The Count of Champagne was preparing to travel to the Holy Land when he received a letter from the bishop of Chartres. The letter stated that the count was planning to join 'la milice du Christ' (the original name for the Templars ?). This seems to indicate that the order existed at this time, as the letter speaks of chastity, something not usually expected of a Crusader.

The Knights Templars travelled to the Holy Lands twenty years after Jerusalem was captured by European powers.

Knights Templar order founded in Jerusalem, by Hughes de Payen.

Hughes de Payen became the Master of the Temple.

Hugh of Champagne joins the Templars.

Hughes de Payen travels west to obtain more authority of the Order.

The first donation of land was given to the Templars in 1127 by Count Thybaud of Champagne at Barbonne-Fayel, some fifty kilometres north-west of Troyes. The farm called La Commanderie still exists.

During late 1128 and early 1129, Hughes de Payen visited both Scotland and England where he was apparently donated both land and money. At this time, in London, the original Temple in Holborn outside Holborn bars was built. It consisted of gardens, orchard, boundary ditch and cemetery, and was the first round church. In 1161 the site was moved to the New Temple between Fleet street and the Thames.

Hugh de Payens may have been granted the land for the first Temple Church in London at this time. Consisting of an orchard, a cemetery, a round church. The position was possibly at the end of Chancery Lane. The temple was moved in 1161.

The Council of Troyes took place. Its aim was to consider the claim of the Knights Templars represented by Hughes de Payen and Andre de Montbard and was brought about by Bernard of Clairvaux. The Council provided papal approval for the Templars and resulted in many new recruits joining the order. The Order was provided it with its first rule, the Latin Rule.

To raise funds and attract new recruits Hugh de Payen travelled around France starting with a visit to Fulk of Anjou who had become an associate member of the Knights Templar order in 1120. Support and donations across Europe for the Templars increased. The visits lasted during April and May.

The Knights Templars appear in the North East of Spain possibly as early as 1130 and were receiving privileges from Alfonso I. The Templars may have helped the rulers of Catalonia and Aragon regain land from the Moors. Alfonso I granted the Templars exemption of tax on a fifth of the wealth taken from the Moors and on his death he left a third of his kingdom to them. This was later successfully contested but the Templars were given land in Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia, Mallorca and Andalucia.

Hughes de Payen died and was succeeded by Robert de Craon as Master of the KnightsTemplar.

A Papal Bull issued by Pope Innocent II, a former Cistercian monk and protégé of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, stated that the Knight Templars should owe allegiance to no one other than the Pope himself. This meant that the Templars answered to no one not even Kings or other political or religious authorities.

The Knights Templars adopted cross pattee; a splayed red cross.

Henry had besieged a fort that King Stephen had built at Crowmarsh on the banks of the Thames opposite Wallingford Castle. An agreement of succession of King Henry II after Stephen was concluded and witnessed by the English Knights Templars. King Stephen accepted Henry of Normandy, Anjou and Aquitaine as heir to the throne and in turn Henry recognised Stephen as King. Stephen made his barons do homage to Henry in January of 1154.

Being the superintendents of the Masons, the Knights Templars build their Temple in Fleet Street in London.

The Knights Templars were known to be present in the Italian port of Lucca home of silk trading. They may have been present from the 1130's. Also present in the Adriatic ports of Barletta, Bari, Brindisi, Siponto and Messina.

The Knights Templars moved their London temple to the new site between Fleet Street and the Thames.

Richard de Hastings, Master of the Knight Templars, attempted to reconcile the differences between King King Henry II and Thomas Becket.

The Christian Army of Jerusalem was beaten by Turkish forces at the Battle of Hattin. Guy of Lusignan was King of Jerusalem at this time. All Knights Templars and Hospitallers who survived the battle were executed afterwards. The Archbishop of Tyre, a man called Josias, was dispatched from the city to Europe to inform the Pope and European leaders of the disaster that had taken place and to ask for help.

On the pretence of removing his mother's jewels, Edward (I) entered the Knights Templar's Temple in London and ransacked the treasury, taking the proceeds to the Tower of London.

The Sultan of Babylon abandoned plans to attack Acre at the arrival of Edward. Edward moved on to Nazarus where large numbers of Muslims were killed. Becoming ill, Edward returned to Acre where he stayed for 18 months. The fortifications of Acre being too strong for any attackers, an assassination attempt was made on Edward by a messenger from the Emir of Jaffa. The messengers had become a regular occurrence and one managed to approach Edward while he was alone and unarmed. The assassin attempted to stab Edward with a poisoned knife, but Edward saved himself and killed the assassin instead. Edward did suffer a cut and the poison took hold. Luckily, a skilful doctor cut away the poisoned area and, with drugs sent by the master of the Knights Templar, Edward survived.

King Philippe of France ordered the arrest of all Knight Templars in France. The order to arrest the Templars was sent out several weeks before the date possibly giving the Templars time to hide their wealth.

Jacques de Molay, the Grand Master of the Templars and Geoffroi de Charney were taken to an island on the River Seine and burnt at the stake. Jacques de Molay declaring their innocence and that the Templar Order were also innocent of all of the changes that they had been accused of. It is said that Jacques de Molay predicted the deaths of both the French king and Pope Clement within the year.

When the Knight Templar leader Jacques de Molay was burnt at the stake he vowed that the Pope would soon die. Pope Clement V was dead within 40 days.

Philippe, King of France, died of a hunting accident within the same year as the deaths of the Knight Templar leaders at the stake. His was succeeded by his eldest son Louis X.

William Courtenay was elected the new archbishop of Canterbury by the Kentish rebels who crowded into the church. The previous archbishop was in London with the king and was to be beheaded by the rebels. The Essex section of the revolt burnt and sacked a Hospitaller commandery that had previously belonged to the Templars called Cressing Temple.