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Written by Simon Williams
Templars in the Crusades fought at Hattin, Acre, and the gates of Jerusalem for almost 170 years. Beginning in 1119 as a small order of nine knights, they became the most feared military force in the Holy Land, and their fortresses still stand across modern Syria, Lebanon, and Israel.
In the dusty heat of the Holy Land, amid the clang of swords and the chanting of mass, a new breed of warrior emerged: both monk and knight. They were the Knights Templar, one of the most enigmatic and influential military orders of the medieval world. Born of faith and forged in battle, they rose to prominence during the Crusades, becoming legends in their own time.
But who were these white-cloaked warriors, and what exactly was their role in the Crusades?
To understand the Templars’ rise, we must return to the early 12th century. Following the success of the First Crusade in 1099, Western Christendom had seized Jerusalem from Muslim rule. Pilgrims began to travel in large numbers to the Holy Land, only to be set upon by bandits and hostile forces in the dangerous hinterlands.
Enter Hugues de Payens, a French knight who, in 1119, approached King Baldwin II of Jerusalem with a bold proposal: to form a new monastic order dedicated to protecting Christian pilgrims. The king agreed, and the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, later known simply as the Knights Templar, was born.
They set up headquarters in a wing of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which Crusaders believed stood on the site of Solomon’s Temple, a location steeped in Biblical mystique. From this spiritual stronghold, the Templars began their transformation into one of the most powerful forces in medieval history.
Unlike most monks, the Templars were not confined to cloisters or cathedrals. They trained for battle, took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and wielded the sword in defence of Christendom. Their white mantles, emblazoned with a red cross, became a fearsome sight on the battlefield.
It was during the Second Crusade that the Templars first demonstrated their military prowess. King Louis VII of France placed his forces under Templar guidance during the march across Anatolia. Despite the overall failure of the campaign, the order’s reputation as disciplined and courageous warriors began to spread.
By the time of the Third Crusade (1189 to 1192), the Templars had become a backbone of the Christian armies. They fought alongside Richard the Lionheart, King of England, against the mighty Muslim general Saladin, particularly in the battles for Acre and Jaffa. The Templars’ discipline and ferocity in battle won them admiration and fear in equal measure.
But they were not just frontline fighters. The order developed a sophisticated logistical network, controlling supply chains, managing safe houses, and even establishing early forms of banking that allowed crusaders to deposit funds in Europe and withdraw them in the East.
The Templars understood that victory in the Holy Land would not be won by swords alone. They needed strongholds, fortified bases from which they could patrol, defend, and hold ground.
Some of the most impressive Templar castles were constructed during this time, including:
While most of these were located in the Levant, the Templar architectural legacy made its way back to Europe. In England and Wales, remnants of Templar preceptories and fortified manors can still be found, often in eerily quiet ruins.
Over time, the Templars were mythologised. Their secret rituals, immense wealth, and strange disappearance from power led to centuries of speculation. But during the Crusades, they were very real, and often very human.
They suffered terrible losses during the Battle of Hattin in 1187, when Saladin annihilated much of the Crusader army. Captured Templars were offered a grim choice: convert or die. True to their vow, many chose martyrdom. Their brutal execution only deepened their legend.
Despite repeated failures to hold Jerusalem, the Templars never abandoned their mission. They became martyrs and mystics, living in tension between holy vows and holy war.
By the late 13th century, the Crusader states were crumbling. Acre, the last major stronghold, fell in 1291. The Templars withdrew to Cyprus, their dream of a Christian Jerusalem in ashes.
But back in Europe, their power continued to grow and that, ultimately, would be their undoing. Accusations of heresy, secret rites, and blasphemy emerged in the early 1300s, most famously under the reign of King Philip IV of France. What followed was a brutal and calculated suppression of the order, culminating in arrests, torture, and the burning of Grand Master Jacques de Molay in 1314.
That, however, is a tale for another article.
Today, the Templars exist more in myth than in memory. Yet their role in the Crusades was vital, not only on the battlefield but in shaping medieval geopolitics, finance, and religious identity. Their castles still stand, their red cross still inspires, and their story remains one of the most compelling in medieval history.
Their discipline, courage, and commitment to an ideal, however flawed or fanatical, echo through the ages. And in the rolling hills of England or the craggy cliffs of Wales, you might still stumble upon a weathered stone carved with a Templar symbol.
This article is part of the Histories and Castles Knights Templar series. Start with Who Were the Knights Templar? for the full story of the Order, or browse the complete Knights Templar series.
The Knights Templar served as the Crusades’ most professional standing army. They garrisoned key castles, escorted pilgrims, fought in major battles from Montgisard to Acre, and managed the financial system that kept crusader states solvent. Unlike feudal levies, Templars were permanent, trained, and answerable to no king except through the Pope.
The Battle of Hattin in July 1187 was a catastrophic defeat for the Crusaders. Saladin lured the Christian army into a waterless march across the Galilean plateau, then surrounded and destroyed it. The Templars and Hospitallers captured at Hattin were executed, while the True Cross was taken. Jerusalem fell to Saladin three months later, triggering the Third Crusade.
Krak des Chevaliers in modern Syria was built and expanded primarily by the Knights Hospitaller, not the Templars, though the two orders frequently cooperated. The Templars built and held numerous fortresses of their own across the crusader states, including Chateau Pelerin and Baghras. The confusion between the two orders is common but worth clarifying.
The Templars’ last major crusader stronghold was the city of Acre, which fell to the Mamluk forces of Sultan al-Ashraf Khalil in May 1291. The fall of Acre effectively ended the Crusades’ two-century presence in the Holy Land. Surviving Templars retreated to Cyprus, where the Order regrouped until its dissolution in 1312.
The Templars developed what historians regard as an early banking system. Pilgrims and crusaders could deposit money in Europe, receive a coded letter of credit, and withdraw funds on arrival in the Holy Land. The Order also collected rents from its extensive European estate network, including British preceptories, to fund ongoing military operations.
The white mantle was inherited from the Cistercian monastic tradition and symbolised purity and holy vocation. Pope Eugene III added the red cross in 1147, specifically for the Second Crusade, to mark the Templars as willing martyrs and distinguish them clearly on the battlefield. The combination became one of the most recognised symbols of the medieval Crusades.
Published: 14 February 2026 | Last Updated: 11 July 2026
This episode explores the origins and impact of the Knights Templar. Part of the Histories and Castles Deep Dive series.
