Pope Clement, under pressure from Philip, King of France, has the Knights Templar arrested, tortured and condemned.
Two centuries into its ascendancy as an increasingly popular Christian military order, the Templars—which also had a strong banking arm—were set–up and framed by their debtor, King Philip. Then many were tortured and/or burnt to death.
With their distinctive white mantles each with a red cross, often an advance force in key battles of the Crusades, the Templars had captured the fancy of many across Christendom.
The pope and the king, each had their own tactical interests—consolidation of political power and financial forgiveness, respectively—in betraying, framing, undermining, destroying and murdering the Knights Templar. Few betrayals in history could—or would—match this one.