The Knights Templar were one of the most famous Christian military orders of the medieval period. Officially endorsed by the church in the early decades of the 12th century the express purpose of the order was to provide defence and protection to Christian pilgrims. The concept became a popular one and with patronage came wealth and power so that the order, through a substantial infrastructure of non-warrior members spread throughout Europe promoting its objectives, developing financial institutions and building fortification on a grand scale. However, the Knights Templar are especially remembered today for the prowess of their military knights. Clad in white mantles bearing the distinctive red cross the Templars both attracted and created some of the most expert and effective fighting men of their time. Naturally, the order was closely connected to the Holy Land and with the Crusades. For some two hundred years it fought the forces of Islam for dominance of Jerusalem experiencing mixed fortunes in dozens of actions and major battles. The eventual loss of the Holy Land could do no other than promote a decline in their fortunes, and indeed, the support for the Templars. Furthermore, the order's wealth and its independent structure, wielding power outside state and church, inevitably made it a target for both suspicion and dissolution. The end came in 1312-in a welter of torture, bloodshed and burnings at the stake. The legend has lived on however, and today the times of Knights Templar are to many more intriguing and evocative than ever.
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