Order · Dissolved
Knights Templar
- Founded
- c. 1119–1120Jerusalem (Temple Mount)
- Status
- Suppressed 1312
Overview
Formal title Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon
Medieval military order of knights living under religious vows, suppressed in 1312.
Key timeline
View full timeline (12)- c. 1119–1120Approximate
Founded in Jerusalem
Hugues de Payens and companions take vows to protect pilgrims. King Baldwin II houses them in the al-Aqsa mosque, which the crusaders called the Temple of Solomon.
- 1307
Arrests in France
On 13 October, Philip IV has the Templars in France arrested on charges of heresy, idolatry and immorality. Many confess under torture.
- 1312
Suppression
At the Council of Vienne, Clement V’s bull Vox in excelso suppresses the order by papal decree, without a verdict of guilt. Ad providam transfers most of its property to the Hospitallers.
- 18th century onward
Legends and claimed revivals
Masonic “Templar” degrees and later self-styled orders claim descent. No evidence of institutional continuity has been demonstrated.
History
The Templars began around 1119–20 as a small group of knights in Jerusalem who took religious vows and undertook to protect pilgrims on the roads of the Holy Land. They were given quarters in the al-Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount, which the crusaders identified with the Temple of Solomon, and took their name from it.
With papal approval and Bernard of Clairvaux’s advocacy, the order grew rapidly. It garrisoned castles in the crusader states and built a network of estates across Latin Europe to support that work. Moving money and valuables safely between these houses made the Templars important financial agents for kings and popes, though it is anachronistic to call this “international banking” in the modern sense.
After the loss of Acre in 1291 the order’s purpose was in question. In 1307 Philip IV of France had its members arrested on charges that most historians now regard as unfounded and largely fabricated. Confessions were extracted under torture, and many were later retracted.
Pope Clement V did not condemn the order as heretical. At the Council of Vienne in 1312 he suppressed it by papal decree “not without bitterness and sorrow of heart”, as an administrative measure, and assigned its property to the Hospitallers, with exceptions in Iberia.
- Founders and early figures
- Hugues de Payens and a small group of knights, including Godfrey of Saint-Omer. Bernard of Clairvaux was an early and influential supporter, not a founder.
Full timeline
- c. 1119–1120Approximate
Founded in Jerusalem
Hugues de Payens and companions take vows to protect pilgrims. King Baldwin II houses them in the al-Aqsa mosque, which the crusaders called the Temple of Solomon.
- 1129
Council of Troyes
Churchmen approve a Latin Rule for the order, with Bernard of Clairvaux’s support.
- c. 1130s
In Praise of the New Knighthood
Bernard of Clairvaux defends the idea of knights living as monks.
- 1139
Omne datum optimum
Pope Innocent II exempts the order from local church authority and places it directly under the pope.
- 12th–13th centuries
Growth across Europe and the Latin East
Castles and garrisons in the crusader states; estates (commanderies) across Europe. Secure deposits and transfers of money became an important side activity.
- 1291
Fall of Acre
The last major crusader city falls; the order’s headquarters move to Cyprus.
- 1307
Arrests in France
On 13 October, Philip IV has the Templars in France arrested on charges of heresy, idolatry and immorality. Many confess under torture.
- 1308
The Chinon Parchment
Papal envoys absolve the order’s leaders after hearing them. The document was rediscovered in the Vatican archives in 2001.
- 1312
Suppression
At the Council of Vienne, Clement V’s bull Vox in excelso suppresses the order by papal decree, without a verdict of guilt. Ad providam transfers most of its property to the Hospitallers.
- 1314
Execution of Jacques de Molay
The last grand master is burned in Paris after retracting his confession.
- 1319
Order of Christ in Portugal
Templar property in Portugal passes to a new order. This is a transfer of property, not survival of the Templars.
- 18th century onward
Legends and claimed revivals
Masonic “Templar” degrees and later self-styled orders claim descent. No evidence of institutional continuity has been demonstrated.
