The Knights Templars were founded by combining the monastic way of life, with the fighting capability of the secular knighthood. Drawing from the best of both worlds, these men created a complex, highly disciplined crusader warriors that was altogether unique among its rivals. The monastic environment allowed the Templars to achieve a very high degree of discipline and uniformity more commonly associated with modern military organizations.
It evolved from the original “Primitive Rule” created by the Council of Troyes in 1129. Their basic organizational building blocks were a product of both their secular and monastic environment. Members of the Templars were well trained in the outside world before joining. The Rule clearly states that children were not to be admitted to the Order. Knights were to be raised and trained in the secular world at least until they had reached adulthood before being admitted into the Templars. The Templars employed the same basic structure used by the secular armies; a fundamental difference between the Templars and their secular counterparts was the submission of free will. The concept of the monastic vow of obedience is that a monk should obey the instructions of his abbot as if he were obeying the Lord. The Rule further instructs that Brother Knights should obey the orders of the commanders set over them. All Templars were to have the same equipment, mounts and personal staff, from the Master right down to Brother Sergeants. It even provides for modifications when horses or squires are in shortage or abundance. With all of the equipment and mounts belonging to the order and not the individual Knights (who took the vow of poverty), the Templars developed a centralized system for the supply and efficient distribution of these resources.
The Templars resolve to blend the monastic life with the secular knighthood helped them to be professional warriors; which led to their success and set them apart from their secular counterparts.