The Templar Order is the main rival of the Assassins in the Assassin's Creed series.
The conflict is built around competing ideas about human freedom and social control. Assassins generally defend free will and oppose domination, while the Templars seek peace and stability through order, authority, and control.
The series presents both groups across many historical eras. Their struggle is not limited to one real-world institution or period: the Templars operate through changing organizations and political networks, while the Assassins continue as a hidden brotherhood.
The fictional conflict draws on the names and imagery of medieval groups but is not a literal account of their complete real history. The Borgia family, Abstergo Industries, and various rulers can serve Templar interests, but they are not the name of the series' overarching rival order.