It is all too easy to forget history and invent a false record in any field or interest. It is usually not done purposefully, and in the case of our Templar heroes, a large part of it is woven together by creating a belief system based on legends, Hollywood and Internet lore instead of what actually happened over our 193-year history. While many think the only task of the Templar Knights was to hang around Jerusalem, escort pilgrims, collect treasure, and exchange Templar Traveler Cheques, it was – as one would expect – far more complicated.
The precursor knights from whom the Templars were born entered the stage in the First Crusade (1096–1099). Later, the Templar Knights became as much a feature of the future Crusades as any fighting force in medieval history. Indeed, the foundational group of knights who became the original Templars arrived in Jerusalem after having fought in the First Crusade. At the time, no one even considered the idea of an Order of soldier monks.
The medieval Crusades – eight of them – began in 1096 and extended through 1270. The first call to battle was initiated by Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont in 1095, and his stated purpose was to expel the violent and intolerant Islamic forces of the Seljuk Turks from occupying the city of Jerusalem and other Holy Land sites.
Of interest, Urban offered the earliest recorded plenary indulgence, or “remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven” (Code of Canon Law, canon 992), for those who “undertook the journey to participate in the First Crusade with pure motives.” It was quite a powerful incentive indeed, as Christians at the time subsequently equated participation in the crusade with remission of time in Purgatory for themselves or a deceased loved one!
The First Crusade culminated on 15 July 1099 with the successful capture of Jerusalem from the Fatimid Muslims (who had occupied it in August 1098), and the Latin Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem was established. Jerusalem had been under Muslim control since 638 AD, when it was conquered by the Rashidun Caliphate. Before that, it was part of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire, which was Christian. Fortunately, the majority of Islamic rulers of the area over the centuries, unlike the Seljuk Turks, tolerated Christian pilgrims.
Following the First Crusade, the Holy Land remained unstable, with Seljuk and Fatimid forces threatening Christian territories, and pilgrims facing robbery and attacks on routes to the city and places of worship. Hugh de Payens, a French knight veteran of the First Crusade, along with Godfrey de Saint-Omer (possibly also a veteran of the First Crusade) and an idealistic band of like-minded knights, was outraged by the injustices.
In 1118-1119, they organized themselves into a religious community and took monastic vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. They also made vows to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, offering their services to protect vulnerable pilgrims. King Baldwin II of the Latin Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem took notice of their pious deeds and supported them with quarters in the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount, believed to be the location of Solomon’s Temple. So began the Poor Knights of Christ of the Temple of Solomon, or simply the Knights of the Temple, a.k.a. Knights Templar.
Supported by Bernard of Clairvaux in 1129 at the Council of Troyes, the Templars gained papal recognition and a formal monastic rule inspired by Cistercian ideals, solidifying their role as a religious-military order dedicated to stabilizing the region. This papal recognition had the practical effect of giving the Holy See its own combat force rather than exclusively relying on other nations’ military forces to settle religious disagreements, particularly given the aggressive Muslim expansion into traditionally Christian enclaves of power.
Therefore, it is no surprise that the Vatican immediately assigned Templar forces to the following seven major crusades (and later battles that were fought through 1302 until the loss of Acre and Cyprus):
Second Crusade (1147–1149): Templars emerged as a disciplined military force, providing critical logistical and combat support during the unsuccessful siege of Damascus, boosting their reputation.
Third Crusade (1189–1192): Templars were instrumental in key victories at Acre and Arsuf, bolstering Richard the Lionheart’s efforts to counter Saladin’s control of Jerusalem.
Fourth Crusade (1202–1204): With limited military involvement, the Templars focused on financial and diplomatic roles, navigating the contentious diversion to and sacking of Constantinople.
Fifth Crusade (1217–1221): Templars played a strategic role in the capture of Damietta, but the crusade’s failure to hold gains limited their long-term impact.
Sixth Crusade (1228–1229): Templars supported Emperor Frederick II’s diplomatic efforts, which temporarily regained Jerusalem without major conflict.
Seventh Crusade (1248–1254): In French King Louis IX’s disastrous Egyptian campaign, the Templars suffered significant losses at Mansurah (including Master of the Temple Guillaume de Sonnac) due to the selfish ambition of inept French political leadership, which diminished their regional strength. English monk Matthew Paris, based in St Albans, reported in his Chronica Majora that only two Templars and a single Hospitaller escaped “nor did the anger… or rather fury of the Lord allow anyone of note to escape.”
Eighth Crusade (1270): Templars offered minimal support to Louis IX’s ill-fated Tunis campaign, reflecting their waning influence as Crusader states collapsed.
After the Eighth Crusade, the Templars were involved in key defensive battles like Tripoli (1289) and Acre (1291), continuing minor operations from Cyprus until 1302.
On 13 October 1307, King Philip IV of France initiated the dissolution and persecution of the Templars. He ordered their arrest in France, accusing them of heresy and other crimes, including idolatry, blasphemy, and immoral practices. Philip was deeply indebted to the Templars and coveted their vast financial resources and broad influence that threatened his royal authority.
This very brief summary is far too short to even begin to mention many of the interesting and pivotal military roles Templar Knights played during those years. My intention is to give you a framework of understanding how Templars – while always maintaining their cloistered monastic vows – were also constantly called upon by the Church to conduct warfare and business while establishing their own strategic dominance for almost two centuries across a wide geopolitical swath of the old world.
How does this brief summary expand your understanding of our history, not only in Jerusalem but across the entire Middle Eastern and European religious and political landscape of Medieval Europe? Well, you can clearly see that Templars were doing far more than just hanging around Jerusalem, escorting pilgrims, collecting treasure, and exchanging Templar Traveler Cheques! And my brief summary only barely scratches the surface. Add in nearly two centuries of the most brilliant, God inspired, and supremely blessed geniuses of so many faithful Kingdom Builders, and things become extraordinarily fascinating.
Thus, in the future, I will continue to tell our story with these snapshot glimpses of our past and how our forefathers created one of the most influential military, economic, and social structures, as well as an enduring influence that continues through us in the 21st century.