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{{Era|Chronicles|AC1|Bloodlines|AC2|Discovery|Brotherhood|Revelations|Project Legacy|Lineage|Ascendance|Renaissance|Bbook|The Fall|FC|Templars|Good}}
{{Era|Organizations|Templars}}{{WP-REAL|Knights Templar}}
{{WP-REAL|Knights Templar}}
{{Revamp}}
{{Quote|The people never have the power. Only the illusion of it. And here's the real secret: they don't want it. The responsibility is too great to bear. It's why they’re so quick to fall in line as soon as someone takes charge. They ''want'' to be told what to do. They ''yearn'' for it. Little wonder, that, since all mankind was ''built'' to ''serve''.|Haytham Kenway to Ratonhnhaké:ton, 1781.|Assassin's Creed III|Lee's Last Stand}}
{{Faction Infobox
{{Faction Infobox
|name = Templars
|name = Templars
|image = Knights.png
|image = Templars.png
|imgdesc = Emblem of the Templars.
|founder =
|hideo =
*[[Cain]]<ref name="Glyphs">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' – [[Glyphs|Glyph]] #6: "Brothers"</ref> {{c|legendary}}
|founder = [[Cain]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>
*[[Alfred the Great]]<ref name="Poor Fellow">''[[Assassin's Creed: Valhalla]]'' – [[The Poor Fellow-Soldier]]</ref>  
|leader = [[Grand Master of the Templar Order|Grand Master]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed">''[[Assassin's Creed]]''</ref>
|leader =
|headquarters = ''Renaissance'':<br>[[Rome]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage">''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]''</ref><ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/><ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref><br>[[Cappadocia]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Revelations">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]''</ref>
*[[General of the Cross]]<ref name="The Essential Guide">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Essential Guide]]''</ref>
|locations = ''Middle ages'':<br>[[Acre]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/><br>[[Limassol]]<br>''Renaissance'':<br>[[Florence]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/><br>[[Venice]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/><br>[[Constantinople]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Revelations"/>
*[[Council of Elders]]<ref name="ACfilm">[[Assassin's Creed (film)|''Assassin's Creed'' (film)]]</ref>
|related = *[[Crusaders]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[Guardians (Templars)|Guardians]]<ref name="The Essential Guide" />
*[[Papacy]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage"/>
*[[Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order|Inner Sanctum]]<ref name="The Essential Guide" />
*[[House of Barbarigo]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
*[[Grand Master of the Templar Order|Grand Masters]]<ref name="The Essential Guide" />
*[[House of Borgia]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
|predecessor = *[[Order of the Ancients]]<ref name="ACO">''[[Assassin's Creed: Origins]]''</ref>
*[[House of Orsi]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
|subsidiaries =*[[Brothers of the Cross]]<ref name="DYL">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations – Discover Your Legacy]]''</ref>
*[[House of Pazzi]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
*[[Dogs of the Lord]]<ref name="DogOfTheLord">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rebellion]]'' – [[Dog of the Lord]]</ref>
*[[Abstergo Industries]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
*[[Crows]]<ref name="Identity">''[[Assassin's Creed: Identity]]''</ref>
|religion = Non-religious<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/><ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
*[[Blighters]]<ref name="ACS">''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]''</ref>
|hideh =
*[[Starrick Industries]]<ref name="ACS">''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]''</ref>
|formed = Pre-history<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
*[[Abstergo Industries]]<ref name="AC">''[[Assassin's Creed]]''</ref>
|reorganised =  
*[[Abstergo Entertainment]]<ref name="AC4">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]''</ref>
|related =*[[House of Wessex]]<ref name="Poor Fellow"/>
*[[Franks]]<ref name="ACV">''[[Assassin's Creed: Valhalla]]''</ref><ref name="ACH"/>
*[[Papacy]]<ref name="Encyclopedia">''[[Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia]]''</ref><ref name="AC2">''Assassin's Creed II'' – {{Cite|29 Feb 2021. Memories/Files needed}}</ref>
*[[Crusaders]]<ref name="AC"/>
*[[House of Borgia]]<ref name="AC2"/>
*[[Followers of Romulus]]<ref name="AC2"/>
*[[Spanish Inquisition]]<ref name="AC2D">''[[Assassin's Creed II: Discovery]]''</ref><ref name="ACfilm"/>
*{{wiki|House of York}}<ref name="ACBH">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref><ref name="ACPL contracts">''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]'' – [[Contracts (Project Legacy)|Contracts]]</ref>
*[[Eight Tigers]]<ref name="Chronicles: China">''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China]]''</ref>
*[[East India Company]]<ref name="AC4N">''[[Assassin's Creed: Black Flag]]''</ref><ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Brahman]]''</ref>
*[[Nazi Party]]<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Conspiracies]]''</ref>
*[[Central Intelligence Agency]]<ref name="AC2"/><ref name="ACBL">''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodstone]]''</ref>
|religion = Irreligious<ref name="AC2"/><ref name="AC"/><br>Deism<ref name="ACU">''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]''</ref>
|formed = c. 75,000 BCE<ref name="AC2"/> {{c|legendary}}
c. 878 CE<ref name="Poor Fellow" />
|reorganized = 1129<br>1312<br>1937<ref name="Encyclopedia"/>
|collapsed =
|collapsed =
|hidea =
}}  
|notable = *[[Cain]]
The '''Templar Order''', also known as the '''Order of the Knights Templar'''<ref>''Assassin's Creed: Identity'' – [[Database: Templars]]</ref><ref>''Assassin's Creed: Unity'' – [[Database: Persecution of the Templars under Philip the Fair]]</ref> or the '''Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon''',<ref>''Assassin's Creed: Syndicate'' – [[Database: The Templar Order]]</ref> is a secret transnational organization which for thousands of years has striven to seize control of humanity in the name of uplifting their condition and inaugurating lasting, world peace. Their vision of a perfect, global society, which they term the [[New World Order]], is one which entails a world government under their dominion, whether directly imposed or in the form of a shadow regime manipulating states and society from behind-the-scenes.
*[[Gaius Julius Caesar|Julius Caesar]]
*[[Robert de Sable]]
*[[Rodrigo Borgia]]
*[[Cesare Borgia]]
*[[Alexander III of Russia|Tsar Alexander III]]
*[[Adolf Hitler]]
}}
{{quote|May the [[Father of Understanding]] guide us.|Templar motto.}}
The '''Templars''', also known as the '''Order of the Knights Templar''', were a monastic military order-turned-corporate giant formed during the prehistoric era. The Templars sought to create a perfect world, although the means by which they sought to do so - through force and control - were questionable. Because of this, they were the sworn enemies of the [[Assassins|Assassin Order]], who believed that [[Humans|mankind]] should always have the ability to choose; to have free will, even if it means a flawed humanity. With these conflicting ideologies, the two groups have fought over the course of thousands of years for the control and fate of humanity.


==History==
In this light, the Templars have frequently infiltrated state governments throughout history to position themselves in the central loci and highest echelons of power, operating as a deep state. They are commonly united in the classical realist beliefs of the inherent depravity of human nature and the privileging of security as a metric for peace, and these assumptions buttress their conviction that true peace can only be achieved when humanity is shepherded by a society of enlightened individuals—in their eyes, them.
===Prehistory===
The organization that would later be known as the Templar Order was likely founded by [[Cain]], whose 'mark' was used as the Templars' crest. They quickly became the archenemies of the [[Assassins]], who, as opposed to the Templars, fought to allow the people to retain free will.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>


===Roman era===
A hallmark of Templar methodology has been the notion that no cost is too great for the eventual realization of their grand project, and there are no means that cannot be justified by the nobility of their end dream. This has translated into a penchant for orchestrating complex political crises on a monumental—at times global—scale as a means of securing their long-term objectives and, alongside this, the pursuit of the [[Pieces of Eden]] and other relics left behind by the ancient [[Isu]] which can grant power over other humans. Historically, there have also frequently been Templars who exploited their membership to consolidate power and wealth for their own self-interests rather than advancing their collective mission, as was the most infamous case of the [[House of Borgia|Borgia family]].
====Infiltrating the SPQR====
During the Roman era, the would-be Templars went under the alias "[[SPQR|Senatus Populusque Romanus]]", ruling the [[Roman Empire]]. However, their rule was continually thwarted by the Assassin Order. A notable example of this was the plot against [[Gaius Julius Caesar]], who was appointed as a dictator for life. Forty Assassins, most notably [[Marcus Junius Brutus]] and [[Gaius Cassius Longinus]], had infiltrated Caesar's inner circle as senators. They actually planned to assassinate Caesar, a plan which they successfully executed on 15 March 44 BC.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>


Additionally, on 24 January 41, the Assassin [[Leonius]] stabbed [[Caligula]] with a dagger.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
While the Templar Order is one and the same with the Knights Templar of the Crusades, their history stretches far further back to at least the formation of the [[Order of the Ancients]] by the Egyptian pharaoh [[Smenkhkare]]. Their reorganization as a monastic [[Christianity|Christian]] military order by [[Bernard de Clairvaux]] and [[Hugues de Payens]] was a disguise for their operations and lasted until their purge in the 13th century by King [[Philip IV of France]], whereupon they withdrew into the shadows and feigned extinction. By then, the name "Templar" had cemented itself for their organization. Since the internal revolution of [[Grand Master of the Templar Order|Grand Master]] [[François-Thomas Germain]], the Templar focus has shifted from puppeteering nobles and aristocracy to socioeconomic control through [[capitalism]], a plan that led to the founding of the multinational conglomerate [[Abstergo Industries]] in the 20th century as their new public front.


