Priory de Sion

It was founded in 1090 by Godfroi de Bouillon.

Originally known as the Order of Sion or the Order of Our Lady of Sion, the society was said to have been behind the founding of the famous Knights Templar in 1118. The Templars were to act as the 'military wing' of the Priory of Sion. Until there was some form of schism between the two in 1188 - marked by an event known as the 'cutting of the elm' that took place at Gisors in France - after which the Priory and the Templars went in separate directions. The first independent Grand Master - or Nautonnier - of the Priory of Sion was Jean de Gisors, a Norman nobleman about whom little is known historically beyond his possession of Gisors and various estates in England. According to the Dossiers secrets, the purpose of the Priory of Sion was - and is - to protect, and to promote the interests of, the descendants of the Merovingian dynasty of Frankish kings. The Merovingians ruled over a large part of what is now France between the 5^th and 7^th centuries until they were deposed by the rival, Carolingian dynasty.

Historically, the Merovingian line is believed to have died out in the 7^th century, but the Dossiers secrets maintain that it survived, being protected by the Priory of Sion and a network of important families who knew the secret, to this day. Godfroi de Bouillon, the alleged founder of the Priory of Sion, is said to have been of Merovingian descent himself (although this claim is much disputed by historians and geneaologists). As one of their texts puts it: 'Without the Merovingians the Priory of Sion would not exist and without the Priory of Sion the Merovingian dynasty would be extinguished.' Marie de Saint-Clair was descended from Henry de Saint-Clair, Baron of Rosslyn in Scotland, who accompanied Godroi de Bouillon on the First Crusade. Marie's grandmother married into the French Chaumont family - as did Jean de Gisors. She was the 2nd grand master of the Priory of Sion. Guillaume de Gisors (1219-1307). Son of Hugues III de Gisors and grandson of Jean de Gisors. He was supposedly the third grand master of the Priory of Sion. Edouard de Bar (who died in 1336) is the grandson of Edward I "Longshanks" (King of England). He was the count of Bar and 4th grand master of the Priory of Sion. Jeanne de Bar is the grand daughter of Edward I "Longshanks" King of England and sister of Edouard de Bar. She was the 5th grand master of the Priory of Sion.

According to the genealogies in the "Prieuré" documents his sister married on Jean des Plantard and also state that Guillaume was inducted into the Order of the Ship and the Double Crescent in 1269. This order was created by Louis IX (Saint-Louis) for nobles who accompanied him on the ill-fated Sixth Crusade. Philip of Milly, also known as Philip of Nablus (c. 1120-April 3, 1171) was the seventh Grand Master of the Knights Templar. Philip was the son of Guy of Milly, a knight from Picardy who participated in the First Crusade, and his (possibly second) wife Stephanie of Flanders. Guy and Stephanie had three sons, all born in the Holy Land, of whom Philip was probably the oldest. He was first mentioned as Guy's son in 1138, and must have become lord of Nablus sometime between that date and 1144, when his name next appears. By this time he had also married his wife Isabella.

Gerard of Ridefort (died October 1, 1189) was Grand Master of the Knights Templar from 1184 until his death. He was the younger son of a Flemish lord, and, seeing no opportunity for success in Europe, joined the Second Crusade in 1146. After the failure of the crusade, he remained in the Holy Land, in the service of Raymond III of Tripoli. Raymond promised Lucia of Botrun to him, which would give him a valuable piece of land in the County of Tripoli, but Raymond later broke his promise when he was offered money by a Pisan merchant. Gerard then left Raymond's service and joined the Knights Templar. Around 1183 he became seneschal of the order, and in 1184 became Grand Master.

Alleged Members and or Grand Masters

Godfroi de Bouillon

Jean de Gisors

Guillaume de Gisors

Edouard de Bar

Jeanne de Bar

Marie de Saint-Clair

Philip of Milly

Gerard of Ridefort

Leonardo Da Vinci

Sir Isaac Newton

Robert Fludd