Who were the Knights Templar?
- Davit Grigoryan
- Jan 19
- 7 min read
Updated: Feb 4
One of the Crusades' most remarkable creations was the emergence of military-monastic orders. The Templars, Hospitallers, and Teutonic Knights are the most famous among them. There were many more orders, but some were small, while others, such as the Pyrenean orders, remained confined to local kingdoms. The Templars and Hospitallers distinguished themselves with their international scope and diverse composition. The Teutonic Knights, united by the German origin of their members, are renowned primarily for their successful expansionist policies in the Baltic regions.
Some scholars trace the origins of such knightly organizations to Muslim monasteries. However, it appears that military-monastic orders were primarily a product of Christian society. Let us explore the Knights Templar's achievements, which today are often associated with the name Baphomet, and examine how their story unfolded.
Birth of the Templar Order
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon, better known as the Knights Templar or simply the Templars, began their history as a protective force escorting European pilgrims to the Holy Land after the First Crusade. However, their responsibilities and influence soon expanded. Following Pope Urban II’s call to arms in 1095, Christian forces successfully wrested Jerusalem from Muslim control in 1099. This victory sparked an influx of pilgrims from across Western Europe, eager to visit the Holy Land.
Many of these pilgrims faced attacks, robbery, and even death as they traveled through contested regions controlled by both Christians and Muslims. The need for security became apparent. In 1118, a French knight named Hugues de Payens, along with eight relatives and acquaintances, established a military order known as the "Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon."
Hugues de Payens then formed a brotherhood of fighters—warrior monks who took monastic vows, including chastity, devout study, and poverty. They lived in a cloistered environment and adhered to a strict code of conduct. In 1120, King Baldwin II of Jerusalem granted Payens the use of his palace, which was formerly the Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The Templars established this as their headquarters, cementing their legacy and becoming a commanding presence in the region.
The order gained Papal recognition and a charter in 1129, thanks to Abbot Bernard of Clairvaux, who endorsed the Templars and authored the treatise In Praise of the New Knighthood. This work glorified the mission and establishment of the Knights Templar, significantly boosting their popularity. As a result, the Templars were officially recognized as a religious order by Pope Honorius II at the Council of Troyes in January 1129, making them the first military order of their kind.
The Templars were initially regarded as a branch of the Cistercian Order. Leadership of the Templars was entrusted to an appointed Grand Master, who resided at the headquarters in Jerusalem and later in Acre from 1191, eventually relocating to Cyprus after 1291. The Grand Master was supported by other high-ranking officials, including the Grand Commander and the Marshal, as well as lower-ranking officers responsible for managing specific aspects of the order, such as property administration and finances.
The Templar order grew steadily, but the selection process was brutal, even by medieval standards. The rules for joining were straightforward: recruits had to be free men of legitimate birth, and starting in the 13th century, those wishing to become knights had to prove knightly descent. Additionally, recruits were often required to make a significant donation to the order—essentially an entrance fee—such as money or the transfer of land ownership. One rule remained constant: no man burdened by debts could join.
For the Templars, worldly pleasures were strictly forbidden. They were required to observe celibacy, abstain from sex, and avoid typical knightly pastimes such as hunting, falconry, and wearing colorful or decorative clothing, including ornate belts. Instead, they wore a simple woolen cord belt as a symbol of their chastity. Their austere code of conduct also prohibited them from kissing women, even their mothers or other relatives. Gambling and swearing were equally forbidden. Violations of these strict regulations were met with punishments ranging from the withdrawal of privileges and flogging to banishment, or in severe cases, even life imprisonment.
Knights Templar at War
If we were to distill the secret of the Templars' military superiority into one word, it would be “discipline” or “obedience.” The petty vanity of knights, the whims of individual lords, and the quarrels of leaders were often the causes of failure among the crusaders in the vast expanse of the Holy Land. The strict execution of orders, the suppression of personal will, and complete subordination to the commander turned the Templars into a true military machine that inspired reverence and awe. Every detail was meticulously attended to—whether it was the care of weapons and horses, the management of food and feed, or the fair distribution of rations, including even boiling water. These material aspects were given special attention, ensuring the army remained always ready for battle and capable of striking with lightning speed and decisiveness. To emphasize the strength and training of the Mamluks, Arab chroniclers referred to them as the “Templars of Islam.”