====Crucifixion of Jesus====
Owing to their opprobrium of human agency, the Templars have a long record of relying on coercive measures, indiscriminate political violence, and state terror, and this catalyzed the formation of the [[Hidden Ones]] at the end of [[Ptolemaic Egypt|Ptolemaic rule]]. The emergence of the Hidden Ones, whose evolution into the [[Assassins]] in the Crusades paralleled that of the Templars, precipitated a [[Assassin-Templar War|millennia-long shadow war]] that has persisted to this day.
During the 1<sup>st</sup> century, they found out that one of the Pieces of Eden, [[the Shroud]], was in the hands of [[Jesus Christ]]. Wanting the Piece for their own purposes, the would-be Templars crucified Jesus in order to gain it.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>


====Retrieving of the Ankh====
==History==
[[File:AquilusStabbed.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Gracchus stabbing Aquilus.]]
{{Main|History of the Templars}}
By 259, the would-be Templars still had positions within the Roman Empire. However, during the same year, the Assassin [[Aquilus]], guided by his father [[Lucius]], had begun taking down a number of Templars, until he got to his third target: the Roman general [[Gracchus]]. Being given entrance to Gracchus' military tent, he confronted Aquilus with the information he had gathered on the Assassin's activities. Trying to prevent Aquilus from killing him, Gracchus stabbed Aquilus in the chest;<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Tome 1, Desmond">[[Assassin's Creed (French comic)|''Assassin's Creed'' (French comic)]]: Tome 1, Desmond</ref> however, the wound was not fatal, and the Romans were quickly attacked by [[wikipedia:Alamans|Alamans]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Tome 2, Aquilus">[[Assassin's Creed (French comic)|''Assassin's Creed'' (French comic)]]: Tome 2, Aquilus</ref>
 
Around this time, the Roman senator [[Caius Fulvus Vultur]] - a secret Templar - travelled to Lugdunum to meet with his old contact Lucius; at the same time, Aquilus was travelling home to Lugdunum, carrying with him [[the Ankh]], an ancient artificat capable of reviving the dead which Aquilus retrieved from his Alaman cousin [[Accipiter]]. Lucius and Aquilus, both unaware of Vultur's affiliations, had Vultur stay in their home temporarily. The same night, Aquilus interrogated the Templar priest [[Faustin]], whom Lucius suspected on having informed Gracchus. Simultaneously, Vultur betrayed Lucius, killing him and taking possession of the Ankh. Faustin revealed Vultur's ties to Aquilus, who rushed back home, only to father dead and the Ankh gone.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Tome 2, Aquilus"/>
 
===Middle Ages===
====Formation as a Knightly Order====
In 1118, they removed themselves from the underground and founded themselves as a Knightly Order, the "Knights Templar". They operated in [[wikipedia:Troyes|Troyes]], [[France]], and were led by [[Hugh de Payns]].<ref>[[:File:AC Timeline.jpg|''Assassin's Creed'' Timeline]]</ref>
 
In the 1129 Council of Troyes, the Order was officially recognized by the church, and in 1139, Pope Innocent II granted them diplomatic immunity in all provinces and territories and exemption from taxes. This allowed the faction to grow in numbers, strength and wealth quickly, and as they became a larger force, their responsibilities increased accordingly: the Order's many members were prominent figures in the second crusade.<ref name="Wikipedia">[[wikipedia:Knights Templar|''Wikipedia'': Knights Templar]]</ref>
 
====Quest for the Chalice====
 
====Third Crusade====
By 1191, the Templars had come under the leadership of [[Robert de Sable]]. The Templars joined in the [[Third Crusade]] that was waging in the Holy Land, and De Sable started secretly recruiting men on both sides of the war. Among these were [[Garnier de Naplouse]], [[William of Montferrat]] and [[Sibrand]] on the [[Crusaders|Crusader]] side, and [[Tamir]], [[Talal]], [[Abu'l Nuqoud]], [[Majd Addin]] and [[Jubair al Hakim]] on the [[Saracens|Saracen]] side. Additionally, De Sable even managed to secretly recruit [[Al Mualim]], the [[Grand Master of the Assassin Order|leader]] of the Assassins into his cause. These ten men found [[Sixth Apple|an Apple of Eden]] together in [[Solomon's Temple]], and made a few discoveries with it.<ref name="Assassin's Creed">''[[Assassin's Creed]]''</ref>
 
[[File:Siege of Masyaf 1.jpg|thumb|250px|Robert de Sable leading the Templars to Masyaf.]]
When Robert de Sable and a few of his men went to retrieve it from the temple, though, their progress was delayed by a small group of Assassins consisting of [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] and the brothers [[Malik Al-Sayf|Malik]] and [[Kadar Al-Sayf]], who were sent by Al Mualim to retrieve the treasure. Despite Altaïr being routed, Kadar's death and Malik losing his arm, the artefact was brought into Assassin possession. This event prompted Robert to lead his men to an attack on the Assassins' fortress of [[Masyaf]], but as soon as they arrived at the fortress gates, they were routed by a wave of falling tree logs.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
 
Al Mualim sent Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad on a quest to take down the [other] Templars. One by one the Templars, spread throughout the cities of [[Damascus]], [[Acre]] and [[Jerusalem]], fell to Altaïr's blade, until he was assigned to take down Robert de Sable. De Sable had foreseen when his time would come, and assigned [[Maria Thorpe]] to impersonate him at Majd Addin's funeral, while Robert would ride for Arsuf; thrying to have the Crusaders and Saracens join forces against the Assassins. The Assassin fell for the trap, but quickly found out about Robert's true location. Robert and Altaïr engaged in a battle at Arsuf before Robert was successful in his plan, and Robert was defeated. Before dying, he revealed to Altaïr that the last Templar was his own master, and the Assassin rode off to his final target. After Altaïr killed Al Mualim, the Apple was ultimately lost to the Assassins.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
 
====Relocating to Cyprus====
[[File:Altair Acre Ship.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The Templars sailing to Cyprus.]]
Control of the Order fell to De Sable's successor, [[Armand Bouchart]]. Not too soon afterwards, Bouchart bought the island of [[Cyprus]] from King [[Richard I of England|Richard I]], which was formerly ruled by the secret Templar [[Isaac Comnenus]]. Planning to retrieve all the artefacts that were hidden in [[Templar Archive]] underneath [[Limassol]], the Templars set sail from Acre to Cyprus in Fall of 1191.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines">''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''</ref>
 
The Templars quickly expanded their reach, starting with building strongholds in Limassol but rapidly taking control of [[Kyrenia]] as well. As the Templars used brute force to stay in control, the people formed a [[Resistance]] force that strived to route the Templars from Cyprus. Additionally, the Templars were followed by Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, who had taken Maria Thorpe as a captive. Due to Altaïr's efforts, all of Bouchart's generals in Limassol and Kyrenia were assassinated, and the Templars began to lose grip of Cyprus.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines"/>
 
[[File:Templar Archive1.jpg|thumb|250px|Bouchart killed by Altaïr.]]
Despite the loss of many men, the Templars were successful in their objective, because while Altaïr was busy with removing Templar control in Kyrenia, the Templars had shipped out all of the artefacts in the Templar Archive underneath Limassol. After all the artefacts were shipped out, Bouchart found himself confronted by Altaïr in the Archive. The two faced off in a duel, but Bouchart too fell to Altaïr's blade.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines"/>
 
====Moving underground====
By 1312, the Order had publicly disbanded.<ref name="Wikipedia"/> In reality, the Order continued to thrive, adopting a much more secretive position in world affairs.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
 
In 1321, the Templars killed the Italian Assassin [[Dante Alighieri]], making their existence known to the Assassins. Three years later, they also killed the Assassins [[Marco Polo]] and the father of [[Domenico Auditore]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
 
====Hundred Years' War====
In 1337, the [[wikipedia:House of Plantagenet|House of Plantagenet]] of [[England]] attacked the kingdom of France, ruled by the [[wikipedia:House of Valois|House of Valois]]. Around 1428, a French girl named [[Jeanne d'Arc]], who had somehow obtained the [[The Sword|Sword of Eden]], joined the French front and lead the French to many victories. However, this caught the attention of the Templars, who had set their sights on the Piece of Eden she had in her possession. In 1430, Jeanne was captured and interrogated by the English, which caused her to lose the Sword to the Templars. In 1431, the Templars executed her by burning.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
 
===Renaissance===
In the later half of the 15<sup>th</sup> century, the Brotherhood had regained a stronger position of strength on the world stage, spreading deep into the Church and nobility of [[Italy]]. Under the command of [[Rodrigo Borgia]], the Templars sought to unify northern Italy under their command, and regain the Apple of Eden which they knew to be buried in Cyprus.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
 
====Sforza assassination====
[[File:Galeazzo and the Assassin.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Lampugnani kissing Sforza's hand.]]
Under Rodrigo, the Templars sought to remove the Sforza family from power in [[Milan]], thus destabilizing the city's relations with [[Florence]]. Their plan was to assassinate the Duke, [[Galeazzo Maria Sforza]], on the Feast of Santo Stefano. Rodrigo, having made plans in Florence, left the city with a couple of henchmen, but was followed by [[Giovanni Auditore da Firenze]], an Assassin. Rodrigo, frightened, left his henchmen to fight Giovanni while he made his escape. Giovanni managed to kill the henchmen, and take one captive. Giovanni brought this man to the [[House of Medici|Medici]], were he was tortured by [[Lorenzo de' Medici]] and [[Uberto Alberti]], who was secretly a Templar.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage">''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]''</ref>
 
Having gathered enough information on their plans from Rodrigo's henchman, Giovanni hurried to Milan to prevent the Duke's assassination. However, the Templars [[Giovanni Andrea Lampugnani]], [[Carlo Visconti]] and [[Gerolamo Olgiati]] killed the Duke when the church bell rang for the twelfth time. Visconti and Olgiati managed to escape, while Lampugnani was killed by a Sforza guard.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage"/>
 
====Auditore execution====
Having been successful in their plan for Milan, the Templars switched their attention to the city of [[Florence]]. However, Florence's ''de facto'' ruler, [[Lorenzo de' Medici]], was an ally of the Assassin Giovanni Auditore, and his family was a strong enemy of the [[House of Pazzi|Pazzi family]]; the Templars' main stronghold in Florence. In order to avoid further interventions from the Assassins, Giovanni Auditore and his two sons [[Federico Auditore da Firenze|Federico]] and [[Petruccio Auditore da Firenze|Petruccio]] were imprisoned in the [[Palazzo della Signoria]], and they would be trialled by their former ally Uberto Alberti, who was corrupted by the Borgia.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
 
[[File:LMS 1 v.png|thumb|250px|The Templars executing the Auditore.]]
However, the Pazzi guards were unable to capture Giovanni's remaining son; [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio]]. Nonetheless, Giovanni, Federico and Petruccio were hanged in front of the Palazzo della Signoria. Ezio, who had attended the [[Auditore execution|execution]], realized that his family had been betrayed by Alberti, and after escaping, began making preparations for his revenge. Not too soon afterwards, Ezio, using his father's equipment, killed Alberti during an exhibition of [[Andrea del Verrocchio|Verrocchio]]'s latest work.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
 
However, the Borgia, believing their problems with the Assassins were solved, continued with their plans to take down the Medici.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
 
====Pazzi Conspiracy====
Over the next two years, the Templars, majorly the [[House of Pazzi|Pazzi family]], continued their schemes for control over Florence. In 1478, Rodrigo met with [[Jacopo de' Pazzi|Jacopo]], [[Francesco de' Pazzi|Francesco]] and [[Vieri de' Pazzi]] in [[San Gimignano]], discussing everyone's tasks in the conspiracy. However, Vieri was killed right after the meeting ended by Ezio, who had attacked the town alongside his uncle [[Mario Auditore|Mario]] and his [[mercenaries]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>


[[File:WiSC 8.png|thumb|250px|left|Francesco attacking Giuliano, with Bernardo in the back.]]
==The Templar Pledge ==
Nonetheless, the Templars continued their plans, again arranging a meeting underneath the [[Santa Maria Novella]] not too long after the former meeting. Rodrigo, who had received Pope [[Sixtus IV]]'s blessing on the conspiracy on the condition that nobody was killed, was again present, and made the final preperations. The following Sunday, the Pazzi attacked the [[House of Medici|Medici]] when they arrived at the [[Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore]] for High Mass; the event that would be known as the [[Pazzi Conspiracy]]. Francesco succesfully killed [[Giuliano de' Medici]], stabbing him in the chest nineteen times, but the Pazzi Conspirators were only able to wound Lorenzo de' Medici, who was joined by Ezio Auditore in fighting off the Medici. With Ezio's help, Lorenzo managed to escape, but the Pazzi did not cease to cause trouble in the city. On Lorenzo's request, Ezio hunted Francesco de' Pazzi down and killed him.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
Similar to their enemies, [[Assassins|Assassin Brotherhood]], the Templar Order also has three sacred tenets:
#"Uphold the principles of our order and all that for which we stand."
#"Never share our secrets nor divulge the true nature of our work."
#"Do so until death, whatever the cost."


