- Bernard de Tomile
Year of birth and death:? —1153 Nationality: French
Ambitious warriors who sacrifice their lives for jihad
Bernard de Tomile was the fourth Commander-in-Chief of the Knights Templar. He was born in Burgundy, near the town of Dijon, in an unknown date. In June 1151, he succeeded him as commander-in-chief, leading the Templar Order after the disastrous defeat of the Second Crusade. King Baldwin III of Jerusalem granted the Egyptian city of Gaza to Bernard, who subsequently rebuilt it as a Templar fortress.
In 1153, Bernard followed the king in attacking the fortress of Askalon and besieged the Muslim fort on January 23 of that year. Bernard then ordered the construction of a wooden siege vehicle, which was then pushed towards the walls that had caught fire in the war.
The wind direction changed as the siege vehicle burned violently, which also caused part of the defensive wall to catch fire and collapse. According to historian William of Tyre, on August 15, the Templars recklessly rushed into the breakthrough, while Bernard prevented the other Crusaders from following them into the fort. William speculated that he did so to avoid sharing the looted possessions with Baldwin III.
This action was unwise. Bernard and 40 Templars were beheaded, and their bodies were hung on the walls of the city by the Egyptians the next day. Their heads were cut off as a tribute to the Muslim sultans. However, Baldwin persisted in fighting and eventually attacked Askalon. William is known to have frequently denigrated the Knights Templar, and other historical records do not mention Bernard's greed for his destruction. Regardless of the truth, he was still killed in battle. Eventually, André de Montabad succeeded him as head of the regiment.
- Tibad de Gaudien
Year of birth and death: 1229-1292 Nationality: French
The Savior of the Holy Relics and the Treasure house of the Knights who escaped from Acre
Tibad de Gaudien was the 22nd of the 23 Grand Masters of the Templar Order. Little was known about him before 1260, but around that time he and another future commander-in-chief, Girami de Bojean, were captured in a reckless raid on muslims in northern Galilee. He and Gilami were released after paying a hefty ransom to the kidnappers.
Gaudien was born on an island that had sent many members to the Templar Order, Île-de-France. He returned to France in 1279 and was subsequently appointed commander of the Tucopo forces and governor of Acker's cathedral in 1283. During his tenure, he tried to quell the differences between Pisa and Genoese contingents in the city. He further prevented a group of pizza sailors from being sold into slavery.
In 1291, three days before the collapse of acre's last Templar fortress, Tibad fled the city and sailed to Sidon to defend the temple's treasury and some revered remains. A few weeks later, Seton was unable to resist the Muslim attack. So Tibad decided to retreat from the city to the sea castle and evacuate his troops to a safer place. Some commentators see these as cowardly moves.
Tibad then fled from the Seaton area to the island of Cyprus. Although he initially intended to return to Sidon with reinforcements, this hope was dashed. In August 1291, Tibad arrived at the fortress of Saiyet in Cyprus, where he was elected commander-in-chief until his death eight months later. He was replaced by the last head of the regiment, Jacques de Molay.
- Renard de Vickhills
Year of birth and death:? —1256 Nationality: French
Friendship and hostility with the King of France marked the arrival of a tumultuous term
On the battlefield of Mansoura during the Seventh Crusade, the Templar Commander-in-Chief, Gilami de Sonak, was killed while fighting the Muslim army. Renard de Vichills, a close friend of King Louis IX of France, became Sonak's successor with the king's strong support.
In 1240, Vicchils joined the Knights Templar and was promoted to chancellor of acre in the same year. From 1242 to 1249 he served as commander of the Knights Templar. Louis IX, while preparing his army for the Seventh Crusade, relied heavily on Vic Hills to arrange the supply and transportation of the army. In the ensuing battle, Vic Hills trained himself to be a true warrior. But it is said that during a march from Damietta, he disobeyed the king's orders and remained in the army. As the Templars advanced, a Muslim warrior slammed a Templar with a tomahawk, and the wounded fell under Vic Hills' hooves. He couldn't stand it any longer: "Attack them in the name of God!" He roared. Vic Hills, who led the advance, vented his anger on the Muslim soldiers, and none of the enemy fighters escaped the attack.
The Armies of the Templars and Kings retreated from Egypt to Acre. Here in 1250, Vickshire was elected head of the regiment and became the godfather of the son of Louis and Margaret de Provence. However, when the Templar commander Hugues de Juy led a diplomatic mission to Damascus, the friendship between the king and Vic Hills broke down. Louis IX was furious, claiming that the Templars had seriously overstep their authority. Juy was expelled from the kingdom of Jerusalem, and Vichils was forced to kneel before the king to apologize for his overreach. From then on, Louis set out to curb the Templars' political and diplomatic influence.
In 1252, Vicshires retired from the Templar Order and died four years later in a monastery.
(Source: Legends of the Templars)