BLOG #24 Exploration of North America through the Ages

This is a rough list of historical points with links to reference URL pages that may be related to early exploration of North America. Remember to use the ctrl F command to search for words of interest.


1186BCE The seafaring skills of the ancient Pharaohs. Black Egyptians, under the guidance of King Ramses III, who reigned from 1186-1155 B. C., sailed to the Americas and settled there. http://namomagazine.com/is-columbus-the-first-voyager-to-the-new-world/ ; https://archaeology.make-known.com/researchers-found-evidence-that-the-ancient-egyptians-have-travelled-to-america-3000-years-ago/

Ship image from Queen Hatshepsut’s tomb 1,480 BCE (https://juliaherdman.com/2021/05/04/did-the-ancient-egyptians-go-to-sea/).

1500BCE - 332BCE Phoenicians sailing in the Mediterranean and beyond https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenician_Ship_Expedition

Phoenician sailing ship (https://exploration.marinersmuseum.org/watercraft/phoenician-ships/).

958BCE King Solomon’s Temple built (in Phoenician style) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon's_Temple 

587BCE	1st sacking of the Temple of Solomon by the Babylonians	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon's_Temple

350BCE	The Phoenicians, an ancient Semitic-speaking people of the Near East, were the finest sailors of the ancient world	http://namomagazine.com/is-columbus-the-first-voyager-to-the-new-world/

https://naval-encyclopedia.com/antique-ships/carthaginian-ships/

200BCE	Carthage falls to Rome	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Carthage_(Third_Punic_War)

70	Second Temple of Solomon sacked by Romans	


175	Antonine plague in Roman Empire might have promoted Christianity	https://cmdacanada.org/plagues-and-pandemics-a-proving-ground-for-christians/



750	The above scenarios show that it was possible to reach Oklahoma from Greenland, in 750, via ocean currents from western Greenland along the east coast of North America, and around Florida to the Gulf of Mexico, to the Runic Inscriptions in Oklahoma.	https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3864&context=etd


846	Vikings seige Paris	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Paris_(845)

http://www.southbaysail.com/the-longships.html


918	Rollo the Viking/Northman settles in Normandy, France. 	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rollo


982	Eric Thorvaldsson, who was also known as Erik the Red, was the first European to officially enter into the Western Hemisphere when he landed on the shores of Greenland.	https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3864&context=etd






986	Bjarne Herljulfsness reputed to find uninhabited timbered lands to the southwest of Greenland 	https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3864&context=etd






993	a cosmic radiation event, probably an enormous solar storm, 	https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/new-dating-method-shows-vikings-occupied-newfoundland-in-1021-ce-180978903/






999	Normans arrive in southern Italy/Sicily	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_conquest_of_southern_Italy






1003	Leif Ericsson (Eric the Reds son) and 35 men sail to North America to discover Helluland, Markland and Vinland	http://namomagazine.com/is-columbus-the-first-voyager-to-the-new-world/; https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3864&context=etd






1006	Super nova in Lupus observed in Egypt and Arabia on May 1st	https://www.ancientpages.com/2016/05/01/supernova-constellation-lupus/






1007	Thorvald Ericsson sails to North America	http://namomagazine.com/is-columbus-the-first-voyager-to-the-new-world/






1010	Thorfinn Karlsefni sails to North Amercia	https://www.facebook.com/AncientExplorers/photos/a.310897929011104/5408338395933673; http://namomagazine.com/is-columbus-the-first-voyager-to-the-new-world/






1021	Vikings overwinter in L’Anse aux Meadow	https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/new-dating-method-shows-vikings-occupied-newfoundland-in-1021-ce-180978903/; https://faculty.ucr.edu/~legneref/vikings/Viking Waterway.htm; https://blog.geogarage.com/2020/08/evidence-of-viking-outpost-found-in.html

A recreation of Viking structures at L’Anse aux Meadows Dylan Kereluk via Wikimedia Commons under CC by 2.0


1050	Ist runic inscription to mention Vinland	https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3864&context=etd



1066	“William the Conquerer, a Norman with links to the Vikings, had between 776 and 1000 ships at his disposal.”	https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/professions/education/the-longships/the-historical-sources/william-the-conquerors-ship-list

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/histories/1066-and-the-norman-conquest/how-to-organise-a-norman-invasion-fleet/

1096	1st Crusade begins	



1099	Birth of Godfrey of Bouillon, Duke of Lower Lorraine. Ancestor of Mary Queen of Scots, 1st King of Jerusalem	



1099	1st Crusade ends	



1099	Kingdom of Jerusalem established	



1103	Sigurd was king of Norway from 1103 to 1130, his rule is thought to have been 'a golden age' for the medieval Kingdom of Norway, he also was the first Scandinavian king to go on a crusade to the Holy Land. 	https://www.facebook.com/MedievalHistoryButWeLoveOtherErasToo/posts/pfbid02LNUn7f2HbuaFPiCknABC4i2LKrVX9HbdgYzYRG32XcEixsRT5pLhX89aFYSYjwual



