Templar Tabard

Description of the Product

The Knights Templar was founded on Christmas day in 1119 by nine knights. Their aim was to protect Christian pilgrims arriving from Europe to the kingdom of Jerusalem, captured ten years previously. Although the Templars started relatively modestly, soon their wealth, power and military might were surpassed by none, due to papal favouritism: At the council of Troys in 1128, the Templar Order was confirmed by Pope to be above all secular laws and only answerable to the Pope himself. All through the 12th century they grew as an economic might, partaking in trading and banking, as well as receiving large donations. The warrior-monks of the Knights Templar were, alongside the Knights Hospitaller, the best equipped and trained soldiers in the Middle East, and were often crucial for the Christian armed forces in ensuring their victories.

King Baldwin II, the King of Jerusalem, installed the Order in a part of the Palace of Jerusalem believed to be Solomon’s Temple, from which they took the name of Knights of the Temple or Templars. The order’s battle honors in the defense of the Holy Land are now legendary, while the accounts of their missing accumulated wealth are still a mystery.

The Knights received the white vestment as a symbol of purity of their life, to which Pope Eugenius added the red cross in 1146. Not only symbolic, the white garments were necessary in keeping the knights cool under the scorching sun of the Middle East, where a dark metal armor soon would heat to unbearable temperatures. This heavy sleeveless tunic has been dyed a bright white. The order's cross pattée red cross has been appliquéd over the heart, while a full linen lining has been sewn on the interior.

• 100 % cotton with linen lining
• Bright white
• Comes with dark brown fabric belt
• Available in sizes S/M or L/XL

-Click here for Clothing Size Chart-