Armenia: The World's First Christian Nation & the Knights Templar
Armenia adopted Christianity as its state religion in 301 AD, making it the first nation to do so. This early adoption of Christianity has deep roots in Armenian culture and identity, and the Armenian Apostolic Church remains a significant institution in Armenia and among the Armenian diaspora.
During the Crusades, there were interactions between European Christian knights, including the Templars, and Armenian Christians in the Holy Land. Armenia had a significant Christian population and a history of military orders before the establishment of the Knights Templar. It was also situated in a region where many significant events of the Crusades took place, and not only were there interactions between Armenian Christians and the Templars during this time, but some Armenian knights joined the Templars. There is also evidence that Armenian communities in the Middle East supported the order financially.
One notable Armenian Templar was King Hetoum I of Cilician Armenia, who joined the order in the 13th century. Hetoum was a skilled military leader and diplomat who played an important role in the Crusades and maintained close ties with European leaders, including the Knights Templar.
Another notable Armenian Templar was Vahram de Lusignan, who served as the Grand Master of the Knights Templar from 1255 to 1259. Vahram was born in Cilician Armenia and was appointed as the Grand Master by Hetoum I.
Also, Godfrey of Bouillon, a key figure of the First Crusade and the first ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem who for me has everything to do with the founding of the Knights Templar much earlier than history tells us and not in the Holy Land, did indeed have connections to the Armenian city of Edessa. Edessa, located in modern-day Turkey and known as Urfa in present times, was one of the early Crusader states established in the Levant after the capture of Jerusalem in 1099.
During the First Crusade, Edessa was one of the principal targets of the Crusaders, and it was eventually captured in 1098 by Baldwin of Boulogne, Godfrey's brother. While Godfrey himself did not personally participate in the capture of Edessa, he was certainly aware of its significance within the context of the Crusades.
After the capture of Jerusalem in 1099, Godfrey was elected as the first ruler (he preferred defender) of the newly established Kingdom of Jerusalem. He reigned as the de facto ruler until his death in 1100. While he did not rule over Edessa directly, his brother Baldwin became the first Count of Edessa, establishing the first Crusader state in the region.
There are further connections to the Knights Templar and Armenia including through the Larmenius Charter.
The Larmenius Charter is a purported document that figures prominently in certain modern theories and legends surrounding the Knights Templar. According to these theories, the Larmenius Charter is said to be a document that passed the leadership of the Knights Templar from Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master, to a figure named Johannes Marcus Larmenius, also known as Jean-Marc Larmenius.
Johannes Marcus Larmenius is described in these theories as a fictional or legendary character who supposedly became the Grand Master of the Knights Templar after the dissolution of the order in the early 14th century. The Larmenius Charter is said to have contained instructions for the survival and continuation of the Templar order in secrecy, passing on leadership to Larmenius and his successors. Some believe that he did exist and that Larmenius was not his real name but a nickname as he was Armenian (this Latin derived name hints at it).
Now I haven't seen the charter myself so cannot comment on its authenticity, but it is interesting that the original is kept in London's Freemasons' Hall (UK) and many masonic lodges around the world have a copy of it, for those who don't see the links between Freemasonry and the Knights Templar, regardless of the authenticity of the document, this is a very big clue. Templar Grand Historian Daniel J Larsen wrote a book on this and you can find some of his published public papers including a report on this charter in the vault here and in the public domain.
See also the Chronicle of Matthew of Edessa (uploaded on to the Vault here)
And there's actually a very good modern book on Armenia & the Knights Templar, see blurb below:
The Knights Templar and the Crusade for Armenian Edessa
Armenian Edessa was a Christian city overrun by Muslims. The church called for a crusade to rescue the city and the Knights Templar would guide and protect these crusaders and the Armenians. "Edessa An appropriate title chosen by historian, Michael Boyajian, author of another blockbuster paperback about a subject not well known. A city of the ancient world, Edessa, revered by various empires like the Roman, Persian, Byzantine, Turkish, and others. Urfa was Edessa and the Turks have renamed it again to Sanliurfa. It is where Armenian King Apkar was converted to Christianity by St. Jude Thaddeus . The event led to the conversion of the Armenian kingdom in 301 A.D. becoming the first Christian nation the world under Emperor Tiridates III with the spiritual guidance of St. Gregory, the Illuminator. The Knights of Templar impacted Edessa the first Christian city before Armenia became the first Christian nation. The city was destroyed in the Armenian Genocide and previously its large Church Cathedral burned down in the Hamidean massacres referred to as the "Cathedral holocaust" by missionary Corinna Shattuck.