This article is part of or related to the Knights Templar series Image File history File links Cross_of_the_Knights_Templar. ... Knights Templar may refer to: Knights Templar (military order) Knights Templar in England Knights Templar (Freemason degree) Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ...

Knights Templar (military order) History of the Knights Templar Knights Templar in England Knights Templar legends Knights Templar Seal Grand Masters of the Knights Templar List of Knights Templar Modern associations The History of the Knights Templar incorporates about two centuries during the Middle Ages, from the Orders founding in the early 1100s, to when it was disbanded in the early 1300s. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The secrecy around the powerful Order of the Knights Templar, and the speed with which they suddenly disappeared over the space of a few years, has led to many different Knights Templar legends. ... Seals of the Knights Templars Officials of religious Orders had their own seals to validate documents approved by the Order. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into List of Knights Templar. ... It has been suggested that Grand Master of the Knights Templar be merged into this article or section. ... Knights Templar and popular culture Knights Templar (Freemason degree)

This article is about the medieval military order. For other uses of the term, please see Templar (disambiguation).

The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon (Latin: paupers commilitones Christi Templique Solomonici), popularly known as the Knights Templar, was one of the most famous of the Christian military orders. It existed for about two centuries in the Middle Ages, created in the aftermath of the First Crusade of 1096 to ensure the safety of the large numbers of European pilgrims who flowed towards Jerusalem after its conquest. The Knights Templar have many references in popular culture, most of them quite inaccurate. ... This page is about a Masonic organization. ... The word Templar could refer to the following: Knights Templar (military order), a medieval Christian military order that was very prominent in the Crusades, from the early 1100s until the early 1300s. ... A military order is a Christian order of knighthood that is founded for crusading, i. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... The First Crusade was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II to regain control of the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Christian Holy Land from Muslims. ... Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to some dispute as to Europes actual borders. ... For albums named Pilgrim, see Pilgrim (album). ... Jerusalem (31°46′N 35°14′E; Hebrew: (help· info) Yerushalayim; Arabic: (help· info) al-Quds, Greek Ιεροσόλυμα), is an ancient Middle Eastern city on the watershed between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea at an elevation of 650-840 meters. ...

The Templars were an unusual order in that they were both monks and soldiers, making them in effect some of the earliest "warrior monks" in the Western world. Members of the Order played a key part in many battles of the Crusades, and the Order's infrastructure innovated many financial techniques that could be considered the foundation of modern banking. The Order grew in membership and power throughout Europe, until it ran afoul of a French King and was suddenly and forcibly disbanded in the early 1300s. A Roman Catholic monk A monk is a person who practices monasticism, adopting a strict religious and ascetic lifestyle, usually in community with others following the same path. ... A soldier is a person who has enlisted with, or has been conscripted into, the armed forces of a sovereign country and has undergone training and received equipment (such as a uniform and weapon) to defend that country or its interests. ... A warrior is a person habitually engaged in combat. ... The term Western world or the West can have multiple meanings depending on its context. ... This article is about historical Crusades . ... For other uses, see Bank (disambiguation). ... Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to some dispute as to Europes actual borders. ... Centuries: 13th century - 14th century - 15th century Decades: 1250s 1260s 1270s 1280s 1290s - 1300s - 1310s 1320s 1330s 1340s 1350s Years: 1300 1301 1302 1303 1304 1305 1306 1307 1308 1309 Events and Trends MARF Categories: 1300s ...

Organization

The Seal of the Knights — the two riders have been interpreted as a sign of poverty or the duality of monk/soldier.

The Templars were organized as a monastic order, following a rule created for them by their patron, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, a member of the Cistercian Order. Each country had a Master of the Order for the Templars in that region, and all of them were subject to the Grand Master, appointed for life, who oversaw both the Order's military efforts in the East, and their financial holdings in the West. Used in Polish edition This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Seals of the Knights Templars Officials of religious Orders had their own seals to validate documents approved by the Order. ... Monasticism (from Greek: monachos—a solitary person) is the religious practice of renouncing all worldly pursuits in order to fully devote ones life to spiritual work. ... Bernard of Clairvaux, in a medieval illuminated manuscript. ... The Order of Cistercians (OCist) (Latin Cistercenses), otherwise Gimey or White Monks (from the colour of the habit, over which is worn a black scapular or apron) are a Catholic order of monks. ... Grand Master is the typical title of the supreme head of various military orders of knighthood, a type of religious order including the Knights Templar, a class of sectarian order such as the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Orange Order, but who in the case of a sovereign order such...

