Dames

The term Dame was originally intended for women who served within military orders alongside knights and infantry. In time, some more inclusive militias incorporated women into active fighting roles, although accounts of women fighting as knights are minimal to non-existent. 
With the Templars, the question (as usual) requires discernment through several layers of myth and legend. 
The Templars were founded by Hugh de Payens and eight other knights. However, there is a recurring rumor or legend that there was a tenth knight present, a woman, who was possibly even Hugh's wife or love interest. The story goes that she masqueraded as a man for several years, revealing her true identity (and gender) to only those who gained the upper-ranks of the Templar Chapter. 
The end of the story breaks apart into several variations, depending on who you ask. The 'official' story (the one used by most mainstream Templars) is that this mysterious Dame, if she existed, died fighting for the Templar cause in Outremer and was buried alongside her male counterparts. 
However, there is a much darker story, one that has the other Templars leaders complain to Hugh that this Dame was a contradiction of traditional Catholic practice. Hugh either asks her to willingly submit to a demotion, refused but had her leave the Order's active leadership, or the Dame herself caught wind of the complaint and simply left of her own accord.
This female Templar journeyed back to Europe where she began recruiting other women, both old and young, who showed a strong level of confidence and self-capacity. This became one of the earliest off-shoots of the Templar Chapter, a branch of all-female Templar knights known simply as the Dames. 
*The story of the Templar Dame is found among Magdalenes who serve within the Templar Chapter.
*In some stories, the Dames actively work alongside their Templar 'brothers,' while in others the Dames are portrayed as competitive with (and hostile to) the other Templars. 
Category:Templar
Category:Titles