Q 01/05

What colour was the cross worn on the Templars' white mantles?

A) Red

B) Black

C) Gold

D) Green

Answer · why

A) Red

The cross was a symbol of martyrdom; dying in battle was believed to assure a place in heaven.

Q 02/05

The Templars' original headquarters stood on which site in Jerusalem?

A) The Citadel of David

B) The Temple Mount

C) Mount Zion

D) The Mount of Olives

Answer · why

B) The Temple Mount

They were housed in a wing of the royal palace in the captured Al-Aqsa Mosque, above what was thought to be Solomon's Temple.

Q 03/05

What was the Templars' original purpose when founded around 1118-1119?

A) To guard the Pope in Rome

B) To protect pilgrims travelling to Jerusalem

C) To convert Muslims in Spain

D) To lend money to crusading kings

Answer · why

B) To protect pilgrims travelling to Jerusalem

Bandits routinely slaughtered pilgrims on the road inland from the coast at Jaffa.

Q 04/05

Which French knight founded the order and became its first grand master?

A) Raymond of Toulouse

B) Hugues de Payens

C) Robert de Craon

D) Godfrey of Bouillon

Answer · why

B) Hugues de Payens

He is thought to have come from the village of Payns, about 10 km from Troyes in Champagne.

Q 05/05

What did the Templars' early seal, showing two knights on a single horse, emphasise?

A) The order's poverty

B) The brotherhood of Christians and Muslims

C) The two founding families

D) Their skill in cavalry warfare

Answer · why

A) The order's poverty

The order began with about nine knights and relied entirely on donations.