Origin of the Templars

Crusaders to the Holy Land were beset by bands of thieves and vagrants as they made their way along the Pilgrim trail. Initially, crusaders were protected by a loosely formed group of bowmen, but after the success of the first crusade, Hugues de Payens, a Frankish knight, along with eight other knights, offered protection to crusaders. The knights took vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, not unlike the vows of established religious orders.
The Templars rapidly grew in numbers and prestige. A Grand Master and General Council led the organization, which ultimately answered only to the pope, not to any crusading leaders.
The Templars were first established in Jerusalem, where Baldwin II, King of Jerusalem, gave them quarters in the palace, the captured Al-Aqsa Mosque. Because the palace was on Temple Mount, a holy site, the knightly order took the name Templars. To this day, the site remains one of the most contested religious sites in the world. The accompanying picture is one of Baldwin II ceding the Temple of Solomon to the knights.
From Jerusalem, the Templars moved to Acre, and after the Fall of Acre (1291) the order established itself on the island of Cyprus and operated from there. By now, the Templars had evolved from a military organization to one primarily known as one who handled the money of Europe. They had special privileges, and because of earlier gifts of estates and wealth, they held a powerful place in the courts of Henry II of England and Louis IX of France. This power would lead to their ultimate persecution. My next blog will cover the rising resentment that brought about the destruction of the Templars.