Knights Templar
The Knights TemplarThe Knights Templar was a monastic military order formed at the end of the First Crusade with the mandate of protecting Christian pilgrims on route to the Holy Land. Never before had a group of secular knights banded together and taken the monastic vows. In this sense they were the first of the Warrior Monks. The Templers fought alongside King Richard I and other Crusaders in the battles for the Holy Lands.
The secret meetings and rituals of the knights would eventually cause their downfall. The King of France, Рhilip used these rituals and meetings to his advantage to destroy the knights. The real reason for his crushing the Templar’s was that he felt threatened by their power. In 1307, Рhilip, who desperately needed funds, to support his war against England's Edward I, destroyed the Knights Templar.
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In European political circles, they became very powerful and influential. This was because they were immune from any authority save that of the Рapal Throne. After the crusades were over, the knights returned to their homes throughout Europe and became known as moneylenders. In the process many historians believe they invented the Banking Ѕystem.