Get the look: Templar

Knights are inextricably linked to the Middle Ages in the minds of many people. However, it is not the case that there was only one type of knight. In this series of blogs, we want to showcase several different types of knights. This blog focuses on the knight of the Order of the Templars. With the products we offer in our store, we have created an impression of a Templar knight.

After the First Crusade (1096-1099), a large part of what is now Israell, Lebanon, and Syria came under the control of a confederation of Christian Crusader states. The Holy Land attracted many Christian pilgrims, but it soon became apparent that it was not safe for these pilgrims to travel through Muslim territories. In 1118, the French nobleman Hugh of Payns founded a small knightly order who swore to protect the pilgrims during their journey to the Holy Land. This order was called the ‘Order of the Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon’, which was later shortened to the ‘Order of the Templars’ or ‘Templar Order’.

In 1129, the order formally received the support of the Catholic Church, and in 1139, the members of the order were granted special rights by Pope Innocent II.

For the most part, the members of the order had to adhere to the same, or similar, strict rules as the monks. Thus, the Templars had to take a vow of poverty, chastity, and obedience. They were not allowed to drink or gamble and had to participate in the religious activities associated with the followers of God.

There were strict rules regarding the clothing the Templars were allowed to wear. All members of the order had to wear a habit, similar to the ordinary robe worn by monks. These habits had to fit perfectly and could not contain any embellishments. Unlike ordinary monks, the Templars were allowed to keep their beards.

The knights wore a white habit, and the sergeants (members of non-noble descent) wore black. Both wore a red cross on the left shoulder of their habit and cloak to indicate that they were part of the Templars order. The red cross symbolized the suffering of Christ.

Pointed shoes and shoes with laces were strictly forbidden, as these were associated with the pagans. 

Although the order started with a very small number of members, it grew to become the largest and best-organized fighting force in the Holy Land.

This growth was not only in numbers but also in status and influence. Due to their expertise, the residence of the Templars was seen by the pilgrims as the safest place in the Holy Land. As a result, many pilgrims entrusted their money and other valuable items to the Templars. Thus, the order became not only a fighting force but also a bank. It was even possible for pilgrims to “deposit” money in their homeland and withdraw it from the Templars in the Holy Land. 

The success of the Templars during the Second Crusade (1147-1149) ultimately led to their downfall. Arrogance began to grow within the order, leading to poor military decisions. This resulted in significant manpower losses. Initially, the order's reputation remained intact because, alongside the losses, they also achieved major victories.
This changed when Saladin became the new commander of the resurgent Muslims.  By the end of the 12th century, first Jerusalem fell and then Acre, after which the Templars retreated to Cyprus.

At the beginning of the 13th century, the order was still recovering from their losses, which was possible thanks to the many donations they continued to receive. In 1229, another Crusade took place, led by the German emperor Frederick II, which the Templars joined. This crusade was a success and ended in a peace agreement. An important point of this agreement was that the Al-Aqsa Mosque would remain in Islamic hands. This was a point of contention for the Templars, as the mosque had long been their headquarters, known as the Temple of Solomon. This caused much unrest in the region, both between the Templars and the Muslims, and between the Templars and other groups of crusaders.

After being forced to move their headquarters to other northern cities, such as the seaport of Acre, which they held for the next century, the Templars lost it in 1291, followed by their last mainland fortresses, Tortosa (Tartus in present-day Syria) and Atlit (in present-day Israell). Their center was then moved to Limassol on the island of Cyprus, while they also attempted to maintain a garrison on the small island of Arwad, just off the coast of Tortosa. In 1300, an attempt was made to engage in coordinated military efforts with the Mongols through a new invasion force in Arwad. However, in 1302 or 1303, the Templars lost the island to the Egyptian Mamluk Sultanate during the siege of Arwad. With the loss of the island, the Crusaders lost their last foothold in the Holy Land.

As the military role of the order became less significant, support for the organization began to wane. The situation was complex, however, as the Templars had become an integral part of daily life throughout Christian Europe during the two hundred years of their existence. The many Templar houses of the organization, spread across Europe and the Near East, gave them a broad local presence. Despite the declining military importance, the Templars still managed numerous enterprises, and many Europeans had daily contact with the Templar network, for example, by working on Templar farms or vineyards, or by using the order as a bank to store personal possessions. The order was still not subject to local governments, making it a kind of 'state within a state' everywhere; the standing army, although no longer with a clearly defined mission, could freely cross all borders. This situation led to increasing tensions with some of the European nobility, especially as the Templars showed interest in establishing their own monastic state, similar to what the Teutonic Order had done in Prussia and the Baltic Sea, and the Hospitallers on Rhodes.

