The Knights of St. John are known as the Knights Hospitalers, the first of the three great military and religious orders that arose from the Crusades. They emerged from an earlier organization which took care of sick and wounded pilgrims and crusaders.
The group was described as “lions in war, lambs in the house, to the enemies of Christ implacable, but to Christians kind and gracious.”
The Templars took their name from the location of their headquarters in the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. They were soldiers with all of the obligations of knighthood, and they also took monastic vows.
Famous for having established castles, garrisons, and hospitals in the region of Palestine, they were favored by the royalty and therefore became important factors in European history. So powerful was their influence that kings would depend on the Templars for loans.
King Philip IV of France was alarmed by their powerful wealth, and resolved to get an order from the Pope in 1312 to disband them.
