Who Were the Knights Templar?

The Knights Templar was a group of knights, who were led by Hugues De Paynes and they considered themselves the patriots of Jerusalem and served as an army to protect the interests of Jerusalem and Christianity. This group was formed after the First Crusade that took place between 1095 and 1099.

There were 9 knights altogether that used to protecting the Christian pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem. Jerusalem the Holy Land where the shrines of the religion still exist. There is a long history that goes with the Knights Templar and also different theories. One was that the knights found it difficult to recruit people for their cause during the early years of the formation of the group. So they did not expand. Another is that they were looking for buried treasure in the Temple Mount, which is called the Al Aqsa Mosque today.

It was Bernard of Clairvaux, Cistercian abbot, who promoted the Knights to a great extent. He even wrote the rule for the order. In addition, he wrote a letter praising order, and it was this letter that brought name and fame to the Knights Templar in Christian Europe. The letter became very popular with the Christians and ended up attracting several men who starting joining the Templar order. People who could not offer their services gifted them with land and precious gifts. Also, throughout the years because of their popularity the Templars became the wealthiest crusaders and became important politically across many countries in Europe. They won several battles. Some were lost and some were won however overall they played a very important role in the holy land of Jerusalem.

After two centuries of defending Christianity, the Knights Templar order was ended by Philip IV. When the knights were arrested, they were made to confess to different types of crimes under torture like spitting on the cross and idol worshipping. Finally, in 1312, Pope Clement V disbanded the order because the reputation of the order was severely tarnished. Though it must be said that the order was not found guilty of any crimes.

Finally, in March 1314, Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar was burned at the stake. With that the chapter of the powerful protectors of the Christian faith came to an end.

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