text: Greek

text: Tübingen

text: Stuttgart

text: Germany

text: Kavala

text: Athens

text: Minos EMI

text: Gela Mou

text: Esena Perimeno

text: songwriter

text: producer

text: Phoebus

text: Deka Endoles

text: Profities

text: Ipofero

text: Heaven Music

text: Gia

text: Gia

text: Billboard

text: Hot Dance Airplay

text: Stin Avli Tou Paradeisou

text: 10 Hronia Mazi

text: Allaxa

text: Arion Music Awards

text: World Music Award

text: Alpha TV

text: The Voice

text: The Voice of Greece

text: Gela Mou

text: Esena Perimeno

text: Deka Entoles

text: 10 Hronia Mazi

text: Profities

text: Ipofero

text: Richard Branson

text: Virgin

text: Gia

text: Cyprus

text: Lebanon

text: Thessaloniki

text: World Music Awards

text: Gia

text: Ante Gia

text: Gia

text: Gia

text: Ante Gia

text: "Gia & Ante Gia: Collector's Edition"

text: Despina Vandi Live

text: Gia

text: Gia

text: Come Along Now

text: Billboard Hot Dance Club Play

text: Hot Dance Airplay

text: Gia

text: Billboard

text: Billboard Charts

text: Gia

text: WKTU

text: KKDL

text: Gia

text: Music Week

text: Cyprus

text: Gia

text: Gia

text: Opa Opa

text: Atlantic City

text: Come Along Now

text: Hit FM

text: Top of the Pops

text: Armand Van Helden

text: Nick Skitz

text: Roger Sanchez

text: Junior Vasquez

text: Pete Tong

text: Bass Bumpers

text: XTM

text: Highpass

text: Gia

text: BBC Radio 1

text: Giorgos Mazonakis

text: Cyprus

text: Ukraine

text: Romania

text: Athens

text: Kalanta

text: Thelo

text: 10 Hronia Mazi

text: Vasilis Karras

text: Sehnsucht

text: electronica

text: Schiller

text: Destiny

text: Schiller

text: Beijing

text: Wei-Wei

text: samba

text: Daniela Mercury

text: Melbourne

text: Cyprus

text: 10 Hronia Mazi

text: Iparhi Zoi

text: Thessaloniki

text: Phoebus

text: Heaven Music

text: Heaven Music

text: Phoebus

text: The Spicy Effect

text: Thessaloniki

text: Heaven Music

text: Alpha TV

text: The Spicy Effect

text: Kommati Ap' Tin Kardia Sou

text: Hydra

text: Spicy's

text: Schiller

text: Sunday

text: MTV Unplugged

text: MTV Greece

text: Elli Kokkinou

text: Mou 'His Perasi

text: Phoebus

text: Messolonghi

text: Elli Kokkinou

text: Allaksa

text: C' est la vie"

text: Mou 'His Perasi

text: Skiathos

text: Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation

text: The Voice

text: Antonis Remos

text: Melina Aslanidou

text: Maria Elena Kyriakou

text: Dimitris Kontopoulos

text: Phoebus

text: Dimitris Kontopoulos

text: Kavala

text: psychology

text: University of Thessaloniki

text: Demis Nikolaidis

text: AEK

text: Kifissia

text: chauffeur

text: tanker truck

text: stitches

text: Gela Mou

text: Esena Perimeno

text: Deka Endoles

text: Profities

text: Gia

text: Despina Vandi Live

text: Stin Avli Tou Paradeisou

text: 10 Hronia Mazi

text: Allaksa

text: De Me Stamatises

text: Afti Ine I Diafora Mas

text: Number-one dance airplay hits of 2004 (U.S.)

text: Hot Dance Airplay

text: List of artists featured on MTV Unplugged

wikipedia_title: List of number-one dance airplay hits of 2004 (U.S.)

wikipedia_title: List of artists featured on MTV Unplugged

categories: People from Tübingen,MAD Video Music Awards winners,Greek television actresses,Greek laïko singers,Greek voice actresses,Heaven Music artists,People from Kavala,Greek Macedonians,Minos EMI artists,Ultra Records artists,Greek female singers,German people of Greek descent,The Spicy Effect artists,Greek dance musicians,Greek pop singers,Despina Vandi,Actresses from Athens,Living people,1969 births,Footballers' wives and girlfriends,Singers from Athens,Singers from Thessaloniki,Arion Music Awards winners

paragraph: Despina Vandi

paragraph: Despina Vandi (, ), born as Despina Malea () on 22 July 1969, is a Greek singer. Born in Tübingen near Stuttgart, Germany, Vandi's family returned to Kavala, Greece when she was six years old.

paragraph: After moving to Athens in the early 1990s, Vandi signed with Minos EMI and released two albums "Gela Mou" (1994) and "Esena Perimeno" (1996). She then began an exclusive collaboration with songwriter/producer Phoebus and struck commercial success with her third album, "Deka Endoles" (1997), followed by the multi-platinum "Profities" (1999), as she established a more "pop" stage performance style and image, becoming one of the most prominent portrayers of the laïko/pop genre.

paragraph: Her single "Ipofero" (2000) became the best-selling single of all-time in Greece. Following Phoebus' departure from Minos EMI, Vandi followed him to the newly formed independent label Heaven Music and released "Gia" (2001), which became and remains her biggest commercial success, as well as one of the best-selling albums of all time in Greece and Cyprus. Vandi also released the album abroad and the self-titled single "Gia", topping the US "Billboard" Hot Dance Airplay and making her the first Greek artist to top a "Billboard" chart. She returned with "Stin Avli Tou Paradeisou" (2004), which was certified multi-platinum and became her fourth album to achieve six-figure sales. In 2007 "10 Hronia Mazi", a ten-year celebration of her collaboration with Phoebus was released, followed by her eighth studio album "C'est La Vie". In 2012 she released the album "Allaxa", which was certified 2x platinum sales and has been her first double platinum record since 2005.

paragraph: Vandi has won three Arion Music Awards, ten MAD Video Music Awards, seven Pop Corn Music Awards, and a World Music Award, becoming the first Greek artist recording in Greece to ever win the award. On 14 March 2010, Alpha TV ranked Vandi the fourth top-certified Greek female artist in the nation's phonographic era (since 1960), with 11 records having been certified platinum or multi-platinum and three gold by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry of Greece. According to Heaven Music, as of 2007, Vandi has sold one million records in Greece. In the aftermath of her success, Vandi gained the title of the "queen" of Greek music.

paragraph: In the years 2013–2015 Vandi was one of the four artists/coaches participating in the Greek version of The Voice" called "The Voice of Greece". And she was one of the four artists/coaches in Rising Star in 2016.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:Early years ("Gela mou" & "Esena Perimeno" 1994–96).

paragraph: Vandi's first album was released in 1994 under the Minos EMI label, titled "Gela Mou" (Smile at Me). This album was distinguished by the self-titled song "Gela Mou", as long as by the song "Den iparhi tipota" and her duet "To Adieksodo" (No Way Out) with the popular and acclaimed singer Giannis Parios. Both songs were written by Vassilis Karras.

paragraph: In 1996, Vandi released her next album, "Esena Perimeno" (You're The One I'm Waiting For). Singles on this album include "Esena Perimeno", "Den Pethainei I Agapi", and "Efiges". Most of the songs were written by her friend and now musical director Tony Kontaxakis. Although a few of her first songs received some airplay, the first two albums themselves had mild success. Together the albums have sold under 30 thousand copies. A statement made by Vandi implied the combined album sales to be in the range of 10–27 thousand copies.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:Beginning of Phoebus era and breakthrough ("Deka Entoles" & "Profities" 1997–99).

paragraph: 1997 would be the year Vandi would make her breakthrough in mainstream Greek music as she teamed up with popular songwriter Phoebus. Phoebus wrote the songs of Vandi's next album, "Deka Entoles" (Ten Commandments), which was certified double platinum and sold 100,000 copies in Greece. Vandi's partnership with Phoebus would turn out to be one of the most notable in the Greek recording industry and they would continue to have commercial success for a decade and more (they celebrated their 10-year partnership with the release of 10 Hronia Mazi (10 Years Together)). With the success of "Deka Entoles" Vandi quickly became popular in the Greek music industry with a string of hits and popular appearances.

