A military religious order, whose full name was `The Poor Knights of Christ of the Temple of Solomon,' founded by Hugh de Payens in 1118. Originally they were a lay order, formed to protect European pilgrims on the road to Jerusalem. In 1128 they became a religious order under the Benedictine rule. They attracted many noblemen who brought a lot of wealth to the order which enabled them to act as bankers in Europe. They were disliked by monarchs who saw them as a threat, particularly Philip IV of France, and they were eventually charged with heresy in 1307. The order was then disbanded, their wealth taken from them and several of the members including the Grand Master were burned at the stake.
