'The order of the poor knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon' originally the temple was built in 950 BC, but it was started by his father David to house the Ark of the Covenant, this is a significantly important temple and king Baldwin of Jerusalem gave Hughes de Payens and his nine knights this as their sparse accommodation. They took 3 solemn vows or poverty, chastity and obedience and to perpetually protect the pilgrims coming to Jerusalem.
The news of the valiant Knights spread and the romantic ideal caused the wealthy across europe to send support in the form of money and land, a papal blessing followed and this led to their legend as the protectors of the Holy Land.
their numbers grew and within 100 years hey became one of the wealthiest and most influential bodies in Europe, almost as much as the Pope. They owned lands in England,Scotland, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany and Austria. They became bankers , arranging a way of credit that meant wealthy travellers need not carry gold or coinage with them but a credit cheque to cash at the next city. These notes used an encoding systtem that could not be counterfeited.
But the Muslims conquered the Holy Land in the 13th C defeating the Templars at Acre in 1291, they returned to Europe wealthy but now with no cause, they were owed alot of money by the Royal houses across Europe, much of that debt was by The King of France.
The people that owed them money were also powerful and they conspired to charge the Order with heresy and the mud stuck, the Templars were captured tortured and destroyed and their wealth confiscated by those that owed them.