{{otheruses}}

{{Infobox Military Unit

|unit_name= Knights Templar <br /> <small>Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon<br />''Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Solomonici''</small>

|image=[[Image:Templarsign.jpg]]

|caption=A [[Knights Templar Seal|Seal of the Knights Templar]], with their famous image of two knights on a single horse, a symbol of their early poverty. The text is in Greek and Latin characters, ''Sigillum Militum Xpisti:'' followed by a [[cross]], which means "the Seal of the Soldiers of Christ".

|dates= c. 1119–1314

|allegiance=[[Pope|Papacy]]

|type= [[Western Christianity|Western Christian]] [[military order]]

|role=

|size= 15,000–20,000 members at peak, 10% of whom were knights<ref name=burman-45>Burman, p. 45.</ref><ref name=quantity>Barber, in "Supplying the Crusader States" says, "By Molay's time the Grand Master was presiding over at least 970 houses, including commanderies and castles in both east and west, serviced by a membership which is unlikely to have been less than 7,000, excluding employees and dependants, who must have been seven or eight times that number."</ref>

|command_structure=

|garrison=[[Temple Mount]], [[Jerusalem]]

|garrison_label=Headquarters

|nickname=Order of the Temple

|patron=St. [[Bernard of Clairvaux]]

|motto=

|colors=White mantle with a red cross

|colors_label=Attire

|march=

|mascot=

|equipment=

|equipment_label=

|battles=The [[Crusades]], including:<br /> [[Battle of Montgisard|Battle of Montgisard (1177)]],<br />[[Battle of Hattin|Battle of Hattin (1187)]],<br />[[Battle of Arsuf|Battle of Arsuf (1191)]],<br />[[Siege of Acre|Siege of Acre (1190–1191)]],<br /> [[Siege of Acre (1291)]]<br /> [[Reconquista]]

|anniversaries=

|decorations=

|battle_honours=

<!-- Commanders -->

|commander1=[[Hugues de Payens]]

|commander1_label=First [[Grand Masters of the Knights Templar|Grand Master]]

|commander2=[[Jacques de Molay]]

|commander2_label=Last Grand Master

|commander3=

|commander3_label=

|notable_commanders=

}}

The '''Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon''' ([[Latin]]: ''Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Solomonici''), commonly known as the '''Knights Templar''' or the '''Order of the Temple''' ([[French language|French]]: '''''Ordre du Temple''''' or '''''Templiers'''''), were among the most famous of the [[History of Christianity#Sanctification of knighthood|Western Christian]] [[military order]]s.<ref name=Barber>Malcolm Barber, ''The New Knighthood: A History of the Order of the Temple''. [[Cambridge University Press]], 1994. ISBN 0-521-42041-5.</ref> The organization existed for approximately two centuries in the [[Middle Ages]]. It was founded in the aftermath of the [[First Crusade]] of 1096 to ensure the safety of the many Europeans who made the [[pilgrimage]] to [[Jerusalem]] after its conquest.

Officially endorsed by the [[Roman Catholic Church]] in 1128, the Order became a favored charity across Europe and grew rapidly in membership and power. Templar knights, in their distinctive white [[Robe|mantles]] each with a red [[Christian cross|cross]], were among the best fighting units of the [[Crusades]].<ref name=HC/> Non-combatant members of the Order managed a large economic infrastructure throughout [[Christendom]], inventing or adapting many financial techniques that were an early form of [[banking]],<ref>Martin, p. 47.</ref><ref>Nicholson, p. 4</ref> and building many [[fortification]]s across Europe and the [[Holy Land]].

The Templars' success was tied closely to the Crusades; when the Crusaders were defeated and lost the Holy Land, support for the Order faded. Rumors about the Templars' secret initiation ceremony created mistrust, and King [[Philip IV of France]], deeply in debt to the Order, began pressuring [[Pope Clement V]] to take action. In 1307, Pope Clement condemned the Order's members, having them arrested, tortured into giving [[false confession]]s, and [[execution by burning|burned at the stake]].<ref name=Barber-trial>Malcolm Barber, ''The Trial of the Templars''. Cambridge University Press, 1978. ISBN 0-521-45727-0.</ref> In 1312, Pope Clement, under continuing pressure from King Philip, disbanded the Order. The abrupt disappearance of a major part of the European infrastructure gave rise to speculation and legends, which have kept the "Templar" name alive until the present.

==History==

{{main|History of the Knights Templar}}

===Rise===

[[Image:Al aqsa moschee 2.jpg|thumb|right|The first headquarters of the Knights Templar, [[Al Aqsa Mosque]], on Jerusalem's [[Temple Mount]]. The Crusaders called it the [[Solomon's Temple|Temple of Solomon]], as it was built on top of the ruins of the original Temple, and it was from this location that the Knights took their name of Templar.]]

