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The Templars: History and Myth: From Solomon's Temple to the Freemasons
An order of warrior monks founded to protect pilgrims to Jerusalem, the Templars were among the wealthiest and most powerful bodies in the medieval world. Yet two centuries later, they were arrested, accused of blasphemy, heresy and orgies, and their leaders were burnt at the stake.Part guide, part history, this book investigates the Templar legends and legacy - from the mysteries of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, via nineteenth century development of the Freemasons, through to Templar appearances in Dan Brown and Indiana Jones.This book explains the whole context of Templar history, including the recent evidence discovered by the Vatican that the Templars were not guilty of heresy. It also features a guide to Templar castles and sites.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 10, 2008
637 people are currently reading
2506 people want to read
About the author
Michael Haag
53 books66 followersMichael Haag, who lived in London, was a writer, historian and biographer. He wrote widely on the Egyptian, Classical and Medieval worlds; and on the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 199 reviews
May 26, 2021
Quite a dry retelling of what is a fascinating (and awful) history. Haag often spends too long on the less juicy details, such as the exact cubit measurements of Solomon's temple, which a) I will never remember, and, to be honest, b) doesn't mean much to me anyway.
He is also quite evidently biased in favour of Christianity. When Christians were attacking land held by others, they were reclaiming, fighting for their beliefs, or some other noble cause. When Muslims were attacking, it was described as aggression and barbarism.
He is also quite evidently biased in favour of Christianity. When Christians were attacking land held by others, they were reclaiming, fighting for their beliefs, or some other noble cause. When Muslims were attacking, it was described as aggression and barbarism.
December 20, 2015
A sort of primer on Templar history... good for somebody like me who is a novice in the field. I think it may leave serious historians dissatisfied.
I seemed to detect a subdued pro-Christian bias throughout the narrative, but maybe that's just my perception. The book does a good job of presenting the history of the Templars without any frills, and debunking conspiracy theories and far-fetched ideas. However, being a fan of mythology, it is the legends linking the Templars to the Holy Grail that I found most interesting!
I would recommend it as a good introduction to Templar history for the layman.
I seemed to detect a subdued pro-Christian bias throughout the narrative, but maybe that's just my perception. The book does a good job of presenting the history of the Templars without any frills, and debunking conspiracy theories and far-fetched ideas. However, being a fan of mythology, it is the legends linking the Templars to the Holy Grail that I found most interesting!
I would recommend it as a good introduction to Templar history for the layman.
July 9, 2014
I am sad I had to stop reading this book. I'm very interested in the Templars, but this book is so anti-Islamic, It gets in the way of taking anything else seriously. And I'm a Christian.
July 20, 2012
I found the history of the templars really interesting, having read a lot of the conspiracy theory stuff first. The likely truth about the odd stories of the initiation rituals and the way it was twisted by Phillip is much more convincing than the conspriracy stuff. Having said that, knowing that the documentation is pretty scarce, I would have liked more on which details were coming from where - there was some, but not enough in my opinion - and also more about interactions between Outremer, the Templars, the Hospitalers and the Muslim states besides who was attacking what when. Not sure if this due to lack of documented evidence, though. I skipped most of the last section. I think it's probably likely that if you're interested enough in the Templars to pick this up, you're not likely to need much of a list of 'Templars in popular culture' examples.
February 3, 2019
I would highly recommend this as an introduction to the world of the Knights Templar. This medium-length book should be all that most people would need to know about the Templars and their actual history versus the numerous fabrications and outright fantasy erected around them in the centuries since their demise in 1314. It is well-paced and written, with numerous interesting sidebars, some photos and small maps interspersed. There is so much here--from early Biblical history and the building of Solomon's Temple through the entire Crusading era, the downfall of the Templars at the hands of Phillip IV of France and beyond. He does a wonderful job of eviscerating the modern Templar conspiracy industry epitomized by the Dan Brown distortions or outright inventions (glad I never spent a nickel on any of it) and many other movies and books that deal even tangentially with the Templars. Very few appear to have much truth other than a nugget or two to build off of into all kinds of conspiracies and world-wide plots. But hey, they make great stories apparently and he provides brief reviews of their historicity. If you are one who leans toward a belief in many conspiracies you might do well to read this book, as so many seem to tie back into the Templars or the Freemasons (there is a good section on how they emerged) or the Roman Catholic Church or of course international Jewry. The section on further reading is very good and annotated by topic making it very useful. In addition, there is a chapter on Templar 'tourism' sites around the world and a final section of related websites (although some are now dated). Could almost give this 5-stars but can't say it falls into the category of 'greatness', but still a really solid all-around outing.
