Please note that the memories and artwork contained herein are copyrighted 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

For those of you who know anything about history, a life as a Bavarian Templar sounds ludicrous, but that's what I was. Let me explain for those that don't know. About 1307 the Roman Catholic Church along with he King of France decided to screw over the Knights Templar because they both feared them. The King of France owed them a lot of money and the Roman Catholic Church was afraid of them because they were powerful and understood the true teachings of Jesus Christ more accurately, which gave them great power. the Roman Catholics didn't want to share this. Bavaria or Bayern as it is known in Europe has been a very Roman Catholic nation for hundreds of years; hence, the idea of being a Bavarian Templar is strange.

I was born sometime during the late 1400's approximately 1475. I was a bastard. Not necessarily in personality, but in birth. My parents were not legally married and nor did they ever get legally married. the reason behind this was that I was the child of two very high ranking nobles that fell in love as youths and were betrothed to marry other people. No marriage could be arranged for them because nobility really had no choice. It was all about politics and legal agreements. One of my parents was a Wittelsbach and the other was either an Austrian Habsburg or a very close relation to make me related to Emperor Maximilian I. I know was related to Emperor Max I and that I was also a Bavarian. the Bavarian part of the family took me in and had me trained from birth to become a knight. So I was what is called a Crown Knight. Crown Knights are those who earn their titles and owe allegiances to noble families.

My name was Gaelen. I had long straight blonde hair, pale complexion, and wore the blue and white diamond heraldry. I wore Gothic armor as my first suit and later had a Maximillian fluted set of armor. I do not currently know when I became a Templar, but I wore my Bavarian colors, which allowed me to roam freely throughout the countryside without raising any eyebrows. I have a few memories as Gaelen, which at first I had thought were two different lifetimes.

Memory #1

For each of the lifetimes that I have memories or impressions from, there have been images that have caught my attention and give me focus to remember. There are three images that have forced me to realized that I did live a life in the Renaissance time period. The time frame that I am refering to specifically is late 1400' to early 1500's. The three images were the dress worn by Olivia de Hussy? in Romeo and Juliet, drawings of German gothic armour, and an Italien Renaissance styled home. These images made me suspect and finally bring to the need to start asking questions of myself of who and what kind of man that I was. 

I knew that I loved an Italien noblewoman. She wore fine clothes and had a graceful educated quality. Her hair was dark and and her skin was a light complexion that was very even and pretty. I had the feeling that she had an older man in her life of which may not approve of me. This made me wonder if she may have been of higher social rank than I or maybe her father was unsure about me being a foreigner. Regardless of that, I did serve the household in which she lived.

I wore German Gothic armour, and I also believe strongly that I came from Bavaria otherwise known as Bayern. It is the southern most Germanic principality of the Holy Roman Empire. I also have the strong impression that at times I commanded men that were much like Landsknechts. Landsknechts are German mercenaries of the time that were highly valued. There was also a predecessor to them that were Swiss. I may have had Swiss and German mercenaries fighting under men.

Another friend who I had hired as a Landsknecht remembers being there in this dark hallway and getting me to safety. I had not realized that I had survived this encounter at first. This Landsknecht, who I also believe to be a Templar Knight continued to travel and fight with me.

I also recall having two Templar knight friends that I used to travel with. One was another crown knight from the kingdom of Wales and wore a red tabbard with three gold lions on his chest and the other was Johannes a Templar Knight, who wore the white tabbard with the red cross. My Welsh friend and I often had to save our friend Johannes due to his obvious status as the enemy of the Roman Catholic Church. Strange to think that the Roman catholic Church should be so worried about a Christian knight instead of the muslim hordes that were constantly attacking Austrian borders to the east. The Templars would have been very useful to protect Europe.

Memory #4

It's raining hard and it is cold and a heavy damp chill is in the air. The sky is completely grey with clouds and rain.

There are three of us. We are leaning up against a stone wall that is light grey. Everywhere else is green. Bright green like Washington State on a very rainy late spring afternoon. The grass is green. I can feel that water dripping down my face. I am cold yet I feel hot.

My right shoulder hits up against the stone wall as if I am attempting to get shelter from the rain, but it is of no avail. I also hear and feel my plate armour hit the stone. I am wearing plate armour with some chain mail. The men I am with are also wearing similar types of armour. They both appear to be knights.