Furthermore, the Templars allowed corruption within their own ranks, which often enabled them to influence the legal systems of Europe in favor of their own interests and to exert influence over the lands of local rulers, often at the expense of those rulers themselves.

In 1303, the headquarters of the Templars returned to Paris. However, the closed nature within the ranks of the templars made them vulnerable to political agendas. Rumors about the secret initiation ceremony of the Templars created distrust. King Philip the Fair of France took advantage of this to bring an end to the Templars forever. King Philip the Fair had multiple motives for this. 

Philip IV of France, nicknamed "the Fair," had several motives to condemn the Templars:

1. Financial motives: Philip was heavily in debt and saw the wealth of the Templars as a way to solve his financial problems. He hoped to seize their assets to pay off his debts.
2. Political motives: Philip wanted to strengthen his power and saw the influence of the Templars as a threat to his authority. By eliminating the Templars, he could further consolidate his grip on France.
3. Religious motives: Philip also had political conflicts with Pope Boniface VIII, and condemning the Templars offered him the opportunity to undermine papal authority and strengthen his own position.
4. Personal motives: Some historians suggest that Philip also harbored personal grudges against the Templars, possibly due to their refusal to support him financially or because of his disagreements with individual members of the order.

The members of the order of the Templars were arrested, tortured, and confessions were extracted. Subsequently, they were executed. 

In 1312, the order was officially dissolved by the pope.

In the heart of medieval Europe, amidst the Crusades, Hugo emerged as a figure of courage. Born into a noble family, Hugo grew up with chivalric ideals and was instilled from a young age with a strong sense of duty and honor. His unwavering dedication to his faith drew him to the Holy Land to join the Order of the Templars.
Below you will find the composition of Hugo's s equipment as a Templars knight.

In the Middle Ages, it was common for knights to wear mail armor. Mail armor protected the wearer against cuts and partially against thrusts from sharp weapons. Nowadays, it is common to wear a gambeson under the chainmail shirt in reenactment settings. This padded underlayer softens blows and thus reduces injuries such as bone fractures. Additionally, gambesons themselves also offered protection, for example against arrows that indirectly struck you. The combination of a gambeson and chainmail shirt thus protected the wearer relatively well.

Hugo wears in our composition both a gambeson and a chainmail shirt. The gambeson could be worn both separately and under the chainmail shirt. There are some medieval images suggesting that the gambeson was even worn over the chainmail shirt. Most gambesons we sell are suitable to wear under armor and absorb impacts. However, historical gambesons were often made of 20 to 30 layers of linen, making them so tough that they possibly even offered protection against arrows.

Hugo wears a chainmail shirt. The chainmail shirt is made of flat (or round rings) rings that are interlocked in a 1 or 4 construction. Each ring is riveted closed with a small rivet. Mail shirts were widely used. 

To protect the head and neck, Hugo wears a chainmail coif with a arming cap underneath. The equipment of the templars had several very recognizable components. 

The early crusaders wore a typical Norman nasal helmet. This offered a lot of field of vision but provided little protection to the face. From this, the bucket helmet (calotte) developed. And the bucket helmet further developed into the great helm or pot helmet. The Templars wore them all. Although the nasal helmets were mainly worn by the sergeants or the Templars during less dangerous operations in later years. In this setup, Hugo wears a great helm.

Under the chainmail coif, Hugo wears a padded arming cap.

The surcoat was probably developed during the time of the First Crusade. Mail shirts become hot in the sun, and the surcoat protected against this. In addition, surcoats were ideal for showing which noble house one belonged to. The Templars wore the famous white surcoats with the red cross. The red cross was on the left shoulder. The lower ranks wore the same surcoat in the black.

Over his clothing, Hugo wears his cloak. He would have taken this off during battles. The cloak offered him protection against the cold, especially at night.

To distribute the weight of the chainmail shirt and to carry their sword, the Templars wore a belt over their equipment. This would have been a very simple belt, as displays of wealth were strictly forbidden. 

The sword we gave Hugo is a 12th-century sword, Oakeshott type XII with leather scabbard. This corresponds to the time of the Templars. The Oakeshott type XII was quite popular at that time. It was one of the first types of swords that ended in a pointed shape, making it suitable for both cutting and thrusting. This development likely arose in response to chainmail, which provided good protection against cuts but relatively less against thrusts. 

Hugo wears a type of shoes that we call turn shoes. These shoes have a round nose and a buckle closure. Shoes with pointed noses and laces were considered fashionable and were not allowed within the order.