5. They Followed a Strict Code of Conduct
Knights in the Middle Ages were sworn to chivalry, which dictated how they were to behave both in their personal and private lives. The Knights Templar were also bound by a code known as the Latin Rule, which began when the founder, Hugues de Payens, consulted with Bernard of Clairvaux. The Latin Rule specified that the knights were never to leave a battle until the order’s flag was waving over the battlefield; they were to die instead of retreat. They were never to be taken captive so that ransom money could never be paid for them; instead, they were to commit suicide. Ultimately, the reward was heaven.
Knights became bound by the Latin Rule when they were first initiated into the order. However, as it was a secret society, little is known about what the initiation rites were. Some believe that it involved worship of the head of John the Baptist or homosexual acts. The order came to be viewed as a “church within a church,” due to its autonomy, so some speculate that the initiation rites included mystical rituals that would be seen as adverse by the church. Whatever the case, members of the Knights Templar were to never, ever break the Latin Rule.