Bernard de Tramelay (died 16 August 1153) was the fourth Grand Master of the

Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

. He was born in the castle of Tramelay near Saint-Claude in the Jura. According to

Du Cange Charles du Fresne, sieur du Cange (; December 18, 1610 in Amiens – October 23, 1688 in Paris, aged 77), also known simply as Charles Dufresne, was a distinguished French philologist and historian of the Middle Ages and Byzantium. Life Educate ...

, he succeeded a certain Hugues as Master of the Temple, although this Hugues is otherwise unknown. He was elected Grand Master in June 1151, after the abdication of

Everard des Barres Everard des Barres (also Eberhard von Barres or Eberhard De Bären) (died c.1176) was the third Grand Master of the Knights Templar from 1147 to 1152. Everard was Master of the Templars in France and accompanied Louis VII of France on the Sec ...

, who had returned to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

following the

Second Crusade The Second Crusade (1145–1149) was the second major crusade launched from Europe. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa in 1144 to the forces of Zengi. The county had been founded during the First Crusa ...

. King

Baldwin III of Jerusalem Baldwin III (1130 – 10 February 1163) was King of Jerusalem from 1143 to 1163. He was the eldest son of Melisende and Fulk of Jerusalem. He became king while still a child, and was at first overshadowed by his mother Melisende, whom he eventua ...

granted him the ruined city of Gaza, which Bernard rebuilt for the Templars. In 1153 the Templars participated in the

Battle of Ascalon The Battle of Ascalon took place on 12 August 1099 shortly after the capture of Jerusalem, and is often considered the last action of the First Crusade. The crusader army led by Godfrey of Bouillon defeated and drove off a Fatimid army, secur ...

, a fortress at that time controlled by

Fatimid Egypt The Fatimid Caliphate was an Ismaili Shi'a caliphate extant from the tenth to the twelfth centuries AD. Spanning a large area of North Africa, it ranged from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the east. The Fatimids, a d ...

. The Templars constructed a siege tower, which was burned down by the Egyptian soldiers inside Ascalon. The wind caught the flames and part of the walls of Ascalon burned down as well. According to

William of Tyre William of Tyre ( la, Willelmus Tyrensis; 113029 September 1186) was a medieval prelate and chronicler. As archbishop of Tyre, he is sometimes known as William II to distinguish him from his predecessor, William I, the Englishman, a former ...

, knights of the Order rushed through the breach without Baldwin's knowledge while Bernard prevented other crusaders from following, as he did not want to share the spoils of the city with the king. Bernard and about forty of his Templars were killed by the larger Egyptian garrison. Their bodies were displayed on the ramparts and their heads were sent to the sultan. Other more modern accounts say that William of Tyre's version may have been distorted, since it may have been based on the defensive accounts given by the army's commanders as to why they did not follow the Templars into the breach. In yet another differing account by a

Damascene Damascene may refer to: * Topics directly associated with the city of Damascus in Syria: ** A native or inhabitant of Damascus ** Damascus Arabic, the local dialect of Damascus ** Damascus steel, developed for swordmaking ** "Damascene moment", the ...

chronicler in the city, the breach of the wall is mentioned as a precursor to the fall of the city; he makes no mention of the incident with the Templars. Regardless of which account is believed, Bernard was killed and beheaded during the fighting. A few days later, Baldwin captured the fortress; shortly thereafter, the Templars elected

André de Montbard André de Montbard (5 November c. 1097 – 17 January 1156) was the fifth Grand Master of the Knights Templar and also one of the founders of the Order. The Montbard family came from the high nobility in Burgundy, and André was an uncle of St. ...

as their Grand Master.

Notes

Sources

*Battle of Ascalon: 1153 deaths Grand Masters of the Knights Templar Military personnel killed in action 12th-century French people Year of birth unknown {{France-mil-bio-stub