CHAPTER VI. THE PERIOD OF RECONSTRUCTION

At the time when King Philip IV of France set about eradicating the Templars, the order had assumed such a form that it was next to impossible to eradicate it entirely. The French courts had severed only one of the octopus's tentacles; the others were still alive. The Knights were subjected to no serious pressure or surveillance in other lands where they had maintained strong presence, such as Spain, Portugal, England, Germany, Rhodes and Cyprus. There were various reasons for this: Political rivalries with France, the belief that the Pope was under the influence of the French king, commercial and financial relations established by the Templars, conflict between different churches and sects-and most important of all, the preparations made by the Knights themselves-prevented the operation initiated by Philip and the Pope from having the same results in other countries.

The Knights had no difficulty in restructuring so as to compensate for the damage inflicted on them by France. Secrecy became a priority, and they adopted symbolism, secrecy and mystery in all their activities.

Show trials exonerated those Knights who supposedly repented, and a large number survived by entering other orders. The Order was effectively found completely innocent in countries such as Germany and Hungary. However, they were not yet out of danger. Because even though the Church had lost considerable prestige, it was still a major political power. On the other hand, the Hospitallers, another influential order, were hastening to lay hands on the Templars' assets. In the light of the prevailing difficult conditions, the Templars decided to withdraw and go underground.
Thanks to the organization they had developed and reinforced over the years, the Knights had no difficulty in recovering from the heavy blow they had been dealt in France and in laying the groundwork for reconstruction. This was a new experience for the Order. After this, the element of secrecy became more important; they turned to inference, symbolism and occultism in all their activities, even in communications among themselves as they withdrew to continue their struggle.
To summarize the position of the Templars as they entered into this new process of reconstruction:
They were still the major financial power of the time. The Knights knew how to launder illegal funds and collaborate with usurers. Even if they had lost some of their estates and the privileges bestowed on them by the Church, they maintained their financial relations in countries apart from in France, and preserved their fortunes.

The Templars laid the foundations for the Rosicrucian Brotherhood in Germany.

Many of the knights holding administrative rank and who were experts in their own particular fields were still at their posts. Losses of no more than 620 individuals in France had little impact on an order of 20,000, perhaps more-and the organisation was still thriving.
The order was not only the major financial power of the time, but was also highly organized in the fields of ship-building, trade, construction and mining, and was managing a highly experienced administrative team.
Thanks to their high rank, the Knights knew all the secrets of the state and the Church, and they used these in their own interests when necessary. Since they had retreated underground, they were now easily able to implement the techniques of extortion we examined in earlier chapters.

The Templars established Freemasonry in England.

As you have seen, even if official Church documents portrayed the Templars as having been eliminated, they had actually survived with all their power intact. However, they had now assumed a more insidious, more secret, darker, more organized and more dangerous form. In earlier times, the Knights had been out in the open as a foe of Christianity, but now they had covered their tracks, assumed new characters and identities, and had begun plotting their revenge and planning to assume new power by establishing secret societies.
At this stage, the Templars adopted two different methods. The first was to continue their activities under a different identity, by remaining loyal to the Church and the monarchy, in those countries in which they were able to control political power such as Scotland, Portugal, Germany and the Netherlands. This would increase their power by providing them with commercial and political advantages.
This measure achieved a high level of success: In these countries, they elevated maritime trade and the exploitative activities based on it to the highest levels. Thanks to their exploitative companies they became a major power in European commerce. In particular, through stock market speculation around goods brought in from the colonies, the slave trade and piracy, they were able to enhance their wealth still further.
The second method employed by the Templars was to establish organizations that could serve as sources of new members, through which they could spread their ideology and in which they could conceal themselves without difficulty. With that aim in mind, they transformed the order into a powerful underground organization by laying the groundwork for the foundation of the Rosicrucians in Germany and Freemasonry in England.