The king had been complaining in private of his suspicions about the Templars since at least the spring of 1305.3 Whether he truly believed the order was riddled with sexual misconduct and godless corruption was not—and still is not—certain. But he was definitely interested in the Templars’ wealth as a possible resource to boost his faltering economy and fund his foreign wars, and it pleased him to pose as the scourge of Church corruption.
