History·12 March 2026·4 min read
The Templars — the monk-bankers of the Middle Ages
The Knights Templar invented a system where a pilgrim could "deposit" money in Paris and withdraw it in Jerusalem.
The Order of the Knights Templar created, in the 12th–13th centuries, one of the first banking networks: a pilgrim deposited money at a Templar house and received a letter to withdraw the sum in another country.
Safety on dangerous roads
This meant money was no longer carried (and stolen) on long roads — exactly the problem bank transfers still solve today. The Templars became so rich that the king of France dissolved them to seize their wealth.