[[File:With Friends 2 v.png|thumb|250px|Jacopo trying to reason with Rodrigo.]]
The Templars are expected to uphold these three sacred tenets at all times, and breaking these tenets has always resulted in negative consequences for the one who does so. For example, [[Haytham Kenway]] (a Templar) assassinated [[Edward Braddock]] (another Templar) due to Braddock's actions compromising the Templars' beliefs with his actions, beliefs, and bloodlust.
With the Templars routed from Florence, Jacopo and the other conspirators fled to San Simignano in [[Tuscany]], where they had once again arranged to meet with Rodrigo in 1480. However, all four remaining Pazzi Conspirators - [[Bernardo Baroncelli]], [[Antonio Maffei]], [[Stefano da Bagnone]] and [[Antonio Maffei]] - all fell to Ezio's blade over the course of two years. Jacopo went to the meeting alone, where his failure and words angered Rodrigo; in the process, Jacopo was stabbed in the chest, nearly killing him. Sensing Ezio's presence at the meeting, Rodrigo sent his guards after the Assassin; nonetheless, Ezio was once again able to fend the guards off and put Jacopo out of his misery. With their plans for Florence thwarted by the lone Assassin, the Templars turned their attention to [[Venice]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>


====Taking over Venice====
==Ideology and goals==
[[File:BoF 9.png|thumb|250px|left|The Barbarigos meeting with Rodrigo Borgia.]]
{{Quote|We're cruel and desperate creatures, set in our conquering ways. The Saxons and the Franks. The Ottomans and Safavids... I could go on for hours. The whole of human history is but a series of conflicts and subjugation. A desire for more, and more, and more.|Haytham Kenway|Assassin's Creed: Forsaken}}
By 1480 in Venice, [[Emilio Barbarigo]] was attempting to unite all the merchants in Venice's commercial district under his banner. Despite failed attempts from the city's [[Thieves|Thieves Guild]], Emilio was assassinated in 1486 by Ezio Auditore. A meeting between [[Carlo Grimaldi]], [[Silvio Barbarigo]], [[Marco Barbarigo]], [[Dante Moro]] and Rodrigo Borgia took place soon afterwards, discussing their plans for Venice. They decided that they would kill the Doge, [[Giovanni Mocenigo]], that same night, and Marco Barbarigo would take his place. In fact, the plan to take the Doge's seat was a plan to distract the Assassin from the Templars' real objective: retrieving the Apple of Eden from Cyprus.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
[[File:AC1-Templar Knight Render.png|thumb|A Templar during the Third Crusade]]
Throughout the millennia that they have existed, the Templars have maintained that they are unified by a vision of perpetual peace for all humanity, making it their mission to create perfect order in a chaotic world of ceaseless bloodshed, petty strife, and corruption.<ref name="AC" /><ref name="Father and Son">''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[Father and Son]]</ref><ref name="Database: The Templar Order">''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]'' – [[Database: The Templar Order]]</ref> For the most ardent believers of this dream, it is a noble cause in which they are altruistically taking upon the burden to save humanity from itself. Underlying this sentiment is the wholehearted conviction that guidance by individuals wiser than most is the only solution by which humans' natural impulses for error can be stymied and restrained.<ref name="AC" /> These meritorious few in Templars' eyes are those with the will to make the sacrifices deemed necessary to bring an ultimate end to anarchy, deception, and injustice.<ref name="AC" /><ref name="AC3">''[[Assassin's Creed III]]''</ref><ref name="A Man They Call the Sage">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[A Man They Call the Sage" /></ref> More than that, they are those who have arrived at the same insight about humanity's intrinsic depravity, a "realization" which they assume to be an absolute truth of reality.<ref name="Lee's Last Stand">''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[Lee's Last Stand]]</ref>


Ezio Auditore, who had eavesdropped on the meeting, quickly devised a strategy to prevent the killing of Mocenigo and used [[Leonardo da Vinci]]'s [[Flying Machine|flying machine]] to infiltrate the Doge's residence, the [[Palazzo Ducale]]. However, Ezio was too late to prevent the Doge from being poisoned, but he managed to kill Carlo Grimaldi, who was responsible for the Doge's death.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
===Classical realism===
The fundamental assumptions of Templar philosophy correlates closely to those of {{wiki|Realism (international relations)|classical realism}}. Invariably, Templars harbour cynical views of human nature, focusing principally on their history of endlessly repeating conflicts and acts of conquest and subjugation.<ref name="AC" /><ref name="Forsaken">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forsaken]]''</ref> They hold it to be self-evident that human beings are inherently self-serving, irrational, susceptible to corruption, and disingenuous towards others and that these are flaws which can never be fully overcome, only suppressed through discipline enforced by authority.<ref name="AC" /><ref name="Father and Son" /> Compounding this problem are the perennial disagreements fostered by diversity in thought and beliefs. In explaining his ideology to the Assassin [[Desmond Miles]], Templar scientist [[Warren Vidic]] employed the "tired analogy" of treating cancer at the source rather than merely cutting out its tumours.<ref name="AC" /> Because Templars believe that the source of conflict and suffering in the world is human nature itself, they dismiss any solution which respects their agency as unrealistic folly.<ref name="AC" /><ref name="Lee's Last Stand" />


Marco had taken the position of Doge, never to come out to prevent the Assassin from having an opportunity to kill him. However, during [[Carnevale]], Marco was obliged to show himself to the people at his personal party. Ezio had managed to obtain entry to the party, and as soon as Marco showed himself, the Assassin struck.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
This premise sits at the heart of their conflict with their archenemies, the [[Assassins]], who not only profess to a faith in humanity but also reject that any objective truth can be known, thereby treating the Templars' generalization of human nature as illogical.<ref name="Codex">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' – [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's Codex]]</ref> Nevertheless, Templars are enticed by these assumptions for far-ranging reasons. For some, they are born from such a desperation to resolve the violence in their environment that they feel they cannot afford to trust measures that may be inefficient or prone to failure. Though the authenticity of this account cannot be verified, this was the sentiment expressed by the Aztec Templar [[Cuali]] according to Abstergo Entertainment, for he found it unfathomable that the Assassin way could protect his people from imperialism.<ref name="AC4 MP">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Abstergo Data]]: The Jaguar</ref> For others, their beliefs about the savagery of humanity and the need for repression are a reflection of their own violent personalities. Such was the case with [[Majd Addin]], who revelled in the power over life and death,<ref name="Majd Addin assassination">''[[Assassin's Creed]]'' – [[Assassination (Majd Addin)]]</ref> and [[Edward Braddock]], who asserted with his dying words that "apply[ing] the sword more liberally and more often" would "engender peace".<ref name="The Braddock Expedition">''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[The Braddock Expedition (memory)|The Braddock Expedition]]</ref>


[[File:Two birds 8.png|thumb|250px|The Templar boats setting sail from the Arsenal.]]
====Truth and insecurity====
Due to the Assassin's efforts, the Venetian Templars had to rely on Silvio Barbarigo and Dante Moro. They had hired a group of mercenaries to strengthen their forces, and positioned themselves in the [[Arsenale di Venezia|Arsenal of Venice]], fighting with Venice's [[Mercenaries|Mercenaries Guild]] led by [[Bartolomeo d'Alviano]]. Ezio Auditore joined forces with Bartolomeo, and together they managed to draw Silvio and Dante away from their troops. Without any protection, the two attempted to flee to their boat inside the Arsenal to sail to Cyprus, but they were killed by Ezio before they could set sail. Other boats had already managed to set sail, though, and were on their way to Cyprus.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
The [[Journal of Haytham E. Kenway|journal]] of the Grand Master [[Haytham Kenway]] reveals deeper insights into the allure of the Templar ideology. In an entry dated to 10 June 1747, a twenty-one-year old Haytham recounted his conversion from his [[Edward Kenway|Assassin father]]'s skeptic teachings to the immutable '"truths" offered by the Templar [[Reginald Birch]] who raised him. He felt invigorated by the "absence of doubt" and "feeling of 'knowing'" that the Templar path enabled, where he did not have to grapple with the ambiguities of the universe.<ref name="Forsaken" /> The freedom to be content in self-assurance for his beliefs provided an internal stability that he craved and which he witnessed in his master,<ref name="Forsaken" /> but this craving exposes an element common to Templar psychology: insecurity.


====Quest for the Apple====
Insecurity correlates with the analysis provided by the Assassin Mentor Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad in his [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's Codex|Codex]], wherein he posited that the Templars understood deep down that a perfectly objective perspective either did not exist or was unreachable. Whereas the Assassins embrace this realization with their aphorism "[[The Creed|nothing is true]]", the Templars are driven by a fear of this uncertainty, this lack of an "absolute truth", to strive to fabricate their own model of Truth and impose it upon reality.<ref name="Codex" /> By the end of his life, Haytham had come to wholly convince himself that his Templar vision was a natural and necessary emanation of Truth,<ref name="Lee's Last Stand" /> but Altaïr suggested in his time that the Templars wilfully sought to reshape the very fabric of human epistemic space to align with their wishes.<ref name="Codex" /> He described this as casting an illusion over the world,<ref name="Codex" /> a scheme that almost arose in literal form through the [[Apples of Eden]] and the [[Eye-Abstergo]] project,<ref name="Abstergo Files"> ''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' – [[Abstergo Files|Abstergo Files: "File.0.19\Prj_Eye-Abstergo"]]</ref> yet Haytham believed that he was an agent of Truth bringing order to a chaotic world<ref name="Lee's Last Stand" /> while it is unclear if other Templars thought there was a meaningful difference between creating an illusion and creating (their own version of) Truth in a world without one.
[[File:He who waits 3.png|thumb|250px|left|The Apple being given to the courier.]]
Despite the Templars facing "complications" on Cyprus, the Templar boat returned to Venice in 1488. A Templar courier was assigned to bring the Apple to a Templar guardpost, from where the Apple would be escorted to Rodrigo Borgia. However, Ezio killed the guard assigned to carry the Apple, and put on his uniform; impersonating him. After the escort had reached Rodrigo, its members were killed by Ezio and the latter faced off in a fight with Rodrigo. Ezio was later joined by other members of the Assassin Order, and Rodrigo made his escape, leaving the Apple behind.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>


