The grand master of the Knights Templar was the supreme commander of the holy order, starting with founder Hugues de Payens. Some held the office for life while others resigned the office to pass the rest of their life in monasteries or diplomacy. Grand masters often led their knights into battle on the front line and the numerous occupational hazards of battle made some tenures very short. Out of 23 grand masters at least four were killed in action.

Each country had its own master, and the masters reported to the grand master. He oversaw all of the operations of the order, including both the military operations in the Holy Land and Eastern Europe, and the financial and business dealings in the order's infrastructure of Western Europe. The grand master controlled the actions of the order but he was expected to act the same way as the rest of the knights. After Pope Innocent II issued the bull Omne datum optimum on behalf of the Templars in 1139, the grand master was obliged to answer only to him.

List of grand masters No. Arms Name Time in office Seat 1 Hugues de Payens –1136Jerusalem 2 Robert de Craon 1136–1147 3 Everard des Barres 1147–1151 4 Bernard de Tremelay 1151–1153 5 André de Montbard 1153–1156 6 Bertrand de Blanchefort 1156–1169 7 Philip of Milly 1169–1171 8 Odo of St Amand 1171–1179 9 Arnold of Torroja 1181–1184 10 Gerard of Ridefort 1185–1189Acre 11 Robert of Sablé 1191–1193 12 Gilbert Horal 1193–1200 13 Philippe du Plessis 1201–1208 14 William of Chartres 1209–1218 15 Peire de Montagut 1218–1232 16 Armand de Périgord 1232–1244 17 Richard de Bures 1245–1247 18 Guillaume de Sonnac 1247–1250 19 Renaud de Vichiers 1250–1256 20 Thomas Bérard 1256–1273 21 Guillaume de Beaujeu 1273–1291 22 Thibaud Gaudin 1291–1292Cyprus 23 Jacques de Molay 1292–1312

Timeline

See also Seal of the grand master of the Knights Templar List of Knights Templar List of grand masters of the Knights Hospitaller Grand Masters and Lieutenancies of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre Grand Master of the Teutonic Order Grand Master of the Order of Saint Lazarus

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