[kj] New Album - Revision time

[Phillipps Marc]

Ok, with the new album out and about I guess it's time to pick up on a few
of Jaz's lyrical references . . 

Let's start with Jacques De Molay (mentioned in Blood On Your Hands "Jacques
De Molay, spins in his grave")

Jacques De Molay (1244 - 1314)

Last Grandmaster of the Knights Templar.   

Here's what www.templarhistory.com has to say:

In the two centuries of their formal existence the Knights Templar served
under 23 Grand Masters. It is Jacques de Molay however, whom is best know
with the possible exception of the orders founder, Hughes de Payens.

It is generally considered that Jacques de Molay was born in the year 1244
in an area called Vitrey, Department of Haute Saone, France. Little is known
of his childhood, but what is known is that in 1265 at the age of
twenty-one, he joined the Knights Templar. As in Freemasonry today,
twenty-one years of age was the youngest a candidate for admission into that
Order of knighthood could be.

Like many that sought out the order of the Temple, De Molay joined seeking
the thrill of battle with the infidel. In his later years he reflected on
how he and his fellow knights silently grumbled about then Grand Master
William of Beaujeu and his pacific attitude towards the Mamlukes who at that
time occupied the Holy Land. It seemed that the young Templars were not
found of King Edward's truce with the enemy, for it did little to add their
blood to the Templar's swords.

De Molay rose through the ranks quite quickly and spent a great deal of time
in Britain. He was first appointed the position of Visitor General and
latterly to the post of Grand Preceptor of all England.

On the death of the 22nd Grand Master, Theobald Gaudin, De Molay was
installed as the head of the Order. Almost immediately he moved from England
to the island of Cyprus, which the Knights Templar had owned at one point.

In the reign of Grand Master Robert de Sable, the Templars bought the island
for the sum of 100,000 Saracen Bezants from Richard I for which they put a
down payment of 40,000 bezants. Unfortunately they left a small garrison
there who tried to overtax the populace which ultimately led to a revolt
which caused the Templars to quickly turn the island back over to King
Richard. Richard did not want the Island and sold it to Guy of Lusignan.
After the fall of Acre in 1291, the island became an important base for the
order.

It would be on the island of Cyprus that De Molay would remain until Philip
IV and Clement V summoned him to France in the autumn of 1307. 

The story of the orders downfall is too well know to readers of this Web
Site to recount in detail, but what may not be known is that prior to the
arrest, Phillip le Belle made Jacques de Molay Godfather of his son. The day
before the arrest De Molay also acted as Pallbearer at the funeral of Le
Belles sister in law. Perhaps the king didn't want the order to suspect his
motives or perhaps he was simply adhering to the old adage, "keeps your
friends close and your enemies closer."

After the arrest on the morning of October 13th 1307 De Molay spent the next
seven years in prison during which time he and his Templar knights were
dealt tortures that were unbearable. The inquisitors would go to any means
to extract the confessions that would damn the order in the eyes of the
people and the Catholic Church.

Although de Molay confessed to denying Christ and trampling on the Holy
Cross, he steadfastly denounced the accusations that the initiation ritual
consisted of homosexual practices.

 
On March 18th, 1314 De Molay was led out before the people to publicly
confess his and the order's sins. He recanted his earlier confessions and
said the only crime he was guilty of was lying about his Brethren to relieve
his own tortures. He was then taken to an island on the Siene and burned
along with Geoffrey de Charney the Preceptor of Normandy.

There are many accounts of De Molay's dying words, but the 19th century
historian, Charles Addison; perhaps one of the foremost Templar scholars
records them as follows:

"To say that which is untrue is a crime both in the sight of God and man.
Not one of us has betrayed his God or his country. I do confess my guilt,
which consists in having, to my shame and dishonor, suffered myself, through
the pain of torture and the fear of death, to give utterance to falsehoods
imputing scandalous sins and iniquities to an illustrious Order, which hath
nobly served the cause of Christianity. I disdain to seek a wretched and
disgraceful existence by engrafting another lie upon the original
falsehood."

Charles Addison
Knights Templars

Many latter day writers have claimed that De Molay in his dying breath
summoned both the King of France and Pope Clement to meet him in a tribunal
before God within the year. True to the claim both men did indeed die within
that time.

Whether a statement made by the Last Grand Master or an apocryphal account
of Divine justice served, it will forever remain part of the Mythos
surrounding Grand Master Jacques de Molay.

So, I guess Jaz is tipping his hat to Laurence Gardiner there . . what it
has to do with the general tone of the track (which seems to be more
concerned with globalization) is anyone's guess :o)

Marc 
(take notes, I'll be asking questions later)