There were four divisions of brothers in the Templars:

• the knights, equipped as heavy cavalry (wore a white mantle with red cross);
• the sergeants (serjens), equipped as light cavalry and drawn from a lower social class than the knights (wore a brown mantle);
• the serving brothers - the rural brothers (frères casaliers), who administered the property of the Order, and the frères de métiers, who performed menial tasks and trades;
• the chaplains, who were ordained priests and saw to the spiritual needs of the Order.

With the high demand for knights, there were also knights who signed up to the Order for a set period of time before returning to secular life, as well as the Fratres conjugati, who were married brothers. Both of these wore a black or brown mantle with a red cross to delineate them from the celibate lifetime members, and were not considered to be of the same status as the celibate brothers. It also appears that the serving brothers (frères casaliers and frères de métiers) were not separate from the sergeants, but rather that a sergeant who was a skilled tradesman or was unable to fight due to age or infirmity would perform these other functions. The majority of the Templars, including the knights and the Grand Masters, were both uneducated and illiterate (as were most knights of the day), having come not from the upper nobility but from more obscure families. The silver Anglia knight, commissioned as a trophy in 1850, intended to represent the Black Prince. ... Cavalry is also a common misspelling of the Biblical hill Calvary. ... Social class refers to the hierarchical distinctions between individuals or groups in societies or cultures. ... A chaplain is typically a member of the clergy serving a group of people who are not organized as a mission or church; lay chaplains are also found in some settings such as universities. ...

At any time, each knight had some ten people in support positions. Some brothers were devoted solely to banking (typically those with an education), as the Order was often trusted with the safekeeping of precious goods by participants in the Crusades; but the primary mission of the Knights Templar was warfare. For other uses, see Bank (disambiguation). ... This article is about historical Crusades . ...

The Templars used their wealth to construct numerous fortifications throughout the Holy Land and were probably the best trained and disciplined fighting units of their day. They were also famous and easily recognized, with a white surcoat with distinct red cross emblazoned above the heart or on the chest, as seen in many portrayals of crusading knights. Table of Fortification, from the 1728 Cyclopaedia. ... The phrase The Holy Land (Arabic الأرض المقدسة, al-Arḍ ul-Muqaddasah; Hebrew ארץ הקודש: Standard Hebrew Éreẓ haQodeš, Tiberian Hebrew ʾÉreṣ haqQāḏēš; Latin Terra Sancta) generally refers to Israel, otherwise known as Palestine (sometimes including Jordan, Syria and parts of Egypt). ... A surcoat was an outer garment commonly worn in the Middle Ages. ... The Anarchist Black Cross was originally called the Anarchist Red Cross. The band Redd Kross was originally called Red Cross. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Initiation into the Order was a profound commitment, and involved a secret ceremony. Few details of the rituals were known at the time, fueling the suspicions of medieval inquisitors, but initiates, at least in the early days of the Order, had to be of noble birth, of legitimate heritage, and had to be willing to sign over all of their wealth and goods to the Order. Further, joining the Order required vows of poverty, chastity, piety, and obedience. For the warriors of the Order, there was a cardinal rule of never surrendering. This fearless uncompromising nature of the Templars, along with excellent training and heavy armament, made them a feared and elite fighting force in medieval times. Coming from the Latin, initiation implies a beginning. ... An official in an Inquisition, an Inquisitor is literally one who searches out or inquires (Latin inquirere < quaerere, to seek). The Grand Inquisitor, or Inquisitor Generalis, was the chief Inquisitor of an Inquisition. ... Monastic vows are the public vows of poverty, chastity and obedience professed by the monks in the Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox tradition. ...

