Kraon, Robert de

Robert de Craon was first mentioned in sources in 1093. He was the son of Reno de Craon , the lord of Craon and Enagen de Vitre , the great-grandson of Reno I of Nevers and Adelaide of France , daughter of Robert II the Pious King of France. For his origin, Robert received the nickname "Burgundian".

Robert was the third son of four, which implied his ordination. However, he decided to make a secular career. He spent his early years at the court of the Earl of Angouleme , and then entered the service of the Duke of Aquitaine . Presumably due to a dispute with an opponent by the hand of a wealthy heiress, he went to Palestine to enter the Order of the Templars there in 1126 .

In the years 1132–1136, Robert de Craon held the position of Seneschal of the Order in Europe. During this time, he cared mainly for Spanish affairs. Having learned in 1136 about the death of the great master Hugo de Payne , he returned to Palestine , where he was elected the new master.

In the same year, the Seljuks raided the city of Tekoa in the Dead Sea . The Templars , led by Robert, successfully defended the city. Chasing the fleeing Turks, they were ambushed in which many of them were killed, including the standard-bearer Bernard Vächer. Robert helped the Templars in Spain by sending a fleet of 70 ships there to defend Lisbon against the Moors .

In 1139, Pope Innocent II issued the bull Omne Datum Optimum , which placed the order directly dependent on the pope and granted him a lot of privileges. The adoption date of the bull is considered historic, as it was an official confirmation of the independence of the Order of the Temple from the Catholic Church.

• Alain Demurger, Wolfgang Kaiser (Hrsg.): Die Templer. Aufstieg und Untergang 1120-1314. CHBeck, München 2004, ISBN 978-3-406-52367-0 .