"The people never have the power. Only the illusion of it. And here’s the real secret: they don’t want it. The responsibility is too great to bear. It’s why they’re so quick to fall in line as soon as someone takes charge. They WANT to be told what to do. They YEARN for it. Little wonder, that, since all mankind was BUILT to SERVE." ―Haytham Kenway, 1781.[src] Templars

Organizational information Leader's title General of the Cross Council of Elders Guardians Inner Sanctum Grand Masters Related groups Order of the Ancients Roman Senate[1] Crusaders[2] House of Borgia[3] Papacy (999-1003, 1492-1503)[4] Byzantine Empire[5] Extremists[6] Jacobins[6] Blighters[7] Abstergo Industries[2] Religion Irreligious,[2][3] Deist[6] Historical information Date formed Prehistory[3] Date reorganized 1129 1312 1937[8] Additional information Notable members Hugues de Payens Jacques de Molay Rodrigo Borgia François-Thomas Germain The Templar Order, also known as the Order of the Ancients during its early years, Order of the Knights Templar, the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon and the Order of Solomon's Temple is a monastic military order-turned-corporate giant, which was formed during the prehistoric era. The Templars seek to create a perfect world, although their interpretation thereof directly contrasts with the ideals of their sworn enemies, the Assassin Brotherhood.

Whereas the Assassins assert that utopia can someday be achieved through a gradual process of learning tolerance and mutual understanding, Templars classically insist that human nature is too prone to corruption for this to be a possibility. Key to their dream is the imposition of a New World Order, and they envision that true peace can only come when all of humanity is shepherded by an enlightened society of people—in their eyes, them. Because of this conflict in ideology, the Templars became involved in a covert war against the Assassins, spanning millennia and continuing into the modern era. The Templars have also become enemies with the Instruments of the First Will, a cult who have sworn their lives to restore the Isu's rule over humanity.