Did Templars found Switzerland?

"The Warriors and the Bankers is an interesting discussion about the fate of the monastic and military order Knights Templar after October 13, 1307, the day of its supposed destruction orchestrated by the unpopular King of France, Philip IV. There is strong evidence that some French Templars escaped interrogation, torture and death in France and emigrated to Scotland where they were welcome to fight against the English. Is there also a Swiss connection?

There seems to be, although in absence of any absolute written proof a connection between decreasing Templarism and early Freemasonry. Prior to October 1307 the Templars already engaged throughout Europe in trading and lending money; even monarchs came to them for financial assistance, including Philip IV. The authors describe the Templars as a highly successful and secretive business enterprise, knick named Templar, Inc.

Most interestingly, the authors proclaim that the Templar State was, and is, Switzerland. The evidence for such claim of epic proportion is amazingly thin. There is, however, a fascinating historic coincidence. 

 

The Templars' downward spiral and loss of favour in the minds and hearts of European peoples began with the fall of Acre in the Holy Land in May 1291. The Templars then likely took steps to ensure their own survival. On August 1, 1291 the three original Swiss cantons Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden formed the nucleus of the Old Swiss Conferedacy reportedly as a defense measure against the oppression of the Habsburg monarchy who wanted to control the routes from Italy (Roman Empire) to the North through the Swiss Alps. 

 

Could it be that Templar knights on their way back from Jerusalem stayed in the Swiss Alps and led the fight against a well armed Habsburg monarchy on behalf of local peasants? Alan Butler and Stephen Dafoe deserve full credit for this original and rather fascinating idea. 

 

The foundation of the Old Swiss Confederacy in 1291 and subsequent battles of Sempach in 1315 and Morgarten in 1386 directly led to the well documented heroic defeat of the Habsburg army. These historic events inspired the famous German writer Friedrich Schiller, of whom some reportedly speculated though unproven to be a Freemason, to write the play William Tell in 1804. William Tell therein is a glorified patriot assassinating a Habsburg leader. Widely known because of Schiller's play William Tell became a national hero in the 19th century, of whom we currently don't even know whether he ever existed. 

 

While Butler and Dafoe's hypothesis is not broadly known in Switzerland, I hope it would inspire modern Swiss historians to look into it despite the fact that the evidence presented by Butler and Dafoe is not more than they possibly identified Templar symbols in coat of arms of Swiss cantons and townships. Ironically, Butler and Dafoe's idea is possibly as fictitious as Schiller's hero. Since the language of the Knights Templar undoubtedly was medieval French or English, Butler and Dafoe may want to explain why the founding documents of the old Swiss Confederacy were written in a medieval Swiss German dialect, a language hardly known to the Templar. Nevertheless, the Warriors and the Bankers is an interesting reading for history buffs." 

 

This blog quotes the review by Stefan Ryser (June 28, 2009) of The Warriors and the Bankers by Alan Butler and Stephen Dafoe (Ian Allen Publishing, 2007) on Amazon.com; illustration Swiss flag source

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