October 31, 2014
I am probably underrating this book, but I couldn't get to the last page, which is unusual for me. The first third of the book is hard core fact. It's a little pendantic. There are so many names, places, and dates that it is hard to keep track. It is interesting, just a little less textbook would have made it easier to read. The second section is takes on Templar myth, which is extremely interesting. The last third itemizes books and movies that are based on Templar stories. The author lost me here. It is just too choppy and too opinionated. I got through over 80% of the book. That's good enough for me.
June 26, 2013
Every once in a while, you get an enthusiastic amateur who writes a delightful history for the rest of us amateurs. This book is neither delightful nor reliable as a history.
September 5, 2025
3.5 Was not unreadable but also was not excessively engaging like literally fine on every front. Started slightly cautious wondering if this was going to be a book written by a whack-job but thankfully it’s not, it’s written by a guy that hates Dan brown a lot in fact the last 10% of the book where he talks about the Templars in pop culture he’s generally positive or fond of most Knights Templar media, making his disdain of Dan Brown even funnier.
Otherwise it’s a pretty cut and dry (not that dry though it’s like a little moisturized) history of the rise and fall without much meandering or romanticism.
Otherwise it’s a pretty cut and dry (not that dry though it’s like a little moisturized) history of the rise and fall without much meandering or romanticism.
August 26, 2024
Thorough overview of Templar history. A little slow at times in the book where it discusses locations, architecture, and people involved; but very informative and an interesting read to learn more about knights Templar!
October 23, 2025
Very fun and informative beginning look at the Knights Templar. I recommend for anyone who wants to know about them, the crusades, or the medieval ages
May 23, 2019
منظمة فرسان الهيكل هي واحدة من ثلاث منظمات عسكرية مسيحية تأسست بالقدس على وقت الحروب الصليبية، لكنها أقواهم وأكثرهم غنى وسطوة. تسببت هذه المنظمة خلال الحروب الصليبية بالكثير من الهزائم للمسلمين، من أهمها هزيمة صلاح الدين بمعركة الرملة. وبما أنهم منظمة دينية فقد كانوا على درجة عالية من الجهوزية والإخلاص والوحشية. فعند تأسيسهم لقلعة الكرك، أخذوا يهاجمون وينهبون قوافل الحجاج المسلمين.
هذا الكتاب يحكي قصتهم أولا بالشرق وحروبهم مع المسلمين، ثم تاريخهم بالغرب الأوروبي بعد طردهم من بلاد الشام، وحتى نهايتهم على يد ملك فرنسا فيلب الرابع. القسم الأخير من الكتاب يحكي المؤلف عن بعض الخرافات التي علقت بذاكرة الأوربيين عن هذه المنظمة. المؤلف عنده بعض التحيز للمنظمة لكن هذا لا يقلل من متعة قراءة الكتاب.
هذا الكتاب يحكي قصتهم أولا بالشرق وحروبهم مع المسلمين، ثم تاريخهم بالغرب الأوروبي بعد طردهم من بلاد الشام، وحتى نهايتهم على يد ملك فرنسا فيلب الرابع. القسم الأخير من الكتاب يحكي المؤلف عن بعض الخرافات التي علقت بذاكرة الأوربيين عن هذه المنظمة. المؤلف عنده بعض التحيز للمنظمة لكن هذا لا يقلل من متعة قراءة الكتاب.
June 20, 2024
i don't know, maybe i'm just getting picky about history books, but this was just alright
I updated my score to two because I was looking through my read books and I honestly barely remember anything from this and that's definitely worth a minus point, pretty dry tbh
I updated my score to two because I was looking through my read books and I honestly barely remember anything from this and that's definitely worth a minus point, pretty dry tbh
November 14, 2023
No where near as biased as some other reviews claim. But their accusations of this book being dry as the deserts it speaks of is apt. Yet somehow it only manages to be an over view. The beauty, intrigue, and glory of this age it speaks of has been watered down.
April 6, 2021
Templars have been a source of intrigue and curiosity for decades. Through various alternative histories and fictional works, many fallacies and misrepresentations have been made about this order of knights. In The Templars: The History and the Myth, Michael Haag provides an accurate and factual account of their history that debunks many inaccurate, false, and exaggerated perceptions of them. By chronologically going through their history from the Crusades to their downfall, Haag provides a factual and informative summary of them and their role in history.
