Eudes de Saint-Amand
Eudes (Odon) de Saint-Amand (d. Damascus, October 19, 1179), was the eighth Grand Master of the Knights Templar.
Biography
He belonged to a noble family from Limousin. He went very young to Palestine, because when he assumed leadership of the Templars, he had an important military career under his belt, since he had held the position of marshal of the kingdom and viscount of Jerusalem. The date of his entry into the Temple is unknown and he succeeded the short-lived Philippe de Milly at the head of the Order around 1171. Although he enjoyed a reputation as a man of sagacity and great courage, the chronicler William of Tire describes him as follows: "A mean, arrogant, arrogant man, who breathed only fury, without fear of God and without consideration for others... he died in misery, without anyone's pity."
As soon as he was elected, he opposed King Amalric I of Jerusalem by refusing to present the Templar Gantier du Mesnil to royal justice, guilty of having murdered an emissary of the Old Man of the Mountain. Their confrontation lasted until the death of the king, who was succeeded by the young and sick Baldwin IV. In 1177, Saladin launched a raid on Ashkelon with almost 20,000 men. At that point, Baldwin IV headed to meet them with just 3,000 infantry and 375 knights, of which 80 were Templars led by his leader. It is the Templars who are at the forefront and charge, running over the first lines of the Ayyubid sultan.
«The exterminating angel seemed to follow them in the fight.»
The Battle of Montgisard (November 18, 1177) was a great victory for the Christians achieved in part thanks to the impetus and fury of the Templar charge. However, the following year, while the army was building a strong on the Jordan River, was surprised by Saladin (battle of Jacob's Ford). While the knights disband, only the Templars resist, as do the Hospitallers, and they all succumb except for Eudes de Saint-Amand. The sultan wishes to exchange him for one of his nephews, a prisoner of the Order; but the Grand Master, who rejects the offer, responds: «I cannot authorize with my example the cowardice of my knights who would allow themselves to be captured in the hope of being rescued. A Templar must win or die, and he cannot give anything other than his dagger and his belt for his ransom."
Taken into captivity, he died in Damascus on October 19, 1179, which is confirmed by the Reims register.
| Predecessor: Philippe de Milly |  1171 - 1179 | Successor: Arnaldo de Torroja |