With the Apple in the hands of the Assassins, the Templars approached the [[House of Orsi|Orsi brothers]] – [[Ludovico Orsi|Ludovico]] and [[Checco Orsi|Checco]] – to obtain a map detailing the location of the Codex pages from the wife of the Templar [[Girolamo Riario]] – [[Caterina Sforza]]. Invading [[Forlì]], the Orsi brothers demanded the map, and the Apple in exchange for the lives of Sforza's children. The brothers were rebuked, and assaulted the [[Rocca di Ravaldino]]. Together with the city guards, the Assassins Ezio Auditore and [[Niccolò Machiavelli]] held off the assault, although a second succeeded in claiming the Apple briefly when Ezio Auditore left to kill Ludovico. After Ezio had returned successfully, he chased after Checco and assassinated the latter, taking the Apple with him.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forlì">''[[Battle of Forlì (DLC)|Assassin's Creed II: Battle of Forlì]]''</ref>
====Statism====
Regardless, the microcosm of personal insecurity manifests in the macrocosm of insecurity for the world. The Templars argue that their ultimate dream is peace, but peace for them is defined chiefly in terms of security in a system of {{wiki|Anarchy (international relations)|anarchy}}, with individual human fulfillment and harmony à la free will liable to subsumption under the demands of security. As aforementioned, they do not believe that free will permits the development of harmonious relations because they are suspicious of humans' capacity for genuine compassion. Consequently, Templars persist in a largely statist mapping of global politics despite their transnational character.{{Fact|2 November 2021}}


====Control over the Papacy====
===Religion===
Despite the loss of the Apple, Rodrigo was ultimately unfazed. In 1491, he became a candidate in the Papal conclave and fooled the Spanish Inquisitor General [[Tomás de Torquemada]] into following his orders. Much of these orders involved annihilating the Assassins Guild in [[Barcelona]], [[Spain]], with Rodrigo claiming they were heretics. Rodrigo also made attempts to thwart [[Christoffa Corombo]]'s journey to the New World, and planning to make the Templars journey there. However, all of these plans were thwarted again by Ezio Auditore, who had sailed to Spain.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery">''[[Assassin's Creed II: Discovery]]''</ref>
{{Quote|There is only one Father of Understanding. He is the Lord above; he is order incarnate. Therefore, may the Father of Understanding be this and naught else--the invisible hand that plucks harmony from the strings of the universe. Nothing more. Let all remaining pagan blasphemies wither into dust.|Alfred in his commentary.|Assassin's Creed: Valhalla|The Poor Fellow-Soldier}}


In 11 August 1492, Rodrigo had become Pope Alexander VI after having bribed most of the cardinals.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Renaissance">''[[Assassin's Creed: Renaissance]]''</ref> Being the head of the Christian church, the Templars became the most powerful force in Europe and based their headquarters in [[Rome]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref> As the Pope, Rodrigo had access to the Papal Staff, which was in reality the [[The Staff|Staff of Eden]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
Originally, King [[Alfred the Great]] created the Templar Order under the influence of his [[Christianity|Christian]] values, hoping it would help to bring peace and improve [[Humans|humanity]] by harmonizing the people with the order of the universe and aligning the needs of men with the flow of nature itself. He even went as far as to declare the [[Father of Understanding]] as a title for God. This led to the tradition of strict reverence for the Father of Understanding as their monotheistic deity and guiding force for the Templar's actions as well as universal order.<ref name="Poor Fellow"/>


In the late 1490s, Rodrigo learned that the Apple had come into the possession of the monk [[Girolamo Savonarola]], who had just become the ruler of Florence. Aiming to get the Apple back in their possession, the Borgia sent continuous waves of soldiers to Florence. However, the bodies kept being sent back,<ref>''[[Bonfire of the Vanities (DLC)|''Assassin's Creed II: Bonfire of the Vanities]]''</ref> and the Borgia were disappointed when Savonarola was executed without them having the Apple in their possession.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy">''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''</ref>
The existence of the Templars became known to the public in 1129, when its military order was endorsed by the Holy See as a means of countering the ever-increasing threat against the Holy Land by the Saracens, and to protect the city of [[Jerusalem]].<ref name="HC">The History Channel, ''Decoding the Past: The Templar Code'', 7 November 2005, video documentary written by Marcy Marzuni</ref> Over time, the Templars began to believe it within their power to unite the world in peace.<ref name="AC"/>


[[File:Theconfront.jpg|thumb|250px|Rodrigo confronted by Ezio in the Vatican.]]
Their system of belief changed greatly upon the discovery of the [[Pieces of Eden]]; they began to speculate that all religions were probably false and this led the Order to become somewhat agnostic, though mostly deistic due to still retaining belief in a Supreme Being called the Father of Understanding, a religious practice which carried on from their predecessors, the [[Order of the Ancients]]. They publicly maintained the pretense of following the Christian ways so as to not lose the support of the Church.<ref name="AC2"/>
In 1499, the leading Assassins in Italy travelled to Rome to distract the Borgia guards, while Ezio travelled along the [[Passetto di Borgo]] to [[Basilica di San Pietro|St. Peter's Cathedral]]. Once inside, the Assassin lunged at Rodrigo Borgia while he was proclaiming the Nicene Creed in Latin to the congregation. Rodrigo shoved the Assassin away, and a fight ensued with Rodrigo using the Staff and Ezio using the Apple. The power of the Staff was able to overpower Ezio, and after Rodrigo stabbed Ezio in the abdomen, he entered [[Vatican Vault|the Vault]] underneath the [[Capella Sistina|Sistine Chapel]]. Rodrigo wasn't able to enter the Vault, though, as only the "Prophet" could do it. Rodrigo was soon faced by Ezio again, and Rodrigo was beaten in hand-to-hand combat. Unlike Ezio's other targets, Rodrigo was not killed as Ezio could not find a reason to do so. As Ezio entered the Vault, Rodrigo fled back to safety.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>


[[File:Apple.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Cesare Borgia in Monteriggioni.]]
However, select Templars such as [[David Brewster]] were deeply religious, believing the powerful artifacts had come from God himself.<ref name="ACS"/> Even [[Maximilien de Robespierre]] tried to establish a deist religion, the [[Cult of the Supreme Being]], based on the Templar Doctrine.<ref name="ACU"/> During the persecution of the Templars, the last publicly known Templar Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, cursed King Phillip IV and Pope Clement V that they would answer for their crimes before God almighty.<ref name="ACU"/> When the Spanish Templars were cleansing their nation of "heretics", they stated that God will punish their souls. Even [[Tomas de Torquemada]] believed that the Templar's work was God's command alone.
Five days afterwards, Rodrigo's son [[Cesare Borgia|Cesare]], who had slowly begun to take control over the Templar Order, laid siege to the Assassins' and Auditore's headquarters of [[Monteriggioni]]. In the process, the Templars captured [[Caterina Sforza]], executed [[Mario Auditore]], shot Ezio Auditore and obtained the Apple of Eden. After Monteriggioni lay in ruins, the Borgia returned to Rome victorious.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>


As control over the Templars slowly shifted to Cesare, he strived to take over all of Italy, and later Europe. As the Templars were ruling the church, individuals such as King [[Louis XII of France]], King [[Ferdinand II of Aragon]] and King [[Manuel I of Portugal]] all answered to the Borgia. Meanwhile, Cesare planned to strengthen his army with [[War Machines|war machines]] created by [[Leonardo da Vinci]], who had been forced into serving the Borgia. With his army, Cesare quickly conquered various states in he Italy.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>
While [[Victoria Bibeau]] admired some of the works of the [[Assassin]] [[Gabriel Laxart]], when he fought beside [[Jeanne d'Arc]], Gabriel's descendant [[Simon Hathaway]], a [[Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order|High-Ranking]] Templar, viewed and commented on his ancestor's assassin like missions and devotions as "heresy".<ref name="ACH">''[[Assassin's Creed: Heresy]]''</ref>


However, Ezio Auditore had moved to Italy and started rebuilding the Assassin Brotherhood there. In Cesare's absence, Ezio destroyed the war machines and the Assassins killed most of Cesare's high-ranking generals, including his personal banker [[Juan Borgia the Elder|Juan Borgia]] and the French general [[Octavian de Valois]]. Control over Rome became lost to the Templars, and their plans couldn't be executed. Returning home from war, Cesare found all his support gone and his funds cut off.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>
==Methods==
===Obsession with the Pieces of Eden===
Realizing the power that the Pieces of Eden held over human beings, the Templars began to seek out the artifacts. In 1191, [[Robert de Sable]], then Grand Master of the Order, personally sought the fabled [[Apples of Eden|Apple of Eden]], buried in the catacombs of Solomon's Temple, beneath the Temple Mount.<ref name="AC"/> The theft of this Piece of Eden by the Order of Assassins renewed the sustained conflict between the two powers, ending with the deaths of De Sable at Arsuf, and Armand Bouchart in Limassol.<ref name="Bloodlines">''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''</ref> Despite this setback, the Order continued its mission of creating a world of peace, through manipulation of the Pieces of Eden.


====Routing from Italy====
As time progressed, the Templars became more focused on the Pieces of Eden, rather than operating to transform and influence society through non-supernatural means. Their goals changed as they sought to control and unify the entire world using the Pieces of Eden to create a "New World Order".<ref name="AC"/><ref name="AC2"/>
[[File:Apple.png|thumb|250px|Cesare Borgia killing Pope Alexander VI.]]
On 18 August 1503, Rodrigo, who had began to see Cesare as a threat, met with his son in the papal apartments of the Castel Sant'Angelo. There, he placed a bucket with poisoned apples on the table, and as planned Cesare took a bite from one of them. However, Cesare's sister [[Lucrezia Borgia|Lucrezia]] had found out about Rodrigo's intentions and entered the room to warn her brother. Furious, Cesare shoved the remaining apple down Rodrigo's throat, asking him where the Apple was simultaneously. However, Rodrigo died and Cesare obtained the Apple's location after threatening his sister. Ezio Auditore entered the room after Cesare left, and also got the Apple's location from Lucrezia. Both Cesare and Ezio raced to the Apple, though the latter got to it faster. With the Apple, Ezio exterminated most of Cesare's remaining followers and Cesare himself was arrested on orders of [[Julius II|Pope Julius II]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>


Cesare, who had become the sole ruler of the Templars, was able to escape his imprisonment in the Castel Sant'Angelo. He tried to escape by boat, but was captured by Ezio once again. The Pope had Cesare transferred to [[Castillo de la Mota]], [[wikipedia:Aragon|Aragon]] in Spain in 1504; a location that only the Pope was aware of.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood novel">[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (novel)|''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood'' novel]]</ref>
=== Ethical and unethical practices ===
The Templars have often been consequentialists when it came to their methods, which included subterfuge, manipulation of individuals as well as events, murder and even warfare. The Templars' treatment of individuals such as [[Desmond Miles]], [[Daniel Cross]], and [[Clay Kaczmarek]] may be perceived as unethical from an isolated standpoint, though the Templars would argue that their many atrocities throughout history have been committed in the name of the ''greater good''. The Templars are liberal in their methods used in the name of the greater good, and are perceived by many to be 'evil' or 'corrupted', or at least bent on domination in many instances.<ref name="AC"/> However, while some Templars commit those atrocities are fully aware of the magnitude of their actions, others are simply unaware of the atrocities committed in the name of the greater good. Some, such as Maria Thorpe, choose to leave the Templar Order in disagreement with the Order's methods. However, for those who were steeped in the Order's plans and secrets, leaving the Order was nearly an impossible task as they would usually have been killed to stop them from revealing any information they were party to. The Templars also had no problem with suppressing knowledge, such as when they tried to eliminate [[Nicolaus Copernicus]] and murdered [[Alan Turing]], if it suited their purposes, despite their claims that they sought to uplift mankind.


