Robert de Sablé, 11th Templar Grand Master

Robert de Sablé was the Grand Master of the Knights Templar from 1191 to 1193 and Lord of Cyprus from 1191 to 1192.

Contents

1 Personal life

2 Military record

2.1 Angevin Civil War

2.2 Third Crusade

3 Acquisition of Cyprus

4 Delayed election

5 References

Personal life

No exact record of his birth date exists, but it is believed he was relatively old at the time of his death. He was born to a respected military family in Anjou and was "a leading Angevin vassal of the King".[1] His lordship was based in a cluster of lands in the River Sarthe valley, which he inherited in the 1160s.[2]. He married Clemence de Mayenne (died before 1209), the daughter of Geoffroy, Seigneur de Mayenne and Isabelle de Meulan. He was succeeded in Anjou by his daughter Marguerite de Sablé, who by marriage passed the entire honor to William des Roches, also a knight of the Third Crusade. Robert died in the Holy Land on 23 September 1193.[3]

Military Record

Angevin Civil War

In 1173, Sablé supported Henry the Young King in a revolt against Henry II. The uprising was crushed but Robert must have remained in favour with the Angevin Kings, as Richard I would later be instrumental in his appointment as Grand Master.[4] He contributed money to French monastic houses in 1190 as a way of making amends.[5]

Third Crusade

Despite only having a short tenure, Sablé's reign was filled with campaigning, and successful campaigning at that. The might of Richard the Lion Heart's strategy, seasoned troops, and the elite Templar knights scored many victories. During the Third Crusade, they laid siege to the city of Acre, which soon fell. Throughout August 1191, they also recaptured many fortresses and cities along the Palestinian coast, which had been lost previously.

The new coalition's finest hour was the Battle of Arsuf, 7 September 1191. Saladin's Muslim forces appeared to have become far stronger than the Christians, and a decisive victory was desperately needed. Pooling all of the crusader's strength, the Knights Hospitaller joined the ranks, plus many knights from Sablé's native Anjou, Maine, and Brittany. They met Saladin's troops on the dry plains and soon broke his ranks. Those who stayed to fight were killed, and the remaining Islamic troops were forced to retreat.

Acquisition of Cyprus

At the end of 1191, Richard Lion Heart agreed to sell Cyprus to the Templars for 25,000 pieces of silver. Richard had plundered the island from the Byzantine forces of a rival emperor in Cyprus some months earlier and had no real use for it. The Hospitallers would later establish solid bases on the islands Rhodes and Malta, but Sablé failed to do the same with the island of Cyprus. He was lord for two years, until he gave (or sold) the island to Guy de Lusignan, King of Jerusalem, as he was without a kingdom.

Sablé did manage to establish a Chieftain House of the Order in Saint-Jean d'Acre, which remained for almost a century.

Delayed election

Sablé was lucky to have been Grand Master at all, as at the time of Gérard de Ridefort's death, he was not even a member of the Templar Order. However, the senior knights had become increasingly opposed to Masters fighting on the front line, and the capture and beheading of Grand Master Gerard de Ridefort became the final straw. They delayed elections for over a year so that the rules regarding active service of Grand Masters could be reviewed. During this hiatus, Sablé did join the order, just in time to be considered for election. When he was made Grand Master, he had been a Templar knight for less than a year.

References

http://www.templiers.org/robertsable-eng.php

1.^ History of the Templars - Malcolm Barber

2.^ History of the Templars - Malcolm Barber

3.^ vitae paparum avenionensium

4.^ History of the Templars - Malcolm Barber

5.^ History of the Templars - Malcolm Barber

Preceded by Gérard de Ridefort Grand Master of the Knights Templar 1191–1193 Succeeded by

Gilbert Horal Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_de_Sabl%C3%A9"

Categories: Medieval Knights Templar members

Robert de Sablé was the Grand Master of the Knights Templar from 1191 to 1193 and Lord of Cyprus from 1191 to 1192.

