Between the end of the 11th century, and the beginning of the 12th, in the mid-1100s, among the Crusades began unexpected tide.

Effective leaders like Saladin, united the world of Islam, which guided to arise a great dissension among the Christian factions, concerning the Holy Land and in it.

During this time, The Knights Templar were on occasion at odds with the Teutonic Knights, and the Knights Hospitaller - another two Orders. Because this, and the decades of internecine feuds, the Christian political and military positions were weakened.

After the unsuccessful attempts of the Templars, involved in several campaigns, in which was included the Battle of the Horns of Hattin as pivotal, Saladin’s forces captured Jerusalem in 1187. In 1229, the Crusaders have retaken the city, but for a very short time. After that, Jerusalem was recaptured by the Khwarezmi Turks in 1244 and wasn’t returned to the control of Christians, until the time of the British battle with the Ottoman Turks in 1917.

The seaport of Acre was one of the chosen cities for the Templars to relocate their headquarters. They were forced to do that. But unfortunately, this was also lost in 1291. After that were lost the last mainland strongholds Atlit and Tortosa(the present Syria).

Then the Knights moved their headquarters in Cyprus, in the city of Limassol, which was just the opposite of the Tortosa’s coast. The Knights of Jerusalem attempted again to engage with the military help of the Mongols. However, in September 1302, a Mamluk fleet in the siege of Arwad defeated the Templars, so they lost even their last Holy Land’s foothold.

The Order of Templars, having two centuries of history, had been becoming a part of the Europe’s daily life. But with the less important military missions of the Order, the support for the Templar began to dwindle.