I would like to introduce you to my section #historyandgames
In this section I will tell you about various historical facts, culture, various tales and legends that are found in games and have a real basis.
(At the moment, the section will be published in text format, if you are interested, then this section may move to audio or video format.)
Today I want to tell you about the legendary Order of Christ, the Templars.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.» Lao Tzu
The year was 1119. The first https://casinorise.co.uk/ crusade, which ended with the liberation of Jerusalem, was completed 12 years ago.
Common Misconception!
Many believe that the Templar Order was part of the first crusade, but it was founded later.
And remember the crusaders are not the Templars.
Already at that time, even on the “Holy Land,” chaos typical of the Middle Ages was unfolding. Heads of state could not ensure the safety of their citizens. Then one prudent French knight named Hugh de Payns decided to found an order with his comrades, who took an oath to protect pilgrims on the roads on their sacred pilgrimage. The order was popularly called “Beggar Knights”, since at first it did not have finances or recognition of the church. For a long time, the seal of the order depicted a horse with two riders, which testified to the poverty of the order and its members.
Later, the idea of the Knights Templar came to the liking of the Catholic Church, and it received privileges from the Pope, which meant the impeccable support of the order by European countries, since the clergy in the Middle Ages was almost the largest driving force in the world. From this moment on, the knights received the name “Order of the Temple,” and among the common people the Templars. They receive more and more lands, and by the end of the 13th century, the Templars were no longer just an order, but a huge powerful organization that actively developed science and infrastructure, and also kept some kings in debt.
However, frightened by the power, the Pope and the French King Philip began a hunt for the order. And how the fires of the witch hunt were lit in The Wither 3: Wild Hunt. The order was accused of heresy, sodomy and abolished. High-ranking members of the order were killed and the remaining knights were imprisoned. Some of the knights, after liberation, joined other knightly orders.
"Templars = evil"." – Assassin’s Creed
In Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed, the Templars never disappeared. This mighty order is only
exchanged fortresses for the offices of the giant corporation Abstergo, which are more like intelligence headquarters. The Templars are the antagonists of the game, but if in the first game they were not the only order, for example, we could meet the Hospitallers and the Teutons, then later they were abolished, and that unambiguous actions, the achievement of the common good and scientific progress through the deaths of others, all this remained in the past. Starting from the second part, the Templars became an icon of totalitarianism, evil and an object of revenge for relatives, no longer causing mixed feelings.
Templars in the gaming industry.
Every year the image of the Knight Templar becomes more and more popular. There are many games that exploit the image and structure of the Order of Christ. I’ll tell you a couple of them.
The Witcher and Dragon Age, with its Incision
(Many will now say: “Um… But what about the templars. For some reason everything is different in this game. Roughly speaking, the Templars = the Inquisition and vice versa. Why so? Who knows. Templars in the game hunt for magicians and witches, obeying the church as their leadership. The Inquisition is independent, and also protects the pilgrims.)
Images from StarCraft and Warhammer and various other games.
And if you still have an unpleasant aftertaste from the “eternal” villains from AC, and you would like to look at the noble knights of the order, and not conspirators and politicians, then I advise you to play these games.
The Cursed Crusade and The First Templar.