Knights TemplarThe power and wealth of the Templars led to their downfall. The manifesto of Norwegian terrorist Anders Behring Breivik, who carried out two devastating attacks in Oslo last week, contains multiple references to a group called the Templars, which he claims to have revived with other extremists. Meanwhile, a Mexican drug cartel with alleged religious inspirations called itself the Templars. Who were the mysterious medieval knights who formed the original order of the same name, disbanded by the Catholic Church around 700 years ago? They had a particular appearance. Monks and priests shaved a tuft of hair around the top of their head. The knights went further and, like the nuns, shaved all their hair. Unlike the nuns, the Templars shaved their hair not only to show their rejection of vanity but also for more practical reasons. Some of them grew their beards long and ghoulish, to further distinguish themselves from the mostly clean-shaven knights of the time. The Templars were wealthy and powerful Christian knights. They had many names such as Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ and Solomon's Temple. These titles in Latin are Pauperes commilitones Christi and Templique Salomonici, but they were mainly called Knights Templar. Groups of pilgrims from across Western Europe began entering the Holy Land, after Christian fighters captured Jerusalem during the First Crusade in 1118 AD. Soon after, Hugh de Payns and eight other knights began serving the Patriarch of Jerusalem for precisely this purpose. They were supported by Baldwin II, then king of Jerusalem. Their headquarters was located on the sacred Temple Mount and they were committed to protecting Christ...... middle of paper ... but it is still hidden until today. People believe that the Templars had a Holy Grail that gave eternal life to anyone who drank from it. The wealth of the knights remains hidden and waiting to be discovered. In 1291, there was a Crusader stronghold named Acre which was the last remaining in the Holy Land. The Muslims captured the fortress and the Templars no longer had any reason to be there. On October 13, 1307 AD, the French King Philip IV announced that all Templars in France were to be arrested. He captured many Templars. After capturing them, he tortured them into telling what they had done. Phillip tortured the Templars in order to gain their enormous capital, although he may have done this simply because he was afraid of the Templars' power. The king succeeds in convincing Clement V to stop the Templars in all countries..