Knights Templar

The Knights Templar was an order of Roman Catholic knights who obeyed the orders of the papal empire. The Knights participated in the Crusades and constructed dozens of fortifications throughout Europe and the Middle East to defend Christians on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Around 1119, two veterans who fought in the First Crusade proposed the creation of an order of warriors who protect pilgrims from bandits and Muslim hostiles. Members of the order swore to live a life of poverty and their seal is a sign of that; the seal features two riders on a single horse symbolizing poverty. The Knights were skilled riders who don heavy armor and were the first to lead the charge and break the lines of Muslim warriors. Once the Christians were defeated, the Knights Templar order was disbanded. Members were soon persecuted and tried for heresy, homosexuality, idolatry, and many other heinous crimes that many did not commit. The warriors did leave behind an artful legacy; for example, they constructed beautiful churches and castles.