10. Noblemen Granted Large Chunks of Land to the Knights Templar
After their seven or eight years in obscurity, the Knights Templar rode back to France, where they quickly amassed great wealth and prestige. The group had previously been so obscure that most Europeans had never even heard of them. Now, however, noblemen granted them large chunks of land. Of particular importance was that King Alfonso of Aragon granted them large tracts in Spain. Some believe that the area was given to them in return for promised military favors or so that people could buy their way into heaven for supporting the group. Others believe that the land grants were more insidious than they appear.
What is clear is that by 1129, just ten years after the group’s founding, it had jumped from obscurity to notoriety. Some believe that they had become wealthy from whatever it is that they found under the Temple Mount. Others think that they were granted hush money to remain silent about secret writings that they had seen, which might contradict the teachings of the church, though nothing on the scale of The Da Vince Code. Not only did the group become wealthy, but it also began to attract thousands of noblemen who wanted to join the order.