1118-1300

The "Poor Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon", as the order was originally called, was a splinter group of the Priory Of Sion, an organization which still exists today. There were nine original members whose intent was to become a chilveric religious/military order to protect pilgrims in the holy land, which at the time was in Christian hands following the original crusades.

The knights were stationed at the remains of the original Solomon's Temple, with stables for their mounts actually constructed under the temple itself. Their standard symbol was a red cross on a white background, although they also used the skull and crossbones symbol which has become identified with pirates.

Their willingness to protect pilgrims in the holy land led them to the attention of the future Saint Bernard, who championed their cause and recruited members and support from across all of Europe. The order gained not only members, but influence, wealth, land, and power as well.

In 1187 Jerusalem had been lost to the Saracens, primarily due to the incompetence of the order's Grand Master, Gerard de Ridefort. In 1188, at Gisors, in an event that came to known as the "Cutting of the Elm", the Priory of Sion and the Knights Templar officially separated into two distict groups, each with its own Grand Master.

With the holy land lost, so too was the original reason for the Knights Templar's existance. By this time however, the order had become quite weathly and powerful. It was the Templars who created the modern banking system, originally for the exchange of funds throughout Europe and the holy land.

Eventually, jealous eyes were turned towards the Templar organization and the fortunes they had amassed...

1300-1700

In 1305, King Philippe IV of France, who at this point was greatly indebted to the Templars for the funds they had lent to the French leader, had a personal friend, Bertrand de Goth, appointed Pope Clement V. Two years later, in 1307, Philippe compiled a falsified list of charges against the templars and conspired with Clement to disband the order and seize their wealth. The King ordered arrest warrants made up and issued them throughout the country with orders that they not be opened until dawn on Friday, October the 13^th (which is where the Friday the 13^th superstition evolved from). Most Templars were arrested, tortured, and questioned. Some, including Grand Master Jacques De'Molay were burned at the stake. Their wealth and land were taken away and disbursed. Not all of the Templar treasure was ever found however. It disappeared along with the entire Templar fleet on the evening of October 12, 1307.

There is evidence that some of the Templars fled to Scotland, to serve Robert the Bruce as members of the Scots Guard. Templars have been suggested as the source of mounted soldiers who assisted Robert the Bruce's forces at the battle of Bannockburn, as the Scots themselves did not have a mounted force.

As the Scots Guard continued through the years, two of the prominent families involved in its history were the Sinclairs and the Stuarts. Both families trace their lineage back to members of the Knights Templar, as well as to prominent figures of the New Testament.

There is also evidence that some of the Templars travelled to North America (over 100 years before Columbus) with the Sinclairs, and settled there at least temporarily. There have been connections made between tower ruins along the eastern coast, objects discovered in the Oak Island "Money Pit", and the Templar Order.

The Sinclairs (or Saint-Clairs) castle near Edinburgh, was situated next to Rosslyn chapel, which was constructed by the Sinclairs according to the floorplan of Solomon's original temple. Engraved in the masonry around the chapel are maize and aloe plants, which grow only in North America.

Throughout Scotland, as well as within Rosslyn Chapel, there are carvings and tombstones dating back to the 15^th, 16^th, and 17^th century using combinations of Templar imagery (skull and crossbones, Templar swords, Templar crosses) and Masonic symbols (compass and square). This has led some historians to believe that modern Freemasonry was originally developed as a way for the surviving Templars to preserve their history and to do so in secrecy (as they were hunted men at this time).

The Stuart royal house became one of Freemasonry's biggest supporters during their reign of Scotland and England.

Some also suggest that the rituals used in modern Freemasonry have their origins in ancient texts discovered by the Templars in the ruins of Solomon's Temple while excavating to build their stables. Recent archaeological digs in the area have supported this theory by finding serveral Templar artifacts buried beneath the temple. In the 1950's, a scroll made entirely of copper was discovered in the caves near Qumran. When translated with the other "Dead Sea Scrolls", this "Copper Scroll", as it has become known, was identified as a treasure map listing various precious metals, religious artifacts, and writings supposedly buried beneath the temple in Jerusalem.