1110	The Norwegian Crusade lasted from 1107 to 1110 and according to legend, the Norwegians won every battle they took part in. Sigurd and his men sailed from Norway in 1107 with sixty ships and perhaps around five thousand men, by autumn they had arrived in England remaining there until the spring of the following year. The Cistercians were the main force of technological diffusion in fields such as agriculture and hydraulic engineering.	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cistercians



1119	Knights Templar established in Jerusalem	https://electricscotland.com/history/Templari e Rosacroce vers. inglese definitivo.pdf

https://the-past.com/feature/the-battle-of-cerami-and-the-norman-conquest-of-sicily/

1121	Bishop Eric Gnupsson, sent by the Vatican to the New World	http://namomagazine.com/is-columbus-the-first-voyager-to-the-new-world/



1133	Ralph de Sudeley owner of Templar treasure born?	



1143	Cistercians build Nydala Abbey in Gotland in the former lands of the Vikings.	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nydala_Abbey



1145	2nd Crusade begins	



1152	Cistercians arrive in Gotland	https://ojs.abo.fi/ojs/index.php/ico/article/view/1701



1153	In 1153, the first King of Portugal, D. Afonso Henriques (Afonso, I), founded the Cistercian Alcobaça Monastery	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cistercians



1157	First king of Portugal, Alphonse Henriques (his uncle is Bernard of Clairvaux of Burgundy) gives lands in Sintra to the Knights Templar through Gualdim Pais,	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sintra



1160	Templars in Osimo, Italy	https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1416154/knights-templar-underground-caves-tunnels-found-osimo-catholic-military-order-spt



1164	Cistercians leave in Gotland???	https://ojs.abo.fi/ojs/index.php/ico/article/view/1701; https://ojs.abo.fi/ojs/index.php/ico/article/view/1701/2393



1164	Cistercians build Roma Abbey, Alvastra Abbey and Nydala Abbey on the Swedish mainland	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roma_Abbey



1171	Prince Madoc of Wales sails to North America	http://namomagazine.com/is-columbus-the-first-voyager-to-the-new-world/; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madoc



1177	Recovery armada of 6 Templar ships sail to North America to recover scrolls. Altamara was the navigator from Denmark	https://www.youtube.com/live/zbho7w0nQ64?feature=share&t=3056



1187	King of Jerusalem collapses	



1189	3rd Crusade begins	



1192	3rd Crusade ends	



1192	Richard the I sells Cyprus to Knights Templar	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyprus



1192	Kingdom of Jerusalem re-established	



1190	German Teutonic Knights established	https://ecommons.luc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3206&context=luc_theses



1200	population fo Scotland well below 500,000	https://www.historytoday.com/archive/portrait-britain-ad-1200



1200	Viking sagas written down	https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/new-dating-method-shows-vikings-occupied-newfoundland-in-1021-ce-180978903/



1290	start of Stone masons	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHpi6NwAykQ&t=1512s



1297	> William St. Clair, 6th Baron of Roslin (died 1297)	 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_St._Clair,_6th_Baron_of_Roslin)



1290	> Henry St Clair, 7th Baron of Roslin (13th Century) 	(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_St_Clair,_7th_Baron_of_Roslin)



1291	King of Jerusalem collapses	Battle of Acre



1300	Viking settlement on Baffin Island	https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/fired-arctic-archeologist-patricia-sutherland-seeks-access-to-research



1307	Templar “fleet” sails from New Rochelle with treasure.	https://www.history.co.uk/shows/lost-relics-of-the-knights-templar/articles/where-did-the-templar-treasure-go



1308	Chinon Parchment	Rome clears Templars of wrong doing



1312	dissolution of Templars	“The Templars had quite a fleet” in “Templars and rosicrucians. The inner and secret part of the Temple Order. The Brotherhood of the old Rose+Croix”



1314	Jacques de Molay burned at the stake	https://www.oakislandgold.com/more-on-sir-william.html



1316	Fréres Ainés de la Rose Croix met for the first time in London	https://electricscotland.com/history/Templari e Rosacroce vers. inglese definitivo.pdf



1319	King Denis of Portugal negotiated with Pope John XXII, for recognition of the new Military Order of Christ (Templars of Tomar) and its right to inherit the Templar assets and property. This was granted in a papal bull, Ad ea ex quibus, on 14 March 1319.[5]	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Order_of_Christ



1319	“Order of Christ, and its headquarters remained at Castro Marim from 1319-1356, at which point it was transferred to Tomar. Prince Henry the Navigator (1394-1460) is known to have stayed at this castle while he was Administrator of the Order of Christ. The castle was restored under D Manuel I (1495-1521) as a base for the Portuguese navy.”	https://www.portugalresident.com/castro-marim-the-original-home-of-the-knights-of-the-order-of-christ/