While the information is well presented, the author's text is extremely dry and can be difficult to focus upon at times. In addition the, final chapter provides information about other texts and media that have misled many readers about the Templars. While this is useful information, Haag spends too much time discrediting each significant work, and would be better served speaking in generalities over the legends, folklore, and fiction.
Overall, this was a really well researched text, that would provide enthusiasts of this historic era with an informative piece for their history collection, but the "over" scholarly tone and detail may discourage general readers of history. Despite this it is still a worth wild read for anyone interested in history. Three stars.
While the information is well presented, the author's text is extremely dry and can be difficult to focus upon at times. In addition the, final chapter provides information about other texts and media that have misled many readers about the Templars. While this is useful information, Haag spends too much time discrediting each significant work, and would be better served speaking in generalities over the legends, folklore, and fiction.
Overall, this was a really well researched text, that would provide enthusiasts of this historic era with an informative piece for their history collection, but the "over" scholarly tone and detail may discourage general readers of history. Despite this it is still a worth wild read for anyone interested in history. Three stars.
August 19, 2022
This was so much closer to what I was looking for than the previous book I read, which focused exclusively on the tactics of the battles. Based on the last several chapters, this book is an excellent condensing of the history of the organization, how they came to be, and how they were actually brought down. Not only does the author go into what can be gleaned from historical documents but also talks about the various spinoffs from Christianity and the different branches of Islam and their relation to the reason for the Templars' creation.
He also goes into alot of the myths that have arisen over time. [The author is definitely not a Dan Brown fan.]
This is going in my personal library for rereading.
He also goes into alot of the myths that have arisen over time. [The author is definitely not a Dan Brown fan.]
This is going in my personal library for rereading.
February 2, 2024
2 stars for its vast historical context and detailed information on the Templars’ founding and role in the Crusades. However, the information is not conveyed in a compelling manner (not a page turner), and it is very repetitive, especially towards later chapters. The conspiracy theories about the order and the Freemasons are all debunked before they’re explored. So it’s like here’s why this is 100% untrue, now read 5 more pages on what people claim might have happened. Reverse the order! It also basically debunks every conspiracy on the subject, removing any intrigue or mystery from the concept. You come away with an impression of “if all of this is false, why did I just spend hours reading about it?”
April 29, 2024
Very good factual history of the Knights Templar and the Crusades. Not many anecdotes or side stories, but does a good job of de-mystifying the history and debunking many of the conspiracy theories that have been propounded.
March 15, 2025
Well researched.
February 14, 2021
Good overview, fair, seems to me, of basic history with some thoughts on alternative theories about Templar activities and influence.
December 6, 2017
A great study. Haag covers the history of the order in ample depth whilst also addressing some of the frequent misperceptions around the Templars. Haag is at times a little too assertive in his denotion of certain ideas as 'conspiratorial' and comes across as dismissive of feasible links as a result.
April 28, 2014
An excellent introduction for the layman
Long shrouded in myth, the spell the Templars weave upon the popular imagination has long been an enduring feature of Western culture, and of numerous conspiracy theories.
With wit, wisdom, and an erudite piece of work, Michael Haag consigns these theories to the bonfire, as well as setting the historical record straight.
Whilst not an in-depth look at every nut and bolt of Templar history, Haag presents enough of the early days of the founding of the order, their role in the crusades, and their subsequent decline and fall, to whet to the appetite for further reading ( numerous links are provided in the further reading section)
As to the destruction of the Templars and the numerous conspiracies that abound, Haag (like many others) argues convincingly that the loss of the Holy Land robbed the Templars of their rasion d'etre, and made them prey to the ruthless ambition of the French King, Philip IV.
Despite this dose of logic, the Templar myths do not die easily, linking everybody from the Masons, to the Nazis, to the Spice Girls, in one vast, global conspiracy.
To my mind, what is most appealing about this book is not the conspiracy theories, but the excellent section of where to go to see Templar sites. Surprisingly, a large number remain in good condition in the UK, and for this, the book deserves all the credit it has received.
A wonderful blend of Templar history, theory, and places to visit.
Long shrouded in myth, the spell the Templars weave upon the popular imagination has long been an enduring feature of Western culture, and of numerous conspiracy theories.
With wit, wisdom, and an erudite piece of work, Michael Haag consigns these theories to the bonfire, as well as setting the historical record straight.
