The Knights Templar are shrouded in the legends of the Shroud of Turin and The Holy Grail. Their reputation has become cloaked in Dan Brown's mythos of the Da Vinci Code and their purpose distorted by Free Masonry in films like National Treasure. Most people encounter the Poor Soldiers of Jesus Christ of the Temple of Solomon in video games. The Assassin's Creed franchise alone covers an unending conflict between The Assassins and the Templars throughout the centuries.
My first encounter with the Templars was in Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade. At the climax of the film, Indie enters a sacred chamber where a Knight of the Temple stands guard over the Holy Grail. I like most viewers became enthralled with the scene as Jones deciphered which of the many graals was the true Holy Chalice. But again this is fiction, the Holy Grail and its associate with the Knights Templar is legend.
So who were these Knights in White with Crimson crosses emblazoned on their surcoats? How do you separate fact from fiction? The first step is to read about The Crusades and work your way to the founding of the Order. In 1101 (some historians claim 1113) a knight of Champagne, Hugh de Payens and his friend in arms Godfrey de Saint Omer created a military order known as the Poor Soldiers of Jesus Christ of the Temple or Knights Templar. The story varies on how this came about, some texts claim that King Baldwin II of Jerusalem called Hugh and Godfrey to have an audience with him. Other versions have Hugh de Payns fighting bandits near water sources and then seeking out the King of Jerusalem and asking for approval of the a new fraternity of knights charged with protecting the pilgrims.
Regardless of which is the authentic way it came about, Hugh and Godfrey left for Europe afterwards to seek Papal approval and to gain new recruits. Their quest was a complete success. Bernard of Clairvaux, the prominate ecclesiastic and most venerated holy man in Europe supported the Templar cause and even wrote down his praise on parchment "In Praise of the New Knighthood." Hugh de Payns and many new Templars made their way to the Council of Troyes, where ecclesiastics and the legate of Pope Calixtus wrote a religious Rule (code of conduct and practices) for the Templar Order. There Hugh had his order christened and officialized. He returned to the Holy Land and the Templar Order began its slow rise to power.
At this time Rainaud, a Templar in Europe began the work of creating donation houses and acquiring provisions. His work was so successful and people so willing to give alms to the Templar Order, that he soon had to devise a means of processing goods and getting it to the Holy Land. The beginnings of transferring and transcations of banking were being born. Meanwhile, the Order flourish in Spain, Hungary, France, England, and even in Scotland.
The Templars were tasked with protecting the pilgrims on the road from their ports at Acre, Cesarea, and etc from bandits and highwaymen. The Templars grew a reputation as zealots willing to die than retreat. They became feared by their enemies and beloved by pilgrims and priests. The Order developed a structure, one with many titles, the highest level being Grandmaster, who ruled the entire Templar body. Then there was Marshal in charge of military arms and matters, The Banner Bearer whose duty in battle was to be rally point and could never surrender. The Sergeants were another office, where married men could join for a term and stay wedded to their wives in the process. There were nuns and women who oversaw cleaning and medical services. Finally there was the knight, the backbone of the Order who was distinguished by wearing white robes, cape, tunic, surcoat, and other attire. All branches of the Templar order were required to submit to the Grandmaster, who held his position until death and new one would be elected from among the council of Templar brothers.
The Knights Templar followed a very austere and strict Rule. They were to be chaste and never be married. Married members had to forsake their wives and family to become a knight. Templars were permitted to eat meat three times a week. A Templier was required to pray six to twelve times a day, always The Pater Nostrum or Our Father Prayer. At night there were to be candles always burning to help men of the Temple resist the temptations of the darkness. In regards to mass attendance, Templars were required to attend if they were not physically weary, they were exempt if they had battle fatigue. A Templar was to never retreat in battle unless approved by the Grandmaster and should be ready at all times to sacrifice his life for the Lord's cause. When it came to accountability in the Rule, the Knights Templar were answerable only to Jesus Christ and the Pope.
Most unique to the Templar order was the concept of being warrior monks. Never before had the knight and monk been one. The concept was disturbing to many and irreconcilable: how can a man kill and be a monk, when monks are forbidden to kill? The Templars got around this because their killing was penitential (for the salvation of their souls) and in service of the Crusader Kingdoms. They were taking the lives of pagans, not pilgrims and paladins of Christendom. Still this paradox of person caused much distrust that would play a small part in their downfall in the future.
In time the Templars developed a banking system. They created the banking note or check that could be given for coin kept in Europe and cashed in the Palestine. This helped dissuade bandits who could not retrieve the monies with the note and its information being exclusively for the said person whose name was upon it. The Templars created credit, monarchs and nobles barrowed money from them via loans and paid back with interest. We can attribute all the banking of our day to the Knights Templar.
Inevitably, after fall of the Crusader Kingdoms in 1295, The Templar Order found themselves without a frontier and purpose as military order. In France they became close to the King, Phillip IV who secured loans from them. But this relationship was to be their downfall, for on Friday 13th, 1307 the King of France had the Templars arrested and charged with crimes of heresy, apostasy, sodomy, and etc. The charges were dreamt up by a Templar hater named Guillaume/William of Nogaret. At the time Pope Clement V washed his hands of the Templars, fearing the French King who had great power over the pontiff. As a result, the Knights of the Temple were charged and executed via the burning stake. It was not until 1314, when the last Grand Master Jacques de Molay was captured and burned at the stake, that the Templars are believed to have been completely disbanded and destroyed.
What provoked such a drastic turn in the fortunes of these Knights of Christ? For almost two centuries they had served as protectors of pilgrims. The answer is greed and avarice. The Templars became so powerful and well funded that the French King wanted their revenue. Phillip IV "The Fair" of France had defrauded his own people twice by changing the coinage and devaluing it to fill his coffers. But what of the allegations of idolatry, heresy, and sodomy? Did the Templars really commit these atrocious acts against Christ and themselves?
I believe not. The Knights of the Temple confessed under pain of torture and were condemned in cover of night and in convened councils that gave them no justice. Like Jesus Christ who was tried in the darkness of night and behind closed doors by the Sanhedrin (religious leaders), The Templars who bore his red cross were betrayed and condemned by ecclesiastics as well as noblemen. The Templars became a target not because they were corrupt, but because they were Christ's knights and had riches that the rulers of the day wanted.
Whenever I bring up the Templars, most Christian brothers and sisters say, "oh they are freemason, why are you interested in them?" To which I respond with rolling eyes that the Freemasons took the Templar symbols and codes as their own in the 19th century (500 years after the original Templar Order was destroyed!). The real Knights Templar were not masonic or illuminati. They were Knights of Christ who fought in the Holy Lands, Spain, and perhaps the Baltic regions for their faith. They created a banking system and swore to fight and die for Jesus. To prove their resolve and vindicate their memory, at the Battle of Hattin, Saladin had his enemies rounded it up. He spared nobles and King Guy Luisgnan, but he ordered the Templars to renounce their faith and convert to Islam or be beheaded. The Templars responded, "cut off our heads!" Over two hundred Knights Templar were decapitated, many of them by Saladin himself. That is the not the mark of closet Satanist, follower of Bahomet or Mason! That is true devotion to Jesus Christ to the point of death!
The real Templar story is every bit as exciting as their legends. They fought in incredible campaigns and risked their lives for others. If they found the Holy Grail or Ark of Covenant does not matter in the end. Their story is one that can inspire us as Christians! To be devoted to Christ to the point of the death! To as St. Paul said, "count all things lost but knowing Christ." (Philippians 3:8). The Knights Templar captivate us with their white cloaks and their even more cloaked history. Much of the information about this grand order of Middle Ages is lost. The vermillion and parchments containing their stories and details of their dealings have been scraped and reused after their condemnation over seven hundred years ago. What remains is patchwork of knowledge and legends that leave us even more enticed to know who these men where?! They gave up everything to serve Christ and in the end they received martyrdom. They are not unlike the Apostles, who all died for their faith.
For Further Reading on The Knights Templar:
The Templars: Knights of Christ
By Regine Pernoud
Addendum: 11/21/2014
I have removed the other author of The Templars because of her pseudo-history of the Templars and Crusaders. Thus far I have only found one author who gives an accurate account of the Order. I have noticed most books on the Templars tend to be full of filler or fluff; I mean to say that they do not focus on the Knights of the Temple, but rather spend much of the chapters on the Crusades and other characters. While it is helpful to have at rudimentary understanding of the Crusades when approaching the subject of the Knights Templar; it is a disservice to tempt people to pick up a book on the Templars and find out it is really about the Crusader States!
The excuse many authors make is that the source material: the records we have on the Templars are scarce and there are many holes in their story. These writers then endeavor to fill the gaps with speculation, legends, and the history of the Crusader Kings and the Latin Kingdoms. This however does not help people who want to learn about the real Templar Knights! We should not speculate unless there is some evidence and facts to support the speculation. The truth is many authors are trying to deceive readers by slapping the Templar name on their book to intrigue and lure people in to read their book (Michael Haag is an example) about banking in the Latin East or to talk about the alleged atrocities of men like Reynald de Chattilon.
While it is worthwhile to explore the legends and myths around the Knights Templar and debunk them if possible; including them can often obscure the historical record of this military order. Addressing the legends deserves its own book, not to be included in a historical text on who the Knights of the Temple really were! We must be careful when trying to research this Order, for many books focus on the Freemasonry and Pseudo-histories. Thus far, only Regine Pernoud has written a book on just the facts in the French scrolls and etc on the Knights Templar. Here book is not five hundred pages, because she does not fill it with other information that does not pertain to the Templars. She merely tells what we know about them for sure and does not speculate about what is missing in the records. So if you want to get a chance to read an actual history on the Knights Templar and not a book that claims to be about the Templars and really is about one man or woman's speculations and judgments as well as other history outside the context of this Order, then you best chance is to stick with The Templars: Knights of Christ. Until I find another fair book that does not sell pseudo-history or claim to be Templar book and really focuses on the other Crusaders like Richard the Lionheart; I have only one recommendation which is listed above.
I shall endeavor to look at some other books on the Templars and see if I can find any historians who will dare to tell the truth about the Knights of Christ.
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