Knights Templar Were a Unique Venture Project

The order of Knights Templar was – first and foremost – a unique venture project. The latter because the objective of every venture project is (by definition) to create (build/engineer) a venture. An organization focused on specific objective(s).

Knights Templar were focused on two objectives: (1) keeping and protecting the Ark of the Covenant; and (2) by extension, protecting Jerusalem and the whole Outremer – the home of Knights Templar.

Protecting by becoming shock troops of Christian army – judging by the magnitude of support efforts, it was the objective of the order of the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon from the very beginning.

Knights Templar were unique in general – there were no similar organization anywhere – and among military-religious orders. The Hospitallers were still mostly the order of physicians (healers) and the Teutonic order for a long time was a part of Hospitallers and subsequently was far more interested in conquering (for the Holy Roman Emperor) and converting to Christianity (for the Church) the Eastern Europe than protecting the Crusader States in the Holy Land.

In modern terms, the “Templar venture project” required organizational engineering – designing and implementing both sides (parts, component) of the order: the military one and the religious (spiritual) one.

Specifically, organizational engineering involves organizational chart (functional units of the order; what each does; who it reports to; etc.); job descriptions (job titles; who is responsible for what; who has which rights; who reports to whom); equipment (horses, weapons, foodstuffs, utensils, etc.); real estate.

Systems of recruiting (locally and in Europe), training (of knights, sergeants and foot soldiers), government relations (ecclesiastical and secular; local and European); public relations (nobility and common folks); procurement and logistics (local and European); financing (donations and money-making enterprises).

Standard operating procedures (in everyday life and on the battlefield); rules of conduct/behavior; corporate culture (values, beliefs, principles, etc.), etc., etc.

It is obvious that Hughes de Payens – a low-level commander (cavalry squadron at most) – could not have designed or managed such a complex system. Only two people could – Hugh of Champagne (he designed and managed the military part that he was familiar with) and Bernard of Clairvaux (the religious part).

It were these two who engineered and the built the order of Knights Templar.