[The Sons of Liberty]

The Templars were rounded up,tortured and murdered on Friday the 13th, because the King of France colluded with the Pope to avoid paying a huge debt he owed them.

[Paine in the Neck]

Yep. Philip was in a pinch and the Templars had a lot of money. Think of it as a medieval ‘bail in’.

[FredZarguna]

Small correction: the Knights Templar consisted of several thousand members on October 13, 1307, having dwindled sharply from its peak of 15-20,000 at one time. Only about sixty of the Knights -- the leadership -- were actually rounded up on Friday the 13^th. I don't think there is any historical record of any of them being murdered Friday the 13^th.

Most of them were imprisoned, facing charges while the Pope and the King of France wrangled over jurisdiction and charges. Of the ones seized, most were burned at the stake in 1310; three years after their arrest. The Grand Master, Jacques De Molay, was not staked until March of 1314.

Most of the Knights were actually cleared of the charges made against them and absorbed into other orders.