No exact record of his birth date exists, but it is believed he was relatively old at the time of his death. He was born to a respected military family in Anjou and was "a leading Angevin vassal of the King".[1] His lordship was based in a cluster of lands in the River Sarthe valley, which he inherited in the 1160s.[2] He married Clemence de Mayenne (died before 1209), the daughter of Geoffroy, Seigneur de Mayenne and Isabelle de Meulan. He was succeeded in Anjou by his daughter Marguerite de Sablé, who by marriage passed the entire honor to William des Roches, also a knight of the Third Crusade. Robert died in the Holy Land on 23 September 1193.[3]

Military record Angevin Civil War In 1173, Sablé supported Henry the Young King in a revolt against Henry II. The uprising was crushed but Robert must have remained in favour with the Angevin Kings, as Richard I would later be instrumental in his appointment as Grand Master.[4] He contributed money to French monastic houses in 1190 as a way of making amends.[5]

Third Crusade Despite only having a short tenure, Sablé's reign was filled with campaigning, and successful campaigning at that. The might of Richard the Lion Heart's strategy, seasoned troops, and the elite Templar knights scored many victories. During the Third Crusade, they laid siege to the city of Acre, which soon fell. Throughout August 1191, they also recaptured many fortresses and cities along the Palestinian coast, which had been lost previously.

The new coalition's finest hour was the Battle of Arsuf, 7 September 1191. Saladin's Muslim forces appeared to have become far stronger than the Christians, and a decisive victory was desperately needed. Pooling all of the crusader's strength, the Knights Hospitaller joined the ranks, plus many knights from Sablé's native Anjou, Maine, and Brittany. They met Saladin's troops on the dry plains and soon broke his ranks. Those who stayed to fight were killed, and the remaining Islamic troops were forced to retreat.

Acquisition of Cyprus At the end of 1191, Richard Lion Heart agreed to sell Cyprus to the Templars for 25,000 pieces of silver. Richard had plundered the island from the Byzantine forces of a rival emperor in Cyprus some months earlier and had no real use for it. The Hospitallers would later establish solid bases on the islands Rhodes and Malta, but Sablé failed to do the same with the island of Cyprus. He was lord for two years, until he gave (or sold) the island to Guy de Lusignan, King of Jerusalem, as he was without a kingdom.

Sablé did manage to establish a Chieftain House of the Order in Saint-Jean d'Acre, which remained for almost a century.

Delayed election Sablé was lucky to have been Grand Master at all, as at the time of Gerard de Ridefort's death, he was not even a member of the Templar Order. However, the senior knights had become increasingly opposed to Masters fighting on the front line, and the capture and beheading of Grand Master Gerard de Ridefort became the final straw. They delayed elections for over a year so that the rules regarding active service of Grand Masters could be reviewed. During this hiatus, Sablé did join the order, just in time to be considered for election. When he was made Grand Master, he had been a Templar knight for less than a year.

In popular culture In the 2007 video game Assassin's Creed, Robert de Sablé is presented as the main antagonist (in addition to being presented as the leader of the Knights Templar within the game's story).

