Medieval History
A book about that claims the Templars joined forces with the Scottish king Robert the Bruce at the battle of Bannockburn in 1314 is meeting criticism from scholars.
In his book, The Knights Templar And Scotland, Robert Ferguson claims that many Templars arrived in Scotland after their order was disbanded and many of their leaders put on trial for heresy in 1307.
In an interview with the Scotsman, Ferguson says, "There is now good evidence that a number of Templars, if not most of them, were aware that they were going to be arrested, and they escaped. There's only two places they really could escape to, Portugal and Scotland."
He adds "Given the battle plan that is commonly accepted for Bannockburn, I believe that the Templars were necessary. The existence of Templars at Bannockburn follows a consistent line of facts."
This interpretation of history has been dismissed by a leading scholar on the Templars. Helen Nicholson, a professor of history at Cardiff University, explains "There are no records of any French-speaking knights appearing in Scotland in the early decades of the 14th century in a country where French speakers would certainly be noticed."
She notes that the claim that Templars assisted the Scots against the English goes back to the 19th century. "The myth is being used to show that Robert the Bruce was a weak man who couldn't win his own battles," she said, "rather than the inspirational military leader that he was. I think that the Scots should be fighting this myth."
Overall, she finds that Ferguson's work is "rubbish", which should rank among other fictional claims such as that the kingdom of Scotland was founded by the Egyptian princess Scota.
As for the claim that the Templars came up with the strategy to defeat the English, Nicholson replies, "Bruce's battle plan at Bannockburn would have followed best contemporary practice which, as the Templars also did the same, would have meant that there were some elements in common. This does not mean that Bruce had actually met any Templars."
The Battle of Bannockburn was fought near Stirling, Scotland, on June 23-24, 1314. It ended with Robert the Bruce and his Scottish troops defeating the English forces under King Edward II, and was a significant battle for Scotland's independence from England in the 14th century.
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- Update On The Templars Book
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Medieval History
Link between Templars and Robert the Bruce called "rubbish"
A book about that claims the Templars joined forces with the Scottish king Robert the Bruce at the battle of Bannockburn in 1314 is meeting criticism from scholars.
In his book, The Knights Templar And Scotland, Robert Ferguson claims that many Templars arrived in Scotland after their order was disbanded and many of their leaders put on trial for heresy in 1307.
In an interview with the Scotsman, Ferguson says, "There is now good evidence that a number of Templars, if not most of them, were aware that they were going to be arrested, and they escaped. There's only two places they really could escape to, Portugal and Scotland."
He adds "Given the battle plan that is commonly accepted for Bannockburn, I believe that the Templars were necessary. The existence of Templars at Bannockburn follows a consistent line of facts."
This interpretation of history has been dismissed by a leading scholar on the Templars. Helen Nicholson, a professor of history at Cardiff University, explains "There are no records of any French-speaking knights appearing in Scotland in the early decades of the 14th century in a country where French speakers would certainly be noticed."
She notes that the claim that Templars assisted the Scots against the English goes back to the 19th century. "The myth is being used to show that Robert the Bruce was a weak man who couldn't win his own battles," she said, "rather than the inspirational military leader that he was. I think that the Scots should be fighting this myth."
Overall, she finds that Ferguson's work is "rubbish", which should rank among other fictional claims such as that the kingdom of Scotland was founded by the Egyptian princess Scota.
As for the claim that the Templars came up with the strategy to defeat the English, Nicholson replies, "Bruce's battle plan at Bannockburn would have followed best contemporary practice which, as the Templars also did the same, would have meant that there were some elements in common. This does not mean that Bruce had actually met any Templars."
The Battle of Bannockburn was fought near Stirling, Scotland, on June 23-24, 1314. It ended with Robert the Bruce and his Scottish troops defeating the English forces under King Edward II, and was a significant battle for Scotland's independence from England in the 14th century.
- Archaeologists Explore Battle Of Bannockburn Site
Excavations have taken place at Bannockburn battlefield to see if there are any medieval finds from the famous 1314 battle. Archaeologists have investigated areas which are due to be planted with new trees. The planting is part of the advance landscaping...
- New Visitor Centre For The Battle Of Bannockburn
Scotland?s Minister of Culture announced today £5 million in funding to create a state-of-the-art visitor centre at the site of the battle of Bannockburn. The centre will be built in time to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the battle where Scottish...
- Update On The Templars Book
You just knew it was coming. Related to my earlier article (about the "newly-found" documents exonerating the Templars of heresy), "British Templars Want Apology from Pope." Ok, 2 things: You guys aren't Templars. I don't care if you think you...
- Apologia For The Templars' Dissolution (without The Apology)
According to Reuters, the official papal transcripts of the Templars' trial will soon be released. They were recently "discovered" in the Vatican's Secret Archive in 2001 due to a misfiling of the documents. Don't rush to your local bookstore...
- Knights Templar Heirs In Legal Battle With The Pope
The heirs of the Knights Templar have launched a legal battle in Spain to force the Pope to restore the reputation of the disgraced order which was accused of heresy and dissolved seven centuries ago. The Association of the Sovereign Order of the Temple...