History

Main article: History of the Knights Templar

The order was founded around 1119 by French nobleman Hughes de Payens, a veteran of the First Crusade. He gathered nine of his knight relatives, their stated mission to protect pilgrims in the Holy Land. King Baldwin II of Jerusalem gave them a headquarters on the Temple Mount, above what was believed to be the ruins of the Temple of Solomon. It was from this location that the Order took its name of Templar. Image File history File links Cross_of_the_Knights_Templar. ... The History of the Knights Templar incorporates about two centuries during the Middle Ages, from the Orders founding in the early 1100s, to when it was disbanded in the early 1300s. ... Hughes de Payens or de Pains (c. ... The First Crusade was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II to regain control of the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Christian Holy Land from Muslims. ... Baldwin of Bourcq (died August 21, 1131) was the second count of Edessa from 1100 to 1118, and the third king of Jerusalem from 1118 until his death. ... The Temple Mount (Hebrew: (without niqqud: הר הבית), Har haBáyit) or Noble Sanctuary (Arabic: الحرم الشريف, ▶ (help· info)) is a hotly contested religious site in the Old City of Jerusalem. ... Solomons Temple was the first Jewish temple in Jerusalem which functioned as a religious focal point for worship and the sacrifices known as the korbanot in ancient Judaism. ...

The Temple Mount

The Order grew rapidly because of support from key church leaders such as Saint Bernard de Clairvaux, and were exempt from all authority except that of the Pope. Because of this official sanction, they received massive donations of money, land, and noble-born sons from families across Europe, who were encouraged to donate support as their way of assisting with the fight in the Holy Land. Templar Knights also fought alongside King Louis VII of France, King Richard I of England, and in battles in Spain and Portugal. Image File history File linksMetadata Harhab_mini. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Harhab_mini. ... Bernard of Clairvaux, in a medieval illuminated manuscript. ... Louis VII the Younger (French: Louis VII le Jeune) (1120 - September 18, 1180) was King of France from 1137 to 1180. ... Richard I (September 8, 1157 – April 6, 1199) was King of England from 1189 to 1199. ...

Though the primary mission of the Order was a military one, only a small percentage of its members were actually at the front lines, while many others were involved in developing a financial infrastructure to support the warrior branch. The Order also innovated ways of generating letters of credit for pilgrims who were journeying to the Holy Land, which involved pilgrims depositing their valuables with the Order before setting off on the journey. This may have been the first form of checking put into use. From this mixture of donations and shrewd business dealing, during the 12th and 13th centuries the Order acquired large tracts of land both in Europe and the Middle East, built churches and castles, bought farms and vineyards, was involved in manufacturing and import/export, had its own fleet of ships, and for a time even owned the entire island of Cyprus. Credit as a financial term, used in such terms as credit card, refers to the granting of a loan and the creation of debt. ... Typical cancelled personal cheque as used in the U.S. A cheque, or (in American English) check, thought to have developed from Persian Ú†Ùƒ chek, is a negotiable instrument instructing a financial institution to pay a specific amount of a specific currency from a specific demand account held in the maker...

Templars being burned at the stake

After Jerusualem was lost to Saladin in the late 1100s, the Crusades gradually wound down, and European support for the Order began to falter. In the early 1300s, a financial dispute with King Philip IV of France (also known as "Philip the Fair") contributed to the official disbandment of the Order. On Friday, October 13, 1307 (a date possibly linked with the origin of the Friday the 13th legend), Philip had hundreds of French Templars simultaneously arrested, charged with over 100 crimes, and tortured by Inquisitors until they "confessed". In 1312, under pressure from King Philip, Pope Clement V officially disbanded the Order at the Council of Vienne, and in 1314 the remaining Templar leaders in France were executed, some by being burned at the stake. Image File history File links Templars_on_the_stake. ... Image File history File links Templars_on_the_stake. ... Saladin, from a 12th-century Arab codex. ... Philip IV the Fair (French: Philippe IV le Bel) (1268 – November 29, 1314) was King of France from 1285 until his death. ... October 13 is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years). ... Events July - The Knights Hospitaller begin their conquest of Rhodes. ... Look up paraskavedekatriaphobia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Clement V, né Bertrand de Gouth (1264 - April 20, 1314) was pope from 1305 to 1314. ... Above all else, the Roman Catholic Council of Vienne was the Ecumenical Council that withdrew papal support for the Knights Templar, confirming the destruction of the rich Order by the bureaucrats of Philip IV of France. ...

