Britannica Sources used in this answer

Why were the Knights Templar founded?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Crusades Crusaders departing for the Holy Land, chromolithograph of a 15th-century illuminated manuscript.

The Knights Templar, formally known as the Poor Knights of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, were founded in late 1119 or early 1120 by a group of French knights led by Hugh de Payns.1

Their primary purpose was to protect Christian pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land. Following the success of the First Crusade, many Crusaders returned home, leaving the newly established Crusader states with insufficient military forces to secure the region. Consequently, pilgrims were frequently subjected to attacks by Muslim raiders.12

Moved by the plight of these travelers, the knights vowed to devote themselves to their protection and formed a religious community for that purpose. King Baldwin II of Jerusalem provided them with quarters in a wing of the royal palace located in the area of the former Temple of Solomon, which became the source of their name. While they began as a monastic-military organization focused on protection, their duties eventually expanded to include the broader defense of the Crusader states.12