The man that I can see who is helping me help the third man to safety is dark brown hair that is soaked with water. He is not wearing a helmet. And the chain mail coif is about his shoulders like a hood from a jacket. His hair is chin length. He has a beard. He looked concerned and tired. He wears a tabard/dolmater that is all red with a gold lion on it. It may be three gold lions. For some reason I cannot tell for certain. I just know that what is on his chest has something to do with a gold lion. Makes me think of the English heraldry.

My hair, I know is pulled back and much lighter in color than his.  I also have the impression that my skin color may be very pale, and that my eyes should be blue. I am wearing the blue and white diamond pattern tabard/dolmater, which makes me suspect that I am Bavarian.

I have no idea where we are. The stone wall makes me think of a ruin. I also feel like we are hiding from someone or something. The man between myself and the other knight has longer light colored hair that is very wet and tangled. Stringy and messy is my impression. He is sick or wounded. We are trying to save him or protect him.

The cold and damp is very strong in this memory. We are very well off knights too. Our armour is well polished and the gear we have is excellent unless this is our first time out, but I don't think so. I first had the impression of sitting in the rain under a white pavillion and being cold and wet. Why did we leave the encampment? My armour is comfortable, so I must wear it everyday, but the injured man is heavy and burdensome to carry.

I feel as if we are trying to hear for something or are waiting. We set the other man down. He has a white tabard/dolmater with the red crusaders cross on it. I feel like we are hiding him from someone. Why would we need to hide a crusading knight? We also crouch down and try to rest. The other man looks at me and kinda sighs and smiles and I return the look. I then look up and the sky is still light grey white and water falls into my eyes, but I can see that the wall that we are leaning against goes very high up. The terrain around the wall is very rocky and steep. It kinda reminds me of the Rhineland in Germany. I also half expect to see a large river like the Rhine because we are not in flat land but hilly terrain. The more I think about it, we are hiding this man. I feel like we hear yelling from somewhere. We both look at each other in silence and listen carefully to what is being said. It is more than just talk but yelling, like fighting. I hear the clanging of swords. I see diluted blood on my hands before me. I am not injured. I look up and over the edge of the wall is a body that is dripping blood. I point this out and almost instantly the other man and I pick up the third man and start to move him to another position. We hike down the side of the wall towards and area more densely filled with vegetation. I can see a body of water. Perhaps a lake or maybe a wide river. The undergrowth are is more sheltered by a heavy rocks that must be part of what is supporting the stone wall or fortress above. The spot is peaceful and secluded. We lay the third knight up against the heavy boulder that is darkened with moss. We both sit and wait.

Neither of us has said a word to each other. I wonder if we speak the same language. We are tired and want to rest..

Memory #5

Kampfraus... Does anyone remember working with Landsknechte in the 1500's and encountering their female Campfollowers called Kampfraus? (Landsknechte, for those who don't know were the premier mercenaries of the 1500's Europe.)

I was a Bavarian Knight. My name was Gaelen. I had really long straight blond hair. I used to wear the blue and white Bavarian colors all the time, which used to drive my two companions nuts because all three of us were Templars and Templars were illegal in Bavaria. One of my companions wore the Templar mantle while the third companion wore his old crown heraldry that was red with three gold lions on it, which was Welsch in origin. He was Welsch. Can't remember his name it was too complicated to say. The guy dressed in Templar colors was Johannes.

Well, as knights sometimes we hired mercenaries, and well these mercenaries came with a baggage train and the whole deal. And like most warriors we like to hang around the fire, tell stories, listen to music, and drink. I personally, never really wanted to get sexually involved with any of the Kampfrau because they smelled really bad and I was a pretty fussy about stuff like that. I still am. Well, apparently I got REALLY drunk. I woke up the next morning with three Kampfrau. I'm not sure how to put this in modern terms...hmmm...imagine you wake up and you smell like really badly spoiled food and it smells the worst on your favourite body part. I got up and grabbed my stuff and tromped down to the river. I stripped off all my clothes and started washing myself off. It was a nice quite morning along this river. I was lucky that the river had a shallow area that was calm. It must be late Spring or Summer because the temperature was comfortable. The water was a little cold, but well that was no big deal. I also rinsed off my basic undr garments like a shirt and hose and dumped them on some bushes nearby the waters edge. Now these Kampfraus were wondering why I went off in such a hurry. And they knew I didn't sleep with them. Kampfraus are like rowdy biker chicks that never take a bath.