paragraph: In 1998 Vandi released the platinum cd-single "Spania", while later that year, she experimented with acting. She was asked to play a guest star role in the hit television show "Dio Xeni" (Two Strangers). Vandi accepted the role and made her first appearance on television. She played a singer of a local small city, who was able to change the sexuality of the main gay character. She managed to gain good reviews for her acting talent.

paragraph: Vandi's next album "Profities" (Prophecies) was released in 1999 and was certified gold the day of its release and platinum in 2 days. It eventually became triple platinum, selling 150 thousand copies. Big hits from the album were the songs: "Apapa", "To Giatriko", "To Koritsaki sou" and "Sta Dosa Ola". Later that year Vandi gave her first sold-out solo concert at the concert hall of Lycabettus with 7,000 people in attendance.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:Move to "Heaven music" and commercial peak ("Gia", 2000–01).

paragraph: In 2000, Despina Vandi released the single "Ipofero" (I Suffer). The single was certified six times platinum and was awarded as being the most successful single of all time in Greece, based on sales at the Virgin Megastores, which reached 150 thousand copies. An honorary award was given to her by Richard Branson of Virgin in London, England.

paragraph: In 2001 Despina Vandi and Phoebus signed in with Heaven Music, a new break-out record label, owned by the Antenna Group. Despina's following album "Gia" (2001), meaning "Hi" was a double album including 21 new songs. The album was certified 4x platinum in only 11 days and became one of the best-selling albums of all time in Greece. Many of the songs on the album became hits not only Greece, but also in neighboring countries such as Cyprus, Turkey and Lebanon. Shortly after, Vandi gave an open free concert in Thessaloniki singing in front of a crowd of more than 60,000 people.

paragraph: At the 2002 "World Music Awards", Vandi was awarded as the World's "Best Selling Greek Artist". It was the first time that this award was given to a Greek artist who actually lived and worked in Greece. For her acceptance speech, Vandi said ""Above all though, I would like to thank my Greek fans around the world. I dedicate this award to all the Greeks who have supported me with their love all these years and it is because of them that I find myself here at this moment.""

paragraph: Following the success of "Gia", Despina released a CD single titled "Ante Gia" (Goodbye) in 2002, with the title track being a remix of "Gia". The single achieved double platinum status. "Gia" and "Ante Gia" were then compiled and re-released as ""Gia & Ante Gia: Collector's Edition"", along with four previously unreleased remixes.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:"Live", International exposure and motherhood (2003–04).

paragraph: In 2003 the double album "Despina Vandi Live" was released, containing performances from the singers' concerts around Greece. The album included the greatest personal hits of her 9-year career in the Greek music industry (1994–2003), as long as many songs by other artists, covering a wide variety of genres (from rock-entehno to laïko and traditional Greek music). The album featured also two new songs: "Fevgoume Kardia mou" and "O, ti Oneirevomoun". It was certified platinum, selling more than 60,000 copies.

paragraph: On the meantime, with "Gia" having been certified multi-platinum in Greece and Cyprus, some of the songs broke out into the international market in neighboring countries. Seeing potential in an international career, she embarked on one in 2003.

paragraph: Her first three international singles, "Gia" (2003), "Opa Opa" (2004) and "Come Along Now" (2005) entered the charts around the world. Her first internationally distributed albums are named after the songs "Gia" and "Come Along Now". "Gia" and "Opa Opa" have both charted on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play and Hot Dance Airplay charts, with "Gia" reaching number 1 for 2 weeks on the latter and "Opa Opa" reaching number 3 on the Hot Dance Radio Airplay of "Billboard". Except for the Billboard Charts, "Gia" reaching number 1 at the biggest radio stations of USA, as WKTU, KKDL and WPYM. Also, "Gia" reached number 1 at the Club Charts of Music Week in Great Britain and became the number 1 dance song of the year in USA, Germany, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Italy, France, Spain, Turkey, Cyprus and Sweden. All three singles reached No. 1 on the Australian charts. The song "Gia" gave to her the award for the best dance artist for the year 2004 in Portugal and she makes a big concert for her European public. Except from "Gia", and the song "Opa Opa" reaching number 1 in Russia, Turkey and Australia. In the first days of October 2004 Despina Vandi makes four big concerts in New York, Atlantic City, Chicago and Toronto. All these concerts was sold out

paragraph: The song "Come Along Now" became the second best selling single in Russia and the biggest to audience radio station of Russia, Hit FM, awarded to her an honorary award in a special concert for her. Vandi also made an appearance on the hit international show "Top of the Pops" where she performed her song "Gia" as she was included in some of that week's best-selling popular music artists.

paragraph: Vandi's work has been remixed by celebrated global DJs and producers, such as Armand Van Helden, Milk & Sugar, Nick Skitz, Roger Sanchez, Junior Vasquez, Pete Tong, Bass Bumpers, DJ Gregory, Level K, XTM, Minimal Chic and Highpass amongst others. The albums "Gia" and "Opa Opa" have also been "Records of The Week" on BBC Radio 1's dance shows. At the end of August (2004) Despina performed live at the Beatstock Festival in New York.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:Comeback - "Stin Avli tou paradeisou" (2004–06).

paragraph: Vandi's next studio album was released at the end of 2004, titled "Stin Avli Tou Paradisou" (In The Garden of Paradise). Although it sold significantly less than "Gia", it reached double platinum status in 2005, becoming her fourth album to reach six figure sales

paragraph: The album was repackaged as a special edition and included 5 new songs, including the song "Amane", a duet with Giorgos Mazonakis. The actress Katiana Balanika guest stars in the song's music video along with Vandi and Mazonakis. The special edition of the album was released in Greece, Cyprus, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey. In Turkey the album reached number 2 of the Turkish charts and the Turkish newspaper "Hurriyet Daily News" named Despina Vandi as the Queen of Greek Pop. For the winter season 2005–06 Vandi performed at Rex with Giorgos Mazonakis. In July 2006, Despina gave a concert in the theater of Lycabettus in Athens singing many of her popular songs.

paragraph: Despina Vandi released the CD single "Kalanta" (Carols) in Greece on 22 November 2006, which reached double platinum status after two weeks from the release of the CD single. The videoclip of "Kalanta" was released on 19 December, soon followed by the video of her next hit single, "Mehri Mai Mina" (Till The Month Of May). Vandi and Mazonakis once again collaborated for the winter season 2006–07. She performed her last show at the Rex Music Theater on 18 February 2007 and it marked an end to her performances there for seven consecutive years. Due to her pregnancy, Vandi did not plan any summer concerts for 2007, and on 21 August 2007, she gave birth to her son, Giorgos.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:"10 Hronia Mazi" & "Destiny" (2007–2008).

paragraph: On 10 October 2007 (10/10) Vandi released her new single "Thelo" (I Want) simultaneously on all radio and TV stations across Greece at 10 am. It marked her 10-year anniversary of collaborating with Phoebus. The song reached the top of the Nielsen's Radio Airplay chart for Greece for six consecutive weeks. The second single from the album and the title track "10 Hronia Mazi" (10 Years Together), a rock ballad celebrating the 10-year collaboration with Phoebus, was released on 16 November 2007.

paragraph: The album "10 Hronia Mazi" was released 6 December 2007 on three discs featuring fifteen new songs. The album achieved platinum certification in the first week. It sold 30 thousand copies, becoming Vandi' s lowest selling album for over a decade.

paragraph: During the winter season 2007–08 Vandi collaborated with Vasilis Karras at Diogenis Studio.

paragraph: On 6 March 2008, Vandi released the third single from the album, titled "Agapi" (Love). The single was on the MAD TV Charts for six weeks with one week at number one. On 24 April 2008, the fourth single titled "Fantasou Apla" (Simply imagine) was released.

paragraph: Vandi was featured on the gold-certified album "Sehnsucht" by German electronica act Schiller, which was released in early 2008, providing vocals for the song "Destiny", composed by Phoebus. She performed the track with Schiller on 17 June 2008 at the MAD Video Music Awards 2008, where she won the category of "Best Female Artist" and also performed "I Gi Ki I Selini" (Earth and Moon).

