“A Knight Templar is truly a knight who is fearless and safe on all sides, for his soul is protected by the armour of faith, just as his body is protected by the armour of steel. He is, therefore, doubly armed and without the need of fears of demons nor of men.”

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, 1135

1118 – Foundation of the Order of the Temple: After the First Crusade, which took place between 1096 and 1099, it became imperative to protect Christians on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, especially on the route from Jaffa to Caesarea, during which Christians were the victims of assaults and violence. Eight French knights from Burgundy, led by Hugues de Payens, decided to stay in the Holy Land to protect the pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. Protected by King Baldwin II of Jerusalem (1118-1131), who installed them in a house where Solomon’s Temple had once stood, they called themselves Knights of the Temple or Poor Knights of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon.
1127 – The Knights Templar appear before the Pope: In order to obtain official recognition of the Order of the Temple from the Church, Hugues de Payens, accompanied by five of the Knights Templar, went to Rome to meet Pope Honorius II. By proposing a life of prayer and war, silence and austerity, courage and discipline, the poor Knights of Christ gained the acceptance of the Supreme Pontiff.
1129 – Approval of the rule by the Council of Troyes:  a small group of Knights Templar attended the Council of Troyes, with the intention of obtaining recognition of their Order by the Catholic Church, and presented the drafting of their rule with 76 articles, which was supported and influenced by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. Dressed in a white robe with a red cross displayed over the shoulder, the Knights Templar embraced the principles of monastic life, taking the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
1136, 24th May – Death of Hugues de Payens, first Grand Master of the Knights Templar: Hugues de Payens, First Grand Master of the Order of the Temple was a knight from the Champagne region (France) who, in 1113, left his family to put himself at the service of Christendom, defending the pilgrims who came to the Holy Land.
Together with other knights, he founded the Order of the Temple in 1118. He then set off on a long journey through France, England, and Scotland to recruit new knights and boost the influence and prestige of his order. Returning to Jerusalem in 1130, Hugues de Payens died six years later.
1139, 29th March – Official recognition of the Order of the Temple:  the Poor Knights of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon were officially acknowledged by the Catholic Church with the papal bull “Omne datum optimum” by Pope Innocent II, who granted them exemptions and privileges, placing them directly under the guardianship and protection of the Church of Rome, as well as the right to build their own temples and be buried in them. The Pope also granted them whatever they took from the Saracens, granting them economic autonomy.
1144 – Christians were encouraged to donate goods to the Order of the Temple: Pope Celestine II issued the bull “Milites templi”, granting indulgences to the benefactors of the Order of the Temple and allowing the Knights Templar to celebrate divine services, even in places that had been forbidden by the Holy See. It also ordered the clergy to protect members of the Order of the Temple and encouraged Christians to contribute to its cause.
1187, 4th July – Battle of Hattin and fall of Jerusalem: defeat of the army of the Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem before the armies of Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt and Syria. In the face of this defeat, the city of Jerusalem was captured, leading to the unsuccessful Third Crusade (1189-1192). All the Knights Templar who took part in this battle were captured and executed by Saladin, who seized Jerusalem on 2nd October.
1231 – Strengthening of the privileges of the Order of the Temple: Pope Gregory IX, with the bull “Quotiens a nobis petitur”, issued on 16th July 1131, confirmed the institution and privileges of the Order of the Temple, all its possessions were also confirmed and permission was granted for the acceptance of clerics under its obedience. In the same year, on 23rd July, with the bull “Quanto maiora pro defensione”, Gregory IX also granted the Knights Templar the right to build temples in lands where there was no Christian worship, and they became directly subject to the Apostolic See.
1250 – Battle of Mansurah: held in the context of the Seventh Crusade (1248-1254), under the leadership of the King of France, Louis IX (1226-1270), it was intended to conquer Egypt, with the prospect of reconquering Jerusalem for the Christians, both ruled by the Muslim Aiubid Dynasty.
After the conquest of Damietta, the Christian army suffered a significant defeat at Mansourah. The King of France was taken prisoner, being released after payment of a ransom, in a battle in which two hundred Templars lost their lives.
1291 – Fall of Jerusalem: This was the greatest military defeat of the Order of the Temple, with a clash at Acre, a strategic maritime city in the military dominance of the Holy Land. In the spring of 1291, the largest army that Islam had ever assembled against the crusaders advanced on the city of Acre, achieving a great victory and causing the fall of Jerusalem into Muslim possession. After this defeat, the military orders were forced to withdraw from the Holy Land. Refusing to merge with the Hospitallers, the Order of the Temple moved its headquarters to the island of Cyprus.
1307, 13th October – indictment and arrest of the Knights Templar: following a slanderous trial framed by the King of France, Philip IV, with the connivance of the French Pope Clement V, the Knights Templar, including their Grand Master Jacques de Molay, were arrested and all their possessions confiscated on French territory. They are accused of forcing new recruits to spit on the cross, forcing them to give “obscene” kisses, inciting them to homosexuality, and worshipping an idol. The French monarch also urged the kings of Portugal, Spain, and England to do the same. Seven years of brutal interrogations and torture sessions ensued, during which some of the Knights Templar perished. Since this trial began on a Friday the 13th, even today it is still considered an unlucky day in the calendar.
1312, 22nd March – extinction of the Order of the Temple: With the bull “Vox clamantis”, Pope Clement V officially abolished the Order of the Temple in the Church and the world. On 2nd May, he transferred all the Templar possessions to the Hospitallers, except for those in Portugal, Castile, Aragon, and Mallorca, which were to remain in the possession of their respective crowns until their fate had been decided. In Portugal, King Dinis established the Order of Christ, which gave continuity to the Knights Templar mission in its territory.
1314, 18th March – sentence and death of the Grand Master of the Knights Templar: Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Order of the Temple, and Geoffroy de Charnay, Commander of Normandy, were burnt alive in the churchyard of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris after refusing to admit the charges, remaining unyielding in their uncompromising defence of the Order of the Temple.