After the [[First Crusade]] captured [[Jerusalem]] in 1099, many European pilgrims traveled to visit what they referred to as the [[Holy Land (Biblical)|Holy Places]]. However, though the city of Jerusalem was under relatively secure control, the rest of the [[Outremer]] was not. Bandits abounded, and pilgrims were routinely slaughtered, sometimes by the hundreds, as they attempted to make the journey from the coastline at [[Jaffa]] into the Holy Land.<ref>Burman, pp. 13, 19.</ref>

Around 1119, two veterans of the First Crusade, the [[France|French]] knight [[Hugues de Payens]] and his relative [[Godfrey de Saint-Omer]], proposed the creation of a [[monasticism|monastic]] order for the protection of the pilgrims.<ref>Read, ''The Templars''. p. 91.</ref> King [[Baldwin II of Jerusalem]] agreed to their request, and gave them space for a headquarters on the [[Temple Mount]], in the captured [[Al Aqsa Mosque]]. The Temple Mount had a mystique, because it was above what was believed to be the ruins of the [[Solomon's Temple|Temple of Solomon]].<ref name=HC>[[The History Channel]], ''Decoding the Past: The Templar Code'', [[November 7]] [[2005]], video documentary written by Marcy Marzuni</ref><ref>Barber, ''The New Knighthood'', p. 7.</ref> The Crusaders therefore referred to the Al Aqsa Mosque as Solomon's Temple, and it was from this location that the Order took the name of ''Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon'', or "Templar" knights. The Order, with about nine knights, had few financial resources and relied on donations to survive. Their emblem was of two knights riding on a single horse, emphasizing the Order's poverty.

The Templars' impoverished status did not last long. They had a powerful advocate in [[Bernard of Clairvaux]], a leading Church figure and a nephew of one of the founding knights. He spoke and wrote persuasively on their behalf, and in 1129 at the [[Council of Troyes]], the Order was officially endorsed by the Church. With this formal blessing, the Templars became a favored charity across [[Europe]], receiving money, land, businesses, and noble-born sons from families who were eager to help with the fight in the [[Holy Land]]. Another major benefit came in 1139, when [[Pope Innocent II]]'s [[papal bull]] ''[[Omne Datum Optimum]]'' exempted the Order from obedience to local laws. This ruling meant that the Templars could pass freely through all borders, were not required to pay any taxes, and were exempt from all authority except that of the [[Pope]].<ref>Burman, p. 40.</ref>

{| class="toccolours" style="float: left; margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 1em; font-size: 85%; background:#c6dbf7; color:black; width:30em; max-width: 40%;" cellspacing="5"

| style="text-align: left;" | "[A Templar Knight] is truly a fearless knight, and secure on every side, for his soul is protected by the armor of faith, just as his body is protected by the armor of steel. He is thus doubly-armed, and need fear neither demons nor men."

|-

| style="text-align: left;" | Bernard de Clairvaux, c. 1135, ''De Laude Novae Militae—In Praise of the New Knighthood''<ref>{{cite web| author = Stephen A. Dafoe | url=

http://www.templarhistory.com/praise.html|title= In Praise of the New Knighthood| publisher= TemplarHistory.com | accessdate=2007-03-20}}</ref>

|}

With its clear mission and ample resources, the Order grew rapidly. Templars were often the advance force in key battles of the Crusades, as the knights on their heavily armed [[horses in warfare|warhorses]] would set out to gallop full speed at the enemy, in an attempt to break opposition lines. One of their most famous victories was in 1177 during the [[Battle of Montgisard]], where some 500 Templar knights helped to defeat [[Saladin]]'s army of more than 26,000 soldiers.<ref name=Worlds>The History Channel, ''Lost Worlds: Knights Templar'', [[July 10]] [[2006]], video documentary written and directed by Stuart Elliott</ref>

[[Image:Jerusalem map.jpg|thumb|right|Map of Jerusalem, showing the location of the Templar headquarters on the [[Temple Mount]]]]

Although the primary mission of the Order was military, relatively few members were combatants. The others acted in support positions to assist the knights and to manage the financial infrastructure. The Templar Order, though its members were sworn to individual poverty, was given control of wealth beyond direct donations. A nobleman who was interested in participating in the Crusades might place all his assets under Templar management while he was away. Accumulating wealth in this manner across Europe and the Outremer, the Order in 1150 began generating [[letter of credit|letters of credit]] for pilgrims journeying to the Holy Land: pilgrims deposited their valuables with a local Templar preceptory before embarking, received an encrypted document indicating the value of their deposit, then used that document upon arrival in the Holy Land to retrieve their funds. This innovative arrangement may have been the first formal system to support the use of [[cheque]]s; it improved the safety of pilgrims by making them less attractive targets for thieves, and also contributed to the Templar coffers.<ref name=HC/><ref name=Martin/>

Based on this mix of donations and business dealing, the Templar established financial networks across the whole of Christendom. They acquired large tracts of land, both in Europe and the [[Middle East]]; they bought and managed farms and vineyards; they built churches and castles; they were involved in manufacturing, import and export; they had their own fleet of ships; and at one point they even owned the entire island of [[Cyprus]]. The Templar arguably qualifies as the world's first [[multinational corporation]].<ref name=Worlds/>

===Decline===

[[Image:Hattin.jpg|thumb|right|1187's [[Battle of Hattin|Battle of the Horns of Hattin]], the turning point in the Crusades]]

