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The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon (, 1994. ISBN 0-521-42041-5. The organization existed for approximately two centuries in the Middle Ages . It was created in the aftermath of the First Crusade of 1096 , to ensure the safety of the large numbers of Europe an Pilgrim s who flowed toward Jerusalem after its conquest. Officially endorsed by the church in 1129, the Order became a favored charity across Europe. It grew rapidly in membership and power. Templar knights, easily recognizable in their white Mantle with a distinct red Cross , made some of the best equipped, trained, and disciplined fighting units of the Crusades. Non-warrior members of the Order managed a large economic infrastructure throughout Christendom, innovating many financial techniques that were an early form of Banking ,Martin, p. 47. and building numerous Fortification s across Europe and the Holy Land . The Templars' success was tied closely to the success of the Crusades. When the Holy Land was lost and the Templars suffered crushing defeats, support for the Order's existence faded. Rumors about the Templars' secret initiation ceremony created mistrust, and King Philip IV Of France , deeply in debt to the Order, began pressuring Pope Clement V to take action. On Friday, October 13 1307 , King Philip had many of the Order's members, including the Grand Master Jacques De Molay , arrested, Torture d into "confessions", and Burned At The Stake .Malcolm Barber, ''The Trial of the Templars''. Cambridge University Press, 1978. ISBN 0-521-45727-0. In 1312, Pope Clement, under continuing pressure from King Philip, forcibly disbanded the entire Order. The sudden disappearance of a major part of the European infrastructure gave rise to speculation and legends, which have kept the name "Templar" alive in modern fiction. HISTORY See Also: History of the Knights Templar Rise , on Jerusalem's Temple Mount . The Crusaders called it the Temple Of Solomon , as it was built on top of the ruins of the original Temple, and it was from this location that the Knights took their name of Templar.]] After the First Crusade resulted in the capture of Jerusalem in 1099, many European pilgrims headed for the area to visit what they referred to as The Holy Places . But although the city was under relative control, the rest of the Outremer was not. Bandits abounded, and pilgrims were routinely slaughtered, sometimes by the hundreds, as they attempted to make the journey from the coastline at Jaffa into the Holy Land.Burman, pp. 13, 19. Around 1119, 2005 , video documentary written by Marcy MarzuniBarber, ''The New Knighthood'', p. 7. The Crusaders therefore referred to the Al Aqsa Mosque as Solomon's Temple, and it was from this location that the Order took its name of ''Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon'', or "Templar" knights. With few financial resources, the tiny Order of approximately nine knights had to rely on donations to survive. Their emblem displayed two knights riding on a single horse, emphasizing their poverty. The Templars' impoverished status did not last long. The Order had a powerful patron in Bernard Of Clairvaux , a leading church figure and a nephew of one of the founding knights. He spoke and wrote persuasively on their behalf, and in 1129 at the Council Of Troyes , the Order was officially endorsed by the church. With this formal blessing, the Templars became a favored charity across Europe , receiving money, land, businesses, and noble-born sons from families who were eager to help with the fight in the Holy Land . Another major benefit came in 1139, when Pope Innocent II 's Papal Bull '' Omne Datum Optimum '' exempted the Order from obedience to local laws. This ruling meant that the Templars could pass freely through all borders, were not required to pay any taxes, and were exempt from all authority except that of the Pope .Burman, p. 40.
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