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"Robert IV de Sablé , Lord of Sablé , one of the principal barons of Maine , then under English domination , was the eleventh master of the Order of the Temple which he led from 1191 until his death in 1193. He fought alongside Richard Coeur-de-Lion during the Third Crusade . He also left a poetic work.
Biography
Origin
Robert IV de Sablé is the son of Robert III de Sablé 1 , and Dame Hersende d' Anthenaise , Chaouches and Malicorne , daughter of Savary I er d'Anthenaise 2 .
Court of the King of England
Lord of Sablé and son of a line of Angevin knights allied to the sovereigns of England, he spent nineteen years at the court of Henry II of England and Richard Coeur-de-Lion where he became close friends with Richard . Knight attracted by the battle, he also went to fight in Spain, Portugal and Sicily against the Moors 3 .
Crusade
Alphonse-Victor Angot recounts how, theJune 6, 1189, when Robert was about to leave for the crusade, the Abbé d'Évron , Geoffroi, came to ask him for recognition of two denarii annuity and a power of attorney over the land of Cadoin . He was received by his son, Robert being prevented from doing so himself because of the preparations for his journey. But he then led him into his dungeon and showed him from there the land charged with the rent; finally on his knees and without consenting to get up, he served her the wine of hospitality. He was assured of the fraternity of the monks in the presence of Emma, ​​his mother, and Geoffroi, his son, whom he begged never to fail in his duties towards the monks. He then left.
Richard Coeur de Lion appointed him, together with Gérard, Archbishop of Auch , Bernard, Bishop of Bayonne , Richard de Chamvil , Guillaume d'Oléron , member of his council for the government of the English , Norman , Breton and Aquitaine fleets , and for the administration of justice. The lord of Sablé had special charge of the fleet. During the trip, he attended the constitution of the dower as well as the marriage of the Queen of England Bérangère de Navarre with her friend Richard on the island of Cyprus 4 .
Order of the Temple
Arriving in Cyprus , he was received into the Order of the Temple where he later established the first solid base of the Templars in the East by buying the island from his friend King Richard for only 25,000 marks of silver 5 . Robert de Sablé retroceded the island the following year to Guy de Lusignan , king of Jerusalem without a kingdom. Robert de Sablé will establish the chief house of the Order of the Temple at Saint-Jean-d'Acre , where it will remain for almost a century 6 .
A few months later, the master of the Order Gérard de Ridefort dies , but the post of master remains vacant for several months, the Templars taking advantage of this to reform certain points of the Rule which concern in particular the disciplinary measures to be taken in the event of a breach. to his responsibilities as supreme ruler of the Order. It was therefore probably only in October 1191 7 that Robert de Sablé — a new man — who had distinguished himself by his various exploits in Spain, Sicily and Portugal against the King of Morocco, was elected master of the Order of the Temple , only a few months after his admission in June 1189.
A close adviser to the King of England , he accompanied Richard the Lionheart from his departure on the crusade and thus took part in the capture of Saint-Jean-d'Acre onJuly 13, 1191then to the conquest of the Palestinian coast and finally to the battle of Arsouf where Saladin suffered a heavy defeat. Robert de Sablé took part in all the fights against Saladin and died onSeptember 23, 11938 when the three-year truce between Richard and the Sultan of Egypt is signed which allows pilgrims to enter Jerusalem .
The Templar sends from the Holy Land a thorn from the Holy Crown , this relic is still venerated today on Easter Monday at the Abbey of Solesmes . A funerary slab attributed 9 to Robert de Sablé is visible in the abbey church of Solesmes located near the town of Sablé-sur-Sarthe in the south of Sarthe 10 .
Foundations
When he decided to follow his friend King Richard to the Third Crusade , he prepared for it with pious foundations. That of the Abbey of Perray-aux-Nonnains , in Écouflant , under the patronage of Notre-Dame for the Benedictines , is wrongly dated to the year 1120 ; it is more certainly from the year 1189 , by the titles of lord of Briollay which the founder takes, and by all the circumstances of the text. The founder and patron granted him land and privileges in the parishes of Écouflant, Briollay and Saint-Silvain 11 . The second foundation, that of Bois-Renou, later calledAbbey of Perray-Neuf , was also made in 1189 , by Robert IV , in the presence of his mother and his wife, with the assistance for a third of Pierre de Brion . It will be discussed again, when Guillaume des Roches and Marguerite de Sablé , his wife, transfer it to Précigné ."
[https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_IV_de_Sabl%C3%A9]

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In Game:
Robert de Sablé was the Grand Master of the Knights Templars from 1190 until his death in 1191. He was also a lieutenant in King Richard I’s crusader army.

In 1191, Robert lead an expedition of his men into Solomon’s Temple beneath the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Their goal was to retrieve a Piece of Eden, the Apple, that was hidden there. However, the Templars were ambushed by a group of assassins consisting of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, Malik Al-Sayf, and Kadar Al-Sayf.

Altaïr approached Robert head on, ignoring the warnings of Malik, and attempted to assassinate him. Robert was able to thwart the assassination attempt and easily threw Altaïr through a wall, causing a minor rockslide that blocked the entrance with rubble. Afterward, Robert and his guards engaged the remaining Assassins, killed Kadar, and severely wounded Malik's left arm.

Despite this, Malik was able to steal the Apple, escape from Jerusalem, and return to Masyaf to give the artifact to the Mentor, Rashid ad-Din Sinan. Robert, however, was determined to get the Apple so he followed Malik’s blood trail back to the fortress and stormed the village. As a result of this, many of Masyaf's civilians and numerous Assassins were killed as a result.

Though the Assassins battled the invading Templars, they were eventually driven back into the safety of their fortress along with getting the civilians to safety. Arriving at the fortress gates on horseback, Robert demanded that they return the artifact to him, saying that it belonged to him. Al Mualim refused, insisting that Robert had no claim to the Apple. Robert rebuked him, claiming that he played a dangerous game and that the Templar forces could simply wait out the Assassins. The Mentor ignored this threat, and after the display of three Assassins leaping from the fortress' walls, he signaled Altaïr to activate a trap that caused several logs to tumble onto the Templar soldiers, killing many of them and scattering Robert's remaining men. With his forces severely diminished, Robert and the remaining Templars retreated from the town.

