Today I was looking at my book '365' and the fact for today was that the last Grand Master of the Templar Order of Knights, Jacques de Molay, was executed on the 19th of March 1314. I already knew that he had been executed, but have never known the date, because I played a game called 'Broken Sword' when I was younger and the storyline of the game was around the Knights Templar. The game was set in modern day Paris, however it followed the Knights through history and although the details of the game were all fiction, the foundation story was based on fact. One such fact being that the last Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, was burned at the stake.
The part of the story that I didn't know, and thus the thing that I learnt today, was that the last Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, requested that he be facing Notre Dame's Towers, which were far in the distance, whilst he was burned. Also that he placed a curse on his executors, King Phillip the Fair of France and Pope Clement V. He said, 'God will avenge our death. Phillip, thy life is condemned. I await thee within a year at the Tribune of God." Pope Clement V died suddenly only 31 days after Jacques de Molay, and King Phillip the Fair died just over 8 months after, thus proving true, Jacques final words. I have never really believed in curses, but when a man about to die makes a declaration that comes true, it is hard to discount as fiction. Although having said that, as these events happened many thousands of years ago, stories do have a way of adapting themselves to fit events, rather than events dictating the stories. However given the long period of time that has passed, and the lack of people around today who can prove the story correct or false, we just have to accept the fact, that Jacques de Molay did curse his executors to death within a year of his own passing.
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