In 1506, Cesare was freed from La Mota by [[Micheletto Corella]], and together they rode to [[Valencia]]. There, Cesare started to raise an army, operating from the [[Lone Wolf Inn]]. Ezio, who had used the Apple to track Cesare, destroyed Cesare's encampment and twelve ships together with [[Niccolò Machiavelli]]. Cesare blamed Micheletto for the attack, and the latter attempted to strangle Cesare. Cesare gained the upper hand during the struggle, though, and shot Micheletto. Without any men, Cesare made his escape to the Kingdom of Navarre, ruled by his brother-in-law [[John III of Navarre|John III]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood novel"/>
At various points in history, such as during the 18th century, the Templars opposed the unethical treatment and unnecessary killing of innocents, though their definition of an 'innocent' was less broad than that of the Assassin brotherhood.<ref name="AC3">''[[Assassin's Creed III]]''</ref> By the early 18th century the Templars had come to view [[slavery]] as an unnecessary and questionable practice; [[Laureano de Torres y Ayala]] for one believed that "a body enslaved inspires the mind to revolt. But enslave a man's mind and his body will follow on naturally."<ref name="AC4"/> So strong was the Templars' distaste for the practice that at least one member, [[Woodes Rogers]], was forced out of the Order for continuing to trade in slaves.<ref name="ACBF">''[[Assassin's Creed: Black Flag]]''</ref> Many Templars throughout history have shown extremely little issue with harming innocent people for the supposed greater good; [[Edward Braddock]] notably slaughtered countless innocent people simply because they either got in the way or because of his belief that random killing would result in people becoming too fearful to disobey. Even children have been shown to not be immune to Templar cruelty; the British Rite extensively used (and promoted) child labour without regard for the dangers such workers faced, the modern purge of the Assassin Order had children mercilessly gunned down in an attempt to eradicate the Assassins and several Inner Sanctum members showed little qualms if children were caught in the crossfire (or in the case of one, dissected for research) of their operations.


[[File:PaxR 6.png|thumb|left|250px|Ezio about to throw Cesare off the castle walls.]]
=== Vulnerability to corruption ===
In March 1507, John III appointed Cesare to lead his forces during the [[Siege of Viana]]. During the battle, Cesare was once again faced by Ezio, who used the Apple to locate Cesare. Cesare made his escape towards the castle, but was ultimately confronted by Ezio atop the walls of [[Viana Castle]]. After being defeated, Cesare got thrown off the castle walls by Ezio. With Cesare's death, the Templars were no longer led by the Borgia and their quest to conquer Italy and the rest of Europe was at an end.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>
[[File:ACB Cesare Borgia portrait.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Cesare Borgia exemplified the idea of using the Order's might for personal gain]]
The nature of the Order, which involves the acquisition and the exercise of power, makes the Templars highly susceptible to arrogance and corruption. Many have used the Templar cause as a shield or stepping-stone to further their own selfish and cruel desires, attaining power not for the benefit of mankind as was the decree of the order, but for power's own sake. Others like [[Thomas Hickey]] or [[Juan Borgia the Elder|Juan Borgia]], likewise, used the Order's considerable connections, wealth and power to attain wealth and luxury of their own.


{{-}}
Dedicated Templar visionaries, who are fully convinced of the Order's righteousness of cause and who lived in service to such an ideal, such as [[Haytham Kenway]] and prince [[Ahmet]], are few and far between. Some Templars such as Colonel [[George Monro]] saw themselves and their fellow Templars as benevolent protectors and providers of humanity, an act which caused the assassin turncoat [[Shay Cormac]] to defect to the Templar Order. The modern-day Templar [[Juhani Otso Berg]] took these benevolent Templars as his influential and inspirational examples as to what a Templar should really be.


====Infiltrating the Byzantine Empire====
During the Italian Renaissance, Templar goals were corrupted by [[Rodrigo Borgia]] and his son [[Cesare Borgia|Cesare]] into seeking power and domination at all costs, which is far removed from their original noble motive. Modern Templars view the Borgias as debauched tyrants and consider their reign to be a Dark Age of the Order.
[[File:Acr1c.jpg|thumb|250px|Templars at Masyaf in 1511.]]
Having been routed from Italy, the Templars moved their headquarters to the underground city of [[Cappadocia]] and took control of the remnants of the [[Byzantines|Byzantine Empire]]; the successor of the Roman Empire. With this growing army, the Templars planned to take control of [[Constantinople]]. Secondly, the Templars had seized Masyaf and aimed to gather the five [[Seals of Altaïr|seals]] that were needed to unlock the fortress' library. In the process, the Templars managed to gain control of several parts of Constantinople and came into the possession of one seal; however, their process was once again delayed by Ezio Auditore da Firenze, who had come to Constantinople with the same motives as the Templars.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Revelations">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]''</ref>


====Struggle with the Ottomans====
==Organization==
Originally, the title of [[Grand Master of the Templar Order|Grand Master]] officially denoted the head of the Templar Order. Indeed, during the Middle Ages when the order's existence was public knowledge, the Grand Master was projected as their sole supreme commander. However, as the organization spread across the globe, establishing branches in virtually every country, the title of Grand Master came to designate only the leader of regional factions called Rites.<ref name="The Essential Guide" />


===Modern times===
Beneath the Grand Master of each Rite are nine ranks, with immediate subordinates being the high-ranking [[Master Templar]]s. In order following the Masters are the Seneschals, Advisors, Commanders, Preceptors, Knights, Warriors, Clerics, and finally, the Disciples.<ref name="ACBH m/p">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'' – [[Multiplayer]]</ref> These ranks parallel a similar system of hierarchy among their mortal adversaries, the Assassins.<ref name="The Essential Guide"/> Some rites had a preliminary rank, Adept, before becoming a fully fledged member of the Order.<ref name="Forsaken" />
====War of Currents====
[[File:Ford Edison Firestone1.jpg|thumb|200px|The three leaders of American industry, in [[wikipedia:Florida|Florida]].]]
By the 19th century, the Templars had established a major foothold in the American industry, with important figures such as [[Thomas Edison]], [[Henry Ford]] and [[Harvey Firestone]] being Templars themselves.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>


During the late 1880s, Edison, who had created a direct current (DC) for electric power distribution, became an adversary of [[Nikola Tesla]], his former employee who had created an alternating current (AC). Jealous of Tesla's more efficient invention, the Templars began to spread propaganda slandering Tesla, like electrocuting an elephant with AC electricity on public television. Additionally, Edison contacted his associate [[J.P. Morgan]], who was financing Tesla, informing him of Tesla's intentions to make electricity free to all people and telling him to cut off financing Tesla. Eventually, the Templars' efforts worked in their favor and DC elecriticy was distributed across the globe.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
===Inner Sanctum===
To maintain cohesion of the Rites as components of a centralized entity, the [[Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order|Inner Sanctum]] was formed. Consisting of an elite group of nine Templars, the Inner Sanctum harbors direct knowledge of all of the order's plans and is the nucleus from which orders are relayed to the other Rites. Their number, nine, reflects a convention that dates back to at least the [[Third Crusade]], when nine leading Templars coordinated closely to seek after the [[Apple of Eden 2|Apple of Eden]] in [[Solomon's Temple]].<ref name="AC"/> In modern times, since the foundation of [[Abstergo Industries]] as a public front for the order, the Inner Sanctum simultaneously serves as Abstergo's Board of Directors.<ref name="Inner Sanctum">''Assassin's Creed: Revelations'' – [[Abstergo Files|Abstergo Files: "File.0.17\Ins_InnerSanctum"]]</ref><ref name="The Essential Guide"/>


During the early 20th century, [[Ransom Eli Olds|Ranny Olds]] and [[Henry Ford]] devloped and popularized the [[wikipedia:Assemby line|assembly line]], a manufacturing process, to control both capitalists and workers.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>
===Outer Temple===
The Inner Sanctum, in turn, is classified as one of two parts of the order, the other being the Outer Temple. Whereas the Inner Sanctum is privy to all the affairs of the order, being responsible for them, the Outer Temple comprises all other Templars, all of whom are kept in the dark of the full details and extent of the order's operations.<ref name="The Essential Guide"/>


====Russian Revolution====
===Guardians and General of the Cross===
During the late 19th century, the Templars had gained control over the [[Russia]]n Empire, as [[Alexander II of Russia|Alexander II]] was a member of the Order. However, the Assassins also were influential here as they had formed an organization known as the [[Narodnaya Volya]] (''People's Will''), striving to overthrow the Tsarist rule. After three assassination attempts, the Assassins were successful and Alexander II died after being wounded by a bombing, and power shifted to his son [[Alexander III of Russia|Alexander III]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #1">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]]'' - Issue #1</ref>
Although the Inner Sanctum acts as the executive arm of the Templar Order, even they are not its paramount leaders, for they are ultimately subservient to the [[Guardians (Templars)|Guardians]] and the [[Generals of the Cross|General of the Cross]], the latter of whom is the true head of the Templar Order. Every major decision of the Inner Sanctum must be passed to the Guardians for review, who in turn relay them to the General of the Cross for the ultimate grant of approval. Accordingly, the General possesses the sole power to veto any significant action or plan the Inner Sanctum seeks to undertake.<ref name="The Essential Guide"/>


[[File:Alex & Orelov v.png|thumb|250px|left|Tsar Alexander III throwing the Staff to Nikolai Orelov.]]
Under normal circumstances, even the Inner Sanctum does not know the identity of the General of the Cross, a secret so strictly guarded that only the Guardians are permitted knowledge of it. As a result, the Guardians are the bridge between the Inner Sanctum and the General of the Cross, the medium through which communication between the two exists. There are three Guardians, and as witnessed in the case of the Guardian [[Alan Rikkin]] who also served as Chief Executive Officer of Abstergo Industries and chairman of the Inner Sanctum, a Guardian may hold another office at the same time.<ref name="The Essential Guide"/>
However, Alexander III himself became a member of the Templar Order and the Imperial staff was found to be the Staff of Eden. With a Piece of Eden at their command, the Templars resumed their rule over the Russian Empire. In 1888, the Assassin [[Nikolai Orelov]] was sent to assassinate Alexander III while travelling from the Crimea to [[Petrograd]]. Orelov infiltrated the train, and engaged in a fight with Alexander, causing the train to derail; this event would be known as the [[Borki train disaster]]. Orelov was no match for the Tsar's physical abilities, however, and Alexander decided to give the Assassin an advantage by throwing the Staff of Eden to him. Still the Assassin was no match for the Tsar, and it was only when the Tsar's family arrived that he yielded.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #1"/>


Alexander III died in 1894 of kidney failure (which was caused by the stab wound in his kidney of Orelov's hidden blade)<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #1"/> His son [[Nicholas II of Russia|Nicholas II]] gained control over the Empire, and the Templar [[Grigori Rasputin]] infiltrated Nicholas' close circle by "miraculously" healing his son. After being close enough, Rasputin replaced the Staff of Eden with a replica,<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #3"/> taking the real artefact to a Templar research station in Tunguska.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
===Council of Elders===
Apart from the Inner Sanctum and the Guardians, there exists a [[Council of Elders]] which wielded some authority over even the Guardian Alan Rikkin. Among the Council's functions is the power to dissolve [[Abstergo Foundation Rehabilitation Center|Abstergo Foundation]] based on whether they believe the subsidiary is a worthy investment or a waste of resources.<ref name="ACfilm" />


[[File:Tungaska Explod v.png|thumb|250px|The Tunguska explosion.]]
===Black Cross===
In 1908, Orelov obtained the station's location and, together with a group of other Assassins, was sent to destroy the artefact. While the Assassins killed the Templars inside and secured the station, their ally Nikola Tesla sent a bolt of electricity from the USA, causing the station to explode and the Staff to be scattered into pieces; known commonly as the [[Tunguska explosion]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #2">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]]'' - Issue #2</ref> Rasputin somehow managed to obtain one of those pieces and used it to hypnotize and control the Imperial family.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #3">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Fall]]'' - Issue #3</ref> Rasputin himself was later killed by the Assassins, and the Templars lost control over Russia.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
The [[Black Cross]] is a title bestowed upon the members of a branch within the Templar Order tasked with keeping the [[Grand Master of the Templar Order|Grand Masters]] of the various Rites in line with the Templar Code and ideals.


