One early chronicler, Simon de St. Bertin, implies that the Knights Templar originated earlier, before the death of Godfrey of Bouillon in 1100: "While he [Godfrey] was reigning magnificently, some had decided not to return to the shadows of the world after suffering such dangers for God's sake. On the advice of the princes of God's army they vowed themselves to God's Temple under this rule: they would renounce the world, give up personal goods, free themselves to pursue purity, and lead a communal life wearing a poor habit, only using arms to defend the land against the attacks of the insurgent pagans when necessity demanded."Simon de St. Bertin, Gesta abbatum Sancti Bertini Sithensium ed. O. Holder-Egger, in Monumenta Germanica Historica: Scriptores vol. 13, p. 649. Translation by Helen Nicholson