Whilst not an in-depth look at every nut and bolt of Templar history, Haag presents enough of the early days of the founding of the order, their role in the crusades, and their subsequent decline and fall, to whet to the appetite for further reading ( numerous links are provided in the further reading section)
As to the destruction of the Templars and the numerous conspiracies that abound, Haag (like many others) argues convincingly that the loss of the Holy Land robbed the Templars of their rasion d'etre, and made them prey to the ruthless ambition of the French King, Philip IV.
Despite this dose of logic, the Templar myths do not die easily, linking everybody from the Masons, to the Nazis, to the Spice Girls, in one vast, global conspiracy.
To my mind, what is most appealing about this book is not the conspiracy theories, but the excellent section of where to go to see Templar sites. Surprisingly, a large number remain in good condition in the UK, and for this, the book deserves all the credit it has received.
A wonderful blend of Templar history, theory, and places to visit.
March 25, 2018
What a fascinating book this is. It's well worth making this your choice alongside several other scholarly books available which explore the truth of the Templars and their failure to secure the Middle East for Christendom between the years 1119 and 1314. The author gives a comprehensive list of other books on the subject at the end of the volume. Michael Haag delivers a lively and engaging account of the historical facts, along with an exploration of the various myths that have arisen in recent decades about the Templars. And I write as one who devoured "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail" as well as "The Da Vinci Code" and is willing to credit both books for high entertainment value - though not for a scrupulous attention to historical truth. Finally the author gives an enjoyable and helpful survey of the treatment of the Templar story in books, films and TV as well as within gaming and rock music. The effect of this book is certainly to awaken or revitalise an interest in medieval history, alongside its primary aim to dispel some of the myths that have so excited the imaginations of the conspiracy theorists and the historical revisionists. Highly recommended.
June 22, 2019
An extremely interesting read
An interesting historical account of the origins of the Knights Templar including some of the myths and legends associated with this military religious order from the Middle Ages. I was quite surprised reading through the book as it was quite detailed and offered a very easy reading style. This is not an easy subject area to read unless you’re a real history enthusiast or have particular interest in the Templar story. It offered varying accounts of some key events such as the different theories around events that led to the battle of Hattin and the actions of characters like Raymond of Tripoli.
It was also interesting to read about the Chinon Parchment and the role it could have played in the final outcome in the trial of Jacques de Molay, definitely worth further reading. All in all a very good book if you are interested in historical facts not just conjecture, speculation and downright fairytales. My only criticism would be some of the typo errors especially where Raymond became Reynald and made some of the reading a bit confusing. Otherwise I would have been happy to give 5 stars!!
An interesting historical account of the origins of the Knights Templar including some of the myths and legends associated with this military religious order from the Middle Ages. I was quite surprised reading through the book as it was quite detailed and offered a very easy reading style. This is not an easy subject area to read unless you’re a real history enthusiast or have particular interest in the Templar story. It offered varying accounts of some key events such as the different theories around events that led to the battle of Hattin and the actions of characters like Raymond of Tripoli.
It was also interesting to read about the Chinon Parchment and the role it could have played in the final outcome in the trial of Jacques de Molay, definitely worth further reading. All in all a very good book if you are interested in historical facts not just conjecture, speculation and downright fairytales. My only criticism would be some of the typo errors especially where Raymond became Reynald and made some of the reading a bit confusing. Otherwise I would have been happy to give 5 stars!!
August 5, 2014
There are so many myths and, frankly, misinformation in print and cinema about the organization of crusader knights called the Knights Templar that I no longer knew what to believe. So I was looking for a book which would dispel the fiction and myth and report the history of the Templars. "The Templars: History & Myth" by Michael Haag was did just that. In the book Haag details the history of the organization from its inception to the current day. In doing so he clears up all the myth surrounding the Templars. One of the greatest myths permeating current culture is that the Templars somehow morphed into the Freemasons, a myth that is reported as fact time and again on the History Channel (which should be called the misinformation channel for it's embracing of the "Ancient Aliens" poppycock). This myth was totally dispelled by Haag. It is a great book and, if you are interested in the facts about the Knights Templar, this is just about as good as it gets. I recommend it highly.
May 29, 2019
Unbelievably good. An absolute Must-Read for anyone wanting to learn about the Templar's whilst also getting a feel for Medieval architecture; religious beliefs; and the sociological machinations underpinning much of what unfolds. The best part of this book is that you will NOT feel like you're reading a historical textbook; yet you are. Its pace is excellent; it flows incredibly smoothly; you aren't bombarded by dates, names, places, and all the other items that bog-down a lot of other books similar to this.
