Knights Templar

:For other uses of the term, see Templar (disambiguation).

Organization

The Templars were organized as a monastic order, following a rule created for them by Bernard of Clairvaux, the founder of the Cistercian Order. The Templars were well connected and quickly became prime movers in the international politics of the Crusades period. In time, they were endowed with several extraordinary Papal bulls (see Omne Datum Optimum) that permitted them, among other things, to levy taxes and accept tithing in the areas under their direct control, facilitating their quick rise to institutional power.

Related Topics:
Monastic order - Bernard of Clairvaux - Cistercian - International politics - Crusades - Papal bull - Omne Datum Optimum

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There were four divisions of brothers in the Templars:

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• the knights, equipped as heavy cavalry;
• the sergeants, equipped as light cavalry and drawn from a lower social class than the knights;
• farmers, who administered the property of the Order;
• the chaplains, who were ordained priests and saw to the spiritual needs of the Order.

At any time, each knight had some ten people in support positions. Some brothers were devoted solely to banking, as the Order was often trusted with precious goods by participants in the Crusades. But the majority of the Knights Templar were dedicated to warfare. It was primarily a military order directly responsible only to the Pope. Some consider the Knights Templar to be the forerunner of the modern professional army and elite special forces units. 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.

Related Topics:
Banking - Crusades

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