The Order of the Poor Knights of Christ (Latin: Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Solomonici), commonly known as the Knights Templar or the Order of the Temple (French: Ordre du Temple or Templiers) was one of the most famous Christian military orders. This organization remained active for just under two centuries. It was founded in 1118 or 1119 by nine French knights led by Hugo de Payens after the First Crusade. Its original purpose was to protect the lives of Christians who made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem after its conquest. They were recognized by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Gormond de Picquigny, who gave them as a rule that of the Augustinian canons of the Holy Sepulchre.
Officially endorsed by the Catholic Church in 1129, the Order of the Temple grew rapidly in size and power. The Knights Templar used as a badge a white cloak with a red cross drawn on it. Members of the Order of the Temple were among the best-trained military units to participate in the Crusades. Non-combatant members of the order managed a complex economic structure throughout the Christian world, creating new financial techniques that constitute a primitive form of the modern bank, and building a series of fortifications throughout the Mediterranean and the Holy Land.