They wanted to know why I would want to go into the water. I told them. They didn't like that. I told them they needed a bath. They didn't like that either. I ended up grabbing two of them and dragging them into the river. At first they really gave me a battle. By the end of it, they started liking the idea of taking a bath or maybe just having me do it was fun. If I recall correctly, they both cleaned up pretty good. I am probably lucky that I didn't get knifed, but they also knew that as a knight I wasn't going to hurt them unless they did something really bad to me. Landknechte on the other hand was a different kind of man.

I think from that time on the Kampfrau liked to tease me and they knew that I didn't pay women to sleep with me. And if they really wanted to sleep with me, they had to get cleaned up before even getting a chance. The Kampfrau did a wide range of duties for the Landsknechte and they charged for their services. Some cooked, some sewed clothes or made shoes or hats, some were actual wives, some were just there for sexual services, some sold items that they scavenged from the towns and battle fields the Landsknechte fought at. And yes, there were children and you had to keep you eye on them too. They were just like their parents.

Memory #6 Covered in Blood - A Gaelen Memory

- First flash is outside on horseback. It is daytme. After or before a rainstorm. There are dark blue grey clouds in the sky and there are trees and green shrubs, in a large clearing on horseback. I look at my hand. I have fresh blood all over my right hand. It is also all over my lower wrist guard. The metal is shiny and silver, but it has blood on it.

- Suddenly I am elsewhere. I am inside a large cathedral. The walls and floor are creme colored stone. It is daytime because natural light comes in through the windows. But the sun is not directly hitting the widows, which I suspect face south. I have a feeling it is afternoon. I first sense myself standing in the quiet grandness of the church. It is so quiet and calm. Then I look down at my armor. I am in full plate armor. It must be my Maximilian fluted armor.  Once again, I realize that I am covered in fresh blood from head to toe. Blood drips on the church floor. It is a Roman Catholic Church. There is blood on the church.

- This memory moves almost in slow motion. The pews are empty and I am looking for someone. I see the priest dressed in long black robes and I start towards him. My stride is hard and purposeful as I walk towards him, who is standing near the alter area. The stain glass windows vault up high along with many statues and there is a large cruxifix of Jesus up high on the wall. There are other box like structures below that I can't quite fathom.

- He seems to care not. Something happens and I think I grab a hold of the priest and either punch him or grab him and throw him upon the floor. I tell him to take a good look at me. I am covered in blood. He has done something. It is the reason why I am covered in blood. He is the reason why so much blood was split. He was the reason why so many died.  He is a coward. There are other warriors there with me. I tell them to take his robes off of him and wipe all the blood off of me with his garments. I reach back to touch my hair, which is wet with blood. My long blonde braid is soaked with blood and I squeeze the blood out and onto his garment.

- Now I am standing with this priest who is dressed in his blood soaked garments in front of the church up on the steps. People are gathering and I start to explain what this man has done and that he should have to remain in the garments covered in the blood that he caused to spill. At some point I am sick of this man's presence and I have said what was needed to be said. I walk down the steps and remount my white grey speckled horse. I lead my men and we ride down the cobbled road away from the church and out of town in a northerly direction.

- The blood that dripped off my armor should still stain the floor of that church to this very day. If it still stands.

I had thought that I had written this memory down, but I cannot find it.

Johannes and the Welsch Crown Knight remember me one day just simply clutching my chest while we were out somewhere and dying. I was about 50 years old, so I could have easily had a heart attack.

I recall strangely enough, my body laying in state in a large cathedral church with the high creamy white stone ceilings. I was wearing my Maximillian fluted armor and I had a wreath of greenery in my hair and my hands folded upon my chest with my sword. There were greens placed all around my body and white candles were lit. It was pretty cool. It was probably one of the best burials that I had ever had.

Early Morning Start

- Early morning. It is just before dawn.  The encampment is still asleep with only a few individuals walking about. The air is cool, crisp, and damp. The sky is cloudy with a few breaks of sky peaking through. We are encamped in a semi wooded area where trees, shrubs, and grasses are growing.

- The word goes around to get ready to leave. I see various men and women in brightly decorated clothing going about waking each and then rushing off to start packing up their gear. These people are known to history as Landsknechte. They are hired soldiers. They are quick to pack up their gear and be ready to move out. Most of them sleep in their clothing, so getting ready doesn't take long. There were times when I slept in my armour. One just didn't want to be caught off guard.