In the mid-1100s, the tide began to turn in the Crusades. The [[Muslim]] world had become united under effective leaders such as [[Saladin]], and dissension arose among Christian factions in and concerning the Holy Land. The Knights Templar were occasionally at odds with two other Christian orders, the [[Knights Hospitaller]] and the [[Teutonic Knights]], and decades of internecine feuds weakened Christian positions, politically and militarily. After the Templars were involved in several unsuccessful campaigns, including the pivotal [[Battle of Hattin|Battle of the Horns of Hattin]], Jerusalem was captured by Saladin's forces in 1187. The Crusaders retook the city in 1229, although without Templar aid, but held it only briefly. In 1244, the [[Khwarezmian Empire|Khwarezmi Turks]] recaptured Jerusalem, and the city did not return to Christian control until 1917 when the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] captured it from the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Turks]].<ref>Martin, p. 99.</ref>

The Templars were forced to relocate their headquarters to other cities in the north, such as the seaport of [[Acre, Israel|Acre]], which they held for the next century. But they lost that, too, in 1291, followed by their last mainland strongholds, [[Tartus|Tortosa]] (in what is now [[Syria]]), and [[Atlit]]. Their headquarters moved to [[Limassol]], Cyprus,<ref>Martin, p. 113.</ref> and a garrison on tiny [[Ruad Island|Arwad Island]], just off the coast from Tortosa. In 1300, there was some attempt to engage in [[Franco-Mongol alliance|coordinated military efforts with the Mongols]]<ref>Demurger, p.139 "During four years, Jacques de Molay and his order were totally committed, with other Christian forces of Cyprus and Armenia, to an enterprise of reconquest of the Holy Land, in liaison with the offensives of Ghazan, the Mongol Khan of Persia.</ref> via a new invasion force at Arwad. In September 1302, however, the Templars were defeated by a [[Mamluk]] fleet in the [[Siege of Ruad|Siege of Arwad]], losing their last foothold in the Holy Land.<ref name=Worlds/><ref>Nicholson, p. 201. "The Templars retained a base on Arwad island (also known as Ruad island, formerly Arados) off Tortosa (Tartus) until October 1302 or 1303, when the island was recaptured by the Mamluks."</ref>

[[Image:Saint-Martin-des-Champs Chapelle.JPG|left|thumb|Templar building at Saint Martin des Champs, France]]

With the Order's military mission now less important, European support for the organization began to dwindle. The situation was complex—over the two hundred years of their existence, the Templars had become a part of European daily life.<ref>Nicholson, p. 5</ref> The organization's Templar Houses, hundreds of which were dotted around Europe, gave them a widespread presence at the local level.<ref name=quantity/> The Templars still managed many businesses, and many Europeans had daily contact with the Templar network, for instance working at a Templar farm or vineyard, or using the Order as a bank in which to store personal valuables. The Order continued to not be subject to local government, making it everywhere a "state within a state." It also had a standing army that could pass freely through all borders, but that no longer had a well-defined mission. This situation heightened tensions with some European nobility, especially as the Templars were indicating an interest in founding their own monastic state, just as the Teutonic Knights had done in [[Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights|Prussia]],<ref name=Martin/> and the Knights Hospitaller were doing with [[Rhodes, Greece|Rhodes]].<ref>Nicholson, p. 237</ref>

====Arrests and dissolution====

[[Image:Philippe IV Le Bel.jpg|thumb|right|King [[Philip IV of France]] (1268–1314)]]In 1305, the new [[Pope Clement V]], based in France, sent letters to both the Templar Grand Master Jacques de Molay and the Hospitaller Grand Master [[Fulk de Villaret]] to discuss the possibility of merging the two Orders. Neither was amenable to the idea but Pope Clement persisted, and in 1306 he invited both Grand Masters to France to discuss the matter. De Molay arrived first in early 1307, but de Villaret was delayed for several months. While waiting, De Molay and Clement discussed charges that had been made two years prior by an ousted Templar. It was generally agreed that the charges were false but Clement sent King [[Philip IV of France]] a written request for assistance in the investigation. King Philip was already deeply in debt to the Templars from his [[Philip IV of France#War with the English|war with the English]] and decided to seize upon the rumors for his own purposes. He began pressuring the Church to take action against the Order, as a way of freeing himself from his debts.<ref>Barber, ''Trial of the Templars'', 2nd ed. "Recent Historiography on the Dissolution of the Temple." In the second edition of his book, Barber summarizes the views of many different historians, with an overview of the modern debate on Philip's precise motives.</ref>

On Friday [[October 13]], [[1307]] (a date incorrectly linked with the origin of the [[Friday the 13th]] superstition),<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.snopes.com/luck/friday13.asp |title=Friday the 13th |accessdate=2007-03-26 |work=snopes.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| author= David Emery |url= http://urbanlegends.about.com/cs/historical/a/friday_the_13th_4.htm | title= Why Friday the 13th is unlucky |accessdate=2007-03-26 |work=urbanlegends.about.com}}</ref> Philip ordered de Molay and scores of other French Templars to be simultaneously arrested. The Templars were charged with numerous [[heresy|heresies]] and tortured to extract false confessions of blasphemy. The confessions, despite having been obtained under duress, caused a scandal in Paris. After more bullying from Philip, Pope Clement then issued the bull ''[[Pastoralis Praeeminentiae]]'' on November 22, 1307, which instructed all Christian monarchs in Europe to arrest all Templars and seize their assets.<ref>Martin, p. 118.</ref>

