The Poor Knights of the Temple of King Solomon

Founded by a French knight- Hugues de Payens and eight others, the Templars started as a group of monk knights bound by an oath to protect pilgrims journeying to the Holy Land. It was said that they were so poor, that many had to share horses. With the support of the King of Jerusalem, Baldwin II, they set up on the Temple Mount, hence their name. Eventually, they gathered enormous power.

The three classes of brothers that eventually developed were the knights, sergeants, and chaplains. Oriented around serving the Holy Land, all three served a different purpose. The knights were noblemen and the main fighting force and the visible part of the Templars. They served as heavy cavalry. Sergeants were non-noblemen and served as auxiliaries, craftsmen, and administrators. They served as light cavalry or infantry when fighting. Chaplains were the only non-fighting force. They were ordained priests and served any spiritual needs.

The Knights Templar had an original goal that eventually grew- to protect and serve the entire Holy Land. They eventually became a charity (designated by the pope), a charity for supporting the Crusades. Because of this they became trusted with enormous wealth, in addition to the fact that every man in the order was a sworn monk, sworn against abusing wealth. In order to recruit, provide money for food and war, grow larger, and serve as bases to protect the Holy Land, they gained property and castles. This allowed them to become a large, famous order. Because of their far reaching influence, they also became primitive banks- one could deposit money one place, and take a letter of credit and redeem it any Templar stronghold.

A common misconception is that to be a monk, one must be a priest. Every Templar was indeed a monk, a brother, a part of the knightly monastic order. But only the chaplains were ordained priests. Another common misconception is that the Templars were evil. This is totally false. In their first hundred years of existence, they did nothing but serve Christendom, protecting innocent pilgrims, and assisting Crusaders. Later, a few leaders would become corrupt, but the Templars would be destroyed because of the greed and jealousy of one of the kings of France, not their own vices. Another thing is that the Templars began an underground secret society. This is also false, as they were totally ruined during their fall. Any 1800s or modern day society called the Templars is only a copycat. The Freemasons have absolutely nothing to with the Knights Templar of old.

The Knights Templar had grown enormous, wealthy, and renowned. They had massive influence, and had a large army. They acted independently of any authority save the Pope's. Also they didn't pay taxes. All this made King Philip IV of France jealous. Additionally, he needed money and was in debt to the Templars. So he accused the Templars of heresy and had all of them executed, rounding them up in one night, and giving many sham trials before burning them.