Saint Bernard - hating and loving Knights

The Cistercian Order, and especially Clairvaux abbot Bernard (1091-1153), was essential in creating the Templar Order. His attitude towards knights was as dogmatic as his character, as is documented in his Vitae, the book that describes his life. What does the Vitae tell us about his views towards knights, his convictions and way of life?

Noble Support of the Early Templars - Funds, Hands and Land

From its earliest years the brotherhood of Jerusalem drew gifts and recruits from the nobles of France: an annuity from the count of Anjou, a count of Champagne who joined the brethren, and a church in Provence. What did these early supporters give, and what do they say about the story of nine knights in nine years?

The Langue d’Oïl - The Mother Tongue of the Knights Templar

French lands had a special bond with the Temple, and the official language of the order was not Latin but the langue d’oïl, the French of northern France. How did a vernacular become the language of a religious military order, and why did it matter?

Small Rural Commanderies - The Heart of the Templar Organisation

The heart of the Templar order was not the castle but the small rural commandery, a farm with a chapel and often only two or three brothers. How many commanderies were there in France, who lived in them, and what did they do?

Were Occitanian Templars also Cathar heretics?

No medieval source shows the Templars of Occitania as Cathar heretics, yet an inquisitor condemned a Cathar sympathiser who died in a Templar house in 1243. Did the Temple support the heretics, tolerate them, or simply stay out of the Albigensian Crusade (1209 to 1229)?