paragraph: On 24 June 2008, the album " Deka Hronia Mazi" was repackaged with the title "", including the song "Destiny" by Schiller featuring Despina Vandi. Two more singles were released: "I Gi Ki I Selini" and "Tha Thela"; the music video for the first was her performance at the MAD Awards, while the video for the latter was the live performance of the song at the "Love Radio" party which took place on 12 May 2008.

paragraph: Vandi was involved in the Global One music project. She attended a recording session in Beijing with Chinese pop star Wei-Wei and Brazilian samba singer Daniela Mercury, while also attending the project's first official press conference. The project's goal, driven by international record producer Rob Hoffman, was to have one artist representing their country "Global One" songs in their native language, as well as in the English language, in efforts to pool together as many languages and cultures as possible to promote their artistry on a global level.

paragraph: In the end of 2008, Vandi began an international tour and on 10–12 October she performed three sold-out concerts in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide. She later performed in charity concerts in Cyprus, where she was awarded the platinum award for her album 10 Hronia Mazi in Cyprus, after she had already received the platinum certification for the sales of the album in Greece. On 15–24 May 2009, she performed in a five venue tour of the United States and Canada. Following her tour in America, she collaborated with Goin' Through for a lengthy tour throughout Greece.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:"Iparhi Zoi" (2009) & move to "The Spicy Effect".

paragraph: On 16 June, Vandi made a dynamic comeback, after a year's absence, with the pop-rock song Iparhi Zoi (There's still life). The song was written by Phoebus and it was presented on 24 June in the Mad Video Music Awards 2009. On 29 June, Despina gave the opening concert in Thessaloniki for the Long Hot Summer Tour. After 32 sold-out concerts the tour sold 150,000 tickets. With this tour Vandi broke the record for pre-sale tickets to the concert in the Olympia pre-selling 3,000 tickets. The tour was, also, the most successful tour of 2009.

paragraph: Following the departure of her songwriter and collaborator Phoebus from Heaven Music, Vandi officially announced on 2 November 2009, that she also has chosen to leave Heaven Music and signed in with the record label founded by Phoebus, called "The Spicy Effect".

paragraph: On 11 December, Vandi returned to the Greek nightlife, singing at club Politia in Thessaloniki alongside Goin' Through. On 12 December, Heaven Music, released the compilation "Despina Vandi – Greatest Hits 2001–2009". Vandi later performed at "Thalassa People's Stage" with the group "48 Ores". The show began on 15 April and lasted until July. Vandi later appeared on 14 March on "Chart Show", a show broadcast by Alpha TV where her certifications and sales figures were chronicled, ranking her in the 4th position among Greek female singers in the phonographic era.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:C'est La Vie (2010).

paragraph: In 2010 Vandi presented her new song, "Koritsi Prama", exclusively for the listeners who wοn VIP invitations from Dromos 89.8 FM radio. "Koritsi Prama, Part 1", was released on 22 March and was the lead single from her eighth studio album, "C' est la vie". The pop song written by Phoebus was the first release coordinated by The Spicy Effect label. The music video was filmed on 22 March at "Diogenis Studio". The song was the first half of a two-part work Vandi released "Koritsi Prama, Part 2", two months later, on 14 May 2010.

paragraph: The new album of Despina Vandi, called "C'est La Vie", was released on 13 June with "Real News" newspaper. It was her first album to be released along with a newspaper, following a popular tendency of the Greek musical industry, as an effort to deal with the reduction in the disc sales. The newspaper, along with the album, sold more than 100,000 copies. On the other hand, this release choice resulted in the album receiving no official certification of gold sales, for the first time for a Vandi album after her early releases at the first half of the 90's. On 14 June, Vandi performed live at the MAD Video Music Awards, presenting her new song ""Kommati Ap' Tin Kardia Sou"". The song was also the following single of the album "C'est La Vie" and was released on 7 June 2010. The video clip was released on 5 July 2010 and made positive impressions, revealing a "rock side" of Vandi. The third single of the album, ""Erota Theli I Zoi"", was released to radio stations on 13 September 2010. The music video, filmed on the Greek island of Hydra, was uploaded on 19 October 2010 on Spicy's YouTube Channel.

paragraph: Furthermore, the German band Schiller, who had worked with Vandi in the past, released a new song featuring her as vocals, called "Sunday" and included it in their album "Breathless", the international version of Schiller's album "Atemlos". The song was also included in the album "C'est La Vie".

paragraph: Vandi was also the first artist who took part in the "MTV Unplugged" concert series of the music channel MTV Greece. The concert took place in the theater "Hora" in Kypseli on 9 June. She later went on a tour around Greece, along with Elli Kokkinou. After the successful concerts all over the Greece, Vandi performed live on 31 October at HMV Forum of London. It was the first time for Vandi in London and it was also a sold out. After the concert, she appeared at the music scene VOX and after five months, the show finished on 6 March. On 14 June 2011 Despina Vandi appeared on Mad Video Music Awards 2011 and performed the song "Gi' Alli Mia Fora" (For one more time).

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:Allaksa (2012).

paragraph: On November 2011 a digital single was released by Vandi called "Mou 'His Perasi", as a promo to Despina's forthcoming album. The music was written by Gavrilis Mosas and the lyrics by Phoebus. The video clip, filmed in the area of the Messolonghi lagoon was also released the same month. The song's release was followed by another digital single taken from her 9th studio album, called Girismata. On late 2011 Vandi's appearances began at the nightclub FEVER along with Elli Kokkinou and Nikos Ikonomopoulos.

paragraph: On 2012 the album "Allaksa" was released, marking Vandi's return to a more laïko genre after the poorly received C' est la vie" album. Apart from Phoebus there is a collaboration with songwriters such as Eleni Giannatsoulia, Olga Vlahopoulou, Vangelis Kostantinidis and Gavrilis Mosas. The album was certified double-platinum sales and re-established Vandi's commercial success with multiple hits such as: "Mou 'His Perasi", "Girismata", "To asteri mou", "To nisi" (its videoclip was filmed in the island of Skiathos) and "Katalavaino".

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:Eurovision TV presenter - The Voice - De me stamatises (2013-15).

paragraph: Despina has been offered many times to represent Greece in Eurovision song contest but she never accepted. On 15 January 2013 the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) announced that it had reached an agreement with private music channel MAD TV to take on the organisation and production of a national final to select a song to represent Greece in the contest. Despina Vandi was selected to host the event along with actor Giorgos Kapoutzidis. It was the first time that a well-known singer hosted such an event. The following year, Vandi and Kapoutzidis hosted again the event, called "Eurosong 2014: a MAD Show".

paragraph: In 2013–2014 Vandi was one of the four artists/coaches participating in the Greek version of The Voice, along with Antonis Remos, Melina Aslanidou and Michalis Kouinelis. The winner of the show's first season, Maria Elena Kyriakou, was on Vandi's team.

paragraph: On the meantime Despina's digital single "Hano Esena" produced by Dimitris Kontopoulos was released on 2013, receiving positive reviews and remaining 10 weeks at the top of the airplay chart.

paragraph: In December 2014 Vandi released her new album 'De me stamatises' (including 10 tracks). It was the first album since 1997, in which none of the songs was written by her long-time producer Phoebus. Instead, she collaborated again with various songwriters, among them: Dimitris Kontopoulos, Eleni Giannatsoulia, Olga Vlahopoulou, Giorgos Sampanis, Nikos Moraitis and Vasilis Gavriilidis. The first three new singles "Kalimera", "Ola allazoun" and "Kane kati", were released right after her return to Heaven Music.

paragraph: Section::::Life and career.:Personal life.

paragraph: Although born in Germany, Vandi's family was from Kavala, Greece, where she and her family moved when she was six years old. As a result, she did not learn German, unlike the rest of her family. She has one older brother and an older sister. Living in a lower-middle-class family, her dream was to become either an actress or a singer but she always knew that she should have something more solid as a background so she went on to study psychology, philosophy, and education at the University of Thessaloniki. When she first began singing, she used the stage name of "Elli Mara" before adopting the "Vandi" moniker, to hide that she was singing from her parents.

paragraph: Despina Vandi is married to Demis Nikolaidis, ex-international soccer player and former president of AEK soccer club. She has a daughter named Melina who was born in February 2004 and a son named Giorgos who was born in August 2007.

paragraph: On 18 August 2008, Vandi was in a car accident on Kifissias Avenue in Kifissia, Greece. The car she was in, driven by her chauffeur, slipped on an oil slick that leaked from a tanker truck causing the car to crash into the truck ahead of her. After drivers helped pull her out of the vehicle, she was transported by ambulance to the general hospital in Athens. Vandi only suffered a cut to her head and got stitches.

paragraph: Section::::Discography.

