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| Knights Templar (medieval) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon |
| Founded | 1119 |
| Founder | Hugh de Payens, Godefroi de Saint-Omer |
| Dissolved | 1312 |
| Type | Military order |
| Headquarters | Temple Church, London; Al Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem (former) |
| Notable members | Bernard of Clairvaux, Jacques de Molay, Hugues de Payens, Philippe IV of France |
| Region | Kingdom of Jerusalem, Outremer, Europe |
Knights Templar (medieval) The Knights Templar were a medieval Christian military order founded in the aftermath of the First Crusade to protect pilgrims and hold territory in Outremer. Recognized and promoted by figures like Bernard of Clairvaux and endorsed at the Council of Troyes, the order developed a network of commanderies across Europe and fortifications in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Their combination of military, financial, and monastic functions entwined them with rulers such as Louis VI of France, Henry II of England, and Alfonso VIII of Castile.
The order originated after 1119 when a small band of knights led by Hugh de Payens and Godefroi de Saint-Omer established a brotherhood headquartered at the former Temple Mount property near the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Recognition came through the intervention of Bernard of Clairvaux and endorsement at the Council of Troyes (1129), securing papal backing from Pope Honorius II and later privileges from Pope Innocent II. Early patrons included Baldwin II of Jerusalem and supporters among the Knights Hospitaller, leading to rivalries and cooperation with orders such as the Order of Saint Lazarus.
The Templars adopted a monastic rule influenced by the Rule of Saint Benedict and the Cistercian model championed by Bernard of Clairvaux. Leadership centered on a Grand Master—notably Hugues de Payens and later Jacques de Molay—supported by marshals, seneschals, and commanders who administered commanderies across France, Castile, Portugal, England, and Scotland. Their internal hierarchy connected chaplains drawn from diocesan structures like the Archdiocese of Canterbury and the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, while logistical networks linked estates in Champagne, Aquitaine, and Toulouse to fortresses such as Gaza and Gaza Fortress.
As a military order, the Templars participated in major engagements of the Crusades including the Battle of Montgisard, the Siege of Ascalon, and the Battle of Hattin, where the fall of Kingdom of Jerusalem strongholds altered their role. They fought alongside secular and ecclesiastical leaders like Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, Richard I of England, and Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor in campaigns including the Third Crusade and the Sixth Crusade. The Templar commanderies provided cavalry, heavy cavalry tactics influenced by Norman and Occitan traditions, and coordinated with naval efforts from ports such as Acre and Tripoli.
Beyond warfare, the order amassed extensive landholdings, agricultural estates, and urban properties, operating from manors in regions like Normandy, Sicily, and Lombardy. They developed credit and banking mechanisms used by pilgrims and monarchs, interacting with institutions such as Venice merchants, Pisa financiers, and royal courts of Philip II of France and Edward I of England. Templar inventories included silver, armaments, and trade goods; their fiscal privileges were granted by papal bulls such as those of Pope Innocent II and Pope Eugene III, and they competed with entities like the Knights Hospitaller and Teutonic Order for revenue.
The order’s privileges—exemption from local episcopal control and direct papal dependence—created strained ties with bishops in dioceses like Paris and Acre and with monarchs seeking fiscal control, including Philip IV of France and Alfonso X of Castile. Papal interactions involved pontiffs from Pope Innocent II to Pope Clement V, with oversight exercised through councils such as the Council of Vienne. Diplomatic missions connected the Templars to courts in Aragon, England, and the Holy Roman Empire, while military alliances placed them alongside rulers like Baldwin II of Jerusalem and Bohemond II of Antioch.
In the early 14th century, under pressure from Philip IV of France and amid fiscal disputes, the order faced accusations of heresy, sodomy, and corruption; mass arrests began in 1307 following royal arrests in Paris. Trials were conducted under inquisitorial procedures involving officials from Pope Clement V and commissions that included figures from the University of Paris and papal legates. Legal outcomes varied by region, culminating in papal suppression at the Council of Vienne (1312) and the execution of Jacques de Molay in 1314, while assets were transferred to orders like the Knights Hospitaller or seized by secular monarchs such as Philip IV and Edward II of England.
The Templars’ dissolution had political reverberations across Europe and inspired myths linking them to relics like the Holy Grail, secret knowledge, and alleged survivalist narratives involving groups such as the Freemasons and later romanticized in works by Walter Scott and depictions in Renaissance and Baroque art. Their architectural footprint includes surviving sites like the Temple Church in London and fortifications at Acre and Tomar. Historiography on the Templars engages scholars from Jacques Le Goff to Malcolm Barber, and their story informs modern cultural media referencing Byzantium, Islamic-Christian interactions, and the evolution of chivalric orders in medieval Europe.
Category:Medieval military orders