The Order of Christ was the Portuguese derivative of the Knights Templar who, in the previous two centuries, had assumed the responsibility of keeping open the routes to the Holy Land. When accusations of sodomy, blasphemy, and witchcraft were levelled against the Templars in the early fourteenth century, the Templars were quickly condemned. On Friday, October 13, 1307, the king of France gave orders to arrest all Templars residing within his domains and called upon the Pope to issue a Bull outlawing the Order throughout Christendom. The history of Templars in Portugal, however, was different. The Templars had helped to expel the North Africans from the Algarve, and King Diniz could not forget this service. Rather than ignoring the Pope's instructions, King Diniz modified them. The knights were allowed to escape from Portugal. King Diniz seized and occupied the property of the Templars and established his own national order, The Military Order of Christ. The new knights continued to wear the Templar's crusading cross as their emblem and frequented the Portuguese Court.

RETURN TO PRINCE HENRY THE NAVIGATOR