FLO4708351: Knights of the Temple was founded in 1118, by Hugues de Payns (died 1136), Knight of Champagne and eight other knights to protect the pelerins in the Holy Land. After a humble beginning as Poor Knights of the Temple, the order developed to become a powerful and rich army of fighting monks, with monasteres throughout Europe, and numerous castles in Palestine (Safed, 1140; Karak, 1143; and the castle of the Pelerins 1217). The order ended tragically in 1312 when the Templars were judges, tortures and executes. Hand-coloured copper engraving, in “Images historiques des costumes des principaux peuples de l'Antiquite et du Middle Ages” by Robert Von Spalart, published in 1796. / Bridgeman Images