The Russian Imperial family was overthrown during the [[Russian Revolution]], and power shifted to [[Vladimir Lenin]], an ally of the Assassins and leader of the newly formed Soviet Union. Unbeknownst to them, Lenin's subordinate [[Joseph Stalin]] was secretly a Templar<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> and took over control of the Soviet Union after Lenin's death.
Secret inquisitors only answering to the [[Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order|Inner Sanctum]]'s orders, the agents were authorized to use any means necessary, even deadly force, to take down corrupted members of the Order. A Black Cross' secondary mission was to track [[Pieces of Eden]] for the Inner Sanctum.


====Founding Abstergo Industries====
Deadly enforcers acting as an independent morality police force of one man, very few individuals wore the title of Black Cross across the centuries though the Bolden family line counted many among their number.
[[File:Animuslogowhite.svg|thumb|left|200px|Abstergo Industries logo.]]
In 1937, the Templars founded [[Abstergo Industries]], a secret company aiming to control capitalists and workers and neutralize communism. The Templars, who had previously created the capitalistic economic system, hoped to control the people through owning capitalistic companies, as opposed to having people own the companies.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/> The company would go on to control a lot of corporations and organisations, including the [[Ford Motor Company]], [[NASA]], the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> and [[British Petroleum|BP]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>


====World War II====
==Trivia==
In the late 1930s, [[Adolf Hitler]], a secret Templar, began to take over political control over Germany. After having assumed full control, Hitler used [[Fourth Apple|an Apple of Eden]] to form Nazi Germany and hypnotize the population to join his cause. With this newfound support, Hitler began to declare "war" on Germany's neighbouring countries, quickly conquering them. A worldwide war - [[World War II]] - soon erupted, but the entire war was a Templar plot to keep the people in control.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
*In the database entry for "The Assassin Brotherhood" in ''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]'', Rebecca Crane raises for the first time the question of the Assassin and Templars' respective names prior to their reformation in the 11th century when their current names were conceived. The next installment, ''[[Assassin's Creed: Origins]]'', addresses this by revealing that the Templars were known as the Order of the Ancients and the Assassins the Hidden Ones in the 1st century BCE.
*In real history, the demonym "Templar" was derived from the order's official name '''Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon''', with the Temple of Solomon referring to their base, the [[Al-Aqsa Mosque]].
*Historically, after the fall of Acre at 1291, the Templars became bankers rather than actual knights. In fact, it was their banking business that led King Philip IV of France to force Clement V to disband the order and take its wealth for the failing economy of Philip's kingdom.


[[File:Yaltatemplarsummit.jpg|thumb|250px|The Big Three at the Yalta Conference.]]
==References==
While the entire war was overseen by the Templars, the world was split between two forces. On one side of the war stood the Axis, primarily led by Hitler and [[wikipedia:Benito Mussolini|Benito Mussolini]]. On the other side stood the Allied forces, led by the [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], [[Winston Churchill]] and Joseph Stalin; the Big Three.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
{{Reflist}}
 
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On 30 April 1945, Hitler shot his own double inside his Führerbunker to make the people believe he had died, while the real Hitler planned to take the Apple of Eden and meet with Churchill. However, an Assassin had been biding his time outside the Führerbunker, and assassinated Hitler before the latter could make the meeting.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
 
====Overthrowing governments====
During the 1950s and 1970s, Abstergo Industries heavily involved themselves with opening up the markets to capitalism.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>
 
In 1953, the Templars orchestrated the overthrowing of Iranian prime minister [[Mohammad Mosaddegh]], to make the constitutional monarch [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]] into an autoritarian one. The Shah, [[SAVAK]] and [[Sha'baan Ja'fari]] terrorized citizens and protected capitalist oil interests, which Mossadegh wanted to go to the people.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>
 
Abstergo planned the 1954 coup d'etat against Guetemalan president [[wikipedia:Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán|Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>
 
====JFK assassination and Apollo 11====
In the 1960s, the Templars sought to obtain [[Fifth Apple|an Apple of Eden]] that was located on the Moon. However, President [[John F. Kennedy]], who also had an Apple of Eden in his possession, did not share the Templars' motives and thus the Templars planned to get rid of Kennedy.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
 
[[File:JFKassassination.png|thumb|left|200px|JFK in his car, moments before the assassination.]]
On 22 November 1963, Kennedy was planned to drive around [[wikipedia:Dallas|Dallas]], [[wikipedia:Texas|Texas]], and the Templars appointed [[William Greer]] as his driver, while [[Lee Harvey Oswald]] would be the primary assassin and [[Abraham Zapruder]] the secondary assassin. Oswald shot Kennedy with several bullets, while Greer grabbed the Piece of Eden in the confusion. Moments afterwards, the Templars made a "phantom" appear on the hill in the background to cause more chaos. After Kennedy's death, Vice President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], who was also a secret Templar, became President of the United States.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
 
On 20 July 1969, the Templar organization [[NASA]] had sent the [[wikipedia:Apollo 11|Apollo 11]] to the Moon to obtain the Apple of Eden, which turned out to be a successful mission.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
 
====Dissolving communism====
During the late 20th century, Abstergo made plans to stand up to communism in several countries, being successful in overthrowing several communistic governments.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>
 
They planned the 1973 coup d'etat against [[wikepedia:Chile|Chilean]] president [[Salvador Allende]], who had gained much popularity with the people and wanted the people to own Chile's corporations. Abstergo removed Allende and replaced him with general [[Augusto Pinochet]], who installed a military Junta. The Templars promised the Chilean capitalists to ensure the Junta remained in power, they would transfer all corporate debt to Argentinia.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>
 
During the 1990s, [[Margaret Thatcher]], a Prime Minister of the [[wikipedia:United Kingdom|United Kingdom]] and a secret Templar, contacted [[Boris Yeltsin]], informing him that [[wikipedia:Mikhail Gorbachev|Mikhail Gorbachev]], the head of the Soviet Union, [[wikipedia:Perestroika|did not bear the company's interest at heart]]. Yeltsin, also a secret Templar, stood up against communism, causing Gorbachev to lose popularity. In December 1991, Yeltsin unseated Gorbachev and became President of the Russian Federation. His protégé and fellow Templar, [[Vladimir Putin]], followed in his footsteps.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>
 
====Animus Project====
[[File:Abstergo doctor-The Fall1.jpg|thumb|190px|Vidic experimenting on Subject 4.]]
In the late 20th century, Abstergo began abducting people of Assassin descent to use them as subjects for their [[Animus Project]]. In 1985, they captured a young American boy of Assassin descent who was named Subject 4; codename [[Daniel Cross]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #3"/> Doctor [[Warren Vidic]] used a "working prototype" capable of mimicking a Piece of Eden<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/> to plant an impulse into Cross' brain that would make him subconciously infiltrate the Assassin Order and, when given the opportunity, kill the Order's Mentor.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #3"/> After the operation was successful, Cross was sent into the outside world.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #2"/>
 
In 2000, the Templars and Assassins both struggled for control over the United States due to the Presidentorial election.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #3"/> The candidate [[George W. Bush]] was used as a puppet by the Templars,<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/> while [[Al Gore]] was backed by the Assassins.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #3"/> However, before the eventual election took place, Daniel Cross had successfully infiltrated the Assassin Order and killed [[The Mentor (2000)|the Mentor]], and Cross returned to Abstergo's Phildelphia facility. The Templars had obtained the locations of all the Assassin camps due to Cross' visits being in his memories, forcing the Assassins to operate in small teams,<ref name="Assassin's Creed: The Fall - Issue #3"/> and the Templars had gained the upper hand in the election.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>
 
[[File:Abstergo_Desmond_Captivity.png|thumb|left|220px|Desmond held captive by Abstergo Industries.]]
By September of 2012, sixteen [[Animus' Subjects|test subjects]] had been "retired" before the company succeeded with the seventeenth – [[Desmond Miles]], a descendant of both Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad and Ezio Auditore da Firenze.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/><ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
 
Upon being captured by Abstergo, and for seven days, Desmond Miles was forced to relive the genetic memories of his ancestor Altaïr in order to reach one specific memory the Templars were seeking. The memory that was valuable to Abstergo registered the moment his ancestor found a holographic map containing the locations of all Pieces of Eden scattered across the world. With the information they had long sought in hand, the Templars set about gathering the remaining Pieces to ensure "absolute peace", although they soon found themselves in a race against the Assassin Order to obtain the Pieces first.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/> They planned to send a satellite with a Piece mounted on it into orbit, with the launch scheduled on [[Cryptic Messages|December 21, 2012]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
 
==Ideals and goals==
[[File:Ac-templar-knight.jpg|thumb|A Templar during the Third Crusade.]]
The existence of the Templars became known to the public in 1129, when its military order was founded to counter the greatly increasing threat against the Holy Land by the [[Saracens]], and to protect the city of [[Jerusalem]].<ref name=HC>The History Channel, ''Decoding the Past: The Templar Code'', 7 November 2005, video documentary written by Marcy Marzuni</ref> Over time, the Templars began to believe it within their power to unite the world in peace.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/>
 
Their system of belief changed greatly upon the discovery of the [[Pieces of Eden]]; they began to speculate that God was a myth and this led the Order to become atheistic, although they publicly maintained the pretense of following the Christian ways so as to not lose the support of the Church.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
 
Realizing the power that the Pieces of Eden held over man, the Templars began to seek out the artifacts. In 1191, [[Robert de Sable]], then the Grand Master of the Order, personally sought the fabled [[Sixth Apple|Apple of Eden]], buried in the catacombs beneath [[Solomon's Temple]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/> The theft of the piece of Eden by the Order of Assassins brought the two great powers into a sustained conflict with one another, ending with the death of [[Armand Bouchart]] in [[Limassol]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines">''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''</ref> Despite this setback, the Order maintained its belief in creating a world of peace through manipulation of the Pieces of Eden.
 
