Knights Templar
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The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, commonly known as the Knights Templar or the Order of the Temple, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders.[1] The organization existed for approximately two centuries in the Middle Ages. Eventually, it became very wealthy. Falsely accused of blasphemy and blamed for Crusader failures, the order was destroyed by King Philip IV of France. The organization was associated with the Holy Grail legend. The Freemasons later claimed to have received esoteric knowledge from the Knights Templar. Other organizations similarly invoked the Templar name to bolster claims. They have also been used in conspiracy theories and fiction.
History
Officially endorsed by the Roman Catholic Church around 1129, the Order became a favored charity throughout Christendom, and grew rapidly in membership and power. Templar knights, in their distinctive white mantles with a red cross, were among the most skilled fighting units of the Crusades. Non-combatant members of the Order managed a large economic infrastructure throughout Christendom, innovating financial techniques that were an early form of banking,[2][3] and building many fortifications across Europe and the Holy Land.
The Templars' existence was tied closely to the Crusades; when the Holy Land was lost, 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, took advantage of the situation. In 1307, many of the Order's members in France were arrested, tortured into giving false confessions, and then burned at the stake.[4] Under pressure from King Philip, Pope Clement V disbanded the Order in 1312. The abrupt disappearance of a major part of the European infrastructure gave rise to speculation and legends, which have kept the "Templar" name alive into the modern day.
See also
External links
Encyclopedias
- Ancient History Encyclopedia: Knights Templar
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Templar
- Encyclopedia Britannica 1911 Edition: Templars
- Encyclopedia.com: Knights Templars
References
- ↑ Malcolm Barber, The New Knighthood: A History of the Order of the Temple. Cambridge University Press, 1994. ISBN 0-521-42041-5.
- ↑ Martin, p. 47.
- ↑ Nicholson, p. 4
- ↑ Malcolm Barber, The Trial of the Templars. Cambridge University Press, 1978. ISBN 0-521-45727-0.