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Gela Mou" (1994)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Esena Perimeno" (1996)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Deka Endoles" (1997)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Profities" (1999)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Gia" (2001)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Despina Vandi Live" (2003)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Stin Avli Tou Paradeisou" (2004)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "10 Hronia Mazi" (2007)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "C'est La Vie" (2010)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Allaksa" (2012)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "De Me Stamatises" (2014)

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Afti Ine I Diafora Mas" (2016)

paragraph: Section::::Tours.

paragraph: Section::::Tours.:Concert series.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Kypriaki Gonia (1992–93)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Avantage (1993)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Posidonio (1993–94)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Palais Royale (1994–95)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Club In (1995)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Athens Show Centre (1995–96)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Bio Bio (1996)

paragraph: BULLET::::- On the Rocks (1996)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Posidonio (1996–97)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Diogenis Pallas (1997)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Teatro (1997)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Rex (1997–98)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Pili Axiou (1998)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Ribas (1998)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Gazi (1998–99)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Teatro (1999)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Gazi (1999–2000)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Pili Axiou (2000)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Rex (2000–01)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Pili Axiou (2001)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Rex (2001–02)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Rex (2002–03)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Rex (2004–05)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Palai de sports (2005)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Pili Axiou (2005)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Rex (2005–06)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Boom (2006)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Rex (2006–07)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Boom (2007)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Diogenis Studio (2007–08)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Odeon (2008)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Politia Live Clubbing (2009–2010)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Thalassa: People's Stage (2010)

paragraph: BULLET::::- VOX (2010–2011)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Fever (2011–2012)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Posidonio (2012–2013)

paragraph: Section::::Tours.:Concert tours.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1999 Summer Tour

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2001 Summer Tour

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2002 Summer Tour

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2003 Summer Tour

paragraph: BULLET::::- North American Tour (2004)

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2005 Summer Tour

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2006 Summer Tour

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2008 Summer Tour

paragraph: BULLET::::- World Tour (2008–09)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Together Through Summer: Long Hot Summer Tour (2009)

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2010 Summer Tour

paragraph: Section::::See also.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Number-one dance airplay hits of 2004 (U.S.)

paragraph: BULLET::::- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. dance airplay chart

paragraph: BULLET::::- Hot Dance Airplay

paragraph: BULLET::::- List of artists featured on MTV Unplugged

paragraph: Section::::External links.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Official website

paragraph: BULLET::::- Official Despina–Phoebus collaboration website

description: Greek singer

wikidata_label: Despina Vandi

wikipedia_title: Despina Vandi


text: CBE

text: track and field

text: London Marathon

text: Georgetown

text: British Guiana

text: Rugby School

text: St John's College, Cambridge

text: Roger Bannister

text: Iffley Road Stadium

text: Oxford

text: Chris Chataway

text: 1956 Summer Olympics

text: Melbourne

text: steeplechase

text: Ernst Larsen

text: Norway

text: orienteering

text: The Observer

text: Tonight

text: London Marathon

text: Pentland Group

text: Shirley Brasher

text: CBE

text: Royal Scottish Geographical Society

text: Chaddleworth

text: pancreatic cancer

categories: Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain,British male middle-distance runners,British Guiana people,Sportspeople from Georgetown, Guyana,Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics,Guyanese people of British descent,English Olympic medallists,Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics,1928 births,Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge,Orienteering innovators,Athletes (track and field) at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games,British male steeplechase runners,Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field),English male journalists,People from Chaddleworth,2003 deaths,Orienteering in the United Kingdom,English male steeplechase runners,Athletes (track and field) at the 1952 Summer Olympics,Olympic athletes of Great Britain,Commonwealth Games competitors for England,English male middle-distance runners,Commanders of the Order of the British Empire,British sportswriters,British newspaper editors

paragraph: Chris Brasher

paragraph: Christopher William Brasher CBE (21 August 1928 – 28 February 2003) was a British track and field athlete, sports journalist and co-founder of the London Marathon.

paragraph: Section::::History.

paragraph: Born in Georgetown, British Guiana, Brasher went to Rugby School and then St John's College, Cambridge.

paragraph: On 6 May 1954, he acted as pacemaker for Roger Bannister when the latter ran the first sub-four-minute mile at Iffley Road Stadium in Oxford. Brasher paced Bannister for the first two laps, while his friend Chris Chataway paced the third. Two years later, at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Brasher finished first in the 3,000 metres steeplechase with a time of 8 minutes 41.2 seconds, but was disqualified for allegedly interfering with another runner, Ernst Larsen of Norway. The following day, after an investigation, he was reinstated as gold medallist. Brasher had been celebrating for several hours before the delayed medal ceremony, and later claimed to have been “the only Olympic champion to be totally and absolutely slaughtered when he received a medal”.

paragraph: He was one of the pioneers of orienteering in Britain and can claim the first public mention of the sport in an article in "The Observer" in 1957:

paragraph: He had distinguished careers in print journalism, as sports editor for "The Observer" newspaper, and in broadcasting, as a reporter for the "Tonight" programme.

paragraph: He founded Chris Brasher's Sporting Emporium in 1971; this later became Sweatshop. In 1978, he designed the innovative Brasher Boot – a walking boot with the comfort of a running shoe. In their time these were amongst the best products, but declined in quality, were merged with Berghaus under Pentland ownership in 2014, and were finally discontinued before 2017.

paragraph: In 1981 John Disley and Brasher founded the London Marathon. In 1983 he became the second president of the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races, an office which he held until 1987.

paragraph: Also in 1983 Brasher partnered with his longtime friend John Disley to found Fleetfoot Limited in Lancaster, England. Fleetfoot distributed The Brasher Boot and other sporting goods to retailers. Fleetfoot acquired the rights to be the UK distributor of Reebok and subsequently traded as Reebok UK before becoming a subsidiary of the Pentland Group in 1988.

paragraph: After the acquisition by Pentland, Brasher remained active in the company as chairman of the board. Reebok UK was sold to Reebok International in 1990 when Pentland Group sold its 55% ownership of Reebok United States and Reebok International.

paragraph: Brasher was married to tennis champion Shirley Brasher née Bloomer.

paragraph: Brasher was awarded the CBE in 1996. He was awarded the Royal Scottish Geographical Society's Livingstone Medal in 2002.

paragraph: In 2003, he died at his home in Chaddleworth, Berkshire, after struggling for several months against pancreatic cancer.