The Templar army in Palestine was not large. At its peak, it may have numbered around 3,000 men, including knights, sergeants, turcopoles, and mercenaries. However, there were never more than 600 knights, with the usual number ranging between 300 and 400. The order went to war under a black-and-white standard, bearing the battle motto from Psalm 113: “Non-Nobis Domine Non-Nobis Sed Nomini Tuo Da Gloriam”—“Not to Us, O Lord, Not to Us, But to Your Name Give Glory.”
The Knights Templar wore white cloaks emblazoned with a red cross and were accompanied on campaigns by their sergeants and squires. Like the knights, they wore steel armor and carried similar weapons, though they typically had only one horse, rather than the three horses usually allotted to knights. As the most combat-ready segment of the Crusader army, the Templars, alongside the Hospitallers, undertook the most challenging and crucial tasks. They marched in the vanguard or rearguard, acted as the battering ram in the main attack, defended the borders, and conducted raids deep into enemy territory.
The baptism of fire for the Templars in Syria occurred in 1129, when a detachment of the order, led by Hugues de Payens, participated in the siege of Damascus. By the middle of the 12th century, the Templars had become a prominent force among the local Crusaders. Their master was a regular participant in military councils, and the Knights Templar were recognized as veterans of all major campaigns. Battles in the most dangerous regions inevitably resulted in heavy losses for the Templars, but the order's large rear base in Europe—dedicated to fundraising and reinforcements—allowed the size of their combat-ready army to remain relatively stable until the final decades of the Latin presence in the East.
The first money transfer system
The Templars not only ensured the safety of pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land but also provided an additional service for British pilgrims (and later others) to safeguard their money.
Due to the rapid growth of the English branch of the Templar Order in the 1160s, a plot of land in London was purchased and named Novum Templum (New Temple). A large monastic complex was built there, which included living quarters, training areas for military affairs, and spaces for recreation. At the center of the New Temple stood the Temple Church, constructed in 1185 based on the design of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The church survived both the Great Fire of London in 1666 and the bombings of World War II in 1941. It endures to this day and gained worldwide fame, especially through Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code.
An Englishman living in the 13th century who wished to make a pilgrimage could deposit his money at the Temple Church. In return, he would be given a receipt, which allowed him to claim the same amount from the Templars in the Holy Land. While it is not known for certain, it is possible that, in addition to the monetary value, the receipt also conveyed information about the recipient's identity—perhaps through a secret word or sign.
Friday the 13th: The End of the Templars
In the 13th century, the Crusaders gradually began to lose control of the Holy Land. In 1244, Jerusalem was recaptured by Muslim forces. The Templars moved their headquarters to Saint-Jean d'Acre (Acre). In 1291, the city fell to the Mamluks. The Templars, losing castle after castle, were forced to retreat to Cyprus. The last Crusader outpost on the island of Ruad, off the coast of Tortosa (modern-day Tartus, Syria), fell in 1302.
King Philip IV owed the order 500,000 livres of Tours. The royal treasury was in a dire state, and the king found a way to avoid repaying the debt.
At dawn on Friday, October 13, 1307, all members of the Templar Order residing in France, including Grand Master Jacques de Molay, were arrested. The Templars were accused of heresy, including connections with the devil, idolatry, sacrilege, practicing magic, and non-traditional sexual practices. Those arrested were immediately subjected to torture. In 1310, the Templars began to be burned at the stake.
The "General Director" of the Templar Order was not the Grand Master, but the Pope. The Pope held the authority to transfer the property of the Templar Order to other monastic orders and could also disband the order and halt its activities. This occurred in 1312. Pope Clement V issued a papal bull stating that the order could not be condemned for heresy, but since members of the order had confessed to guilt, it would discourage believers from joining. Consequently, the order was disbanded. In March 1314, Grand Master Jacques de Molay and the Prior of Normandy, Geoffroy de Charnay, were burned at the stake.
The fate of the surviving members of the order and its property varied across different countries. Depending on the attitude of local authorities, some Templars were not arrested but simply summoned to trial and permitted to join other monastic orders. In certain places, the property was confiscated by secular authorities, while in others, it was transferred to other church institutions, primarily to the Order of St. John (Hospitallers).
Before dying at the stake, Jacques de Molay is said to have cursed King Philip and Pope Clement. A month later, Pope Clement, who was around 50 years old, died. It was reported that a fire broke out in the church where his body lay, and his corpse was burned beyond recognition. In the autumn of the same year, King Philip IV of France, aged 46, suffered a heart attack while hunting fell ill, and died a few weeks later.
The story of the "Curse of the Templars" was already circulating in the 14th century. It became the first, though not the last, legend surrounding the Order.
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