1330	Early in 1330, James Douglas, Lord of Douglas, set sail from Berwick upon Tweed, accompanied by seven other knights (which included William St Clair, 8th Baron of Roslin) with twenty esquires and gentlemen to deliver the heart of Robert the Bruce to the Holy Lands. William and John may have died at the Battle of Teba	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Douglas,_Lord_of_Douglas; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_St_Clair,_8th_Baron_of_Roslin; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Teba; https://www.rosslynchapel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/171_Rosslyn_Adult_Learning_Guide_The_Knights_Templar_revA.pdf



1330	> William St Clair, 8th Baron of Roslin (died 1330 or 1357 or 1379)	(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_St_Clair,_8th_Baron_of_Roslin)



1338	“In England, pensions were still being granted to twelve former Templars”	The Trial of the Templars by Malcolm Barber



1345	> Henry I Sinclair, Earl of Orkney (c. 1345 to c.1400)	 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_I_Sinclair,_Earl_of_Orkney)



1345	Henry Sinclair (voyager to North America) born	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_I_Sinclair,_Earl_of_Orkney



1350	Vikings abandon Greenland	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Greenland



1353	Margaret I of Denmark (Gotland) born



1355	the Norse Paul Knutson sails to North America - possibly leaving the Kensington Stone - sent by Magnus IV of Sweden	http://namomagazine.com/is-columbus-the-first-voyager-to-the-new-world/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Greenland



1356	“Order of Christ, and its headquarters remained at Castro Marim from 1319-1356, at which point it was transferred to Tomar.	https://www.portugalresident.com/castro-marim-the-original-home-of-the-knights-of-the-order-of-christ/



1362	“Henry (Sinclair) learned of the Kensington Expedition party either departing, or having already set sail by this time, for Vinland	https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3864&context=etd



1362	Kensington Rune Stone date	https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3864&context=etd



1365	“In 1365, Henry I joined the Crusade called for by Peter I, King of Cyprus, to conquer the Port of Alexandria in Egypt. If the Zeno Narrative is authentic, it was during this campaign that Henry first met Nicolo Zeno’s ancestors, who would later enter into his service and sail with him to North America.”	https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3864&context=etd; The Sinclair Saga



1365	“It is also during this time that Henry would have become exposed to the society of the Templar Order.”	https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3864&context=etd



1375	> Henry II Sinclair, Earl of Orkney ((c. 1375 – 1420)	(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_II_Sinclair,_Earl_of_Orkney)



1379	William St Clair, 8th Baron of Roslin dies. 	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_St_Clair,_8th_Baron_of_Roslin



1379	On 2 August 1379, at Marstrand, near Tønsberg, Norway, Haakon chose Sinclair over Sparre, investing Henry I Sinclair with the Jarldom or Earldom in the Peerage of Scotland. Henry I Sinclair became the Earl of Orkney which belonged to Norway because his mother was Isabella and was a daughter of the previous Earl of Orkney.	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_I_Sinclair,_Earl_of_Orkney



1390	Venetians Antonio and Nicolo Zena sailed to North and South America America	The Sinclair Saga



1394	Portuguese Henry the Navigator, Grand Master of the Military Order of Christ born	



1394	the Victual Brothers occupied the island of Gotland, Sweden, in 1394 	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victual_Brothers



1395	Zeno brothers sail to North America. Henry Sinclair was with them?	http://namomagazine.com/is-columbus-the-first-voyager-to-the-new-world/



1398	Antonio Zeno returns to Orkneys	The Sinclair Saga



1398	Was the fleet of a dozen ships that sailed with Prince Henry I Sinclair in 1398 part of the Templar fleet? 	https://www.oakislandmystery.com/the-mystery/popular-theories/the-knights-templar; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_I_Sinclair,_Earl_of_Orkney

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cog_%28ship%29

1398	“There are, oddly enough, no records that exist of Henry (I), in Orkney or Scotland, from 1398-99. It is, however recorded that Henry died in August, 1400, at Kirkwall in Orkney. An expedition journey could account for his absence from the records dated to this time	https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3864&context=etd



1398	Teutonic Knights take over Gotland	https://ecommons.luc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3206&context=luc_theses



1400	Prince Zichmni described in letters allegedly written around the year 1400 by the Zeno brothers of Venice, in which they describe a voyage throughout the North Atlantic under the command of Zichmni.[24]	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_I_Sinclair,_Earl_of_Orkney



1410	> William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness - builder of Rosslyn Chapel (1410–1480)	(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Sinclair,_1st_Earl_of_Caithness)



1420	Henry the Navigator gained appointment as the Grand Master of the Military Order of Christ, the Portuguese successor to the Knights Templar, which had its headquarters at Tomar in central Portugal.	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Henry_the_Navigator