Robert managed to convince many Crusaders and Saracens to secretly defect to the Templars, promising them power in the "New World" they would create. Despite these promises, Altaïr, who had been demoted because of his failure at Solomon's Temple, was assigned to eliminate nine potent Templars, including Robert, in order to regain his lost rank and honor.

Altaïr managed to kill eight of the nine before returning to Jerusalem, where Robert was to attend the funeral of Majd Addin. After realizing that he would be the next target, however, Robert assigned his lieutenant, Maria Thorpe, to disguise herself in his image and attend the funeral in his place, as a trap for Altaïr. Meanwhile, Robert left to join the battlefield at Arsuf, alongside King Richard. Altaïr fell for the trap, though he was able to defeat Maria and learn of Robert's true whereabouts and intentions. Despite this, he spared Maria’s life and rode for Arsuf, still determined to take Robert's life.

At Arsuf, Robert attempted to convince King Richard I to ally with Saladin against the Assassins, who had taken out men important to both sides of the conflict.

However, Altaïr fought his way through Arsuf against Crusaders and Saracens alike, eventually arriving at the Crusader camp, where he met Richard and Robert. Altaïr attempted to convince Richard that the men he killed were secretly Templars and that Robert was going to rebel against Richard, though Robert defended himself by saying that the Assassins were masters of deception.Image
In Game:
Robert de Sablé was the Grand Master of the Knights Templars from 1190 until his death in 1191. He was also a lieutenant in King Richard I’s crusader army.

In 1191, Robert lead an expedition of his men into Solomon’s Temple beneath the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Their goal was to retrieve a Piece of Eden, the Apple, that was hidden there. However, the Templars were ambushed by a group of assassins consisting of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, Malik Al-Sayf, and Kadar Al-Sayf.

Altaïr approached Robert head on, ignoring the warnings of Malik, and attempted to assassinate him. Robert was able to thwart the assassination attempt and easily threw Altaïr through a wall, causing a minor rockslide that blocked the entrance with rubble. Afterward, Robert and his guards engaged the remaining Assassins, killed Kadar, and severely wounded Malik's left arm.

Despite this, Malik was able to steal the Apple, escape from Jerusalem, and return to Masyaf to give the artifact to the Mentor, Rashid ad-Din Sinan. Robert, however, was determined to get the Apple so he followed Malik’s blood trail back to the fortress and stormed the village. As a result of this, many of Masyaf's civilians and numerous Assassins were killed as a result.

Though the Assassins battled the invading Templars, they were eventually driven back into the safety of their fortress along with getting the civilians to safety. Arriving at the fortress gates on horseback, Robert demanded that they return the artifact to him, saying that it belonged to him. Al Mualim refused, insisting that Robert had no claim to the Apple. Robert rebuked him, claiming that he played a dangerous game and that the Templar forces could simply wait out the Assassins. The Mentor ignored this threat, and after the display of three Assassins leaping from the fortress' walls, he signaled Altaïr to activate a trap that caused several logs to tumble onto the Templar soldiers, killing many of them and scattering Robert's remaining men. With his forces severely diminished, Robert and the remaining Templars retreated from the town.

Robert managed to convince many Crusaders and Saracens to secretly defect to the Templars, promising them power in the "New World" they would create. Despite these promises, Altaïr, who had been demoted because of his failure at Solomon's Temple, was assigned to eliminate nine potent Templars, including Robert, in order to regain his lost rank and honor.

Altaïr managed to kill eight of the nine before returning to Jerusalem, where Robert was to attend the funeral of Majd Addin. After realizing that he would be the next target, however, Robert assigned his lieutenant, Maria Thorpe, to disguise herself in his image and attend the funeral in his place, as a trap for Altaïr. Meanwhile, Robert left to join the battlefield at Arsuf, alongside King Richard. Altaïr fell for the trap, though he was able to defeat Maria and learn of Robert's true whereabouts and intentions. Despite this, he spared Maria’s life and rode for Arsuf, still determined to take Robert's life.

At Arsuf, Robert attempted to convince King Richard I to ally with Saladin against the Assassins, who had taken out men important to both sides of the conflict.

However, Altaïr fought his way through Arsuf against Crusaders and Saracens alike, eventually arriving at the Crusader camp, where he met Richard and Robert. Altaïr attempted to convince Richard that the men he killed were secretly Templars and that Robert was going to rebel against Richard, though Robert defended himself by saying that the Assassins were masters of deception.