Bernard de Tremelay
Bernard de Tramelay (died
August 16,
1153) was the fourth Grand Master of the
Knights Templar.
He was born in the castle of Tramelay near
Saint-Claude in the
Jura. According to
Du Cange, he succeeded a certain Hugues as Master of the Temple, although this Hugues is otherwise unknown. He was elected Grand Master in June of
1151, after the abdication of
Everard des Barres, who had returned to
France following the
Second Crusade. King
Baldwin III of Jerusalem granted him the ruined city of
Gaza, which Bernard rebuilt for the Templars.
In 1153 the Templars participated in the
Battle of Ascalon, a fortress at that time controlled by
Egypt. 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, 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.
In a differing account by a
Damascene chronicler in the city, the breach of the wall is mentioned as a pre-cursor 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 during the fighting.
A few days later, Baldwin captured the fortress; shortly thereafter, the Templars elected
André de Montbard as their Grand Master.
*Battle of Ascalon: Malcolm Barber,
The New Knighthood, p. 74-75.