description: London marathon co-founder, athlete, journalist

wikidata_label: Chris Brasher

wikipedia_title: Chris Brasher


text: Grand Master

text: Knights Templar

text: Clement V

text: Holy Land

text: Crusades

text: Philip IV of France

text: burned upon a scaffold

text: island

text: Seine

text: Notre-Dame de Paris

text: Molay, Haute-Saône

text: County of Burgundy

text: Otto III

text: Holy Roman Empire

text: Franche-Comté

text: Beaune

text: Humbert de Pairaud

text: Visitor

text: Outremer

text: Fall of Acre

text: Cyprus

text: Kingdom of Jerusalem

text: Egyptian Mamluks

text: Thibaud Gaudin

text: Pope Boniface VIII

text: Edward I of England

text: James I of Aragon

text: Charles II of Naples

text: Knights Hospitaller

text: Montpellier

text: Arles

text: Henry II of Cyprus

text: Guillaume de Beaujeu

text: Cilician Armenia

text: Ilkhanate

text: Tortosa

text: Syria

text: Franco-Mongol alliance

text: attempting to conquer Syria themselves

text: Golden Horde

text: Battle of Wadi al-Khazandar

text: Henry II of Jerusalem

text: Amalric, Lord of Tyre

text: Ghazan

text: Famagusta

text: Rosetta

text: Alexandria

text: Acre

text: Tortosa

text: Maraclea

text: Ruad

text: Siege of Ruad

text: Pope Clement V

text: Hospitallers

text: Poitiers

text: All Saints Day

text: gastro-enteritis

text: Philip IV of France

text: Pope Boniface VIII

text: Pope Benedict XI

text: Guillaume de Nogaret

text: Poitiers

text: Fulk de Villaret

text: Rhodes

text: mass arrest

text: Catherine of Courtenay

text: Charles of Valois

text: Pope Boniface VIII

text: University of Paris

text: papal bull

text: Faciens misericordiam

text: ecumenical council

text: Vienne

text: Chinon

text: Council of Vienne

text: Henry Charles Lea

text: Barbara Frale

text: Vatican Secret Archives

text: Journal of Medieval History

text: Philip IV of France

text: absolution

text: Templar of Tyre

text: Mulay

text: Versailles

text: Nouvelle Biographie Universelle

text: Gaza

text: urban legend

text: raids through Palestine

text: Philip IV of France

text: Direct Capetian

text: House of Capet

text: Les Rois maudits

text: Maurice Druon

text: two French television miniseries

text: Henry Charles Lea

text: Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor

text: Beguines

text: Knights Templar

text: Freemasonry

text: Solomon's Temple

text: pseudohistory

text: Malcolm Barber

text: Temple of Solomon

text: "Knights Templar"

text: philanthropic

text: chivalric order

text: Ireland

text: Masonic Lodge

text: Supreme Being

text: additional Masonic Orders

text: Christian religion

text: DeMolay International

text: Kansas City

text: Demurger, Alain

text: Jacques de Molay's Site of Execution

categories: 14th-century French people,14th-century executions,1314 deaths,French Roman Catholics,Medieval French knights,Philip IV of France,People executed for heresy,13th-century French people,Executed French people,People from Haute-Saône,1240s births,People executed by France by burning,Grand Masters of the Knights Templar

paragraph: Jacques de Molay

paragraph: Jacques de Molay (; c. 1243 – 18 March 1314), also spelled "Molai", was the 23rd and last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, leading the Order from 20 April 1298 until it was dissolved by order of Pope Clement V in 1312. Though little is known of his actual life and deeds except for his last years as Grand Master, he is one of the best known Templars.

paragraph: Jacques de Molay's goal as Grand Master was to reform the Order, and adjust it to the situation in the Holy Land during the waning days of the Crusades. As European support for the Crusades had dwindled, other forces were at work which sought to disband the Order and claim the wealth of the Templars as their own. King Philip IV of France, deeply in debt to the Templars, had Molay and many other French Templars arrested in 1307 and tortured into making false confessions. When Molay later retracted his confession, Philip had him burned upon a scaffold on an island in the River Seine in front of Notre-Dame de Paris in March, 1314. Both the sudden end of the centuries-old order of Templars and the dramatic execution of its last leader turned Molay into a legendary figure.

paragraph: Section::::Youth.

paragraph: Little is known of his early years, but Jacques de Molay was probably born in Molay, Haute-Saône, in the County of Burgundy, at the time a territory ruled by Otto III as part of the Holy Roman Empire, and in modern times in the area of Franche-Comté, northeastern France. His birth year is not certain, but judging by statements made during the later trials, was probably around 1250. He was born, as most Templar knights were, into a family of minor or middle-ranking nobility. It is suggested that he was dubbed a knight at age 21 in 1265 and is known that he was executed in 1314, aged about 70. If correct, these dates lead to the belief that he was born about 1244.

paragraph: In 1265, as a young man, he was received into the Order of the Templars in a chapel at the Beaune House, by Humbert de Pairaud, the Visitor of France and England. Another prominent Templar in attendance was Amaury de la Roche, Templar Master of the province of France.

paragraph: Around 1270, Molay went to the East (Outremer), although little is recorded of his activities for the next twenty years.

paragraph: Section::::Grand Master.

paragraph: After the Fall of Acre to the Egyptian Mamluks in 1291, the Franks (a name used in the Levant for Catholic Europeans) who were able to do so retreated to the island of Cyprus. It became the headquarters of the dwindling Kingdom of Jerusalem, and the base of operations for any future military attempts by the Crusaders against the Egyptian Mamluks, who for their part were systematically conquering any last Crusader strongholds on the mainland. Templars in Cyprus included Jacques de Molay and Thibaud Gaudin, their 22nd Grand Master. During a meeting assembled on the island in the autumn of 1291, Molay spoke of reforming the Order and put himself forward as an alternative to the current Grand Master. Gaudin died around 1292 and, as there were no other serious contenders for the role at the time, Molay was soon elected. In spring 1293, he began a tour of the West to try to muster more support for a reconquest of the Holy Land. Developing relationships with European leaders such as Pope Boniface VIII, Edward I of England, James I of Aragon and Charles II of Naples, Molay's immediate goals were to strengthen the defence of Cyprus and rebuild the Templar forces. From his travels, he was able to secure authorization from some monarchs for the export of supplies to Cyprus, but could obtain no firm commitment for a new Crusade. There was talk of merging the Templars with one of the other military orders, the Knights Hospitaller. The Grand Masters of both orders opposed such a merger, but pressure increased from the Papacy.

paragraph: It is known that Molay held two general meetings of his order in southern France, at Montpellier in 1293 and at Arles in 1296, where he tried to make reforms. In the autumn of 1296, Molay was back in Cyprus to defend his Order against the interests of Henry II of Cyprus, which conflict had its roots back in the days of Guillaume de Beaujeu.

paragraph: From 1299 to 1303, Molay was engaged in planning and executing a new attack against the Mamluks. The plan was to coordinate actions between the Christian military orders, the King of Cyprus, the nobility of Cyprus, the forces of Cilician Armenia, and a new potential ally, the Mongols of the Ilkhanate (Persia), to oppose the Egyptian Mamluks and take back the coastal city of Tortosa in Syria.

paragraph: For generations, there had been communications between the Mongols and Europeans towards the possibility of forging a Franco-Mongol alliance against the Mamluks, but without success. The Mongols had been repeatedly attempting to conquer Syria themselves, each time either being forced back by the Egyptian Mamluks or having to retreat because of a civil war within the Mongol Empire, such as having to defend from attacks from the Mongol Golden Horde to the north. In 1299, the Ilkhanate again attempted to conquer Syria, having some preliminary success against the Mamluks in the Battle of Wadi al-Khazandar in December 1299. In 1300, Molay and other forces from Cyprus put together a small fleet of sixteen ships which committed raids along the Egyptian and Syrian coasts. The force was commanded by King Henry II of Jerusalem, the king of Cyprus, accompanied by his brother, Amalric, Lord of Tyre, and the heads of the military orders, with the ambassador of the Mongol leader Ghazan also in attendance. The ships left Famagusta on 20 July 1300, and under the leadership of Admiral Baudouin de Picquigny, raided the coasts of Egypt and Syria: Rosetta, Alexandria, Acre, Tortosa and Maraclea, before returning to Cyprus.

paragraph: The Cypriots then prepared for an attack on Tortosa in late 1300, sending a joint force to a staging area on the island of Ruad, from which raids were launched on the mainland. The intent was to establish a Templar bridgehead to await assistance from Ghazan's Mongols, but the Mongols failed to appear in 1300. The same happened in 1301 and 1302, and the island was finally lost in the Siege of Ruad on 26 September 1302, eliminating the Crusaders' last foothold near the mainland.

paragraph: Following the loss of Ruad, Molay abandoned the tactic of small advance forces, and instead put his energies into trying to raise support for a new major Crusade, as well as strengthening Templar authority in Cyprus. When a power struggle erupted between King Henry II and his brother Amalric, the Templars supported Amalric, who took the crown and had his brother exiled in 1306. Meanwhile, pressure increased in Europe that the Templars should be merged with the other military orders, perhaps all placed under the authority of one king, and that individual should become the new King of Jerusalem when it was conquered.

