<p>The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, also known as the Order of Solomon&#39;s Temple, the Knights Templar or simply as Templars, were a Catholic military order recognised in 1139 by papal bull Omne Datum Optimum of the Holy See. The order was founded in 1119 and was active until about 1312.<br />
The order, which was among the wealthiest and most powerful, became a favoured charity throughout Christendom and grew rapidly in membership and power. They were prominent in Christian finance. Templar knights, in their distinctive white mantles with a red cross, were among the most skilled fighting units of the Crusades. Non-combatant members of the order, who formed as much as 90% of the order&#39;s members, managed a large economic infrastructure throughout Christendom, developing innovative financial techniques that were an early form of banking, building its own network of nearly 1,000 commanderies and fortifications across Europe and the Holy Land, and arguably forming the world&#39;s first multinational corporation. The Templars were closely tied to the Crusades; when the Holy Land was lost, support for the order faded. Rumours about the Templars&#39; secret initiation ceremony created distrust, and King Philip IV of France &ndash; deeply in debt to the order &ndash; took advantage of the situation to gain control over them. In 1307, he had many of the order&#39;s members in France arrested, tortured into giving false confessions, and burned at the stake. Pope Clement V disbanded the order in 1312 under pressure from King Philip.<br />
The abrupt reduction in power of a significant group in European society gave rise to speculation, legend, and legacy through the ages. This book is a compilation of high quality articles from the Internet.</p>