Templars- Normans and vikings

I was reading some english and norman history when I stumbled across this little piece,

The Norman succession was not disputed by the english catholic church, nor by the pope in Rome. The great and disastrous military adventures known as the crusades were just beginning to take off, partly in response to the french and italian angst over the presence of thousands of norman fighting men in the centre of european life. It was hoped that the crusades could occupy the majority of them as far away as possible.
As it turned out, by organizing themselves for the complex task of mounting a crusade, the norman nobles and mercenaries who came from viking communities all over europe developed into a wealthy and mightily armed international clique, called the Knights Templar, powerful enough to rival the catholic church in europe, and more powerful than any single national sovereign.
They became a criminal mob, who answered to no king or law but themselves. In time, the king of France, with the Pope's blessing, arrested most of the Knight's Templar, and put them on trial. Found guilty of worshipping "pagan gods", they were burned at the stake.

The part saying "norman nobles and mercenaries who came from viking communities" fascinated me most

Very cool.

As it turned out, by organizing themselves for the complex task of mounting a crusade, the norman nobles and mercenaries.." "..developed into a wealthy and mightily armed international clique, called the Knights Templar, powerful enough to rival the catholic church in europe, and more powerful than any single national sovereign.
They became a criminal mob, who answered to no king or law but themselves. In time, the king of France, with the Pope's blessing, arrested most of the Knight's Templar, and put them on trial. Found guilty of worshipping "pagan gods", they were burned at the stake.

but, they didnt 'organize' themselves. and they were called "the Poor Knights.." the symbol they bore was that of two poor knights sharing a horse because they could not could not afford their own. they were predominately drawn from the aristocratic youth by the church to protect the pilgrims on the way to and from the Crusades. they were forced to forgo all possesions and in a sense become 'warrior-monks'. eventually earning the name Templars, they were sent by the church to the 'Temple Mount' in the holy land for still disputed reason by the church ( ill leave my own spirituality out of it ) when they abruptly returned they achieved a certain untouchable status from the church. and then through various money making ventures, yes, amassed a large amount of wealth and power. then a certain number of conspiracy theories ensue.

nice one Cohort. I am glad you mentioned the conspiracy theories .

Here are a few.

The Templars’ meteoric rise during the Crusades, and their death just 200 years later in the fires of the Inquisition -- how they rose so high and fell so far, and why there is so much interest in them today


The surprising part the Templars have played in some of the most important historic events of the past seven centuries, including the French Revolution, the birth of groups such as the Freemasons among others, and even the American Civil War


The Templar connections to myths and legends that appear in The Da Vinci Code, including the quest for the Holy Grail, the mysterious Rosslyn Chapel, and the shadowy Priory of Sion


The Da Vinci Code’s version of Opus Dei and the Catholic church’s relationship with women--a hotly debated topic now-- with special emphasis on the Templar connection

...right and the Templar influence can still be seen today all over the world in various churchs and/or places of worship, i.e. temples, as proof that they were never fully extinguished. and that only lends it self to suspicion and speculation...and obviously blockbuster films ...i love history

Good stuff