The Ecumenical Council of Vienne, convened by Pope Clement V from 1311 to 1312, officially suppresses the Order of the Knights Templar. The decision follows years of pressure from King Philip IV of France, who sought the order's wealth. The council also addresses church reform and the Crusades, though the Templar dissolution remains its most enduring legacy, marking a low point for papal authority.

The suppression of the Templars inspires later medieval poetry that laments the fall of a chivalric ideal and critiques secular greed. It becomes a staple of historical ballads and epic poems, including works by Wolfram von Eschenbach's continuators. The event's shadow extends into Romantic-era poetry and symbolist works, where the Templars are romanticized as martyrs and guardians of esoteric knowledge, influencing the literary imagination of secret societies.