- Suddenly I find myself riding my horse. I had a big white horse with grey freckles here and there. We are riding down a rather narrow pathway. It's a dirt trail with shrubs and trees close along the edges. It would be a good place for an ambush if someone were stupid enough to try it. I don't think we had a full Fahnlein with us. We had at least 2 Rotte of Pikemen, 3 baggage wagons, 3 rotte of Dopplesoldner, a bunch of Kamfraus with a few children of various ages. We had fahndrichs and a Hauptman, and perhaps a canon crew. We did not have an Obrist and myself and my two knight companions acted as Obrist.

- We are moving rather quietly this morning. No musicians playing. And luckily the dust is not flying up on this narrow dirt path. We can probably thank the moist air and perhaps a light shower for the lack of dust in the air. There are a few scouts riding ahead of us. I look to my right and I can see my knight companion wearing his Templar colors bright and proudly. That would be Johannes. Stubborn to the core with shoulder length dark brown hair and strong facial features. He is a good knight and friend. To my left is the Welshman wearing his family colors of a red tabard with three lions or leopards across the chest. I don't remember his name. Perhaps it is too difficult for me to say. His hair is brown as well, but not as well groomed at Johannes. The Welsh don't bathe. But his is also a good brother knight and trusted companion. I would not trade either of the arguing lunkheads for anything.

- We have ridden many paths like this and sometimes we were alone and other times with a small or even large army with us. The sky is growing brighter, and we have gotten a good start this morning.

The baggage train  - A Gaelen Memory

- I keep getting flashes that flip back and forth between looking into one of the baggage train wagons and looking out from inside one of the wagons.

- Looking into the wagon I can see it is loaded with gear and I see a man, a knight, sleeping in the back of the wagon. At least I think he is sleeping.

- When I look out of the wagon from inside, I see my horse tied to the back of the wagon. I have this strange impression that from time to time we would take turns taking naps when it was safe to do so. Johannes, the Welshman, and I would take turns keeping watch at night when circumstances required it, and we would end up being tired the next day, so if the opportunity presented itself, we would take naps.

- I am lying on top of canvas, which I am assuming is for tents. I am in my armour lying on my back with my feet towards the back opening of the wagon. It appears to be a sunny afternoon. It's hard to fall asleep. The bumping and rocking of the wagon doesn't help, but I am tired and I finally fall asleep. I fall asleep only to be awoken by one of the Kampfraus. She's on top of me and has lifted my warskirt. I wake up surprised and a bit concerned about how tired I must be to not have noticed that she climbed into the wagon.

- I look at her funny. The Kampfraus know that I am picky about who I sleep with since I prefer women who bath. She tells me that she heard I had a nick name. She's fairly young and attractive. I can't really move since she is sitting on top of my legs and I am in a difficult position, so I guess she gets to test out my nickname. My nickname was Sweet and Creamy, so I will let you take a guess from there what she was up to.

Crossing the River

- While chatting with a friend, he brought up the fact that he remembering leading my horse across a river. This is the memory flash that I got from that conversation.

- This is a memory of being Gaelen, the Bavarian Templar Knight.

- I am riding on my horse. The big white horse with the grey freckles. It's about mid day to early afternoon. It is a sunny but a partly overcast day with light white fluffy clouds floating in the sky. From what I recall the air is comfortable. Not too hot and not too cold. There is a man leading my horse for me and he walks to the left of the horses head. I have no idea why I should need to have my horse led for me.

- We are crossing a flat wide river that is not very full. There are lot of round light grey river stones some of which are dry from lack of water. The deepest point in the river is 2 feet and the width is approximately 50 feet wide with gentle up sloping hillside in front of us that had a semi rugged terrain with rocks, shrubs and trees scattered about. And behind us on the other side of the river is a larger hillside or thick dark pine trees. It looks like a wall of dark green. That direction is south. The river at this spot is running east to west and we are riding across it at an angular fashion in a northwestward direction.

- To my right and back a little on horseback I sense that Johannes and the Welshman are riding. I think Johannes is riding a dark brown horse with a black mane. It's not as broad and large as my horse, but it is a fine animal. I can't seem to focus on the Welshman as well. I think he is further back and Johannes's red and white tabard sings out loudly in my mind. It's also a big hazard.

- I am still unsure as to why I should need someone to guide my horse across the river for me. I wonder if I am sick. I know that I suddenly died of a heart attack on a hillside during the morning hours and it may have been near a river. The terrain seems similar. I was about 45 to 50 years old when I died.

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