King Phillip IV reigned France between 1285 and 1314. He was a power-hungry person who didn’t let anyone step in the way of his lofty ambitions. He was constantly taking lands through military force and negotiating deals to put his family members in charge of various territories. He also made sure that his daughters would marry future kings so that they could become queens and help him accomplish his objectives.
He even worked behind the scenes to get a Cardinal who was from France, declared Pope (Pope Clement V), because he had influence over him. At that time, every country was worried about the power of the Roman Catholic Church as they had a considerable army including the greatest fighters of them all, the Knights Templar. Plus, millions of people were Catholic, so they prioritized their faith over any allegiance to a king; of course, King Phillip didn’t like this.
King Phillip spent a lot of money expanding his kingdom and much of it was borrowed from not only the Jewish community, but also from the Knights Templar because they had a tremendous amount of gold and silver from the Crusades. They didn’t use it for themselves, but instead helped communities around their temples. This also infuriated King Phillip because the people were loyal to the Knights, not him.
Instead of paying them the money he owed, in the year 1306, he forced the Jewish people from France and then went after all the Knights Templars who lived in France. He did this through first spreading lies about them saying they were worshipping other gods, that they were having immoral sex, that they were murdering children, etc. He told Pope Clement that he had to have them brought to Paris to face charges. At the time, the Pope thought the charges were real.
When they were brought in, King Phillip had them tortured to find out where the treasures were hidden. When the Pope arrived in Paris, he heard about what the King was doing, and he heard from some of the people in Paris that King Phillip trumped up the charges and that the Knights were innocent. The Pope ended their relationship, so King Phillip lost a very important ally and a lot of power. Believers thought the king would be immediately struck down by God for what he did to the Knights, but it took six more years before he died during a game hunt, he was 46 at the time.
His son, Louis X, became the new ruler. Anyone who follows the history of tennis knows Louis’ name because he was pretty much the first tennis player, and this was way back in the 1300’s. He designed a tennis court in the castle which became popular with other royal families. Unlike his father, he was a good man. He cared about the Jewish people and allowed them back in France. He worked on ways to get people out of bondage (serfs). Unfortunately, he died after only a year as king. Some say he was poisoned as he died not long after taking a drink after a tennis match. He was just 26 years old.
His son, John, was born after he died and was made king, but he only lived for five days. He was the youngest appointed king in history, and he had the shortest reign. Some questions remain about his death as Louis’ brother had claim to the throne once his brother and his brother’s son, died. There’s no doubt that being a member of any royal family came with a lot of dangers. By the way, King Louis’ brother, King Phillip, reigned when he was 23 years old and then died from an illness when he was 29.
He even worked behind the scenes to get a Cardinal who was from France, declared Pope (Pope Clement V), because he had influence over him. At that time, every country was worried about the power of the Roman Catholic Church as they had a considerable army including the greatest fighters of them all, the Knights Templar. Plus, millions of people were Catholic, so they prioritized their faith over any allegiance to a king; of course, King Phillip didn’t like this.
King Phillip spent a lot of money expanding his kingdom and much of it was borrowed from not only the Jewish community, but also from the Knights Templar because they had a tremendous amount of gold and silver from the Crusades. They didn’t use it for themselves, but instead helped communities around their temples. This also infuriated King Phillip because the people were loyal to the Knights, not him.
Instead of paying them the money he owed, in the year 1306, he forced the Jewish people from France and then went after all the Knights Templars who lived in France. He did this through first spreading lies about them saying they were worshipping other gods, that they were having immoral sex, that they were murdering children, etc. He told Pope Clement that he had to have them brought to Paris to face charges. At the time, the Pope thought the charges were real.
When they were brought in, King Phillip had them tortured to find out where the treasures were hidden. When the Pope arrived in Paris, he heard about what the King was doing, and he heard from some of the people in Paris that King Phillip trumped up the charges and that the Knights were innocent. The Pope ended their relationship, so King Phillip lost a very important ally and a lot of power. Believers thought the king would be immediately struck down by God for what he did to the Knights, but it took six more years before he died during a game hunt, he was 46 at the time.
His son, Louis X, became the new ruler. Anyone who follows the history of tennis knows Louis’ name because he was pretty much the first tennis player, and this was way back in the 1300’s. He designed a tennis court in the castle which became popular with other royal families. Unlike his father, he was a good man. He cared about the Jewish people and allowed them back in France. He worked on ways to get people out of bondage (serfs). Unfortunately, he died after only a year as king. Some say he was poisoned as he died not long after taking a drink after a tennis match. He was just 26 years old.
His son, John, was born after he died and was made king, but he only lived for five days. He was the youngest appointed king in history, and he had the shortest reign. Some questions remain about his death as Louis’ brother had claim to the throne once his brother and his brother’s son, died. There’s no doubt that being a member of any royal family came with a lot of dangers. By the way, King Louis’ brother, King Phillip, reigned when he was 23 years old and then died from an illness when he was 29.
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