Pope Clement called for papal hearings to determine the Templars' guilt or innocence, and once freed of the [[Inquisition|Inquisitors]]' torture, many Templars recanted their confessions. Some had sufficient legal experience to defend themselves in the trials, but in 1310 Philip blocked this attempt, using the previously forced confessions to have dozens of Templars burned at the stake in Paris.<ref>Martin, p. 122.</ref><ref name=Barber-Trial3>Barber, ''Trial'', p. 3.</ref>

[[Image:Templars on Stake.jpg|thumb|left|Templars being burned at the stake]][[Image:Tomartemplarschurch2.jpg|thumb|[[Convent of the Order of Christ|Convent of Christ in Castle Tomar]], [[Portugal]]. Built in 1160 as a stronghold for the Knights Templar, it became the headquarters of the renamed [[Order of Christ (Portugal)|Order of Christ]]. In 1983, it was named a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]].<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/tomar.html |title= Convent of Christ in Tomar| publisher= World Heritage Site| accessdate= 2007-03-20}}</ref>]]With Philip threatening military action unless the Pope complied with his wishes, Pope Clement finally agreed to disband the Order, citing the public scandal that had been generated by the confessions. At the [[Council of Vienne]] in 1312, he issued a series of papal bulls, including ''[[Vox in excelso]]'', which officially dissolved the Order, and ''[[Ad providam]]'', which turned over most Templar assets to the Hospitallers.<ref>Martin, pp. 123–124.</ref>

As for the leaders of the Order, the elderly Grand Master [[Jacques de Molay]], who had confessed under torture, retracted his statement. His associate [[Geoffrey de Charney]], Preceptor of [[Normandy]], followed de Molay's example, and insisted on his innocence. Both men were declared guilty of being relapsed heretics, and they were sentenced to burn alive at the stake in Paris on [[March 18]], [[1314]]. De Molay reportedly remained defiant to the end, asking to be tied in such a way that he could face the [[Notre Dame de Paris|Notre Dame cathedral]], and hold his hands together in prayer.<ref>Martin, p. 125.</ref> According to legend, he called out from the flames that both Pope Clement and King Philip would soon meet him before [[God]]. Pope Clement died only a month later, and King Philip died in a hunting accident before the end of the year.<ref>Martin, p. 140.</ref>

With the last of the Order's leaders gone, the remaining Templars around Europe were either arrested and tried under the Papal investigation (with virtually none convicted), absorbed into other military orders such as the [[Knights Hospitaller]], or pensioned and allowed to live out their days peacefully. Some may have fled to other territories outside Papal control, such as [[excommunication|excommunicated]] [[Scotland]] or to Switzerland. Templar organizations in [[Portugal]] simply changed their name, from Knights Templar to [[Order of Christ (Portugal)|Knights of Christ]].<ref>Martin, pp. 140–142</ref>

In 2001, a document known as the "[[Chinon Parchment]]" was found in the [[Vatican Secret Archives]], apparently after having been filed in the wrong place in 1628. It is a record of the trial of the Templars, and shows that Clement initially absolved the Templars of all heresies in 1308, before formally disbanding the Order in 1312.<ref>http://video.aol.com/video/knights-in-the-clear/2000137</ref><ref name=msn-chinon>{{cite news|title=Long-lost text lifts cloud from Knights Templar |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21267691/?GT1=10450 |date=October 12, 2007|accessdate=2007-10-12|publisher=msn.com}}</ref> In October 2007, the Scrinium publishing house, which publishes documents for the Vatican, published secret documents about the trial of the Knights Templar, including the Chinon Parchment.<ref name=msn-chinon/>

It is currently the [[Roman Catholic Church]]'s position that the [[medieval]] persecution of the Knights Templar was unjust; that there was nothing inherently wrong with the Order or its Rule; and that Pope Clement was pressured into his actions by the magnitude of the public [[Scandal (theology)|scandal]] and the dominating influence of King Philip IV.<ref>{{cite journal

| first = Barbara

| last = Frale

| coauthors =

| year = 2004

| title = The Chinon chart—Papal absolution to the last Templar, Master Jacques de Molay

| journal = [[Journal of Medieval History]]

| volume = 30

| issue = 2

| pages = 109–134

| doi = 10.1016/j.jmedhist.2004.03.004

| url = http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VC1-4CC314K-3&_user=1589142&_handle=V-WA-A-W-Z-MsSAYWW-UUA-U-AAVADBEZEV-AABEBWUVEV-ZBZVECBYZ-Z-U&_fmt=summary&_coverdate=06%2F30%2F2004&_rdoc=2&_orig=browse&_srch=%23toc%235941%232004%23999699997%23504102!&_cdi=5941&view=c&_acct=C000053912&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=1589142&md5=cc8dc869d6bc4326929c25a42c118a60