Remaining Templars around Europe were either arrested and tried, absorbed into other organizations such as the Order of Christ and Knights Hospitaller, or fled to other territories outside of Papal control such as excommunicated Scotland. But questions still remain as to what happened to the thousands of Templars across Europe, or to the entire Templar fleet of ships which vanished on October 13, 1307. Also, the extensive archive of the Templars, with detailed records of all of their business holdings and financial transactions, was never found, though it is unknown whether it was destroyed, or moved to another location. Founded in 1318, the Order of Christ was the heritage of the Knights Templar in Portugal, after the supression of the Templars in 1312. ... The Knights Hospitaller (also known by such names as Knights of Rhodes, Knights of Malta, Cavaliers of Malta, and Order of St John of Jerusalem) is a tradition which began as a Benedictine hospitaller Order founded in Jerusalem, following the First Crusade, ca. ... Motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within Europe Scotlands location within the United Kingdom Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ...

In modern times, it is the Roman Catholic Church's position that the persecution was unjust; that there was nothing inherently wrong with the Order or its Rule; and that the Pope at the time was only pressured into suppressing them by public scandal, and royal influence. For other uses of the term, see Catholic Church (disambiguation). ... A scandal is a widely publicized incident involving allegations of wrong-doing, disgrace, or moral outrage. ...

Grand Masters

Main article: Grand Masters of the Knights Templar

Starting with founder Hughes de Payens in 1118, the Order's highest office was that of Grand Master, a position which was held for life, though considering the warrior nature of the Order, this could be a very short period of time. The Grand Master oversaw all of the operations of the Order, including both the military operations in the Holy Land and eastern Europe, and the financial and business dealings in the Order's infrastructure of western Europe. Grand Masters could also be active military commanders, though this was not always a wise choice, as seen by the embarrassing blunders made by the 12th century Gérard de Ridefort, who ended up beheaded by Saladin in 1189. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into List of Knights Templar. ... Hughes de Payens or de Pains (c. ... Gerard of Ridefort (died October 1, 1189) was Grand Master of the Knights Templar from 1184 until his death. ... Saladin, from a 12th-century Arab codex. ...

Places associated with the Knights Templar

Tomar Church, Portugal

Middle East

• Temple Mount and Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem
• Akko (City of Acre) - contains a tunnel leading to a 13th century Templar stronghold

England

• Temple Church, Middle Temple and Inner Temple, London, England
• Temple Dinsley, Hertfordshire, England
• Hertford, Hertfordshire, England [1]
• Royston Cave, Royston, Hertfordshire, England
• Cressing Temple, Essex, England
• Templecombe, Somerset, England [2]
• Lundy Island, Devon, England
• Westerdale, North Yorkshire, England
• Great Wilbraham Preceptory, Cambridgeshire
• Bisham Abbey, Berkshire
• St. Mary's, Sompting, West Sussex, England [3]

Spain and Portugal

• Convento de Cristo, Castle of Tomar and Church of Santa Maria do Olival in Tomar, Portugal [4]
• Castle of Almourol, Idanha, Monsanto, Pombal and Zêzere in Portugal
• Castle of Soure, Coimbra, Portugal [5]
• Irrigation system in Aragon, Spain [6]

