The Knights Templar Order were formed by nine knights during the first crusade led by their enigmatic leader Sir Hugh de Payens.  The myestery behind the order and the conspiracy theorists beginning point, is why did the order always state their were nine founders but only name eight knights?  Then after years of digging under Solomon's Temple the leader Sir Hugh de Payens discovered something so amazing and shocking that he immediately went to France and sought the advice of Abbot Bernard de Clairvaux of the Cistercian Order.  Abbot Clairvaux was also so amazed he requested the church give the new order special never before granted privildges of complete autonomy from the church, their own priests, no duty to tithe to the church, and no feudal lord alliegance allowing them complete freedom of travel with no obligation to liege lords or the church.  What could have created this inspiration by Abbot Bernard de Clairvaux?  The Templars went on to become the most powerful military order on the planet for the next two hundred years and the wealthiest organization.  They had over 10,000 estates across Europe and in the Holy Land.  There were 160,000 members of the order and over 20,000 knights at arms at the time of their overnight disappearance in October 1307.  Legend says the Templar fleet of 18 ships sailed from La Rochelle the night before the King of France made his move to imprison and arrest the entire order on Friday October 13, 1307.  The ships were said to have carried the Templar secrets and treasury away from the now dangerous grasp of the feudal monarchs of Europe.  To this day there is no record of what happened officially to the fleet or the Templar Knights that remained at large.  The entire organization disappeared and became a secret order in hiding until just recent years.