Knights Templar

Key facts

Type
Military order
Founded
1119
Dissolved
1312

Founded in 1119 to protect Christian pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem. They controlled many castles and territories in Aragón, Catalonia, Castile, and León until their suppression in 1312.

The Knights Templar, officially known as the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, were among the most powerful and influential military orders of the medieval world. Founded in 1119 by Hugues de Payens, the order was established to protect Christian pilgrims making the dangerous journey to the Holy Land.

In the Iberian Peninsula, the Templars became deeply involved in the Reconquista, receiving vast grants of land and fortifications from Christian kings eager to push back Muslim forces. They controlled strategic castles across Aragón, Catalonia, Castile, and León, including the imposing fortress of Ponferrada in León and the castle of Monzón in Huesca.

The order's sudden suppression in 1312 by Pope Clement V, under pressure from King Philip IV of France, sent shockwaves across Spain. Their properties were redistributed to other orders, most notably the Hospitallers and the newly created Order of Montesa in Valencia. The Templar legacy endures in the many castles, churches, and legends that still dot the Spanish landscape.

Notable sites

Where the order was active