Knights Hospitaller
The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (; ), also known as the Order of Saint John, Order of Hospitallers, Knights Hospitaller, Knights Hospitalier or Hospitallers, was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headquartered in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, on the island of Rhodes, in Malta and St Petersburg.
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.