Other

• Kolossi Castle in Cyprus
• Tempelhof in Berlin, Germany
• Chastel Blanc, Syria

For a list of some of the places that have been associated with the Knights Templar, either in fiction or legend, but which have not yet been proven to have a factual association, see Rumored locations. Download high resolution version (768x1024, 216 KB)((templarplaces ) Photo by Cristian Chirita 2004 Contact Info: Cristian. ... Download high resolution version (768x1024, 216 KB)((templarplaces ) Photo by Cristian Chirita 2004 Contact Info: Cristian. ... The Temple Mount (Hebrew: (without niqqud: הר הבית), Har haBáyit) or Noble Sanctuary (Arabic: الحرم الشريف, â–¶ (help· info)) is a hotly contested religious site in the Old City of Jerusalem. ... The Dome of the Rock in the center of the Temple Mount The Dome of the Rock (Arabic: قبة الصخرة Qubbat As-Sakhrah) is a famous Islamic shrine in Jerusalem. ... The Old City of Acre in the 19th or early 20th century, looking south-west from atop the Land Wall Promenade, the open space now a parking lot. ... The Temple Church. ... Part of Middle Temple c. ... The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple is one of the four Inns of Court around the Royal Courts of Justice in London, England, to which barristers belong and where they are called to the Bar. ... For other uses, see London (disambiguation) and Defining London (below). ... Hertfordshire (pronounced Hartfordshire and abbreviated as Herts) is an inland county in the United Kingdom, officially part of the East of England Government region. ... Hertford (Hartford or, in local pronunciation, /[h]ɑːʔֽfÉ™d/) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is in the East Hertfordshire district of that county. ... Royston cave is a small but absorbingly interesting artificial cave in Royston in Hertfordshire, England. ... Location within the British Isles Royston is the most northern town in Hertfordshire. ... Essex is a county in the East of England. ... Templecombe is a village in Somerset, situated on the A357 road five miles south of Wincanton, twelve miles east of Yeovil, and 30 miles west of Salisbury. ... Somerset is a county in the south-west of England. ... The Old Light, Lundy Lundy is an island in the Bristol Channel of Great Britain, administered as part of Torridge district of the English county of Devon. ... The inner harbour, Brixham, south Devon, at low tide Devon is a large county in South West England, bordering on Cornwall to the west, Dorset and Somerset to the east. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my [birth]right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages English (de facto) Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked... WESTERDALE - Village in North Yorkshire In issue 9 - 2003 of Templar News, I wrote of Westerdale Church, North Yorkshire and its Templar connections with the preceptory which once existed there. ... Bolton Abbey North Yorkshire is a Shire county within the region of Yorkshire and the Humber in England. ... Great & Little Wilbraham, Cambridgeshire. ... Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs) is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west. ... Early History Bisham Abbey in Berkshire was had its origins in a preceptory built about 1260 for the Knights Templars. ... Berkshire (IPA: or  ; sometimes abbreviated to Berks) is a county in England and forms part of the South East England region. ... Sompting is a village in West Sussex, England, located between Lancing and Worthing, at the foot of the southern slope of the South Downs. ... West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex (with Brighton and Hove), Hampshire and Surrey. ... Images of Medieval Templars HQ in Portugal Templars Round Church in Tomar One of the courtyards: An medieval Clock Cristian Chirita photo 2004 One detail The Kitchen Tomar Castle Cristian Chirita photos Tomar 2004 Links Templars Tomar Categories: Portugal | Crusades | Roman Catholic Orders and Societies | Orders of knighthood | Europe... The Convent of the Order of Christ and Templar Castle, in Tomar was built in 1160 by Dom Gualdim Pais, provincial Master of the Order of the Temple in Portugal. ... Coat of Arms Renaissance Manuelina style Window at the Convent of Christ Tomar, also known in English as Thomar, is a city of some 20,000 and also a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 351. ... The Castle of Almourol is situated in a small rocky island, in the middle of the Tagus river, in Portugal. ... Soure is a town and municipality of the Coimbra district, in Portugal. ... District Coimbra Mayor   - Party Carlos Encarnação PSD Area 316. ... Irrigating cotton fields Irrigation in the Heart of the Sahara Irrigation (in agriculture) is the replacement or supplementation of rainfall with water from another source in order to grow crops. ... Capital Zaragoza Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 4th  47 719 km²  9,4% Population  â€“ Total (2003)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked 11th  1 217 514  2,9%  25,51/km² Demonym  â€“ English  â€“ Spanish  Aragonese  aragonés Statute of Autonomy August 16, 1982 ISO 3166-2 AR Parliamentary representation  â€“ Congress seats  â€“ Senate... Kolossi Castle The Kolossi Castle is a stronghold a few kilometers outside the city of Limassol on the island of Cyprus. ... The Tempelhof town hall - due to the merger with Schöneberg now without a mayor Tempelhof was a borough of the city of Berlin that was united with Schöneberg in 2001 to form the Tempelhof-Schöneberg borough. ... (help· info) is the capital city and a state of Germany. ... View of Safita from Chastel Blanc St. ... The secrecy around the powerful Order of the Knights Templar, and the speed with which they suddenly disappeared over the space of a few years, has led to many different Knights Templar legends. ...

