Templars Sanctioned: The Crusaders' New Order
Twelve French knights. That's how the Knights Templar began - not with a battle, but a promise to protect pilgrims in a land torn by religious conflict. And here they were, a decade after their founding, finally getting papal legitimacy at the Council of Troyes. Bernard of Clairvaux would draft their radical rules: poverty, chastity, obedience. No personal wealth. No family. Just a sword and a sacred mission. They'd become the most powerful warrior-monks in history - but today, they were just men seeking approval, hoping their vision would transform the Christian world.
January 13, 1128
898 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on January 13
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