The Templar Knights

The Templar Knights were a monastic order, formed near the end of the First Crusade to protect Christian pilgrims on the route to the Holy Land, they were also called the Poor Knights of Christ, the Temple of Solomon, and la Milice du Christ. This was the first time a group of secular knights banded together and took the monastic vows. In this sense they were the first of the Warrior Monks. The Templars fought along side King Richard I (Richard The Lion Hearted) and other Crusaders in the battles for the Holy Lands.
In two centuries, they became powerful enough to defy all but the Papal throne. The fear they instilled on the battlefield their wealth and their generosity with it were the main reason for the monastic fighting orders later on. …