The horse
An order of chivalry does not go without a horse. Thus, the history of the Order of the Temple was intimately linked to this animal. To begin with, a noble who was received into the order could donate his destrier, a fighting horse that the squires held at destre, that is to say on the right. After 1140, there were many donors from the great nobility bequeathing weapons and horses to the Templars.
To equip its army, the Order of the Temple provided three horses to each of its knights, the upkeep of which was provided by a squire (article 33 of the rule). These horses had to be harnessed in the simplest way expressing the vow of poverty. According to the rule "We totally forbid that the brothers have gold and silver on their bridles, their stirrups and their spurs". Among these horses was a steed that was trained in combat and reserved for war. The other horses were sommeliers or beasts of burden of the Comtoise or Percheron breed. They could also be mules called "mulaceous beasts". They ensured the transport of the knight and the equipment. There was also the palfrey, more especially used for long journeys.
According to the withdrawals, the hierarchy of the order was expressed through the regulatory allocation of mounts. The withdrawals begin as follows:"The master must have four beasts..." indicating the importance of the subject. Moreover, the first three articles of the master of the order related to his entourage and the care of horses. We thus learn that the horses were fed in measures of barley and that a farrier was in the entourage of the master.
Among the master's horses was a Turcoman, a thoroughbred Arab who was an elite war horse and of great value because it was very fast.
Four horses were provided to all high dignitaries, seneschal, marshal, commander of the land and kingdom of Jerusalem, commander of the city of Jerusalem, commanders of Tripoli and Antioch, draper, commanders of houses (commanders), turcopolier. The sergeant brothers such as the sub-marshal, the gonfanonier, the cook, the farrier and the commander of the port of Acre were entitled to two horses. The other sergeant brothers only had one mount. The turcopoles, Arab soldiers in the service of the order of the Temple, had to provide their own horses.
It was the Marshal of the Order who saw to the maintenance of all the horses and the equipment, weapons, armor and harnesses, without which war was not possible. He was responsible for purchasing the horses and he had to ensure their perfect quality. A rebellious horse had to be shown to him before being removed from service.
The steeds were equipped with a "croce" saddle (with a butt), also called a saddle with an arçonnière, which was a rising saddle for the war and which allowed to maintain the rider during the load. The commanderies of the south of France, but also those of Castile, Aragon and Gascony, were specialized in the breeding of horses[. These were then transported to the Latin States of the East by sea. For this, they were transported in the holds of the Templar ships and delivered to the caravan of the Marshal of the Order who supervised the distribution of animals as needed. When a Templar died or was sent to another state, his horses returned to the Constabulary
Rare are the representations of the Templars. However, a wall painting of a Knight Templar charging on his steed has come down to us. This is a fresco from the chapel of Cressac in Charente, dating from 1170 or 1180.
Military equipment
The nobleman of the 12th and 13th centuries had to have complete equipment (clothing and weapons) made to be dubbed a knight. This material, essentially requiring metals, was worth a fortune and weighed around fifty kilos. Knights Templar had to have such equipment.
Body protection was provided by:
a shield (or shield) of triangular shape, point down. It was made of wood and covered with a sheet of metal or leather. It was used to protect the body, but its size was reduced in the course of the 12th century to be lightened and therefore more manageable.
a chain mail consisting of thousands of iron rings one centimeter in diameter interwoven and sometimes riveted. This coat was made up of four parts:the chainmail breeches attached to the belt by leather straps, the hauberk protected the body and arms and the camail or chainmail headdress. A mortarboard or leather cap was placed on the head to support the helm. The hands were protected by chainmail gloves called weapon gloves (Article 325 of the Rule). It should be noted that the hauberk was shortened at the knee during the 13th century to be lighter.
a helm without a movable visor or a gossan, the latter of which does not protect the face.
The undergarment consisted of a linen shirt and breeches. Body protection was enhanced by the wearing of leather breeches fastened with thongs, and a leather gambeson or gambeson. Finally, the overcoat, worn over the coat, is also called weapon petticoat or coat of arms. It was sewn with a red cross, insignia of the order, in front as well as behind. It made it possible to recognize the Templar fighters on the battlefield as in any place. The baldric, worn around the loins, was a special belt that allowed the sword to be hung and the overcoat to be kept close to the body.
Weapons
According to Georges Bordonove, the Templar received a sword, a spear, a mace and a knife when he was received into the order.
Wielded with two hands, the sword had a double edge and a rounded end. Indeed, it had to be handled in such a way as to strike with "size", that is to say with the cutting edge. It was practically used as a mace insofar as it was impossible to pierce a coat of mail with it. However, against an enemy who did not have this protection, the sword proved to be more effective and more elegant than the mace.
The Templar mace was mainly a so-called Turkish mace with protruding points. The sword and maces were used to strike the enemy in such a way as to break his bones. The injured then died of internal bleeding. The spear was a wooden pole ending in a wrought iron point called an iron head. Each brother held three knives including a weapon knife, another "for cut bread" which was used to eat and a penknife with a narrow blade.
The flag:bausant gonfanon
The flag of the order of the Temple was called the gonfanon baucent. Baucent, which means two-tone, had several spellings:baussant, baucent or balcent. It was a vertical rectangle made up of two strips, one white and the other black, cut off at the upper third. Carried high at the end of a spear, it was the rallying sign of Templar fighters on the battlefield, protected in combat by a dozen knights. The person responsible for it was called the gonfanonier. Depending on the circumstances, the gonfanonier designated a porter who could be a squire, a Turcopole soldier or a sentry. The gonfanonier rode in front and led his squadron under the command of the Marshal of the Order.
The gonfanon had to be permanently visible on the battlefield and that is why it was forbidden to lower it. This serious breach of the rules could be punished by the most severe sanction, that is to say the loss of the habit which meant dismissal from the Order. According to historian Georges Bordonove, when the main gonfanon fell because his bearer and his guard had been killed, the commander of the knights unrolled a relief standard and resumed the charge. If this one were to disappear in turn, a squadron commander had to raise his black and white pennon and rally all the Templars present.
If the Templar colors were no longer visible, the surviving Templars were to join the Hospitaller banner. If it had fallen, the Templars had to rally the first Christian banner they saw.
The gonfanon baucent is depicted in the frescoes of the San Bevignate Templar Chapel in Perugia, Italy. The white band is at the top. It is also drawn in the chronica majorum, the Chronicles of Matthew Paris in 1245. In this case, the white band is in the lower part.
The patron saint
The patron saint and protector of the Templars was Saint George, the holy knight. He was also the patron of the Teutonic Order and more generally of all Christian knights. His tomb is venerated at Lydda in Israel.