1422	Henry VI gold coin in Southern Newfoundland and Labrador	https://www.abandonedspaces.com/news/medieval-coin-canada.html



1424	Portuguese fishing cod in Newfoundland	https://crossingtheoceansea.com/OceanSeaPages/OS-77-CorteReal.html

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10222950242766942



1425	Regius Poem - start of Freemasons	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemasonry



1446	Rosslyn Chapel built by Sinclair	https://www.rosslynchapel.com/



1477	Cortereal of Portugal sails to the Americas	http://namomagazine.com/is-columbus-the-first-voyager-to-the-new-world/



1479	Treaty of Alcáçovas gave Portugal the right to the Atlantic Ocean south of the Canary Islands	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Alcáçovas



1492	Columbus in the Caribbean under the Crown of Castile (Spain). He received maps and notes (from Zeno) through his father-in-law Bartolomeu Perestrello who sailed under the instructions of Prince Henry the Navigator to discover Madeira????	https://crossingtheoceansea.com/OceanSeaPages/OS-35b-AgeOfDiscovery.html

https://www.history.com/news/christopher-columbus-ships-caravels

1494	Treaty of Tordesillas signed giving Portugal Brazil and Spain the rest of the Americas	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Tordesillas



1496	John Cabot (Italian: Giovanni Caboto) makes first voyage across the Atlantic	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cabot#First_voyage



1497	John Cabot’s 2nd voyage	



1498	John Cabot’s final voyage	



1503	MacDonald dies, Wife get land in Edinburgh from King James IV of Scotland, builds Mary’s Chapel and first meeting of Freemasons	20:02 of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHpi6NwAykQ&t=42s



1520	Portuguese explorer, Estêvão Gomes, explored the coast and a group of Portuguese fishermen from the Azores created a fishing station here.	https://www.oakislandtours.ca/early-history.html



1527	Soon after, in 1527 during the Swedish Reformation, King Gustavus Vasa appropriated Nydala Abbey & Alvastra Abbey and confiscated its remaining valuables in accordance with the Reduction of Gustav I of Sweden.[	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nydala_Abbey; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvastra_Abbey



1531	During the Reformation, the abbey was disbanded and its lands on Gotland confiscated by the Danish Crown circa 1531 (as Gotland at the time belonged to Denmark)	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roma_Abbey



1534	Jacques Cartier’s first voyage to Acadia	



1542	Birth of Mary Queen of Scots	Jacques Cartier’s last voyage



	Oak Island symbol matches Portuguese church (Igreja de Fonte Arcada) symbol matches Cross of Lorraine	https://goo.gl/maps/yALweKbDuEM7q6Ti8; 4:00 of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjHY5_9C7o4



1559	Dr. Rodrigo Lopes was a Portuguese Sephardic Jew, reportedly a New Christian (forced convert), who moved to England in 1559. Lopes was accused during the Portuguese Inquisition of being a Marrano, one who practiced Judaism in secret. This forced him to relocate to England.  He was Antonio’s doctor when he was in Portugal. 	Lopes became the physician to the Queen and other important nobles like Sir Robert Dudley, Earl of Leiceister, Francis Walsingham and Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex and others. He also acted as Dom António’s interpreter and liaison after he arrived in England. 



1561	Francis Bacon born	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Bacon



1566	Cartographer, Bolongnini Zaltieri, gave the name "Larcadia" to an area that includes Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.  	https://www.oakislandtours.ca/early-history.html



1574	“Lord Torpogen” title given	12:25 of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHpi6NwAykQ&t=42s



1580	In a letter from the Spanish Ambassador to England, Bernadino de Mendoza, to King Phillip II of Spain dated, Aug. 15, 1580, it states, “a Portuguese named Juan Rodriguez de Souza, a man 32 years of age, a knight of the Order of Christ…comes from Dom António with letters for the Queen, the earl of Leicester, and Secretaries Walsingham and Wilson.” De Souza was Dom António’s emissary. At the time, the Azores had a large contingent of Knights of Christ that were loyal to Dom António. He had the connections in the Azores that would have made him very aware of Nova Scotia and any colony there. Records show that Dom António had a treasure and a mint in the Azores before the Spanish attacked in 1583. 	



1580	Around the same time, the Portuguese Azoreans withdrew from Nova Scotia claiming they could no longer protect their interests. 	



1582	Cardinal de Bourbon and Bellenger’s operation involved Anne de Batarnay de Joyeuse, known as Duc de Joyeuse. He was the favorite of King Henri III and part of a circle of young courtiers known as Les Mignons that surrounded the King.  Their exploits were controversial in France and were notorious for their behavior. King Henri III arranged Joyeuse's marriage to legitimize his favorite to the status of Duc de Joyeuse. He was given precedence over all other dukes and peers of France, except for princes of the blood. In addition, he was given more than 300,000 crowns in dowry, and the seigneury of Limours. In 1582, Joyeuse was made Grand Admiral de France and commander in the Order of the Holy Spirit. He was closely involved with Cardinal de Bourbon and directed activities involving New France	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_de_Bourbon_(cardinal)



1583	Aymar de Clermont de Chaste was the cousin of Duc de Joyeuse. De Chaste was a Knight of the Order of St. John Hospitallers/Malta in France. De Chaste commanded the French-Portuguese naval forces supporting António, Prior of Crato's attempt to defend the Azores from Spain in 1583. 	



1583	Antonio Prior of Crato, the claimant to the Portuguese throne from 1580 to 1583, had a treasure and mint that disappeared from the Azores and suspected to have went to Nova Scotia.  Dom António was a claimant to the Portuguese throne and was connected to the Knights of Christ and the Portuguese Azoreans.	Defeat of Antonio Prior of Crato in Portugal and he flees to England; https://youtu.be/2rK6VfBTbkU



1583	Batista Servigi to Walsingham. “I am extremely glad that the Queen (Elizabeth) intends, together with their most Christian Majesties, to assist the King of Portugal (Antonio Prior of Crato) in his just cause, assuring myself that we shall this year see some good issues thereof. —Angra.” 3/1583.	



1583	Batista Servigi to Walsingham, “In about ten days a fleet collected by Don Antonio is to depart. There will be in it about 2,000 armed men, furnished for a year with all sorts of munition and provisions. Its destination is not known, only that it is to go to sea, with seven or eight ships, great and small.”	Fleet sinks a few months later at Bordeaux during a storm.



1583	Stafford to Walsingham, “Yesterday one who means to be of Richelieu's (father of famous French Richelieu) embarkment was with me. They give out it is for Don Antonio, to fetch some treasure that is hidden. Two evenings ago Don Antonio very courteously came to see my wife and me, and if I had known this then, I would have asked him, but when these holydays [i.e. Christmas, new style] are past I will go and see him, and draw from him what I can.” 12/1583	https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/François_IV_du_Plessis_de_Richelieu



1583	Étienne Bellenger aided Antonio Prior of Crato by financing Phillip Strozzi’s forces in the Azores. Strozzi was a Knight of the Order of the Holy Spirt.  Bellenger, around the same time, explored Nova Scotia and, “proceeded to make a thorough survey of the coast, west-southwestwards from the cape, charting bays and harbours, rocks and islands, and sounding shallows and deeps. Some 50 to 60 leagues down the coast he noted the appearance of a large island, which he identified as the island of St. John…it is clear that to him it was what we know as the westerly part of Nova Scotia, divided from the “mainland” probably at Halifax harbour. He coasted down one side of what he eventually sketched as a triangular island, lying about 50 leagues east and west, that is to Cap de Sable, and then turned to enter “the great bay of that island”, … He planted marks of possession at the head of the bay by attaching the arms of Cardinal Bourbon to a tall tree…” Bellenger made a map for the powerful Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon.	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Étienne_Bellenger



1583	François du Plessis, Seigneur de Richelieu. François (1548-1590) was a page for Kings Francis II and Charles IX of France. He was the plenipotentiary, a diplomat with negotiating power, to King Henri III, and a Knight of the Order of the Holy Spirit. In the attached picture, he is wearing the cross of the order that is similar to the Knights of Malta Cross with a Dove that symbolizes the Holy Spirit. He is carrying a glove; which often symbolized a Freemason. He fought under Kings Henri III and Henri IV.  François’s brother in law, Amador de La Porte, was the Prior of the Order of St. John Hospitallers/Malta in France and was tutor to Cardinal Richelieu, after François’ death. Cardinal Richelieu was suspected of involvement with Oak Island.	https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/François_IV_du_Plessis_de_Richelieu



1584	March 25, 1584, Queen Elizabeth I of England granted a charter to Sir Walter Raleigh to search and discover ‘remote and heathen lands.’	https://www.oakislandgold.com/the-plymouth-connection.html



1585	After Bellenger returned to France, Richard Hakluyt soon contacted him. Hakluyt specialized in the writing of the English Colonization of North America. Between 1583 and 1588 he was chaplain and secretary to Sir Edward Stafford, the English ambassador at the French court. As mentioned, Stafford was sending coded messages to Sir Francis Walsingham recording the movements of Antonio Prior of Crato and his treasure. “In accordance with the instructions of Secretary Francis Walsingham, he occupied himself chiefly in collecting information of the Spanish and French movements, and "making diligent inquirie of such things as might yield any light unto our westerne discoveries in America." It’s clear that Hakluyt was collecting intelligence from Bellenger and it was transmitted to the English	

1587	Mary Queen of Scots dies	




1588	Dom António is that he was involved in the slave trade in Africa. In 1588, he along with the English Government signed the Guinea Charter possibly providing slaves for the development of Oak Island?	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Guinea



1589	In 1589, Dom António secretly signed several clauses that would turn Portugal into an English possession, if he were to retake the Portuguese throne. 	



