The Templar Sword Elite Series

The Templars formed at the end of the First Crusade as a group of knights who took monastic vows. They swore to protect pilgrims traveling from Europe to the Holy Land. While the Order began without wealth, living off donations from villagers, the Templar Knights emerged as an extremely wealthy and politically powerful organization. Threatened by their growing political power, Edward II dissolved the order in 1314, executed the Templars, and ordered the burning of the last Grand Master, Jacques de Molay. While many of the original weapons were destroyed and or thrown into rivers following the orders of Edward II, a handful of good examples survived. Numerous photographs of the original Two-Handed Templar sword are published in “The Journal of Arms and Armour Society”, (Oakeshott, E. “A war sword of the XIVth Century in the Guildhall Museum”). The sword of the crusaders and the Templar Knights, in their crucifix form, exemplifies the archetypical Sword of the middle ages. The embellishi