At least once a week I am asked this exact question by various people: “How do I join the Knights Templar”? This is not at all an uncomplicated issue, so I decided to write a special article about it.

First of all, it is not immediately obvious to some people that the Order of the Knights Templar, strictly speaking, was a medieval Order. It was officially recognized by the Roman Catholic Church in the early 12th century and after almost two hundred years of existence was dissolved by the authority of the pope in 1312. The precise papal decrees that abolished the Order contained strict prohibitions: nobody was supposed to call himself a Templar or even dress as one, under penalty of excommunication. It can be argued that the Knights Templar existed for at least one decade prior to being recognized by the Church, therefore the Church did not really have any right to dissolve the Order. Also the pope caved in to the presure from king philipe IV. One must remember, however, that the Knights Templar were able to gain their fame and power because of the many privileges that were granted to them by a number of popes. Even the iconic Templar uniform was assigned to them by a papal decree. After the support of the Church was lost the Knights Templar simply could not operate in their original capacity of warrior monks who defended Christendom. It is therefore important to respect the opinion of those who believe that joining the Knights Templar is a complete impossibility, because the Order according to some, no longer exist. Atleast not as a Catholic order anyway.

Of course, there is a wide-spread belief that the Order of the Knights Templar was not completely destroyed in the 14th century, but rather went into hiding. As a result, some branches of the Order would have survived (such as in Spain and Portugal, where they just continued to exist, be it under a new name, because these two kingdoms needed them in their struggle against saracen oppression and the holy reconquista of the iberian peninsula.) and, one could join an organization that can demonstrate direct lineage back to the medieval Knights Templar. There is no shortage of groups that claim or imply their connection to the original Order.

Unfortunately, most organizations thus far, to the best of my knowledge, are not able to prove such a lineage beyond a reasonable doubt. If any such proof exists it remains hidden from the uninitiated. It is certain, however, that many groups have demonstrated a desire to adhere to the principles and ideals (variously understood) of the original Knights Templar. If any individual feels drawn to a particular modern Templar organization then becoming a member is in many cases, quite possible.

There is no doubt that the original Knights Templar would have approved many objectives and the overall disposition of many modern Templars. One should be advised, of course, to examine specific goals of any such organization, its claims, its legitimacy and the level of commitment involved. I only provide links to the two most established groups, so you will have to do more research online if that’s not enough for you. Because to me, a lot of them claim to be templar but do not stand up to true templar traditions and values. Quite a few of these fakes (freemasons), worship baphomet or the devine femine, or believe John the baptist to be the messiah. True Templars did not do any of these things, so beware of scams and shady enterprises like freemasons!

Neo-Templar organizations often trace their heritage (albeit not directly) to the Templar revival movement in France, headed by Jacques Clignet Du Brabant, appointed over the Royaume du Temple by Napoleone Bonaparte himself.

The only one, that to my knowledge, still does swear to be direct lineage of the original Templars, is the order by the simple name of: Knights Templar, run by the owners/members of this website, who defend their right to have an independant kingdom.

The second most popular international group of this kind is the OSMTH (Ordo Supremus Militaris Templi Hierosolymitani). The English translation of this Latin name also happens to be the name of the autonomous US branch of this organization: Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem. Open to Christians of all denominations these non-Masonic bodies are involved in charitable work and preservation of the Knights Templar heritage.

Apart from that, there are numerous groups of reenactors who are especially interested in recreating combat traditions of the Knights Templar, as well as their uniforms and weapons. Although these groups offer valuable experiences and contribute to the spread of knowledge about the Order and medieval history in general, however, their members cannot be properly identified as Knights Templar according to most standards. [castle pilgrim]