Thomas Oldroyd

Honors English II
Mrs. Heyer
4/16/15
The Knights Templar
In the late 11th century, bloody, ruthless, and religious wars were taking place
all over the Middle East. These were the Crusades, and they were being fought by
the crusaders. These crusaders were European knights fighting in a foreign land
that hoped and fought for gold, glory, and above all else, God, in their battles. (The
Dark History of the Templars.) Their main goal was to take the holy city of
Jerusalem away from the Muslims, but what happens when one conquers a city, how
do they keep it safe and protect it from the enemy? (A Brief History of the Knights
Templar.) Not just a religious military order, the Knights Templar were founded to
keep captured cities safe, but ended up changing the world in more ways than one.
During the First Crusade in 1099, the city of Jerusalem fell to the mighty
crusaders. However; upon conquering the city, a multitude of problems arose. The
two major problems the crusaders faced were how to defend/protect the new land
and the pilgrims that would travel there. Only about five hundred knights remained
in the holy lands after Jerusalem fell, so they decided to break up into small bands
of warriors to maintain Jerusalem and to secure travel routes from the remaining
Muslim soldiers. One of these bands of fighting men included the leaders by the
names of Hugh de Payens of Burgandy and Godfrey de Saint Adhemer. Hugh,
Godfrey, and eight other knights established the order of the Knights Templar order

in the year 1119 for the sole purpose of escorting pilgrims traveling in the holy
lands. The main route consisted of traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho, then to
Jordan and back again. For several years they protected and safely helped the
pilgrims travel, so they swore to an oath. To protect the pilgrims and observe the
monastic vows of poverty, obedience, and chastity. (A Brief History of the Knights
Templar.) Hugh de Payens of Burgandy would ultimately become the first
Grandmaster of the Knights Templar order.
For the first decade, the Knights Templar had very few members. Most men
would not take up the vows that the Templars set for themselves. (Snell.) Only
thanks to the help of one man would the Templars start to grow. A monk by the
name of Bernard of Clairvaux made Pope Honorius II saw the usefulness of the
Templars and thus recognized them as an official, religious military order in 1128.
Bernard of Clairvaux then wrote the Latin Rule, a set of guidelines for the Knights
Templar to follow. It outlined everything a Templar Knight should do in his life to
truly become a Templar. This greatly increased the popularity of the knights, which
made men eagerly join the order and expand its rule throughout the Middle East.
(History of the Knights Templar at a Glance.)
Now having numbers in the thousands, the order was well known around the
holy lands as fierce warriors. (Cohen) Having caught the attention of Pope Innocent
II in 1139, the Templars were exempted from having to pay taxes or tithes and even
allowed them to use the spoils of war for their own purposes. This gave them great
opportunities to establish bases of operations in and around the holy lands. In
1146, the Paris Temple was built as the main headquarters for the Knights Templar.
To expand their operations even further, the order built a network of banks around
the Middle East that allowed pilgrims to deposit and withdraw currency from their

homeland and the holy lands. An advantage such as this gave the Knights Templar
an enormous economical sway and ultimately gave them the ability to purchase
new weapons, new ships, and new equipment. At the height of their influence, the
Templars had achieved an army with tens of thousands of men and a sizeable fleet
of ships at their disposal. However; the future for the Knights Templar was not a
glorious one. (History of the Knights Templar at a Glance.)
In the late 12th century, Muslim soldiers retook the city of Jerusalem, causing
the Knights Templar to relocate to smaller bases of operation. Even though the
order was constantly trying to keep Jerusalem under control, their foothold was
slowly loosening. Finally, along with unsuccessful battles and avoidable clashes
with other Christian military orders, the last stronghold of the Templars, The Acre,
was abandoned in 1291 and the city of Jerusalem was completely and utterly lost in
1303. The remaining Templars relocated many times and in the end set up all
operations in the Paris Temple. (Cohen.) Meanwhile, King Philip IV of France now
resolved to bring down the Knights Templar order. There is no definite reason as to
why King Philip IV did this, but perhaps it was because the Templars denied him
financial services and were trying to form their own state in southeastern France.
(History of the Knights Templar at a Glance.)
On October 13, 1307, King Philip IV arrested a massive amount of Knights
Templar order, including the last Grand Master, Jacques de Molay. Every Templar
that was arrested was charged with crimes such as heresy, spitting on the cross,
and devil worship. Brutal torture was then used against them to extract confessions
from the knights and eventually lead to executions. Most of the Knights Templar
that were not residing in France managed to escape persecution and flee from the
order. In 1310, dozens of the remaining Templars were burned at the stake if they

had not already been executed for their crimes committed. After many of the
Templars had been burned at the stake and only a few were still alive, Pope
Clement dissolved the order in 1312. All of the possessions that the Knights
Templar had secured throughout their history was given to the Knights Hospitaller,
another religious, military group that operated in France. After a short two years,
the last Grand Master of the Knight Templar order, Jacques de Molay, was burned at
the stake on March 18, 1314. His death announced the fiery end to the Knights
Templar. (History of the Knights Templar at a Glance.)
Are the Knights Templar still around today? Most historians agree that the
order was dissolved over 700 years ago when Jacques de Molay was burned at the
stake, however; some believe that they do indeed exist today and that they just
went into complete secrecy. (Cohen.) For example, one group, The Freemasons,
are noted for reviving and using some of the Templars traditions and symbols in
their practices. The Freemasons would have an initiation ceremony which would be
done in complete secrecy, just as the Knights Templar. Not only did the Freemasons
use ideals of the Templars, many groups today have named themselves after the
knights order. A drug cartel and even a Norwegian terrorist claimed to part of a
group called the Knights Templar. (The Dark History of the Templars.)
The Knights Templar was a religious, military group that swore to protect and
defend captured cities and the people that traveled there. With the help of one
monk, they were officially declared as a military order and continued to expand into
one of the greatest forces of the Crusades. By establishing great bases of operations
and a giant network of banks, these great warriors were given an advantage in
financial and government decisions. The death of the Knights Templar secured their

place in history, rather than destroying it. It is because of this, that they are
considered one of the worlds best military orders.

Works Cited
"A Brief History of the Knights Templar." Mostly-Medieval. n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2015.

Alchin, Linda. "Knights Templar." Knights Templar. n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2015.

Cohen, Jennie. Who Were the Knights Templar?" History A&E Television Networks,
26 July 2011.
Web. 09 Apr. 2015.

"History of the Knights Templar at a Glance." Knights Templar Vault. n.d. Web. 09
Apr. 2015.

Snell, Melissa. "The Knights Templar: Warrior Monks." About Education. n.d. Web. 09
Apr. 2015.

"The Dark History of the Templars." The Dark History of the Templars. n.d. Web. 09
Apr. 2015.