In 1117, most of the crusaders left the conquered Jerusalem during the first Crusade.
The fighters who stayed were considered sufficient to hold the city in its possession and to keep Mohamad, the king of the local Muslims, away. However, as the city was surrounded by robbers and Christians were mainly hated by Muslims, the nine knights, led by Hugues de Payens, formed the Temple Order, which was also recognised by King of Jerusalem King Baudouin II in 1118. King Baudouin gave his house in Jerusalem on Mount Temple to the order for use which was later named after the mountain – the Order of the Temple and also the the Order of Temple Knights.
Templar Knight Warrior with chain mail armour and red cross on sword.
The purpose of the Order was to protect the pilgrims coming to and from Jerusalem. Its main goal was to set the Order to protect the pilgrims and fight against the malevolent Muhammad. The size of the temple army is estimated to be about 6,000 men, including 1,000 knight brothers and 5,000 servants.
The Templar Knights formed a network of almost allover Europe fortifications and harbours that helped pilgrims move between home and Jerusalem. In addition to physical protection, the Order also deposited the money of the travellers and issued the first official checks, ie paper money, for which the traveler was paid out in the Order’s fortress, which was at the traveler’s destination.
In addition, many nobles and other persons, as well as the church and some countries, gave the order land that was put on revenue or rented out. Examples of such gifts were the island of Malta.
On Friday, October 13, 1307 (the phenomenon of Friday the 13th), at the request of the King of France Philippe, all the Templar Knights in France and in many other countries were arrested with the help of other monarchs. Despite the power of the King of France and the help of the Pope, most European monarch refused to repress the knights. For example, in Germany, Spain and Portugal, kings gave the chaplains the opportunity to form new orders with old tasks.
Some of the Templars escaped to Switzerland and some escaped to Scotland where they joined with the Freemasons there, e.g. William St. Clair of Rosslyn Chapel fame.
To Kings’ surprise, he did not find anything worthy of the Order’s castles. Despite his spies’ claims about the “enormous fortune of the temple brothers,” the knights were poor, as their name says in the Order of the Poor Knights of Christ and Solomon’s Temple. Templar Knights ring, which show their heritage, was the only precious piece they were carrying with them.
He was angry and disappointed by Jacques de Molay, an imprisoned great master of Order, who was sent to a fire in 1314. After this date, the Order was spread out de jure, and various orders were formed to administer the assets of the Templars. Most of the assets of the Order were handed over to the Hospitalities, who had been the “satellite” of the Temple Knights from the outset.
In later history, the material and spiritual inheritance of the temple has risen to the center of quarrels and speculation. Throughout the centuries, many organisations have tried to pass on the ideas of the templar knights.
