Let's be real. Most people think of the Knights Templar in Assassin's Creed as those guys in the white bucket helmets you spend hours stabbing in the neck. It’s easy to write them off as a generic evil cult. But honestly? If you look at the lore Ubisoft has been building since 2007, the Templars are arguably the most complex faction in gaming history. They aren't just mustache-twirling bad guys. They’re a global organization with a philosophy that, if we’re being totally honest, sounds a lot like how some modern tech CEOs view the world.
They want order. The Assassins want freedom. It’s the classic "security vs. liberty" debate played out over two millennia with hidden blades and Pieces of Eden.
The Knights Templar in Assassin's Creed are officially known as the Order of the Ancients in the earlier historical periods, but their goal never actually changes. They believe humanity is inherently messy, violent, and self-destructive. To save us from ourselves, they think someone needs to be in charge. Someone smart. Someone with a plan. You've probably noticed that in games like Assassin's Creed III or Rogue, the line between "good" and "evil" gets incredibly blurry. Haytham Kenway wasn't exactly wrong when he pointed out that the colonies were falling into chaos without a firm hand.
The philosophy of the Knights Templar in Assassin's Creed
Everything comes down to the Precursors. You know, the Isu. The Templars aren't just looking for gold or political power for the sake of it; they are obsessed with Isu technology because it allows for total control. They see the Apple of Eden not as a weapon, but as a remote control for the human race.
Think about Al Mualim from the first game. He was technically an Assassin mentor, but his heart was pure Templar. He wanted to use the Apple to end all wars. It sounds noble, right? That’s the trap. The Knights Templar in Assassin's Creed always lead with a noble goal—peace, stability, progress—but the price is always your soul. Or at least your right to choose what you do on a Sunday morning.
Their ideology is often described as "The New World Order." It’s basically the idea that through industry, politics, and religion, they can guide human evolution toward a "perfect" state. In the modern day of the games, they’ve rebranded as Abstergo Industries. They aren't wearing chainmail anymore; they're wearing Patagonia vests and running pharmaceutical companies. It's a clever shift. It makes them feel way more grounded and, frankly, more terrifying than a secret society in a basement.
Why Haytham Kenway changed the game
For the first few entries, the Templars were pretty one-dimensional. Warren Vidic was a jerk. Rodrigo Borgia was a corrupt Pope. Simple. Then came Assassin's Creed III.
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Haytham Kenway flipped the script. He was charismatic, logical, and surprisingly empathetic. When he argues with his son, Connor, he makes some points that are hard to ignore. He points out that the Assassins' quest for "freedom" usually just leads to power vacuums and more bloodshed. It was the first time many players stopped and thought, "Wait, am I the baddie?"
This nuance is what makes the Knights Templar in Assassin's Creed so effective as antagonists. They aren't trying to destroy the world. They’re trying to fix it. They just have a very dark view of what "fixed" looks like.
Abstergo and the corporate evolution
Fast forward to the 21st century. The Templars realized long ago that you can control more people with a smartphone than you can with a sword. Abstergo Industries is the ultimate evolution of the Order. They control the media. They control the history you read. They even control your entertainment through the Animus technology.
It’s meta as hell. In Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, you’re literally playing as an employee of Abstergo Entertainment, making a game about pirates. The Templars use these simulations to find the locations of Isu sites, but also to "sanitize" history. They want to make the Assassins look like crazy terrorists and the Templars look like the heroes of civilization.
- They use the Eye-Abstergo satellite project to try and achieve worldwide mental control.
- They manipulate the stock market to ensure "Order" in global finances.
- They fund scientific breakthroughs that benefit their long-term grip on society.
The Order of the Ancients vs. The Templars
If you’ve played Origins, Odyssey, or Valhalla, you know the name "Templar" isn't used for most of those games. Instead, we get the Order of the Ancients. They’re the proto-Templars.