paragraph: Section::::Grand Master.:Travel to France.

paragraph: In 1305, the newly elected Pope Clement V asked the leaders of the military orders for their opinions concerning a new crusade and the merging of their orders. Molay was asked to write memoranda on each of the issues, which he did during the summer of 1306. Molay was opposed to the merger, believing instead that having separate military orders was a stronger position, as the missions of each order were somewhat different. He was also of the belief that if there were to be a new crusade, it needed to be a large one, as the smaller attempts were not effective.

paragraph: On 6 June, the leaders of both the Templars and the Hospitallers were officially asked to come to the Papal offices in Poitiers to discuss these matters, with the date of the meeting scheduled as All Saints Day in 1306, though it later had to be postponed due to the Pope's illness with gastro-enteritis. Molay left Cyprus on 15 October, arriving in France in late 1306 or early 1307; however, the meeting was again delayed until late May due to the Pope's illness.

paragraph: King Philip IV of France, deeply in debt to the Templars, was in favor of merging the Orders under his own command, thereby making himself "Rex Bellator", or War King. Molay, however, rejected the idea. Philip was already at odds with the papacy, trying to tax the clergy, and had been attempting to assert his own authority as higher than that of the Pope. For this, one of Clement's predecessors, Pope Boniface VIII, had attempted to have Philip excommunicated, but Philip then had Boniface abducted and charged with heresy. The elderly Boniface was rescued, but then died of shock shortly thereafter. His successor Pope Benedict XI did not last long, dying in less than a year, possibly poisoned via Philip's councillor Guillaume de Nogaret. It took a year to choose the next Pope, the Frenchman Clement V, who was also under strong pressure to bend to Philip's will. Clement moved the Papacy from Italy to Poitiers, France, where Philip continued to assert more dominance over the Papacy and the Templars.

paragraph: The Grand Master of the Hospitallers, Fulk de Villaret, was also delayed in his travel to France, as he was engaged with a battle at Rhodes. He did not arrive until late summer, so while waiting for his arrival, Molay met the Pope to discuss other matters, one of which was the charges by one or more ousted Templars who had made accusations of impropriety in the Templars' initiation ceremony. Molay had already spoken with the king in Paris on 24 June 1307 about the accusations against his order and was partially reassured. Returning to Poitiers, Molay asked the Pope to set up an inquiry to quickly clear the Order of the rumours and accusations surrounding it, and the Pope convened an inquiry on 24 August.

paragraph: Section::::Arrest and charges.

paragraph: There were five initial charges lodged against the Templars. The first was renunciation of and spitting on the cross during initiation into the Order. The second was the stripping of the man to be initiated and the thrice kissing of that man by the preceptor on the navel, posterior and mouth. The third was telling the neophyte (novice) that unnatural lust was lawful and indulged in commonly. The fourth was that the cord worn by the neophyte day and night was consecrated by wrapping it around an idol in the form of a human head with a great beard, and that this idol was adored in all chapters. The fifth was that the priests of the order did not consecrate the host in celebrating Mass. Subsequently, the charges would be increased and would become, according to the procedures, lists of articles 86 to 127[3] in which will be added a few other charges, such as the prohibition to priests who do not belong to the order.

paragraph: On 14 September, Philip took advantage of the rumors and inquiry to begin his move against the Templars, sending out a secret order to his agents in all parts of France to implement a mass arrest of all Templars at dawn on 13 October. Philip wanted the Templars arrested and their possessions confiscated to incorporate their wealth into the Royal Treasury and to be free of the enormous debt he owed the Templar Order. Molay was in Paris on 12 October, where he was a pallbearer at the funeral of Catherine of Courtenay, wife of Count Charles of Valois, and sister-in-law of King Philip. In a dawn raid on Friday, 13 October 1307, Molay and sixty of his Templar brother knights were arrested. Philip then had the Templars charged with heresy and many other trumped-up charges, most of which were identical to the charges which had previously been leveled by Philip's agents against Pope Boniface VIII.

paragraph: During forced interrogation by royal agents at the University of Paris on 24, or 25 October, Molay confessed that the Templar initiation ritual included "denying Christ and trampling on the Cross". He was also forced to write a letter asking every Templar to admit to these acts. Under pressure from Philip IV, Pope Clement V ordered the arrest of all the Templars throughout Christendom.

paragraph: The pope still wanted to hear Molay's side of the story, and dispatched two cardinals to Paris in December 1307. In front of the cardinals, Molay retracted his earlier confessions. A power struggle ensued between the king and the pope, which was settled in August 1308 when they agreed to split the convictions. Through the papal bull "Faciens misericordiam", the procedure to prosecute the Templars was set out on a duality, whereby one commission would judge individuals of the Order and a different commission would judge the Order as a whole. Pope Clement called for an ecumenical council to meet in Vienne in 1310 to decide the future of the Templars. In the meantime, the Order's dignitaries, among them Molay, were to be judged by the pope.

paragraph: In the royal palace at Chinon, Molay was again questioned by the cardinals, but this time with royal agents present, and he returned to his forced admissions made in 1307. In November 1309, the Papal Commission for the Kingdom of France began its own hearings, during which Molay again recanted, stating that he did not acknowledge the accusations brought against his order.

paragraph: Any further opposition by the Templars was effectively broken when Philip used the previously forced confessions to sentence 54 Templars to be burnt at the stake on 10–12 May 1310.

paragraph: The council which had been called by the Pope for 1310 was delayed for a further two years due to the length of the trials, but was finally convened in 1312. On 22 March 1312, at the Council of Vienne, the Order of the Knights Templar was abolished by papal decree.

paragraph: Section::::Death.

paragraph: Of Molay's death, Henry Charles Lea gives this account:

paragraph: Section::::Death.:Chinon Parchment.

paragraph: In September 2001, Barbara Frale found a copy of the Chinon Parchment in the Vatican Secret Archives, a document which explicitly confirms that in 1308 Pope Clement V absolved Jacques de Molay and other leaders of the Order including Geoffroi de Charney and Hugues de Pairaud. She published her findings in the "Journal of Medieval History" in 2004. Another Chinon parchment dated 20 August 1308 addressed to Philip IV of France, well-known to historians, stated that absolution had been granted to all those Templars that had confessed to heresy "and restored them to the Sacraments and to the unity of the Church".

paragraph: Section::::Legends.

paragraph: The sudden arrest of the Templars, the conflicting stories about confessions, and the dramatic deaths by burning, generated many stories and legends about both the Order, and its last Grand Master.

paragraph: Section::::Legends.:Conquest of Jerusalem.

paragraph: In France in the 19th century, false stories circulated that Molay had captured Jerusalem in 1300. These rumors are probably related to the fact that the medieval historian the Templar of Tyre wrote about a Mongol general named "Mulay" who occupied Syria and Palestine for a few months in early 1300. The Mongol Mulay and the Templar Molay were entirely different people, but some historians regularly confused the two.

paragraph: The confusion was enhanced in 1805, when the French playwright and historian François Raynouard made claims that Jerusalem had been captured by the Mongols, with Molay in command of one of the Mongol divisions. ""In 1299, the Grand-Master was with his knights at the recapture of Jerusalem."" This story of wishful thinking was so popular in France that in 1846 a large-scale painting was created by Claude Jacquand, titled "Molay Prend Jerusalem, 1299" ("Molay Takes Jerusalem, 1299"), which depicts the supposed event. Today the painting hangs in the Hall of the Crusades in the French national museum of Versailles.

paragraph: In the 1861 edition of the French encyclopedia, the "Nouvelle Biographie Universelle", it even lists Molay as a Mongol commander in its "Molay" article:

paragraph: Modern historians, however, state that the truth of the matter is this: There are indeed numerous ancient records of Mongol raids and occupations of Jerusalem (from Western, Armenian, or Arab sources), and in 1300 the Mongols did achieve a brief victory in Syria which caused a Muslim retreat, and allowed the Mongols to launch raids into the Levant as far as Gaza for a period of a few months. During that year, rumors flew through Europe that the Mongols had recaptured Jerusalem and were going to return the city to the Europeans. However, this was only an urban legend, as the only activities that the Mongols had even engaged in were some minor raids through Palestine, which may or may not have even passed through Jerusalem itself. Regardless of what the Mongols may or may not have done, there is no evidence that Molay was ever a Mongol commander, and he probably never set foot in Jerusalem.

