This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Adam Bishop (talk | contribs) at 16:50, 15 February 2007 (rv). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 16:50, 15 February 2007 by Adam Bishop (talk | contribs) (rv)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) | This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "List of grand masters of the Knights Templar" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Part of a series on the |
| Knights Templar |
|---|
 |
|
Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon |
| Overview |
| Councils |
| Papal bulls |
|
| Locations |
| Successors |
| Cultural references |
| See also |
 Catholic Church portal |
Each man who held the position of Grand Master of the Knights Templar was the supreme commander of the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon (also known as the Knights Templar), starting with founder Hughes de Payens in 1118. The position was held for life, though this tenure could often be quite short considering the military nature of the Order.
Each country had its own Master, and the Masters reported to the Grand Master. He oversaw all of the operations of the Order, including both the military operations in the Holy Land and eastern Europe, and the financial and business dealings in the Order's infrastructure of western Europe.
Grand Masters could also be active military commanders, though this was not always considered as a wise choice, as seen by the blunders made by the 12th century Gérard de Ridefort, who ended up beheaded by Saladin in 1189.
List of Grand Masters
- Hughes de Payens (1118-1136)
- Robert de Craon (1136-1146)
- Everard des Barres (1146-1149)
- Bernard de Tremelay (1149-1153)
- André de Montbard (1153-1156)
- Bertrand de Blanchefort (1156-1169)
- Philippe de Milly (1169-1171)
- Odo de St Amand (1171-1179)
- Arnaud de Toroge (1179-1184)
- Gérard de Ridefort (1185-1189)
- Robert de Sablé (1191-1193)
- Gilbert Horal (1193-1200)
- Phillipe de Plessis (1201-1208)
- Guillaume de Chartres (1209-1219)
- Pedro de Montaigu (1219-1230)
- Armand de Périgord (1232-1244)
- Richard de Bures (1245-1247)
- Guillaume de Sonnac (1247-1250)
- Renaud de Vichiers (1250-1256)
- Thomas Bérard (1256-1273)
- Guillaume de Beaujeu (1273-1291)
- Thibaud Gaudin (1291-1292)
- Jacques de Molay (1292-1314)