The difference is subtle but important. The Order of the Ancients was more cult-like. They worshipped the Isu as literal gods. By the time we get to the actual Knights Templar in the Middle Ages, the organization has become more pragmatic. They stopped worshipping the "Ones Who Came Before" and started trying to use their leftovers to build a better bureaucracy. It’s a shift from religious fanaticism to political authoritarianism.
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King Alfred the Great in Valhalla is actually the one who begins the transition. He saw the Order of the Ancients as heretical and wanted to rebuild the organization under a Christian banner. That’s how we got the "Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon." It’s a fascinating bit of historical fiction that weaves real-world history with the game’s convoluted mythology.
Misconceptions about the Order
One big mistake people make is thinking the Templars are all about the Catholic Church. While the Borgias definitely used the Papacy as a front, the Order itself is actually secular at its core. They’ll use any religion, any government, or any economic system—capitalism, socialism, whatever—as long as it moves the needle toward total control.
Another myth? That they hate the Assassins purely because of a grudge. It’s actually more of a professional disagreement that’s lasted 2,000 years. Some Templars, like Elise de la Serre in Unity, even found common ground with Assassins. There’s a mutual respect there because both sides know the truth about the world. Everyone else is just living in a dream.
The struggle between the two groups is a stalemate. The Templars build structures, the Assassins tear them down. Chaos follows, people get scared, and they go back to the Templars for protection. It’s a cycle.
Notable members who shaped history
- Jacques de Molay: The last Grand Master of the historical Templars. His "execution" was a turning point that sent the Order underground.
- Cesare Borgia: The poster boy for Templar greed and excess during the Renaissance.
- Shay Patrick Cormac: An Assassin who defected to the Templars. His story in Rogue is essential because it shows the collateral damage caused by Assassin recklessness.
- Grand Master Juhani Otso Berg: A modern-day enforcer who treats the war like a tactical operation.
How to spot Templar influence in the games
If you’re hunting for Templar lore, look at the architecture. In almost every game, the Templars are associated with massive, imposing structures. They love fortresses, cathedrals, and skyscrapers. Anything that makes a human being feel small.
Pay attention to the "Social Stealth" mechanics too. In the early games, the Templars are the ones who own the streets. The guards work for them. The laws are written by them. You are the anomaly in their perfect system. When you're playing as a Knight Templar in Assassin's Creed Rogue, the perspective shift is jarring because suddenly, the "crowd" isn't your shield—it's your responsibility.
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What this means for the future of the series
As we look toward Assassin's Creed Red (or Shadows) and Hexe, the role of the Templars is likely to evolve again. We've seen them as cultists, knights, and CEOs. What's next? Probably something even more subtle.
The scariest version of the Templars is the one that doesn't need to fight. If they can convince the world that freedom is dangerous and that "Daddy Abstergo" knows best, they win without firing a shot. That's the direction the modern-day narrative has been heading for years.
If you want to dive deeper into the lore, your best bet is to read the Abstergo Employee Handbook or the Assassin’s Creed: Heresy novel. They flesh out the motivations of the Order way better than a 30-second cutscene ever could. You’ll find that the Templars aren't trying to be "evil." They’re trying to be "right."
To truly understand the Knights Templar in Assassin's Creed, you have to look past the red cross and the hidden blades. Look at the world around you. Any time you see a trade-off between privacy and convenience, or safety and liberty, you’re seeing the Templar philosophy in action.
Next Steps for Lore Hunters:
- Play Assassin's Creed Rogue: It is the only game that truly puts you in the boots of a Templar and explains their side of the story without the "villain" filter.
- Read the "Truth" files in AC II: These hidden puzzles provide the backbone of how the Templars manipulated human history through the ages.
- Analyze the Modern Day files: In the recent RPG trilogy (Origins, Odyssey, Valhalla), the laptop files in the modern-day segments reveal how Abstergo is currently using Isu DNA to map out human ancestry and behavior.
- Watch the 2016 Movie: While it was divisive, the depiction of the Abstergo facility in Spain is one of the best visual representations of how the modern Order operates as a "rehabilitation" center.
The war isn't over. It’s just moved from the battlefield to the boardroom. And honestly? The Templars might be winning.