1589	Queen Elizabeth sent the English Armada against Spain after the Spanish Armada failed to capture England. Sir Francis Drake was the commanding Admiral of the English Armada.  Robert Devereux, The Earl of Essex, was also part of this operation. He had become a close associate of Antonio’s according to several sources. The English Naval contingent consisted partly of the queen's ships, and partly of privateers who joined in search of booty and Dom António himself. Drake and the commander of the land forces, John Norris, had a plan of placing Dom António on the throne of Portugal after a decisive victory against the Spanish, but without the Queen’s permission.	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Armada



1590	Bernard Palissy was a French Huguenot potter and hydraulics engineer. He worked for Queen Catherine de Medici and King Henri III. He is famous for discovering principles of geology and hydrology.  Palissy's ideas of springs and underground waters were published in his Discours admirables, de la nature des eaux et fontaines, etc. (Paris, 1580). His application of hydraulics and delivering public water to cities, was far in advance of his time. Palissy described systems for acquiring or transporting water, and for ensuring its quality. He presented lectures in Paris that Francis Bacon attended while he was in France. Despite being protected by nobles in the French court like Madame de Guercheville, the grandmother of Francois de La Rochefoucauld, his fanatical outburst associated with the War of the Three Henrys led to him being sent to the Bastille. King Henri III offered Palissy his freedom if he would recant, but Palissy refused. He died in the Bastille in 1590. If ever there was a candidate for working with water systems on Oak island, Palissy would fit the profile perfectly.	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Palissy



1595	 António Crato dies in Paris in August 1595. 	



1598	Edict of Nantes	end of Huguenots in France



1599	Stonemasons get better organized -Shaw statues	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHpi6NwAykQ&t=1512s



1600	population of Scotland 800,000	



1600	Building of English or Spanish ship found in sight of Oak Island with silverware with stag on the handle. A lead cross, which is estimated to have been made somewhere between 1200 and 1600 AD	https://www.facebook.com/MiningNS/posts/pfbid02byacMaow8VpTeCzFs43HFxRxvWycZnBTb5azYpi9VuSDVAE2EWeJDppFRh71beTl



1600	Aymar de Clermont de Chaste  was the French ambassador to England during the last quarter of the 16th century. De Chaste was a friend of Gilbert Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury and Knight of the Garter. Talbot hosted a magnificent dinner in London for De Chaste in May 1600. Talbot’s father, George, was the keeper of Mary Queen of Scots until her execution. Talbot’s daughter, Lady Mary Talbot, married William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke. Herbert was known as the Grandmaster of English Freemasonry at the time and along with his brother Phillip, were the dedicatees of Shakespeare’s First Folio in 1623.	



1602	Aymar de Clermont de Chaste was appointed Viceroy of Canada by King Henri IV in 1602. Chaste controlled New France as lieutenant governor and formed the "Canada and Acadia Trading Company". This company established France as the leader of the North American fur trade.	



1603	Elizabeth I dies	



1603	Afterward, Aymar de Clermont de Chaste agreed to command an expedition to the Saint Lawrence River with his former officers Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons, François Gravé Du Pont, and Samuel de Champlain.	https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aymar_de_Chaste



1604	deChamplain arrives in Acadia	Sponsored by King Henry IV of France in support of a free and just society (de Champlain history book)



1605	Port Royal Habitation established	https://www.novascotia.com/see-do/attractions/port-royal-national-historic-site/1462



1607	Port Royal Habitation abandoned because trading rights expired	https://archives.novascotia.ca/habitation/



1610	Henry IV of France, supporter of Champlain dies	



1610	Jean de Biencourt de Poutrincourt, returned to Port Royal in 1610 and re-established the colony. 	https://archives.novascotia.ca/habitation/



1613	Disaster struck in 1613, however, when Captain Samuel Argall arrived with a raiding party from Virginia, looted the Habitation and burned it to the ground.	https://archives.novascotia.ca/habitation/



1616	Shakespeare’s death	



1618	King Charles of England sends Bacon and Thomas Howard (who owns land in N.B.) to Edinburgh for first stone mason meeting. Thomas Howard was 1st Grand Stone Mason	22:00 of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHpi6NwAykQ&t=42s



1620	Mayflower colony begins in America	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayflower; https://www.oakislandgold.com/the-plymouth-connection.html



1620	Knights Baronet established allowing the buying of knighthoods and land in N.S.	



1621	Transfer of land to William Alexander by James I of England/James IV of Scotland	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Alexander,_1st_Earl_of_Stirling



1621	N.S. Charter giving land to William Alexander	https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/ns/fortanne/culture/chartre-charter