By their reasoning, with no afterlife or ultimate punishment or reward after death, there was no reason to oblige notions of morality or ethics: the end always justified the means, no matter how heinous those means were. They thought that only this life was important, rather than preparing for a thought-to-be nonexistent next life. With so many lower class people kept in line by the promise of an afterlife, and so many upper class men blissfully ignoring such ideals, the Templars vowed to make a better world; one of lasting peace, no matter what the cost.<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/> However, not all Templars are comfortable with this idea and many are simply unaware of the atrocities committed in the name of the greater good. Some, such as [[Maria Ibn-La'Ahad|Maria Thorpe]], choose to leave the Templar Order after realizing what the Templars do. Others are silenced before they are able to escape.
 
As time progressed, the Templars interest in the Pieces of Eden became more about seeking the power and domination that the artifacts offered. Their goals changed as they sought to control and unify the entire world using the Pieces of Eden to create a "[[New World Order]]".<ref name="Assassin's Creed"/><ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>
 
==Notes and references==
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Latest revision as of 03:43, 11 May 2026

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"The people never have the power. Only the illusion of it. And here's the real secret: they don't want it. The responsibility is too great to bear. It's why they’re so quick to fall in line as soon as someone takes charge. They want to be told what to do. They yearn for it. Little wonder, that, since all mankind was built to serve."
―Haytham Kenway to Ratonhnhaké:ton, 1781.[src]-[m]

The Templar Order, also known as the Order of the Knights Templar[25][26] or the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon,[27] is a secret transnational organization which for thousands of years has striven to seize control of humanity in the name of uplifting their condition and inaugurating lasting, world peace. Their vision of a perfect, global society, which they term the New World Order, is one which entails a world government under their dominion, whether directly imposed or in the form of a shadow regime manipulating states and society from behind-the-scenes.

In this light, the Templars have frequently infiltrated state governments throughout history to position themselves in the central loci and highest echelons of power, operating as a deep state. They are commonly united in the classical realist beliefs of the inherent depravity of human nature and the privileging of security as a metric for peace, and these assumptions buttress their conviction that true peace can only be achieved when humanity is shepherded by a society of enlightened individuals—in their eyes, them.

A hallmark of Templar methodology has been the notion that no cost is too great for the eventual realization of their grand project, and there are no means that cannot be justified by the nobility of their end dream. This has translated into a penchant for orchestrating complex political crises on a monumental—at times global—scale as a means of securing their long-term objectives and, alongside this, the pursuit of the Pieces of Eden and other relics left behind by the ancient Isu which can grant power over other humans. Historically, there have also frequently been Templars who exploited their membership to consolidate power and wealth for their own self-interests rather than advancing their collective mission, as was the most infamous case of the Borgia family.

While the Templar Order is one and the same with the Knights Templar of the Crusades, their history stretches far further back to at least the formation of the Order of the Ancients by the Egyptian pharaoh Smenkhkare. Their reorganization as a monastic Christian military order by Bernard de Clairvaux and Hugues de Payens was a disguise for their operations and lasted until their purge in the 13th century by King Philip IV of France, whereupon they withdrew into the shadows and feigned extinction. By then, the name "Templar" had cemented itself for their organization. Since the internal revolution of Grand Master François-Thomas Germain, the Templar focus has shifted from puppeteering nobles and aristocracy to socioeconomic control through capitalism, a plan that led to the founding of the multinational conglomerate Abstergo Industries in the 20th century as their new public front.

Owing to their opprobrium of human agency, the Templars have a long record of relying on coercive measures, indiscriminate political violence, and state terror, and this catalyzed the formation of the Hidden Ones at the end of Ptolemaic rule. The emergence of the Hidden Ones, whose evolution into the Assassins in the Crusades paralleled that of the Templars, precipitated a millennia-long shadow war that has persisted to this day.

History[edit | edit source]

Main article: History of the Templars

The Templar Pledge[edit | edit source]

Similar to their enemies, Assassin Brotherhood, the Templar Order also has three sacred tenets:

  1. "Uphold the principles of our order and all that for which we stand."
  2. "Never share our secrets nor divulge the true nature of our work."
  3. "Do so until death, whatever the cost."

The Templars are expected to uphold these three sacred tenets at all times, and breaking these tenets has always resulted in negative consequences for the one who does so. For example, Haytham Kenway (a Templar) assassinated Edward Braddock (another Templar) due to Braddock's actions compromising the Templars' beliefs with his actions, beliefs, and bloodlust.

Ideology and goals[edit | edit source]

"We're cruel and desperate creatures, set in our conquering ways. The Saxons and the Franks. The Ottomans and Safavids... I could go on for hours. The whole of human history is but a series of conflicts and subjugation. A desire for more, and more, and more."
―Haytham Kenway[src]
A Templar during the Third Crusade

Throughout the millennia that they have existed, the Templars have maintained that they are unified by a vision of perpetual peace for all humanity, making it their mission to create perfect order in a chaotic world of ceaseless bloodshed, petty strife, and corruption.[10][28][29] For the most ardent believers of this dream, it is a noble cause in which they are altruistically taking upon the burden to save humanity from itself. Underlying this sentiment is the wholehearted conviction that guidance by individuals wiser than most is the only solution by which humans' natural impulses for error can be stymied and restrained.[10] These meritorious few in Templars' eyes are those with the will to make the sacrifices deemed necessary to bring an ultimate end to anarchy, deception, and injustice.[10][30][31] More than that, they are those who have arrived at the same insight about humanity's intrinsic depravity, a "realization" which they assume to be an absolute truth of reality.[32]

Classical realism[edit | edit source]

The fundamental assumptions of Templar philosophy correlates closely to those of classical realism. Invariably, Templars harbour cynical views of human nature, focusing principally on their history of endlessly repeating conflicts and acts of conquest and subjugation.[10][33] They hold it to be self-evident that human beings are inherently self-serving, irrational, susceptible to corruption, and disingenuous towards others and that these are flaws which can never be fully overcome, only suppressed through discipline enforced by authority.[10][28] Compounding this problem are the perennial disagreements fostered by diversity in thought and beliefs. In explaining his ideology to the Assassin Desmond Miles, Templar scientist Warren Vidic employed the "tired analogy" of treating cancer at the source rather than merely cutting out its tumours.[10] Because Templars believe that the source of conflict and suffering in the world is human nature itself, they dismiss any solution which respects their agency as unrealistic folly.[10][32]

This premise sits at the heart of their conflict with their archenemies, the Assassins, who not only profess to a faith in humanity but also reject that any objective truth can be known, thereby treating the Templars' generalization of human nature as illogical.[34] Nevertheless, Templars are enticed by these assumptions for far-ranging reasons. For some, they are born from such a desperation to resolve the violence in their environment that they feel they cannot afford to trust measures that may be inefficient or prone to failure. Though the authenticity of this account cannot be verified, this was the sentiment expressed by the Aztec Templar Cuali according to Abstergo Entertainment, for he found it unfathomable that the Assassin way could protect his people from imperialism.[35] For others, their beliefs about the savagery of humanity and the need for repression are a reflection of their own violent personalities. Such was the case with Majd Addin, who revelled in the power over life and death,[36] and Edward Braddock, who asserted with his dying words that "apply[ing] the sword more liberally and more often" would "engender peace".[37]

Truth and insecurity[edit | edit source]

The journal of the Grand Master Haytham Kenway reveals deeper insights into the allure of the Templar ideology. In an entry dated to 10 June 1747, a twenty-one-year old Haytham recounted his conversion from his Assassin father's skeptic teachings to the immutable '"truths" offered by the Templar Reginald Birch who raised him. He felt invigorated by the "absence of doubt" and "feeling of 'knowing'" that the Templar path enabled, where he did not have to grapple with the ambiguities of the universe.[33] The freedom to be content in self-assurance for his beliefs provided an internal stability that he craved and which he witnessed in his master,[33] but this craving exposes an element common to Templar psychology: insecurity.

Insecurity correlates with the analysis provided by the Assassin Mentor Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad in his Codex, wherein he posited that the Templars understood deep down that a perfectly objective perspective either did not exist or was unreachable. Whereas the Assassins embrace this realization with their aphorism "nothing is true", the Templars are driven by a fear of this uncertainty, this lack of an "absolute truth", to strive to fabricate their own model of Truth and impose it upon reality.[34] By the end of his life, Haytham had come to wholly convince himself that his Templar vision was a natural and necessary emanation of Truth,[32] but Altaïr suggested in his time that the Templars wilfully sought to reshape the very fabric of human epistemic space to align with their wishes.[34] He described this as casting an illusion over the world,[34] a scheme that almost arose in literal form through the Apples of Eden and the Eye-Abstergo project,[38] yet Haytham believed that he was an agent of Truth bringing order to a chaotic world[32] while it is unclear if other Templars thought there was a meaningful difference between creating an illusion and creating (their own version of) Truth in a world without one.

Statism[edit | edit source]

Regardless, the microcosm of personal insecurity manifests in the macrocosm of insecurity for the world. The Templars argue that their ultimate dream is peace, but peace for them is defined chiefly in terms of security in a system of anarchy, with individual human fulfillment and harmony à la free will liable to subsumption under the demands of security. As aforementioned, they do not believe that free will permits the development of harmonious relations because they are suspicious of humans' capacity for genuine compassion. Consequently, Templars persist in a largely statist mapping of global politics despite their transnational character. [citation needed]

Religion[edit | edit source]

"There is only one Father of Understanding. He is the Lord above; he is order incarnate. Therefore, may the Father of Understanding be this and naught else--the invisible hand that plucks harmony from the strings of the universe. Nothing more. Let all remaining pagan blasphemies wither into dust."
―Alfred in his commentary.[src]-[m]

Originally, King Alfred the Great created the Templar Order under the influence of his Christian values, hoping it would help to bring peace and improve humanity by harmonizing the people with the order of the universe and aligning the needs of men with the flow of nature itself. He even went as far as to declare the Father of Understanding as a title for God. This led to the tradition of strict reverence for the Father of Understanding as their monotheistic deity and guiding force for the Templar's actions as well as universal order.[2]

The existence of the Templars became known to the public in 1129, when its military order was endorsed by the Holy See as a means of countering the ever-increasing threat against the Holy Land by the Saracens, and to protect the city of Jerusalem.[39] Over time, the Templars began to believe it within their power to unite the world in peace.[10]

Their system of belief changed greatly upon the discovery of the Pieces of Eden; they began to speculate that all religions were probably false and this led the Order to become somewhat agnostic, though mostly deistic due to still retaining belief in a Supreme Being called the Father of Understanding, a religious practice which carried on from their predecessors, the Order of the Ancients. They publicly maintained the pretense of following the Christian ways so as to not lose the support of the Church.[15]

However, select Templars such as David Brewster were deeply religious, believing the powerful artifacts had come from God himself.[9] Even Maximilien de Robespierre tried to establish a deist religion, the Cult of the Supreme Being, based on the Templar Doctrine.[24] During the persecution of the Templars, the last publicly known Templar Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, cursed King Phillip IV and Pope Clement V that they would answer for their crimes before God almighty.[24] When the Spanish Templars were cleansing their nation of "heretics", they stated that God will punish their souls. Even Tomas de Torquemada believed that the Templar's work was God's command alone.