Legends

Main article: Knights Templar legends

The Knights Templar have become surrounded by legends concerning secrets and mysteries handed down to the select from ancient times. Most of these legends are connected with the long occupation by the order of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, and speculation about what relics the Templars may have found there, such as the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant, or fragments of the True Cross from the Crucifixion. The secrecy around the powerful Order of the Knights Templar, and the speed with which they suddenly disappeared over the space of a few years, has led to many different Knights Templar legends. ... A legend (Latin, legenda, things to be read) is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude. ... Esoterica is a band from the South East of England, namely Surrey. ... The Temple Mount (Hebrew: (without niqqud: הר הבית), Har haBáyit) or Noble Sanctuary (Arabic: الحرم الشريف, ▶ (help· info)) is a hotly contested religious site in the Old City of Jerusalem. ... Jerusalem (31°46′N 35°14′E; Hebrew: (help· info) Yerushalayim; Arabic: (help· info) al-Quds, Greek Ιεροσόλυμα), is an ancient Middle Eastern city on the watershed between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea at an elevation of 650-840 meters. ... In Christian mythology, the Holy Grail was the dish, plate, cup or vessel used by Jesus at the Last Supper, said to possess miraculous powers. ... A late 19th-century artists conception of the Ark of the Covenant, employing a Renaissance cassone for the Ark and cherubim as latter-day Christian angels The Ark of the Covenant (ארון הברית in Hebrew: aron habrit) is described in the Hebrew Bible as a sacred container built at the command... According to Christian tradition, the True Cross is the cross upon which Jesus was crucified. ... Crucifixion is an ancient method of execution, where the victim was tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang there until dead. ...

Other legends have grown around the suspected associations of the Templars. Many organizations claim traditions from the original Order especially in relation to silent charity and good deeds. Some of these organizations which might be associated with the Templars, are still active within communities across the globe supporting humanistic causes such as hospitals and medical treatment centers for the less fortunate. The works deeds and actions of a "Silent Knight" are typical for Templar behavior from historical tenents. For example, the Freemasons began incorporating Templar symbols and rituals into their own history in the 1700s. And still more stories were started by fictional embellishments upon the Templar history, such as by Hollywood movies or bestselling novels such as The Da Vinci Code. American Square & Compasses Freemasonry is a worldwide fraternal organization. ... ... The Da Vinci Code is a novel written by American author Dan Brown and published in 2003 by Doubleday Fiction (ISBN 0385504209). ...

For more information, see Knights Templar legends and Knights Templar and popular culture. The secrecy around the powerful Order of the Knights Templar, and the speed with which they suddenly disappeared over the space of a few years, has led to many different Knights Templar legends. ... The Knights Templar have many references in popular culture, most of them quite inaccurate. ...

Sources

A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a permanent identifier (permalink) given to a World Wide Web file or other Internet document so that if its Internet address changes, users will be redirected to its new address. ... History Channel logo. ...

See also

The History of the Knights Templar incorporates about two centuries during the Middle Ages, from the Orders founding in the early 1100s, to when it was disbanded in the early 1300s. ... The secrecy around the powerful Order of the Knights Templar, and the speed with which they suddenly disappeared over the space of a few years, has led to many different Knights Templar legends. ... The Knights Templar have many references in popular culture, most of them quite inaccurate. ... Seals of the Knights Templars Officials of religious Orders had their own seals to validate documents approved by the Order. ... The history of the Templars in England began when Hughes de Payens, Grandmaster of the order visited the country in 1128 to raise men and money for the crusade. ... It has been suggested that Grand Master of the Knights Templar be merged into this article or section. ... The Order of our Lady of Montesa was founded in 1317 by [[James II) (Jayme or Jaíme II, called The Just), King of Aragon from 1291 to 1327, as the replacement for the Templars. ... The Chinon parchment is a document from the Secret Vatican Archives that shows that Pope Clement V secretly pardoned the Knights Templar in 1314. ... Above all else, the Roman Catholic Council of Vienne was the Ecumenical Council that withdrew papal support for the Knights Templar, confirming the destruction of the rich Order by the bureaucrats of Philip IV of France. ... Geoffrey de Charney, or Geoffroy de Charnay, was Preceptor of Normandy for the Knights Templar, burned alive along with Jacques de Molay in 1314. ... The Knights Hospitaller (also known by such names as Knights of Rhodes, Knights of Malta, Cavaliers of Malta, and Order of St John of Jerusalem) is a tradition which began as a Benedictine hospitaller Order founded in Jerusalem, following the First Crusade, ca. ... Founded in 1318, the Order of Christ was the heritage of the Knights Templar in Portugal, after the supression of the Templars in 1312. ...

External links

• Scottish Knights Templar The Modern Order in Scotland
• Knights Templar Catholic Encyclopedia entry
• Templar History Magazine Popular history of the Templars
• The Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts