The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, commonly known as
The Knights Templar
, were among the wealthiest and most powerful of the Western Christian military orders. The organisation existed for nearly two centuries during the Middle Ages. Templar knights, in their distinctive white mantles with a red cross, were among the most skilled fighting units of the Crusades.
In 1307, many of the Order's members in France were arrested, tortured into giving false confessions, and then burned at the stake. Under pressure from King Philip, Pope Clement V disbanded the Order in 1312. The abrupt disappearance of a major part of the European infrastructure gave rise to speculation and legends, which have kept the Templar name alive into the modern day.
In
The History of the Knights Templar
Charles Addison traces the rise and fall of this legendary religious-military organization.