Knights Templar

Guide Note

The Knights Templar was a Christian military order founded as a security force for pilgrims who flocked to the holy lands of Jerusalem after the first Crusade. After an official endorsement from the church in 1129, the order expanded its influence and membership. As the success of The Crusades waned, so did support for the Knights Templar.

Fast Facts

1. Active: c. 1119-1314
2. Number of Members: 15,000-20,000 members, 10% were Knights
3. Also known as: Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, Order of the Temple
4. Attire: White mantle with red cross
5. First Grand Master: Hugues de Payens
6. Second Grand Master: Jacques de Molay

Key Dates

• 1118: Knights Templar founded in Jerusalem
• April 20, 1292: Jacques de Molay elected as Grand Master
• 1307: Knights Templar in France arrested by Phillip IV
• March 18, 1314: Jacques de Molay executed

The order was disbanded by Pope Clement V at the request of King Philip IV of France, who owed a large debt to the Knights Templar as a result of the Crusades. Many members of the order, including its leader Jacques de Molay, were charged with heresy, tortured, and imprisoned. For 700 years, the Knights Templar were branded as heretics by the Catholic Church, but a Vatican document known as the Chinon Parchment has absolved the order of all charges.