1622	Al Strachan stole the wife and the treasure	44:00 of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHpi6NwAykQ&t=42s; https://www.oakislandgold.com/the-plymouth-connection.html



1622	Scots establish Fort Anne	https://annapolisroyal.com/visitors/history-timeline/



1623	New Ross and Oak Island established 	49:00 of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHpi6NwAykQ&t=42s



1623	Shakespeare’s First Folio published. Petter Amundsen’s work. Petter systematically showed that someone embedded the location of Oak Island in the First Folio of Shakespeare. 	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Folio



1624	William Alexander had a map drawn with Thomas Howard’s name on the map	



1626	Death of Francis Bacon	https://www.oakislandgold.com/the-plymouth-connection.html



1628	Annapolis Royal established by Scots	



1629	William Alexander’s son William Alexander arrives in N.S.	



1630	Charles de la Tour charter in “Lahave” extending up to Peggy’s Cove	



1632	end of failed N.S. effort  in Annapolis Royal by William Alexander	Knights Baronet settlement 



1632	Charles de Menou, Sieur d’Aulnay de Charnisay moves settlers from LaHave to Port Royal (Annapolis Royal), and the Acadian people begin to establish their roots.	https://annapolisroyal.com/visitors/history-timeline/



1634	1st Stone mason with Howard as Grand Master. with two initiates sons of William Alexander (Anthony Alexander was master of public works for Scotland), Sutty dean of all the guilds (descendant of Ralph Sutley who brought the Ark of the Covent back), and an initiate was Stranton who stole the treasure that was buried on Oak Island.	27:00 of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHpi6NwAykQ&t=42s



1639	Michel Boudrot arrived in Acadia before 1639, when he was already mentioned as a 'syndic' trustee in Port Royal.	https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Boudrot-14



1640	Death of William Alexander	https://www.oakislandgold.com/the-plymouth-connection.html



1707	population of Scotland 1,000,000	



1710	British tar pits on Oak Island	https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1781117&jwsource=cl



1720	Big secret British investments in Nova Scotia	https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1781117&jwsource=cl



1738	La Verendrye discover the village of white people - Mandan tribe - of North Dakata	



1750	Halifax founded	https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1781117&jwsource=cl



1755	population of Edinburgh 57,195	http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/1_edin/1_edinburgh_history_-_dates_population.htm



1755	Acadian expulsion begins	



1755	The Eath-Quake and Tsunami that hit Lisbon and destroyed many historical records	



1773	Land clearing Scots arrive on Hector in Pictou	



1795	Three teenagers “discover” the “Money Pit”	



		
1904	Building of the Initiation Well in Sintra	https://www.abandonedspaces.com/mansion/the-initiation-well-at-quinta-da-regaleira-near-sinta-portugal.html
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BLOG #23 – Evidence for Egyptian dark initiation sites in Templar Portugal.

Having written earlier on the strong possibility that the great Pyramid complexes of Ancient Egypt were used to initiate the Pharaohs (http://www.awhico.com/blog/2018/2/12/initiation-venues-in-ancient-egypt-pyramid-complexes), it is fascinating to travel through Portugal looking at Knight Templar sites and the presence of caves and darkened rooms in their constructions. 

Afonso Henriques the 1st king of Portugal played a key role in the Christian Reconquista in Portugal to push the Muslim Moors from the Iberian Peninsula. He departed from Coimbra with 250 of his best knights in the conquest of Santarém. His success there laid the basis for the conquest of Lisbon in 1147 where forces loyal to him pushed the Moors out of the Castle above Sintra. The castle surrendered voluntarily to Christian forces which included the newly formed Knights Templar. 

Figure 1. Author standing with a statue of Afonso Henriques, the 1st king of Portugal, at the Castelo de S. Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal. On his shield is a Templar Cross.

Soon after this victory, Afonso Henriques, donated various houses and estates in the center of Sintra to the master of the Knights Templar, Dom Gualdim Pais, between 1157 and 1158. 

They took over the Moorish Castle, the remains of which still sit on a hilltop overlooking Sintra. Its  commanding view of the coastal plain, ocean and entrance to the Targus River with its access to Lisbon and inland made it an important defensive site.

Figure 2. The Moorish Castle above Sintra, Portugal.

The Sintra area is littered with caves. In the centre of town beside the National Palace is an area with many caves under the existing cafes, bars and restaurants. Although they are now blocked off from access, they have been visited in the present time and continue to be surrounded by Templar icons in the ancient and modern constructions.

Figure 3. Modern day bar named for the underlying caves in downtown Sintra.

Dom Gualdim Pais founded the Castle of Tomar in 1160, then near the frontier with the Muslim states. Tomar is a small town 150 km/100 miles to the northwest of Sintra.  It would have been close to the front lines between the new Portuguese nation and the Muslims who still controlled the south below the Targus River and its tributaries. 

