Jacques de Molay
| Jacques de Molay | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Grand Master of the Knights Templar | |
|
In office 1292–1314 |
|
| Monarch | King Philip IV |
| Preceded by | Thibaud Gaudin |
| Succeeded by | Order disbanded |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1243 Molay, Haute-Saône, France |
| Died | 1314 (aged 70–71) Paris, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 Knights Templar
|
| Years of service | 1265–1314 |
| Rank | Grand Master (1292–1314) |
| Battles/wars | Siege of Ruad |
Jacques de Molay (French: [də mɔlɛ]; c. 1243 – 18 March 1314), also spelt Molai, was the 23rd and last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, leading the Order from 20 April 1292 until it was dissolved by order of Pope Clement V in 1307. Though little is known of his actual life and deeds except for his last years as Grand Master, he is one of the best known Templars.
Jacques de Molay's goal as Grand Master was to reform the Order, and adjust it to the situation in the Holy Land during the waning days of the Crusades. As European support for the Crusades had dwindled, other forces were at work which sought to disband the Order and claim the wealth of the Templars as their own. King Philip IV of France, deeply in debt to the Templars, had Molay and many other French Templars arrested in 1307 and tortured into making false confessions. When Molay later retracted his confession, Philip had him burned upon a scaffold on an island in the River Seine in front of Notre Dame de Paris in March, 1314. The sudden end of both the centuries-old order of Templars and the dramatic execution of its last leader turned Molay into a legendary figure.
Little is known of his early years, but Jacques de Molay was probably born in Molay, Haute-Saône, in the County of Burgundy, at the time a territory ruled by Otto III as part of the Holy Roman Empire, and in modern times in the area of Franche-Comté, northeastern France. His birth year is not certain, but judging by statements made during the later trials, was probably around 1250. He was born, as most Templar knights were, into a family of minor or middle-ranking nobility. It is suggested that he was dubbed a knight at age 21 in 1265 and is known that he was executed in 1314, aged about 70. If correct, these dates lead to the belief that he was born about 1244.
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