Purpose
Protecting pilgrims
The original aim: to make the roads to Jerusalem safe for Christian pilgrims.
Defence of the crusader states
The order became one of the main standing military forces of the Latin East.
A religious life
Members took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Knights, sergeants and chaplains lived under a Rule derived from monastic practice.
Supporting houses in Europe
Estates in the West raised money and recruits; secure deposit and transfer of funds grew from this network.
Symbols
About the image · Historically associated symbol
Red cross on white, the sign of the Templar knights. The exact shape varied; the splayed cross pattée shown here is a later conventional form.
According to William of Tyre, Pope Eugenius III allowed the knights to wear a red cross; this is dated to 1147. Medieval Templar seals and images use several cross shapes.
Templar symbolism is better documented than many later legends suggest, but its forms varied.
The red crossDocumented
Knights wore white mantles marked with a red cross. Sergeants wore black or brown. The red cross is said to have been granted by Eugenius III in 1147; the cross shape varied.
Two knights on one horseDocumented
A well-known seal of the order’s masters shows two knights sharing a horse, often read as a sign of poverty or brotherhood.
The BeauséantDocumented
The order’s battle standard, divided black and white.
Sources
Editorial status
Reference entry, drafted with particular care. Key dates were spot-checked during this build against the sources marked “checked” below; other references are listed for later verification.
References
Primary sourceNot yet checked
De laude novae militiae (In Praise of the New Knighthood)
Primary sourceNot yet checked
Vox in excelso
The bull suppressing the order at the Council of Vienne.
ManuscriptNot yet checked
The Chinon Parchment
Secondary studyNot yet checked
The New Knighthood: A History of the Order of the Temple
Standard modern history of the order. Bibliographic reference; not consulted in this build.
Secondary studyNot yet checked
The Trial of the Templars
Bibliographic reference; not consulted in this build.
Secondary studyNot yet checked
The Knights Templar: A New History
Includes discussion of later legends. Bibliographic reference; not consulted in this build.
Reference work✓ Checked in build session
Knights Templar (opens in a new tab)
Consulted during the build to spot-check: c. 1119–20, Troyes 1129, Omne datum optimum 1139, the 1307 arrests, Chinon 1308, Vox in excelso and Ad providam 1312, de Molay 1314, the red cross (1147) and the lack of any proven link to modern organisations. A tertiary summary, not an authority.
Workbook linkNot yet checked
britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Link supplied in the source workbook (“Religious Military Orders”, row 10). It could not be loaded during the build session.
Original workbook record
Imported unchanged from “Religious Military Orders”, row 10. Values here are the starting dataset, not verified facts; where the Atlas differs, the reason is noted below.
- Order Name
- Knights Templar
- Formal / Full Name
- Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon
- Founded (Date)
- c. 1119 AD
- Origin / HQ Location
- Jerusalem (Temple Mount)
- Founder(s) / Key Figures
- Hugues de Payens & St. Bernard of Clairvaux
- Primary Mission & Purpose
- Protect Christian pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem; defense of Crusader states; early international banking.
- Current Status
- Dissolved (1312 AD)
- Historical Legacy & Dissolution/Transformation
- Suppressed by Pope Clement V and King Philip IV of France in 1312 following false accusations of heresy. Wealth transferred largely to the Hospitallers.
- Reference Link
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/Knights-Templar
Editorial notes on this record
- Founder(s) / Key Figures: Bernard of Clairvaux was a patron and advocate, not a founder.
- Historical Legacy: “Suppressed by Pope Clement V and King Philip IV” — suppression was a papal act under royal pressure.
- Primary Mission & Purpose: “Early international banking” is anachronistic; reworded as secure deposit and transfer of funds.
- Historical Legacy: “False accusations” reflects mainstream modern scholarship but is an interpretation; the page explains the evidence.