Knights Templar (Freemasonry)
The Knights Templar, full name The United Religious, Military and Masonic Orders of the Temple and of St John of Jerusalem, Palestine, Rhodes and Malta, is a fraternal order affiliated with Freemasonry. Unlike the initial degrees conferred in a regular Masonic Lodge, which (in all Regular Masonic jurisdictions) only require a belief in a Supreme Being regardless of religious affiliation, the Knights Templar is one of several additional Masonic Orders in which membership is open only to Freemasons who profess a belief in Christianity. One of the obligations entrants to the order are required to declare is to protect and defend the Christian faith. The word "United" in its full title indicates that more than one historical tradition and more than one actual order are jointly controlled within this system. The individual orders 'united' within this system are principally the Knights of the Temple (Knights Templar), the Knights of Malta, the Knights of St Paul, and only within the York Rite, the Knights of the Red Cross.
Geoffrey III, Viscount of Châteaudun
Although not generally know, Geoffrey was an important figure in the founding of the Knights Templar. After the crusaders had captured Jerusalem in July 1099, western Christians flocked in the Holy Land for pilgrimage and their safety was certainly endangered. To protect them, nine French knights, led by Hugues de Paynes, created in 1118 a religious militia which was to become later the Order of the Temple. The members of the Order are monks and soldiers and obeyed rules elaborated by a council gathered at Troyes Cathedral in France in January 1128.