Are Masonic Knights Templar the true successors to the medieval crusading order?

History · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The Masonic Knights Templar are a fraternal order steeped in medieval imagery, yet they make no claim to direct lineage from the original crusading knights. While their rituals draw heavily on historical themes, the organization functions as a commemorative society rather than a surviving remnant of the 14th-century order.

The connection between Freemasonry and the Crusades first appeared in 1737, when the Chevalier Ramsay suggested that European Freemasonry originated from interactions between crusader masons and the Knights Hospitaller. Ramsay, who had been initiated into the non-Masonic French Ordre du Temple around 1710, likely introduced these themes into Freemasonry after his own initiation into the fraternity around 1730. Despite these early claims, there is no historical evidence linking the medieval Knights Templar, which existed from approximately 1118 to 1312, to modern Masonic Templarism.

Masonic Templarism evolved through various bodies, such as the Rite of Strict Observance established by Baron Karl Gotthelf von Hund und Altengrotkau in 1751, and the High Knights Templar of Ireland Lodge, which began granting dispensations for the degree in 1779. In 1791, Thomas Dunckerley formed the first Grand Conclave in England, standardizing rituals and record-keeping. Today, these bodies operate either as independent organizations or within the York Rite, administering degrees such as the Knight of St. Paul and the Order of Malta.

While the order uses medieval traditions to impart moral instruction, it remains distinct from the original historical entity. Even the American Order of DeMolay, named for the last Grand Master Jacques de Molay, serves as a youth organization rather than a historical continuation. The Masonic order itself explicitly states that no proof exists of a direct connection between the ancient order and the modern society known today as the Knights Templar.

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