Who Are the “Real” Knights Templar?

Examining the Historical, Masonic, and Modern Claims to Templar Heritage

Few names in history evoke as much fascination, mystery, controversy, and enduring interest as the Knights Templar.

The white mantle. The red cross. The Crusades. The fall of Jerusalem. The trials in France. The death of Jacques de Molay.

For more than seven centuries, countless organisations have claimed to preserve the spirit, traditions, authority, or succession of the famous warrior-monks of the Temple. Yet when someone declares, “I am a Knight Templar,” what exactly does that mean?

The answer is far more complex than many realise.