Start Date
4-30-2026 9:10 AM
End Date
4-30-2026 10:25 AM
Disciplines
History
Subjects
Crusades, Knights Templar, Middle Ages, Catholic Church
Abstract
The Order of the Knights of the Temple of Solomon, commonly known as the Knights Templar, was a critical organization in the Christian occupation of the Holy Land during the 11th to 14th centuries. This paper explores how the Templars’ relationship with the papacy and the Catholic Church enabled the order to amass its power. Through its doctrine, papal grants, and founding council, the Templars structured their order to be a military force used to attack the Muslim infidel. Religion was the unique element that enabled the Knights Templar to become the most significant military order of their time, greatly influencing the outcomes and events of the crusades. Due to their religious status, the Templars gained military and political stature, but the loss of papal backing following the collapse of the crusades undermined the order’s raison d’être, creating the impetus for its demise. The Templars’ relationship with the Church granted them monetary endowments from secular rulers, tax exemptions allowing the order to create trade monopolies, and a high level of military discipline, which became key to their defense of the Holy Land. This paper will also explore how these powers painted a target on the Templars’ back, creating the justification for the order’s destruction.
Creative Commons License or Rights Statement
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Included in
Heavenly Righteousness: How Religion Facilitated the Rise of the Order of the Knights Templar
The Order of the Knights of the Temple of Solomon, commonly known as the Knights Templar, was a critical organization in the Christian occupation of the Holy Land during the 11th to 14th centuries. This paper explores how the Templars’ relationship with the papacy and the Catholic Church enabled the order to amass its power. Through its doctrine, papal grants, and founding council, the Templars structured their order to be a military force used to attack the Muslim infidel. Religion was the unique element that enabled the Knights Templar to become the most significant military order of their time, greatly influencing the outcomes and events of the crusades. Due to their religious status, the Templars gained military and political stature, but the loss of papal backing following the collapse of the crusades undermined the order’s raison d’être, creating the impetus for its demise. The Templars’ relationship with the Church granted them monetary endowments from secular rulers, tax exemptions allowing the order to create trade monopolies, and a high level of military discipline, which became key to their defense of the Holy Land. This paper will also explore how these powers painted a target on the Templars’ back, creating the justification for the order’s destruction.