silver Coin Series:
Links to interesting posts from the South Pacific Island of Fiji:
Links to posts on Australia, New Zealand and Countries and Overseas Territories of the South Pacific etc on this Blog:
3) The Mystical Ancient Egyptian Labyrinth depicted on $10 Silver coins issued by Cook islands in 2016, under its "Milestones of Mankind Series". 4) King Arthur: The first coin in the six coins "Camelot Series". 5) Quilling Art: Silver 2 Dollars coins issued - Flowers (2016) & Bird (2017)
7) Michelangelo's "Pieta", Vatican City: New Copper Coin Series titled "Art and Faithy": A 10 Euro Copper Coin minted by the "Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca Dello Stato" (IPZS) on behalf of the "Ufficio Filatelico e Numismatico Governatorato della Cotta del Vaticano": Coin issue date: 05.03.2020
8) Ancient Postal Routes, Vatican City State: EUROPA 2020 Theme: Two stamps of 1.10 Euro and 1.15 Euro issued by the Ufficio filatelico e Numismatico -Governatorato, Vaticano featuring Ancient Postal Routes emanating from the Vatican City State during the 6th & 11th Centuries AD
Santosh Khanna has commented:
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