Read more about: Medieval History The Templar-Freemason connectionįounded in 1832 at Yale University – one of the most prestigious centres of learning in the US – Skull and Bones is a secret student society that has attracted numerous conspiracy theories over the decades. During the highly esoteric initiation, a new freemason is presented among his peers blindfolded, with a noose around their neck, a trouser leg rolled up, and their left breast exposed.Įvery aspect of this ritual has deeper significance – the blindfold represents darkness before receiving knowledge, the noose signifies the bondage of ignorance, the rolled-up trouser leg demonstrates the initiate is free and unshackled, while exposing the breast is meant to prove the initiate isn’t a woman (though some women-only lodges do exist). Today, ‘Master Mason’ is the highest of the three main degrees of Freemasonry, with the second-highest being ‘Fellow Craft’ and the first degree being ‘Entered Apprentice’. The exact origins of this fraternal organisation are lost in time, though it’s widely believed modern Freemasonry evolved from guilds of actual, practising stonemasons who built castles and cathedrals in the Middle Ages.įreemason lore takes things further, with an allegorical origin story centred around Hiram Abiff, chief architect of Solomon’s Temple, who according to legend was murdered after refusing to divulge the master mason’s secrets. ![]() Read more about: Medieval History 13 things you didn’t know about the Knights Templarįreemasonry is perhaps the world’s most famous secret society, with members grouped in lodges all over the world. Taking a vow of chastity and adopting a largely vegetarian diet was only the tip of the iceberg – some of the more peculiar rules included swearing off shoelaces (which were designated ‘pagan’), asking for permission before adjusting their stirrups, and even being forced to eat off the floor, among the dogs, as punishment for misbehaviour. This governed the smallest details of a Templar’s life, openly stating that a good knight should ‘secretly despise their own will’ and embrace an existence of absolute obedience. Yet, despite the might of the organisation, the brother knights were expected to live humble lives, strictly regulated by a code of conduct known as the Latin Rule. Deriving their name from their headquarters on the former site of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem, the Templars grew in wealth and influence, becoming major power players in the medieval world and even establishing what is regarded as the first international banking system. The Knights TemplarĪ feared, revered, much-mythologised fighting force, the order of the Knights Templar was formed in 1119 with the express purpose of protecting Christian pilgrims travelling to the Holy Land. The show premieres Monday, 8 May on Sky HISTORY.įrom a fabled brotherhood of medieval knights to the Victorian organisation dedicated to occult metaphysics, here’s a rundown of the most fascinating secret societies ever to exist. ![]() ![]() Secret Societies: In the Shadows delves deep into the murky history of some of the mysterious secret societies of all time.
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