Double tap to edit — The Knights of Malta —
— The Teutonic Knights — At the height of their influence, the Templars possessed a sizable fleet of ships, owned the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, and served as the main bank to European monarchs and nobles. The Templars success also attracted the concern of many other orders, mainly with the two most powerful rivals being the "Knights Hospitaller and the Teutonic Knights", that created a ongoing Holy Land rivalry. The Knights Hospitallers or the Order of Malta also known as the Knights of Malta and the Teutonic Order themselves were slaughtering “Christian Gnostics” and “Cathars” throughout Europe, trashing secular churches, and impeding conversions. Both were Catholic military orders supporting Catholic rule in the Holy Land, and involved in the Inquisitions slaughtering those who had different religious views (Gnostics and Cathars) contrary to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Both orders are still active today.