Figure 4. Castelo de Tomar above downtown Tomar, Portugal.

In 1190 Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur, an Almohad caliph, and his army attacked Tomar. However the knights and their 72-year-old leader, Gualdim Pais, kept them at bay. 


When the Templars were disbanded in 1312, King Denis of Portugal provided them refuge and welcomed them in 1319. To insulate them from prosecution by the Kings of Europe and the Pope in Rome, their name was changed to the Military Order of Christ/Ordem Militar de Cristo. 

At that time The Templars finished the church of Santa Maria de La Olivia on the east shore of the river. The Church is the resting place for many of the early Grand Masters. It has Templar iconography in its windows, carvings and statuary. There are rumours of a tunnel from the church to other sites in the area. 

Figure 5. Church Santa Maria do Olival and tower in Tomar.

Figure 6. Inside the Church Santa Maria do Olival with a 5-pointed star above the alter.

Figure 7. Inside the Church Santa Maria do Olival with one large floor stone that is not like the others.

One possible destination of the tunnels is to the Castle and Convento de Christo on a high bluff on the western shore. 


This was the Templar headquarters. The large site contains walls, towers, gardens, cloisters, rooms, kitchens, cisterns etc., everything needed to sustain a significant population. One of the most fascinating structures on the site is the Charola or Rotunda. It was built in the second half of the 12th Century by the Knights Templar. The present state of the room displays a dizzying collection of colour and light. But this is the result of work carried out by King Manuel I starting in 1499. This later Catholic remodeling leaves it as it is today and makes it almost impossible to imagine it as the Knights Templar would have created. 

Figure 8. The present state of the Charola/Rotunda inside the Convent of Christ showing its incredible structure and the colourful result of the latter renovations.

Originally the room was totally walled off. There were no windows and no decorations. It would have been totally dark in this massive space. Entrance to this Templar space was from the top, through some open spaces and down a staircase in the walls that ended in a doorway on the main level. It would have been built to be pitch black and difficult to access. This is an immense room. Deliberately built. A strong room for treasure would not need such an elegant structure. There is certainly no evidence of any Christian mass activity. What did they know and what did they do here? Just a mind blowing space. 

Figure 9. My incredible guide Helena standing by the original door providing the only access to the interior from the stairs hidden in the walls of the Charola/Rotunda.

Returning to Sintra and more recent Templar construction, the Quinta da Regaleira, Sintra. The land holding of this 4 hectare site reaches back to the original Templar holdings in the 12th Century. Its present state represents major work carried out around the 1900’s. Although relatively new, it embodies many fascinating features related to the Templar imagery.

Figure 10. Quinta da Regaleira seen from the Moorish Castle, Sintra. The coastal plain and ocean can be seen in the distance.

The most famous feature on the estate is the Initiation Well. Don’t be fooled by the “Imperfect Well”, that is just to mislead the uninformed. Entering the true well through a swinging rock “door” one enters a maze of stairs and caves. The stairs lead down, but there are several distracting side tunnels set to lead the visitor astray. 

Figure 11. Looking down the Initiation Well at Quinta da Regaleira, Sintra.

Much like an inverted tower, the end of the well is emblazoned with an eight point star and an image of the Templar Cross.

Figure 12. Stones at the bottom of the Initiation Well showing an 8-pointed star and the Templar Cross.

Once successfully at the bottom, the exit continues to be a challenge with misleading tunnels and a blocking waterfall. For the enlightened, it only requires a “walking on water” task to return to the fresh air. 

Figure 13. My knowledgable and passionate guide, Francisco, showing the stepping stones/walk on water task at the exit of the Initiation Well.

But this famous structure is one of many on the site - and not the only one that is cave-like in structure and experience. There is also the Labyrinth of Ibis. This feature can find its imagery back in the Ancient Egyptian god Thoth/Djeuti. He is the god of the moon, wisdom, writing, hieroglyphs, science, magic, art and judgment. He is the god who records the outcomes from the weighting of the heart - the final judgment of a person after death.

Figure 14. Egyptian scene of the weighing of the heart with Thoth standing on the right recording the decision (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egyptian_afterlife_beliefs#Judgment_of_the_dead).

The Labyrinth of Ibis is a tangle of underground caves that challenge the visitor’s sense of direction and being.

Figure 15. Inside the Labyrinth of Ibis.


Figure 16. Inside the Labyrinth of Ibis.

If one is able to make it through the cave maze, the reward is a view of the Shrine of Ibis.

Figure 17. The Shrine of Ibis at the exit of the Labyrinth.

I finish here returning to Egypt with a photo from a number of years ago. In the Great Pyramid of Giza, in the King’s Chamber, in the sarcophagus, I lie contemplating that Jesus Christ was born in a cave and spent three days in a cave before being reborn. Were the Templars attempting the same thing?

Figure 18. The author inside the Great Pyramid of Giza.

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