The Knights Templar – One of Pop Culture’s Favorite Secret Societies
The initially stated purpose of the Knights Templar was to serve as an order of monastic knights that would protect pilgrims on the road to Jerusalem. By the time of their foundation in the 12th century, European Crusaders held large chunks of territory in Syria and Palestine, but they remained surrounded by Muslim states with whom they were often at least in a state of hostility toward, if not outright conflict. Additionally, there was consistent trouble on the road even in the Crusader-controlled Latin States, as much of the Muslim population that had lived there before their invasion remained. At that point there were exactly 9 knights in total, so they were useful for little else.
Their secretive nature – with rumors of occult initiation rites involving an organization with such riches did not make them universally popular, however, and when the Crusades wound down, their international network came under suspicion. In 1307, amidst many allegations of varying offenses, King Philip IV of France ordered hundreds of Templars to be arrested. Pope Clement V, who at the time was based in Avignon, France, issued a Papal Bull that called for the arrest of every Templar in Christendom. The order was dissolved and countless Templars were burned at the stake. The name would live on, however, as the Masons adopted some of their traditions. Now, the secret society known as the Knights Templar does not have a tie to the original Knights. Instead, it is inspired by their ethics. You can only be a Knight if you are at the highest levels of Freemasonry. We couldn’t find a current member or witness to the Knights Templar, but we couldn’t leave this favorite out.