| accessdate=2007-04-01 }}</ref>

==Organization==

{{Knights Templar}}

The Templars were organized as a [[monasticism|monastic order]], similar to Bernard's [[Cistercians|Cistercian]] Order, which was considered the first effective international organization in Europe.<ref>Burman, p. 28.</ref> The organizational structure had a strong chain of authority. Each country with a major Templar presence ([[France]], [[Knights Templar in England|England]], [[Aragon]], [[Portugal]], [[Poitou]], [[Apulia]], Jerusalem, [[Tripoli]], [[Antioch]], [[Anjou]], and [[Hungary]]<ref>Barber, ''Trial'', p. 10.</ref>) had a Master of the Order for the Templars in that region. All of them were subject to the [[Grand Masters of the Knights Templar|Grand Master]] (always a [[France|French]] knight), appointed for life, who oversaw both the Order's military efforts in the East and their financial holdings in the West. No precise numbers exist, but it is estimated that at the Order's peak there were between 15,000 and 20,000 Templars, of whom about a tenth were actual knights.<ref name=burman-45/><ref name=quantity/>

It was Bernard de Clairvaux and founder Hugues de Payens who devised the specific code of behavior for the Templar Order, known to modern historians as the ''Latin Rule''. Its 72 clauses defined the ideal behavior for the Knights, such as the types of robes they were to wear and how many horses they could have. Knights were to take their meals in silence, eat meat no more than three times per week, and were not to have physical contact of any kind with women, even members of their own family. A Master of the Order was assigned "4 horses, and one chaplain-brother and one clerk with three horses, and one sergeant brother with two horses, and one gentleman valet to carry his shield and lance, with one horse."<ref>Burman, p. 43.</ref> As the Order grew, more guidelines were added, and the original list of 72 clauses expanded to several hundred in its final form.<ref>Burman, pp. 30–33.</ref><ref>Martin, p. 32.</ref>

[[Image:Templar Flag 6.svg|left|120px|border|thumb|One of the many reported flags of the Knights Templar.]]There was a threefold division of the ranks of the Templars: the aristocratic knights, the lower-born sergeants, and the clergy. Knights were required to be of [[Knight#The medieval institution|knightly descent]], and to wear white mantles. They were equipped as heavy [[cavalry]], with three or four horses, and one or two squires. Squires were generally not members of the Order, but were instead outsiders who were hired for a set period of time. Beneath the knights in the Order and drawn from lower [[social class|social strata]] were the sergeants.<ref>Barber, p. 190</ref> They were either equipped as [[light cavalry]] with a single horse,<ref>Martin, p. 54.</ref> or served in other ways such as administering the property of the Order or performing menial tasks and trades. [[Chaplain]]s, constituting a third Templar class, were [[ordination|ordained]] priests who saw to the Templars' spiritual needs.<ref>{{1913CE|The Knights Templars}}</ref>

The knights wore white robes with a red cross, and a white mantle; the sergeants wore a black tunic with a red cross on front and back, and a black or brown mantle.<ref>Barber, p. 191</ref><ref name=burman-44>Burman, p. 44.</ref> The white mantle was assigned to the Templars at the [[Council of Troyes]] in 1129, and the cross was most probably added to their robes at the launch of the [[Second Crusade]] in 1147, when [[Pope Eugene III|Pope Eugenius III]], King [[Louis VII of France]], and many other notables attended a meeting of the French Templars at their headquarters near Paris.<ref>Barber, ''The New Knighthood'', page 66: "According to [[William of Tyre]] it was under Eugenius III that the Templars received the right to wear the characteristic red cross upon their tunics, symbolising their willingness to suffer [[martyr]]dom in the defence of the Holy Land." (WT, 12.7, p. 554. James of Vitry, 'Historia Hierosolimatana', ed. J. Bongars, Gesta Dei per Francos, vol I(ii), Hanover, 1611, p. 1083, interprets this as a sign of martyrdom.)</ref><ref>Martin, ''The Knights Templar'', page 43: "The Pope conferred on the Templars the right to wear a red cross on their white mantles, which symbolised their willingness to suffer martyrdom in defending the Holy Land against the infidel."</ref><ref>Read, ''The Templars'', page 121: "Pope Eugenius gave them the right to wear a scarlet cross over their hearts, so that the sign would serve triumphantly as a shield and they would never turn away in the face of the infidels': the red blood of the martyr was superimposed on the white of the chaste." (Melville, ''La Vie des Templiers'', p. 92.)</ref> According to their ''Rule'', the knights were to wear the white mantle at all times, even being forbidden to eat or drink unless they were wearing it.<ref>Burman, p. 46.</ref>

Initiation,<ref>Martin, p. 52.</ref> known as Reception (''receptio'') into the Order, was a profound commitment and involved a solemn ceremony. Outsiders were discouraged from attending the ceremony, which aroused the suspicions of [[Medieval Inquisition|medieval inquisitors]] during the later trials.

New members had to willingly sign over all of their wealth and goods to the Order and take [[monastic vows|vows of poverty, chastity, piety, and obedience]].<ref>Sharan Newman,''The Real History Behind the Templars'', Berkeley Publishing, 2007, pp. 304-12.</ref> Most brothers joined for life, although some were allowed to join for a set period. Sometimes a married man was allowed to join if he had his wife's permission,<ref name=burman-44/> but he was not allowed to wear the white mantle.<ref>Barber, ''Trial'', p. 4.</ref>

The red cross that the Templars wore on their robes was a symbol of [[martyr]]dom, and to die in combat was considered a great honor that assured a place in heaven.<ref>Nicholson, p. 141</ref> There was a cardinal rule that the warriors of the Order should never surrender unless the Templar flag had fallen, and even then they were first to try to regroup with another of the Christian orders, such as that of the [[Knights Hospitaller|Hospitallers]]. Only after all flags had fallen were they allowed to leave the battlefield.<ref>Barber, p. 193</ref> This uncompromising principle, along with their reputation for courage, their excellent training, and their heavy armament, made the Templars one of the most feared combat forces in medieval times.<ref name=TR>Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince, ''The Templar Revelation'', 1997, ISBN 0-684-84891-0.</ref>

===Grand Masters===

{{main|Grand Masters of the Knights Templar}}

Starting with founder [[Hugues de Payens]] in 1118–1119, the Order's highest office was that of Grand Master, a position which was held for life, though considering the martial nature of the Order, this could mean a very short tenure. All but two of the Grand Masters died in office, and several died during military campaigns. For example, during the [[Siege of Ascalon]] in 1153, Grand Master [[Bernard de Tremelay]] led a group of 40 Templars through a breach in the city walls. When the rest of the Crusader army did not follow, the Templars, including their Grand Master, were surrounded and beheaded.<ref>Read, p. 137.</ref> Grand Master [[Gérard de Ridefort]] was beheaded by Saladin in 1189 at the [[Siege of Acre]].

The Grand Master oversaw all of the operations of the Order, including both the [[military campaign|military operations]] in the Holy Land and [[Eastern Europe]], and the Templars' financial and business dealings in [[Western Europe]]. Some Grand Masters also served as battlefield commanders, though this was not always wise: several blunders in de Ridefort's combat leadership contributed to the devastating defeat at the [[Battle of Hattin]]. The last Grand Master was [[Jacques de Molay]], burned at the stake in Paris in 1314 by order of King Philip IV.<ref name=Barber-Trial3/>

[[Image:TempleChurch-Exterior.jpg|thumb|right|[[Temple Church]], London. As the chapel of the New Temple in London, it was the location for Templar initiation ceremonies. In modern times it is the parish church of the [[Middle Temple|Middle]] and [[Inner Temple]]s, two of the [[Inns of Court]]. It is a popular tourist attraction.]]

==Legacy==

{{seealso|List of places associated with the Knights Templar}}

With their military mission and extensive financial resources, the Knights Templar funded a large number of building projects around Europe and the Holy Land. Many of these structures are still standing. Many sites also maintain the name "Temple" due to centuries-old association with the Templars.<ref>Martin, p. 58.</ref> For example, some of the Templars' lands in [[London]] were later rented to [[lawyer]]s, which led to the names of the [[Temple Bar, London|Temple Bar]] gateway and the [[Temple tube station]]. Two of the four [[Inns of Court]] which may call members to act as [[barrister]]s are the [[Inner Temple]] and [[Middle Temple]].

Distinctive [[architecture|architectural]] elements of Templar buildings include the use of the image of "two knights on a single horse", representing the Knights' poverty, and round buildings designed to resemble the [[Church of the Holy Sepulchre]] in Jerusalem.

===Modern Templar organizations===

By papal decree, the property of the Templars was transferred to the Order of Hospitallers, which also absorbed many of the Templars' members. In effect, the dissolution of the Templars could be seen as the merger of the two rival orders.<ref>{{cite web | url =http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14493a.htm|title=The Knights Templars, Catholic Encyclopedia 1913|accessdate = 2007-10-13}}</ref>

The story of the secretive yet powerful medieval Templars, especially their persecution and sudden dissolution, has been a tempting source for many other groups which use alleged connections with the Templars as a way of enhancing their own image and mystery. For instance, since at least the 1700s the [[York Rite]] of Freemasonry has incorporated some Templar symbols and rituals,<ref name=HC/> and have a modern degree called "[[Knights Templar (Freemason degree)|the Order of the Temple]]". The [[Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem]], founded in 1804, has achieved [[United Nations]] [[non-governmental organization|NGO]] status as a [[charitable organization]].<ref>{{cite web | url =http://www.un.org/esa/coordination/ngo/pdf/INF_List.pdf | title= List of non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council as at 31 August 2006 | publisher = [[United Nations Economic and Social Council]] | format = PDF | date = [[August 31]] [[2006]] | accessdate = 2007-04-01}}</ref>

Though there is no clear historical link between the Knights Templar, which were dismantled in the 1300s, and any of these other organizations, which only emerged in the 1700s, there is often public confusion and many overlook the 400-year gap.

===Legends and relics===

{{main|Knights Templar legends}}

The Knights Templar have become associated with [[legend]]s concerning [[esotericism|secrets and mysteries]] handed down to the select from ancient times. Rumors circulated even during the time of the Templars themselves. Freemasonic writers added their own speculations in the 19th century, and further fictional embellishments have been added in modern movies such as ''[[National Treasure]]'' and ''[[Kingdom of Heaven (film)|Kingdom of Heaven]]'',<ref name=HC/> best-selling novels such as ''[[Ivanhoe]]'' and ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]'',<ref name=HC/> and video games such as ''[[Assassin's Creed]]'',<ref name=HC/> ''[[Hellgate: London]]''<ref name=HC/> and ''[[Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars]]''.<ref>[http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=131508 Interview with Charles Cecil], creator of ''Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars'', from computerandvideogames.com.</ref>

[[Image:Harhab mini.JPG|thumb|150px|right|The [[Dome of the Rock]], one of the structures at the Temple Mount]]

Many of the Templar legends are connected with the Order's early occupation of the [[Temple Mount]] in Jerusalem, and speculation about what [[relic]]s the Templars may have found there, such as the [[Holy Grail]] or the [[Ark of the Covenant]].<ref name=HC/><ref name=Martin>Sean Martin, ''The Knights Templar: The History & Myths of the Legendary Military Order'', 2005. ISBN 1-56025-645-1.</ref><ref name=TR/> That the Templars were in possession of some relics is certain. Many churches still display relics such as the bones of a saint, a scrap of cloth once worn by a holy man, or the skull of a martyr: the Templars did the same. They were documented as having a piece of the [[True Cross]], which the Bishop of Acre carried into battle at the disastrous [[Horns of Hattin]].<ref>Read, p. 91.</ref> When the battle was lost, Saladin captured the relic, which was then ransomed back to the Crusaders when the Muslims surrendered the city of [[Acre,_Israel|Acre]] in 1191.<ref>Read, p. 171.</ref> They also possessed the head of [[Saint Euphemia of Chalcedon]].<ref>Martin, p. 139.</ref> The subject of relics also came up during the Inquisition of the Templars, as several trial documents refer to the worship of an idol of some type, referred to in some cases as a cat, a bearded head, or in some cases as [[Baphomet]], according to one theory a French misspelling of the name Mahomet ([[Muhammad]]).<ref name=HC/><ref>Barber, ''Trial of the Templars'', p. 62.</ref>

The supposed idol worship was included in the charges brought against the Templars leading to their arrest in the early fourteenth century.<ref>Evelyn Lord, ''The Knights Templar in Britain'', Pearson Education Limited, 2002. ISBN - 0-582-47287-3, p. 188.</ref> This accusation of idol worship levied against the Templars has also led to the modern belief by some that the Templars practiced witchcraft.<ref>Frank Sanello, ''The Knights Templars: God's Warriors, the Devil's Bankers'', Taylor Trade Publishing, 2003. ISBN - 0-87833-302-9, p. 207-208.</ref>

There was particular interest during the Crusader era in the Holy Grail myth, which was quickly associated with the Templars, even in the 12th century. The first Grail romance, the [[fantasy]] story ''[[Le Conte du Graal]]'', was written in 1180 by [[Chrétien de Troyes]], who came from the same area where the [[Council of Troyes]] had officially sanctioned the Templars' Order. In [[Matter of Britain|Arthurian legend]], the hero of the Grail quest, [[Galahad|Sir Galahad]] (a 13th-century literary invention of monks from St. Bernard's Cistercian Order), was depicted bearing a shield with the cross of [[Saint George]], similar to the Templars' insignia. In a [[chivalry|chivalric]] epic of the period, ''[[Parzival]]'', [[Wolfram von Eschenbach]] refers to Templars guarding the Grail Kingdom.<ref>Martin, p. 133.</ref> A legend developed that, since the Templars had their headquarters at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, they must have excavated in search of relics, found the Grail, and then proceeded to keep it in secret and guard it with their lives. However, in the extensive documents of the Templar inquisition there was never a single mention of anything like a Grail relic,<ref name=Worlds/> let alone its possession by the Templars. In reality, most scholars agree that the story of the Grail was just that, a fiction that began circulating in medieval times.<ref name=HC/><ref name=Martin/>

One legendary artifact that does have some connection with the Templars is the [[Shroud of Turin]]. In 1357, the shroud was first publicly displayed by the family of the grandson of [[Geoffrey de Charney]], the Templar who had been burned at the stake with Jacques de Molay in 1314. The artifact's origins are still a matter of controversy. In 1988, a [[radiocarbon dating|carbon dating]] analysis concluded that the shroud was made between 1260 and 1390, a span that includes the last half-century of the Templars.<ref>[http://www.uthscsa.edu/mission/spring96/shroud.htm "Science and the Shroud: Microbiology meets archeology in a renewed quest for answers"], ''The Mission'', Spring 1996. Retrieved on [[2007-04-01]]</ref> Disagreement over the proper dating continues.<ref>Raymond N. Rogers, [http://www.shroud2000.com/LatestNews.htm "Studies on the Radiocarbon Sample from the Shroud of Turin"], ''Thermochimica Acta'' 425 (2005). Steven D. Schafersman, [http://www.skeptic.ws/shroud/articles/rogers-ta-response.htm "A Skeptical Response to 'Studies on the Radiocarbon Sample from the Shroud of Turin'..."], Skeptic World Site, [[February 22]], [[2005]]. Both retrieved on [[2007-12-20]]</ref>

==Notes==

<!--See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags-->

{{reflist|2}}

==References==

*[[Malcolm Barber|Barber, Malcolm]]. ''The New Knighthood: A History of the Order of the Temple''. Cambridge University Press, 1994. ISBN 0-521-42041-5.

*Barber, Malcolm. ''The Trial of the Templars'', 1st edition, Cambridge University Press, 1978. ISBN 0-521-45727-0

*Barber, Malcolm. ''The Trial of the Templars'', 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press, 2006. ISBN 978-0-521-67236-8

*{{cite book|chapter=Supplying the Crusader States: The Role of the Templars|title=The Horns of Hattin|author=Barber, Malcolm|date=1992|pages=314-326|publisher=Jerusalem and London|editor=BZ Kedar}}

*[[Edward Burman|Burman, Edward]]. ''The Templars: Knights of God''. Destiny Books, 1986. ISBN 0-89281-221-4.

*Frale, Barbara. "The Chinon chart—Papal absolution to the last Templar, Master Jacques de Molay". 2004. ''[[Journal of Medieval History]]'' 30 (2): 109–134. DOI:10.1016/j.jmedhist.2004.03.004.

*Hietala, Heikki. ''The Knights Templar: Serving God with the Sword'', 1996, ''[[Renaissance Magazine]]''.

*[[The History Channel]], ''Decoding the Past: The Templar Code'', November 7, 2005, video documentary written by Marcy Marzuni

*The History Channel, ''Lost Worlds: Knights Templar'', July 10, 2006, video documentary written and directed by Stuart Elliott

*[[Sean Martin (writer and director)|Martin, Sean]], ''The Knights Templar: The History & Myths of the Legendary Military Order'', 2005. ISBN 1-56025-645-1.

*''The Mission''. "Science and the Shroud: Microbiology meets archaeology in a renewed quest for answers", Spring 1996.

* Newman, Sharan. ''The Real History Behind the Templars''. Berkeley Publishing Group, 2007. ISBN 978-0-425-21533-3.

* Nicholson, Helen. ''The Knights Templar: A New History''. Sutton, 2001. ISBN 0-7509-2517-5

*[[Lynn Picknett|Picknett, Lynn]] and Prince, Clive. ''The Templar Revelation'', 1997, ISBN 0-684-84891-0.

*[[Piers Paul Read|Read, Piers Paul]], ''The Templars''. Da Capo Press, 1999. ISBN 0-306-81071-9.

==Further reading==

{{commonscat|Knights Templar}}

*Barber, Malcolm. "[http://www.slate.com/id/2140307/?nav=tap3 Who Were the Knights Templar?]". ''Slate Magazine'', 20 April 2006.

*{{cite book | last = Brighton| first = Simon | title = In Search of the Knights Templar: A Guide to the Sites in Britain| date =2006-06-15 | url =http://www.orionbooks.co.uk/HB-38882/In-Search-of-the-Knights-Templar.htm | format = Hardback | publisher = Orion Publishing Group| location = London, England | id =ISBN 0-297-84433-4}}

*Butler, Alan and Stephen Dafoe, ''The Warriors and the Bankers: A History of the Knights Templar from 1307 to the present'', Templar Books, 1998. ISBN 0-9683567-2-9.

*Partner, Peter. ''The Knights Templar and their Myth''. Destiny Books; Reissue edition (1990). ISBN 0-89281-273-7.

*Ralls, Karen. ''The Templars and the Grail'', Quest Books, 2003. ISBN 0-8356-0807-7.

*Smart, George. ''The Knights Templar: Chronology'', Authorhouse, 2005. ISBN 1-4184-9889-0.

*Upton-Ward, JM. ''The Rule of the Templars: The French Text of the Rule of the Order of the Knights Templar''. The Boydell Press, 1992. ISBN 0-85115-315-1.

==External links==

*[http://asv.vatican.va/en/visit/doc/zoom03.html Vatican Secret Archives].

* BBC Website '[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7050713.stm What are the Knights Templar up to now?]'. News Magazine 2007-10-19

* BBC Radio 4 '[http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/misc/templars.shtml On the Trail of The Templars]' Program audio, first broadcast 2007-06-18

*[http://digilander.libero.it/camdic/Templars_wps.htm The medicine of Knights Templars]

*[http://www.sacred-texts.com/sro/hkt/index.htm The History of the Knights Templar, by Charles Addison, 1842].

* {{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/10/12/knights.pardon.ap/index.html|publisher=CNN|date=2007-10-12|accessdate=2007-10-12|title=Knights Templar secrets revealed}}

* {{cite web|url=http://asv.vatican.va/en/doc/1308.htm|title=The Parchment of Chinon—The Absolution of Pope Clement V of the Leading Members of the Templar Order|publisher=Vatican Library|date=August 17-20,1308|accessdate=2007-10-12}}

*[http://www.inrebus.com/chinon.php The Chinon Parchment, a rough English translation]

* [http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Councils/ecum15.htm Bulls of Clement V on the Knights Templar]

* [http://www.knightstemplarvault.com/static.php?page=omnedatumoptimum Omne Datum Optimum - Papal Bull endorsing the Order of the Knights Templar]

*[[Wikia:crusades:Main_Page|The Crusades Wiki]]

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