paragraph: Section::::Legends.:Historical origin of "Inquisition" charge.

paragraph: As stated above, of the five original accusations made against the Knights Templars one was the "worshipping of an idol of a man with a long beard". It specifically states: ""... The cord which the Templars wore over the shirt day and night as a symbol of chastity had been consecrated by wrapping it around an idol in the form of a human head with a great beard, and this head was adored in the chapters ..."" The image was never found. It never mentions the image to be of Molay.

paragraph: Section::::Legends.:Curse.

paragraph: It has been claimed that Jacques de Molay cursed King Philip IV of France and his descendants from his execution pyre. However, the story of the shouted curse appears to be a combination of words by a different Templar, and those of Molay. An eyewitness to the execution stated that Molay had shown no sign of fear and had told those present that God would avenge their deaths. Another variation on this story was told by the contemporary chronicler Ferretto of Vicenza, who applied the idea to a Neapolitan Templar brought before Clement V, whom he denounced for his injustice. Some time later, as he was about to be executed, he appealed "from this your heinous judgement to the living and true God, who is in Heaven", warning the Pope that, within a year and a day, he and Philip IV would be obliged to answer for their crimes in God's presence.

paragraph: In the event Philip and Clement V both died within a year of Molay's execution: Clement finally succumbing to a long illness on 20 April 1314, and Philip dying due to a stroke while hunting. Then followed the rapid succession of the last Direct Capetian kings of France between 1314 and 1328, the three sons and a grandson of Philip IV. Within fourteen years of the death of Molay, the 300-year-old House of Capet collapsed. This series of events forms the basis of "Les Rois maudits" ("The Accursed Kings"), a series of historical novels written by Maurice Druon between 1955 and 1977, which was also adapted into two French television miniseries in 1972 and 2005.

paragraph: The American historian Henry Charles Lea wrote: "Even in distant Germany Philippe's death was spoken of as a retribution for his destruction of the Templars, and Clement was described as shedding tears of remorse on his death-bed for three great crimes, the poisoning of Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor, and the ruin of the Templars and Beguines".

paragraph: Section::::Legends.:Freemasonry.

paragraph: Some 400 years after the death of de Molay and the dissolution of the Knights Templar, the fraternal order of Freemasonry began to emerge in northern Europe. The Masons developed an elaborate mythos about their Order, and some claimed heritage from entities in history, ranging from the mystique of the Templars to the builders of Solomon's Temple. The stories of the Templars' secret initiation ceremonies also proved a tempting source for Masonic writers who were creating new works of pseudohistory. As described by modern historian Malcolm Barber in "The New Knighthood": "It was during the 1760s that German masons introduced a specific Templar connection, claiming that the Order, through its occupation of the Temple of Solomon, had been the repository of secret wisdom and magical powers, which James of Molay had handed down to his successor before his execution and of which the eighteenth-century Freemasons were the direct heirs."

paragraph: The modern Masonic "Knights Templar" is an international philanthropic and chivalric order affiliated with Freemasonry, and begun in Ireland perhaps as long ago as 1780. Unlike the initial degrees conferred in a Masonic Lodge, which only require a belief in a Supreme Being regardless of religious affiliation, the Knights Templar is one of several additional Masonic Orders in which membership is open only to Freemasons who profess a belief in the Christian religion. The full title of this Order is "The United Religious, Military and Masonic Orders of the Temple and of St John of Jerusalem, Palestine, Rhodes and Malta".

paragraph: The story of de Molay's brave defiance of his inquisitors has been incorporated in various forms into Masonic lore; most notably in the form of a youth group for young men aged 12 to 21, sponsored by Freemasonry, and named after the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar. DeMolay International, also known as "The Order of DeMolay," was founded in Kansas City in 1919 by Freemason Frank S. Land. Similar to what happens in Freemasonry, new members are ceremoniously initiated using "degrees" that are part of the Order's secret ritual, authored, in the case of the Order of DeMolay's ritual, by Frank A. Marshall at founder Land's request in 1919. The first, and less dramatic, of the two degrees is called "the Initiatory Degree", wherein initiates are escorted around the meeting room and instructed in the precepts and "Seven Cardinal Virtues" of the Order. The second of the two degrees, known as "the DeMolay Degree," which, along with the Initiatory Degree, members and observers are sworn to keep secret, dramatically recreates the trial, "before a Commission in its Council Chamber," of the historic characters named in the ritual as "Jacques DeMolay and his three preceptors, Geoffroi de Charney, Godfrey de Goneville, and Hughes de Peralde." The DeMolay Degree, in which players dress in robes and other period costume, and appear on a dimly-lit stage whereupon they dramatically deliver memorized lines prescribed in the ritual, is described therein as depicting "the tragic climax in the career of Jacques DeMolay, the hero and martyr who is the exemplar of our Order." The stage instructions include that "[t]he foremost point to be remembered is to portray Jacques DeMolay as the hero and to select an interpretation for the DeMolay Degree which will enhance the lessons of fidelity and toleration." The drama concludes with the commission condemning the four to life imprisonment; however, according to the ritual, "so incensed was the king at the noble defiance and defense of DeMolay and Geoffroi de Charney that he overrode the Commission’s verdict and hurried DeMolay and de Charney to the stake on an island near the Cathedral, where they were barbarously burned."

paragraph: Section::::Sources.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Demurger, Alain (2004). "The Last Templar - The Tragedy of Jacques de Molay, Last Grand Master of the Temple" (Translated into English by Antonia Nevill), Profile Books LTD, (First publication in France in 2002 as "Jacques de Molay: le crépuscule des templiers" by Éditions Payot & Rivages).

paragraph: BULLET::::- Frale, Barbara (2009), "The Templars - The secret history revealed", Maverick House Publishers, .

paragraph: Section::::Further reading.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Archivio Segreto Vaticano (2007), "Processus Contra Templarios" (Prosecution Against the Templars), .

paragraph: Section::::External links.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Jacques de Molay's Site of Execution

paragraph: BULLET::::- Jacques de Molay in Medieval History of Navarre

paragraph: BULLET::::- DeMolay International, a Freemason-sponsored youth group

description: Grand Master of the Knights Templar

enwikiquote_title: Jacques de Molay

wikidata_label: Jacques de Molay

wikipedia_title: Jacques de Molay


text: ajaw

text: Maya

text: Palenque

text: pre-Columbian

text: Mesoamerican chronology

text: fourth-longest verified regnal period

text: sarcophagus

text: pseudoarchaeological

text: Maya inscriptions

text: shield

text: Classic Maya language

text: regnal number

text: Janahb Pakal

text: ajaw

text: Kʼinich Janaab Pakal II

text: Janaab Pakal III

text: Palenque

text: Kaan

text: Sak Kʼukʼ

text: Uxteʼkʼuh

text: Toktahn dynasty

text: Maya civilization

text: Piedras Negras

text: Ahiin Chan Ahk

text: Pomona

text: El Olvidado

text: Kʼinich Kan Bahlam II

text: stepped pyramid

text: Temple of the Inscriptions

text: Alberto Ruz Lhuillier

text: Maya mythology

text: Epigraphers

text: Maya calendar

text: Maya art

text: world tree

text: Tonsured maize god

text: Linda Schele

text: ancient astronaut

text: Erich von Däniken

text: Chariots of the Gods?