While Victoria Bibeau admired some of the works of the Assassin Gabriel Laxart, when he fought beside Jeanne d'Arc, Gabriel's descendant Simon Hathaway, a High-Ranking Templar, viewed and commented on his ancestor's assassin like missions and devotions as "heresy".[13]

Methods[edit | edit source]

Obsession with the Pieces of Eden[edit | edit source]

Realizing the power that the Pieces of Eden held over human beings, the Templars began to seek out the artifacts. In 1191, Robert de Sable, then Grand Master of the Order, personally sought the fabled Apple of Eden, buried in the catacombs of Solomon's Temple, beneath the Temple Mount.[10] The theft of this Piece of Eden by the Order of Assassins renewed the sustained conflict between the two powers, ending with the deaths of De Sable at Arsuf, and Armand Bouchart in Limassol.[40] Despite this setback, the Order continued its mission of creating a world of peace, through manipulation of the Pieces of Eden.

As time progressed, the Templars became more focused on the Pieces of Eden, rather than operating to transform and influence society through non-supernatural means. Their goals changed as they sought to control and unify the entire world using the Pieces of Eden to create a "New World Order".[10][15]

Ethical and unethical practices[edit | edit source]

The Templars have often been consequentialists when it came to their methods, which included subterfuge, manipulation of individuals as well as events, murder and even warfare. The Templars' treatment of individuals such as Desmond Miles, Daniel Cross, and Clay Kaczmarek may be perceived as unethical from an isolated standpoint, though the Templars would argue that their many atrocities throughout history have been committed in the name of the greater good. The Templars are liberal in their methods used in the name of the greater good, and are perceived by many to be 'evil' or 'corrupted', or at least bent on domination in many instances.[10] However, while some Templars commit those atrocities are fully aware of the magnitude of their actions, others are simply unaware of the atrocities committed in the name of the greater good. Some, such as Maria Thorpe, choose to leave the Templar Order in disagreement with the Order's methods. However, for those who were steeped in the Order's plans and secrets, leaving the Order was nearly an impossible task as they would usually have been killed to stop them from revealing any information they were party to. The Templars also had no problem with suppressing knowledge, such as when they tried to eliminate Nicolaus Copernicus and murdered Alan Turing, if it suited their purposes, despite their claims that they sought to uplift mankind.

At various points in history, such as during the 18th century, the Templars opposed the unethical treatment and unnecessary killing of innocents, though their definition of an 'innocent' was less broad than that of the Assassin brotherhood.[30] By the early 18th century the Templars had come to view slavery as an unnecessary and questionable practice; Laureano de Torres y Ayala for one believed that "a body enslaved inspires the mind to revolt. But enslave a man's mind and his body will follow on naturally."[11] So strong was the Templars' distaste for the practice that at least one member, Woodes Rogers, was forced out of the Order for continuing to trade in slaves.[41] Many Templars throughout history have shown extremely little issue with harming innocent people for the supposed greater good; Edward Braddock notably slaughtered countless innocent people simply because they either got in the way or because of his belief that random killing would result in people becoming too fearful to disobey. Even children have been shown to not be immune to Templar cruelty; the British Rite extensively used (and promoted) child labour without regard for the dangers such workers faced, the modern purge of the Assassin Order had children mercilessly gunned down in an attempt to eradicate the Assassins and several Inner Sanctum members showed little qualms if children were caught in the crossfire (or in the case of one, dissected for research) of their operations.

Vulnerability to corruption[edit | edit source]

Cesare Borgia exemplified the idea of using the Order's might for personal gain

The nature of the Order, which involves the acquisition and the exercise of power, makes the Templars highly susceptible to arrogance and corruption. Many have used the Templar cause as a shield or stepping-stone to further their own selfish and cruel desires, attaining power not for the benefit of mankind as was the decree of the order, but for power's own sake. Others like Thomas Hickey or Juan Borgia, likewise, used the Order's considerable connections, wealth and power to attain wealth and luxury of their own.

Dedicated Templar visionaries, who are fully convinced of the Order's righteousness of cause and who lived in service to such an ideal, such as Haytham Kenway and prince Ahmet, are few and far between. Some Templars such as Colonel George Monro saw themselves and their fellow Templars as benevolent protectors and providers of humanity, an act which caused the assassin turncoat Shay Cormac to defect to the Templar Order. The modern-day Templar Juhani Otso Berg took these benevolent Templars as his influential and inspirational examples as to what a Templar should really be.

During the Italian Renaissance, Templar goals were corrupted by Rodrigo Borgia and his son Cesare into seeking power and domination at all costs, which is far removed from their original noble motive. Modern Templars view the Borgias as debauched tyrants and consider their reign to be a Dark Age of the Order.

Organization[edit | edit source]

Originally, the title of Grand Master officially denoted the head of the Templar Order. Indeed, during the Middle Ages when the order's existence was public knowledge, the Grand Master was projected as their sole supreme commander. However, as the organization spread across the globe, establishing branches in virtually every country, the title of Grand Master came to designate only the leader of regional factions called Rites.[3]

Beneath the Grand Master of each Rite are nine ranks, with immediate subordinates being the high-ranking Master Templars. In order following the Masters are the Seneschals, Advisors, Commanders, Preceptors, Knights, Warriors, Clerics, and finally, the Disciples.[42] These ranks parallel a similar system of hierarchy among their mortal adversaries, the Assassins.[3] Some rites had a preliminary rank, Adept, before becoming a fully fledged member of the Order.[33]

Inner Sanctum[edit | edit source]

To maintain cohesion of the Rites as components of a centralized entity, the Inner Sanctum was formed. Consisting of an elite group of nine Templars, the Inner Sanctum harbors direct knowledge of all of the order's plans and is the nucleus from which orders are relayed to the other Rites. Their number, nine, reflects a convention that dates back to at least the Third Crusade, when nine leading Templars coordinated closely to seek after the Apple of Eden in Solomon's Temple.[10] In modern times, since the foundation of Abstergo Industries as a public front for the order, the Inner Sanctum simultaneously serves as Abstergo's Board of Directors.[43][3]

Outer Temple[edit | edit source]

The Inner Sanctum, in turn, is classified as one of two parts of the order, the other being the Outer Temple. Whereas the Inner Sanctum is privy to all the affairs of the order, being responsible for them, the Outer Temple comprises all other Templars, all of whom are kept in the dark of the full details and extent of the order's operations.[3]

Guardians and General of the Cross[edit | edit source]

Although the Inner Sanctum acts as the executive arm of the Templar Order, even they are not its paramount leaders, for they are ultimately subservient to the Guardians and the General of the Cross, the latter of whom is the true head of the Templar Order. Every major decision of the Inner Sanctum must be passed to the Guardians for review, who in turn relay them to the General of the Cross for the ultimate grant of approval. Accordingly, the General possesses the sole power to veto any significant action or plan the Inner Sanctum seeks to undertake.[3]

Under normal circumstances, even the Inner Sanctum does not know the identity of the General of the Cross, a secret so strictly guarded that only the Guardians are permitted knowledge of it. As a result, the Guardians are the bridge between the Inner Sanctum and the General of the Cross, the medium through which communication between the two exists. There are three Guardians, and as witnessed in the case of the Guardian Alan Rikkin who also served as Chief Executive Officer of Abstergo Industries and chairman of the Inner Sanctum, a Guardian may hold another office at the same time.[3]

Council of Elders[edit | edit source]

Apart from the Inner Sanctum and the Guardians, there exists a Council of Elders which wielded some authority over even the Guardian Alan Rikkin. Among the Council's functions is the power to dissolve Abstergo Foundation based on whether they believe the subsidiary is a worthy investment or a waste of resources.[4]

Black Cross[edit | edit source]

The Black Cross is a title bestowed upon the members of a branch within the Templar Order tasked with keeping the Grand Masters of the various Rites in line with the Templar Code and ideals.

Secret inquisitors only answering to the Inner Sanctum's orders, the agents were authorized to use any means necessary, even deadly force, to take down corrupted members of the Order. A Black Cross' secondary mission was to track Pieces of Eden for the Inner Sanctum.

Deadly enforcers acting as an independent morality police force of one man, very few individuals wore the title of Black Cross across the centuries though the Bolden family line counted many among their number.

Trivia[edit | edit source]

  • In the database entry for "The Assassin Brotherhood" in Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, Rebecca Crane raises for the first time the question of the Assassin and Templars' respective names prior to their reformation in the 11th century when their current names were conceived. The next installment, Assassin's Creed: Origins, addresses this by revealing that the Templars were known as the Order of the Ancients and the Assassins the Hidden Ones in the 1st century BCE.
  • In real history, the demonym "Templar" was derived from the order's official name Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, with the Temple of Solomon referring to their base, the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
  • Historically, after the fall of Acre at 1291, the Templars became bankers rather than actual knights. In fact, it was their banking business that led King Philip IV of France to force Clement V to disband the order and take its wealth for the failing economy of Philip's kingdom.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Assassin's Creed II – Glyph #6: "Brothers"
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – The Poor Fellow-Soldier
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 Assassin's Creed: The Essential Guide
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Assassin's Creed (film)
  5. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Origins
  6. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Revelations – Discover Your Legacy
  7. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Rebellion – Dog of the Lord
  8. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Identity
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Assassin's Creed: Syndicate
  10. ↑ 10.00 10.01 10.02 10.03 10.04 10.05 10.06 10.07 10.08 10.09 10.10 10.11 10.12 10.13 10.14 Assassin's Creed
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
  12. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Valhalla
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Assassin's Creed: Heresy
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 Assassin's Creed II – [citation needed]
  16. ↑ Assassin's Creed II: Discovery
  17. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
  18. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy – Contracts
  19. ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China
  20. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Black Flag
  21. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Brahman
  22. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Conspiracies
  23. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Bloodstone
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Assassin's Creed: Unity
  25. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Identity – Database: Templars
  26. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Unity – Database: Persecution of the Templars under Philip the Fair
  27. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Syndicate – Database: The Templar Order
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Assassin's Creed III – Father and Son
  29. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Syndicate – Database: The Templar Order
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Assassin's Creed III
  31. ↑ Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag – [[A Man They Call the Sage" />
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 Assassin's Creed III – Lee's Last Stand
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 33.3 Assassin's Creed: Forsaken
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 34.3 Assassin's Creed II – Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's Codex
  35. ↑ Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag – Abstergo Data: The Jaguar
  36. ↑ Assassin's Creed – Assassination (Majd Addin)
  37. ↑ Assassin's Creed III – The Braddock Expedition
  38. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Revelations – Abstergo Files: "File.0.19\Prj_Eye-Abstergo"
  39. ↑ The History Channel, Decoding the Past: The Templar Code, 7 November 2005, video documentary written by Marcy Marzuni
  40. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines
  41. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Black Flag
  42. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood – Multiplayer
  43. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Revelations – Abstergo Files: "File.0.17\Ins_InnerSanctum"

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