The Knights Templar were a wealthy and powerful order of knights that existed during the Middle Ages. They controlled land, farms, castles, pilgrimage routes, and banks across Europe and the Middle East, and were pledged to the Pope above the King. However, King Philip IV of France was deeply in debt to the Order and began to spread false accusations about them, such as worshipping an idol and spitting on the crucifix. In 1307, many of the Orders members in France were arrested, tortured into giving false confessions, and then burned at the stake. Under pressure from King Philip, Pope Clement V disbanded the Order in 1312. The remaining Templars around Europe were either arrested and tried under the Papal investigation, absorbed into other Catholic military orders, or pensioned off and allowed to live out their days peacefully. The property of the Templars was transferred to the Knights Hospitaller except in the Kingdoms of Castile, Aragon, and Portugal. The abrupt disappearance of a major part of the European infrastructure gave rise to speculation and legends, which have kept the "Templar" name alive into the modern day.