text: Copán

text: Project Mercury

text: extraterrestrial

text: pseudoarchaeology

text: José Argüelles

text: Votan

text: in 2012

text: Daniel Pinchbeck

categories: 7th-century monarchs in North America,Rulers of Palenque,603 births,683 deaths

paragraph: Kʼinich Janaabʼ Pakal

paragraph: Kʼinich Janaab Pakal I (, also known as Pacal, Pacal the Great, 8 Ahau and Sun Shield (March 603 – August 683), was "ajaw" of the Maya city-state of Palenque in the Late Classic period of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican chronology. He acceded to the throne in July 615 and ruled until his death. During a reign of 68 years—the fourth-longest verified regnal period of any sovereign monarch in history, the longest in world history for more than a millennium, and still the longest in the history of the Americas—Pakal was responsible for the construction or extension of some of Palenque's most notable surviving inscriptions and monumental architecture. Pakal is perhaps best-known in popular culture for his depiction on the carved lid of his sarcophagus, which has become the subject of pseudoarchaeological speculations.

paragraph: Section::::Name.

paragraph: Before his name was securely deciphered from extant Maya inscriptions, this ruler had been known by an assortment of nicknames and approximations, including Pakal or Pacal, Sun Shield, 8 Ahau, and (familiarly) as Pacal the Great. The word "pakal" means "shield" in the Classic Maya language.

paragraph: In modern sources his name is also sometimes appended with a regnal number, to distinguish him from other rulers with this name, that either preceded or followed him in the dynastic lineage of Palenque. Confusingly, he has at times been referred to as "either" "Pakal I" or "Pakal II". Reference to him as Pakal II alludes to his maternal grandfather (who died c.612) also being named Janahb Pakal. However, although his grandfather was a personage of "ajaw" ranking, he does not himself appear to have been a king. When instead the name Pakal I is used, this serves to distinguish him from two later known successors to the Palenque rulership, Kʼinich Janaab Pakal II (ruled c. 742) and Janaab Pakal III, the last-known Palenque ruler (ruled c.799).

paragraph: Section::::Early life.

paragraph: Kʼinich Janaab Pakal I was born on 9.8.9.13.0 - March 603. This was a particularly violent time in the history of Palenque; two years later, in 605, Palenque was attacked by the Mayan state of Kaan, and a new ruler was instated. Then again Kaan sacked Palenque when he was eight and nine (in 610 and 611). Pakal ascended the throne at age 12 and lived to the age of 80. He was preceded as ruler of Palenque by his mother, Lady Sak Kʼukʼ as the Palenque dynasty seems to have had Queens only when there was no eligible male heir; Sak Kʼukʼ transferred rulership to her son upon his official maturity.

paragraph: In 626 Pakal married Ix Tzʼakbu Ajaw who was born in Uxteʼkʼuh. Tzʼakbu Ajaw was a descendant of the Toktahn dynasty, the original dynasty of Palenque.

paragraph: Section::::Reign.

paragraph: Pakal expanded Palenque's power in the western part of the Maya states and initiated a building program at his capital that produced some of Maya civilization's finest art and architecture.

paragraph: In 628, one of Pakal's officials ("aj kʼuhuun"), was captured by Piedras Negras. Six days later Nuun Ujol Chaak, ajaw of Santa Elena, was captured and taken to Palenque. Santa Elena became a tributary of Palenque. Having been appointed ajaw at the age of twelve, Pakal's mother was a regent to him. Over the years she slowly ceded power until she died in September 640. In 659 Pakal captured six prisoners, One of them, Ahiin Chan Ahk, was from Pipaʼ, generally associated with Pomona. In 663 Pakal killed another lord of Pipaʼ. At this time he also captured six people from Santa Elena.

paragraph: In 647 Kʼinich Janaab Pakal began his first construction project (he was 44 at the time). The first project was a temple called El Olvidado, sometimes called the forgotten temple because it's far away from Lakamhaʼ. Of all Pakal's construction projects, perhaps the most accomplished is the Palace of Palenque. The building was already in existence, but Pakal made it much larger than it was. Pakal started his construction by adding monument rooms onto the old level of the building. He then constructed Building E, called "Sak Nuk Naah" "White Skin House" in Classic Maya for its white coat of paint rather than the red used elsewhere in the palace. The east court of the palace is a ceremonial area marking military triumphs. Houses B and C were built in 661 and house A in 668. House A is covered with frescos of prisoners captured in 662.

paragraph: The monuments and text associated with Kʼinich Janaab Pakal I are: Oval Palace Tablet, Hieroglyphic Stairway, House C texts, Subterranean Thrones and Tableritos, Olvidado piers and sarcophagus texts.

paragraph: After his death, Pakal was deified and was said to communicate with his descendants. He was succeeded by his son, Kʼinich Kan Bahlam II.

paragraph: Section::::Burial.

paragraph: Pakal was buried in a colossal sarcophagus in the largest of Palenque's stepped pyramid structures, the building called "Bʼolon Yej Teʼ Naah" "House of the Nine Sharpened Spears" in Classic Maya and now known as the Temple of the Inscriptions. Though Palenque had been examined by archaeologists before, the secret to opening his tomb — closed off by a stone slab with stone plugs in the holes, which had until then escaped the attention of archaeologists—was discovered by Mexican archaeologist Alberto Ruz Lhuillier in 1948. It took four years to clear the rubble from the stairway leading down to Pakal's tomb, but it was finally uncovered in 1952. His skeletal remains were still lying in his coffin, wearing a jade mask and bead necklaces, surrounded by sculptures and stucco reliefs depicting the ruler's transition to divinity and figures from Maya mythology. Traces of pigment show that these were once colorfully painted, common of much Maya sculpture at the time.

paragraph: Whether the bones in the tomb are really those of Pakal is under debate because analysis of the wear on the skeleton's teeth places the age of the owner at death as 40 years younger than Pakal would have been at his death. Epigraphers insist that the inscriptions on the tomb indicate that it is indeed Kʼinich Janaabʼ Pakal entombed within, and that he died at the age of 80 after ruling for around 70 years. Some contest that the glyphs refer to two people with the same name or that an unusual method for recording time was used, but other experts in the field say that allowing for such possibilities would go against everything else that is known about the Maya calendar and records of events. The most commonly accepted explanation for the irregularity is that Pakal, being an aristocrat, had access to softer, less abrasive food than the average person so that his teeth naturally acquired less wear.

paragraph: An underground water tunnel was found under the Temple of Inscriptions in 2016. Later on, a mask of Pakal was discovered in August 2018.

paragraph: The large carved stone sarcophagus lid in the Temple of Inscriptions is a unique piece of Classic Maya art. Iconographically, however, it is closely related to the large wall panels of the temples of the Cross and the Foliated Cross centered on world trees. Around the edges of the lid is a band with cosmological signs, including those for sun, moon, and star, as well as the heads of six named noblemen of varying rank. The central image is that of a cruciform world tree. Beneath Pakal is one of the heads of a celestial two-headed serpent viewed frontally. Both the king and the serpent head on which he seems to rest are framed by the open jaws of a funerary serpent, a common iconographic device for signalling entrance into, or residence in, the realm(s) of the dead. The king himself wears the attributes of the Tonsured maize god - in particular a turtle ornament on the breast - and is shown in a peculiar posture that may denote rebirth. Interpretation of the lid has raised controversy. Linda Schele saw Pakal falling down the Milky Way into the southern horizon.

paragraph: Section::::Iconography of Pakal's sarcophagus lid.:Pseudoarchaeology.

paragraph: Pakal's tomb has been the subject of ancient astronaut hypotheses since its appearance in Erich von Däniken's 1968 best seller, "Chariots of the Gods?". Von Däniken reproduced a drawing of the sarcophagus lid, incorrectly labeling it as being from "Copán" and comparing Pacal's pose to that of Project Mercury astronauts in the 1960s. Von Däniken interprets drawings underneath him as rockets, and offers it as possible evidence of an extraterrestrial influence on the ancient Maya.

paragraph: Another example of this carving's manifestation in pseudoarchaeology is the identification by José Argüelles of "Pacal Votan" as an incarnation named "Valum Votan," who would act as a "closer of the cycle" in 2012 (an event that is also significant on Argüelles' "13 Moon" calendar). Daniel Pinchbeck, in his book "2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl" (2006), also uses the name "Votan" in reference to Pakal.

paragraph: Section::::External links.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Mesoweb's description of the discovery of Pakal's tomb

description: Ruler of Palenque

wikidata_label: K'inich Janaab' Pakal

wikipedia_title: Kʼinich Janaabʼ Pakal