2 knights, 1 horse − how a legendary Knights Templar symbol has puzzled and fascinated since the Middle Ages
The Knights Templar, a legendary monastic military order forged in the fires of the Crusades, continue to enthrall 21st-century audiences.
- The Knights Templar, a legendary monastic military order forged in the fires of the Crusades, continue to enthrall 21st-century audiences.
- In service of this mission, the order fused two defining institutions of the early Middle Ages: the mounted knight and the pious monk.
- One of the Templars’ more enigmatic symbols was their wax seal – two knights riding a single horse.
- In the Middle Ages, people used seals to protect important communications from forgery, acting like a signature.
Interpreting the Templar seal
- While researching medieval geopolitics and the Third Crusade, I came across several interpretations of the Templar seal.
- While the Order was not literally financially constrained, the symbol likely was meant to demonstrate that the Templars took the vow seriously.
- Another draws a connection to the Gospel of Matthew, where one figure represents a knight and the other Jesus Christ.
- His victory allowed him to end the official persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire.