The Knights Templar are the most famous order of warrior monks that appeared in late medieval Europe and their emblem of a red cross on a white background is an image that has endured for centuries. Originally founded to protect Christian pilgrims traveling from Europe to Jerusalem and the Holy Land they grew rapidly to become a political and financial force that were equal to kings and popes of the day. However, their power and wealth was to be their downfall. Attitudes towards the order changed as the Crusading era drew to a close and people looked less favourably upon them. Rival powers in Europe acted against them and, facing accusations of heresey, they were destroyed, their lands seized and their followers disbanded.