The Knights Templar: The Rise, Fall, and Legend of Europe’s First Military Order

Founded after the First Crusade to protect pilgrims, the Templar Order evolved into a powerful religious-military order, major landholder, and influential financial force. Its history reveals tensions between faith and violence, poverty and wealth, secrecy and authority. Medieval historian Jochen Schenk of the University of Glasgow traces its rise, dramatic suppression in the early-14th century, and transformation into a legend, exploring why it became influential, vulnerable, and enduring.