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In 1119, two knights, Hugh of Payns and  Godfrey of Saint-Omer, sought audience with King [[Baldwin II]] of Jerusalem and proposed the creation of a community of knights that would follow the Rule of a religious order but devote themselves to the protection of pilgrims. The Rule they chose was that of [[Saint Augustine|Augustine of Hippo]], followed by the canons of the [[Church of the Holy Sepulchre]] in Jerusalem. The proposal received royal assent, and on December 25, 1119 Hugh of Payns and 8 other knights (including Godfrey of Saint-Omer, Archambaud of Saint-Aignan, Payen of Montdidier, Geoffrey Bissot and a knight who history only records as Roland)<ref>'''Read''', ''The Templars'', op cit.</ref> took the required vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, and added a fourth of "''fighting incessantly against the Infidels''".<ref>'''Keightley, Thomas''', ''Secret Societies Of The Middle Ages: The Assassins, Templars & the Secret Tribunals of Westphalia '', (1837) 2005 reprint ISBN 1-5786-3334-6</ref> They named their order "The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Jesus Christ" and initially wore no distinctive habit. The Patriarch of Jerusalem and the king endowed them with several ''benefices'' - income from land-based tithes - and accommodation in the palace he had made in the al-Aqsa mosque on the southern edge of the Temple Mount (known by the crusaders as the ''Templum Salomonis'', the Temple of Solomon.) Through this association, the order became known as "The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Jesus Christ and the Temple of Solomon", then "The Knights of the Temple of Solomon", "The Knights of The Temple", "the Templars", or simply "The Temple".<ref>'''Read''', ''The Templars'', op cit.</ref>  

In 1119, two knights, Hugh of Payns and  Godfrey of Saint-Omer, sought audience with King [[Baldwin II]] of Jerusalem and proposed the creation of a community of knights that would follow the Rule of a religious order but devote themselves to the protection of pilgrims. The Rule they chose was that of [[Saint Augustine|Augustine of Hippo]], followed by the canons of the [[Church of the Holy Sepulchre]] in Jerusalem. The proposal received royal assent, and on December 25, 1119 Hugh of Payns and 8 other knights (including Godfrey of Saint-Omer, Archambaud of Saint-Aignan, Payen of Montdidier, Geoffrey Bissot and a knight who history only records as Roland)<ref>'''Read''', ''The Templars'', op cit.</ref> took the required vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, and added a fourth of "''fighting incessantly against the Infidels''".<ref>'''Keightley, Thomas''', ''Secret Societies Of The Middle Ages: The Assassins, Templars & the Secret Tribunals of Westphalia '', (1837) 2005 reprint ISBN 1-5786-3334-6</ref> They named their order "The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Jesus Christ" and initially wore no distinctive habit. The Patriarch of Jerusalem and the king endowed them with several ''benefices'' - income from land-based tithes - and accommodation in the palace he had made in the al-Aqsa mosque on the southern edge of the Temple Mount (known by the crusaders as the ''Templum Salomonis'', the Temple of Solomon.) Through this association, the order became known as "The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Jesus Christ and the Temple of Solomon", then "The Knights of the Temple of Solomon", "The Knights of The Temple", "the Templars", or simply "The Temple".<ref>'''Read''', ''The Templars'', op cit.</ref>  

It is possible<ref>'''Read''', ''The Templars'', op cit.</ref> that the original intention was not to set up an order of "soldier-monks", but to found a lay confraternity along the lines of the hospice of Saint John, which had been founded to care for pilgrims before the crusade. Michael the Syrian, a medieval chronicler, suggested that it was King Baldwin, aware of the crusaders inability at the time to provide protection for the pilgrims, who persuaded Hugh of Payns to remain knights rather than monks, "''in order to work to save his soul, and to guard these places against robbers''."<ref>'''Chabot, Jean-Baptiste''', ''Chronique de Michel le Syrien, Patriarche Jacobite d'Antiche (1166-1199). Éditée pour la première fois et traduite en français I-V'' Paris (1899) 1963 reprint</ref> In any event, it has been argued that the [[Catholic]] theologians' endorsement of the crusades and fighting in a "just cause" made it inevitable that an order fusing military skills, martial zeal and a religious vocation would eventually be created.<ref>'''Riley-Smith, Jonathan''', ''The First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading'', University of Pennsylvania Press (1986) ISBN 0-8122-1363-7</ref>  

It is possible<ref>'''Read''', ''The Templars'', op cit.</ref> that the original intention was not to set up an order of "soldier-monks", but to found a lay confraternity along the lines of the [[Knights of St. John|hospice of Saint John]], which had been founded to care for pilgrims before the crusade. Michael the Syrian, a medieval chronicler, suggested that it was King Baldwin, aware of the crusaders inability at the time to provide protection for the pilgrims, who persuaded Hugh of Payns to remain knights rather than monks, "''in order to work to save his soul, and to guard these places against robbers''."<ref>'''Chabot, Jean-Baptiste''', ''Chronique de Michel le Syrien, Patriarche Jacobite d'Antiche (1166-1199). Éditée pour la première fois et traduite en français I-V'' Paris (1899) 1963 reprint</ref> In any event, it has been argued that the [[Catholic]] theologians' endorsement of the crusades and fighting in a "just cause" made it inevitable that an order fusing military skills, martial zeal and a religious vocation would eventually be created.<ref>'''Riley-Smith, Jonathan''', ''The First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading'', University of Pennsylvania Press (1986) ISBN 0-8122-1363-7</ref>  

[[Image:Templar seal.jpg |right|thumb|200px|The seal of the Templars]]

[[Image:Templar seal.jpg |right|thumb|200px|The seal of the Templars]]