Who were the Knights Templar?

Question

Ya know all the stoies like D Code, and National Treasure. What are they really?

Answer 1

The secrecy around the powerful Order of the Knights Templar, and the speed with which they suddenly disappeared over the space of a few years, has led to many different Knights Templar legends. These range from rumors about their association with the Holy Grail, to questions about their association with the Freemasons. Recent speculation about the Templars has further increased because of references to them in bestselling books such as The Da Vinci Code. (1)

The Templars were an unusual order in that they were both monks and soldiers, making them in effect some of the earliest "warrior monks" in the Western world. Members of the Order played a key part in many battles of the Crusades, and the Order's infrastructure innovated many financial techniques that could be considered the foundation of modern banking. They were also famous and easily recognized, with a white surcoat with distinct red cross emblazoned above the heart or on the chest, as seen in many portrayals of crusading knights.

The Order grew in membership and power throughout Europe, using their wealth to construct numerous fortifications throughout the Holy Land. They were one of the best trained and disciplined fighting units of their day, but after the Crusades wound down, there was less need for their services, and their tax-free status began to cause conflict with various royals. Things came to a head in 1307, when King Philip IV of France (Philip the Fair) caused many of the order's members in France to be arrested, tortured into "confessions" and burned at the stake. A few years later, under further influence from King Philip, Pope Clement V forcibly disbanded the entire order. The sudden disappearance of a major part of the European infrastructure spawned a plethora of speculation and legends, which continue to keep the name "Templar" alive in modern fiction. (2)

The Knights Templar have many references in popular culture, yet most of them quite inaccurate. The truth is that they were a Catholic military order that existed from the 1100s to the 1300s, to provide warriors in the Crusades. They were quite famous in medieval times, and stories and legends have grown about them over the centuries.

In modern works, the Templars are generally portrayed in one of two ways;
* as villains, or representatives of an evil secret society (e.g. Mumbo Jumbo, by Ishmael Reed)
* as the keepers of a long-lost treasure (e.g. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Da Vinci Code and National Treasure) (3)

Answer 2

The Knights Templar really did exist. They were an order of medieval Knights who fought in all the crusades. When the church stopped declaring war on "infidels" the Templar went and became nobility in various countries. They helped form the first Masonic lodges and gained a lot of power. Eventually, the church felt threatened by the power of the nights Templar and ordered their execution. What followed was a sort of witch-hunt ending with lots of torturous executions which pretty much were the end of the Knights Templar.

Answer 3

They all actually became each other over time, and then the Teutonic Knights became the Hanseatic League. And Phillip sabotaged them because he had mortgaged almost the entire country of France to them and when the debt came due he orchestrated papal support to shut them down before they could try to collect. And they really didn't have gold so much as they would honor letters of credit carried over distances with special code in the text to assure authenticity--they invented the CONCEPT of Letter of Credit, Sight Draft, and Mac card--very cool huh? of course this means they had lots of folks borrowing from them and depositing with them, That how Phillip manged to borrow beyond his means, he even manipulated the Papacy to avoid his debt and silence the Templars, who the were absorbed into the Hospitallers, and the renegades joined the Teutonic Knights who probably formed the lay group Hansa in Northern Europe.

Answer 4

They were a group of monks who went to Jerusalem after the first crusade 1096. When they arrived they heard about Saracen attacks on pilgrims and so formed the order "The Poor-Fellow Soldiers of Christ and of The Temple of Solomon" (hence Templars) to protect them.

They were unusual at the time because they were both monks and warriors (chevaliers (meaning horsemen)).

To protect the interests of the pilgrims, they set up a system whereby a pilgrim in Europe could hand the Templars a quantity of gold in exchange for a promisory note. Upon their arrival in Jerusalem, the pilgrim would hand the note to the Templars there, who would then convert it back to gold. They are commonly known as the fathers of modern banking.

By 1307, the Templars had become so wealthy and powerful that King Philip IV of France, who owed vast sums to the Templars, became jealous and conspired with Pope Clement V to take their wealth for himself.

In October of 1307, Philip had all Templars in France arrested and tried for heresy. They were tortured and forced to confess to this charge, freeing Philip of the obligation to repay his loans. In addition, he had all Templar treasuries looted. In 1314, the last of the Templars in France were burnt at the stake. The order continued in other countries for a while, until eventually they were absorbed into other orders.

The Templars are often said to have been nobles - they were not. They are "credited" with forming the Masons - they did not. These are fictions. However (as appears in, most notably, The Da Vinci Code and other popular fiction) they did take the ruined Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem as their base of operations in the holy land.

Hope that helps

Never trust wikipedia - it's the history of the world as determined by popular vote, not by facts!

Answer 5

The Knights Templar date back to the 12th Century. They are an organization based upon , integrity and honour.

Fraternity, Friendship, Spirituality, Meditation,Charity and Chivalry. (To fund the set up of Spiritual Centres teaching Meditation & Spiritual Matters)

To maintain the history of the Knights Templar and preserve Ancestral Heritage

To encourage the noble ideals of Chivalry and to promote 'Nobility through deeds of Charity & Honour'.


To support the poor, the sick, the unjustly accused, to stand against oppression and to protect freedom & liberty guardians of secrets, and the Holy Grail.

Answer 6

Wikipedia has some great information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_templar