I truly cannot gush about this book anymore than I have without repeating myself. An absolute joy and it took me less than a week to devour this thing. That is saying quite a bit as I am a terrible procrastinator. You REALLY have to be worth something in order for me to dedicate myself; and this did it in spades. Michael Haag, you did an amazing job.
I truly cannot gush about this book anymore than I have without repeating myself. An absolute joy and it took me less than a week to devour this thing. That is saying quite a bit as I am a terrible procrastinator. You REALLY have to be worth something in order for me to dedicate myself; and this did it in spades. Michael Haag, you did an amazing job.
February 15, 2024
As introduction to Templars and history from where they started this book is briliant. From beginning it covered all main things like intrudctin to Christianity / Islam / origins of Jews and so on. I liked that everything was connected. It is quite hard to read sometimes as it has a lot of facts. Also I like that in the end of book, author touched all different ideas / fantasy books / Movies and TV Shows associated with Templars. Recommend.
August 7, 2025
I would have read this book after I'd finished Robyn Young's 'Brethren' trilogy or indeed Ben Kane's 'Lionheart' trilogy. The former, which I must say I thoroughly enjoyed, particularly book three 'Kingdom', which saw the trilogies 'hero' and main protagonist Templar Knight, William Campbell join forces with the Scots in the Scottish Wars of Independence against England in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. I was then however, somewhat surprised that the author here, Michael Haag thinks so poorly of the 'Brethren' trilogy in his review of it at the end of this book. Where he dismisses the three novels as nothing more than 'romance slush'. Now, because of my hatred for all things 'romantic' in books, I'm the first person that will call it out, and I honestly didn't think that the 'Brethren' novels had any more, or indeed, any less 'romance' than your average story, so I thought it was slightly bizarre that Haag would level that particular criticism at Robyn Young's highly enjoyable Crusade set tales. He also never even mentioned about the Scottish connection in 'Kingdom', which I thought odd, as he'd made a particular point of mentioning about the Templars fighting in the Scottish Wars of Independence in and around the time of their demise, in his own book here, even if it was just myth and legend.
Nevertheless, to get back on point haha, the reason I hadn't read this historical biography after the afore mentioned trilogies, was because I never even knew I had the book! I only realised I owned this work of non-fiction, when I came across it on a reshuffle of my library, dough!! **face plam**
I will also concur with other reviews, in that the book IS somewhat dry, for the most part at any rate. Because there are patches where you can really feel the author's enthusiasm shining through and this did seem to come across as Haag having more of a vested interest in the subject, where he actually lets his personality do the talking, rather than just having a drone throw facts and figures at you. Although few and far between, the sections that had a bit of heart to them, were exciting, moreishly interesting and thankfully turned the book into somewhat of a page turner.
Unfortunately, I would also have to agree that the author does stray into racism/xenophobia and Islamophobia, an example being, when he says things like, 'Saladin's hoards' when describing Eastern armies. That type of generalized, pejorative language is most certainly used to denigrate people, especially by the likes of right wing media outlets, so I definitely don't like to see it in any literature that I’m reading at any given point. But as the book also shows us, it's depressingly just more of the same in a long line of an ignorant 'White supremacist' tradition,
'Even four centuries after the Franks were driven from the coast, the devastation wrought by the Mamelukes was still apparent, in 1697 the English traveller Henry Maundrell noted, ‘the many ruins of castles and houses, which testify that this country, however it be neglected at present, was once in the hands of a people that knew how to value it, and thought it worth the defending'.'
Dismissing thousands of years of architecture and culture from ’Brown’ and ’Black’ people, for the couple of hundred that ’Whites’ had occupied. Jeezo! Un-f*cking-believable!
King Philip IV of France, who's spurious charges of heretical blasphemy leveled against the Templars, was genuinely like something straight out of the 'Witchsmeller Pursuviant' episode of Blackadder. "That proves it!" **swoon** haha! Any motive other than greed and avarice is ridiculous and fanciful. And any claim of piousness on behalf of the egregious French monarch, which is the author's first suggestion, is patently nonsense. However, due to their imperialistic colonizing and being the inspiration behind the Freemasons, I would have probably been all for the actions of Philip IV, if not for the afore mentioned legend of the Templars aiding Scotland against Edward's I and II!
The author also goes on to tell us, that many of the thousands of Templars that were arrested in France in the early fourteenth century, crumbled and falsely confessed even before their torturers had taken out their equipment and gotten down to their dirty business. Something to which I can fully appreciate, ”Sacré bleu monsieur! No need to light yonder fire ‘neath my feet, good Sir! For I will sing like the proverbial canary! For I did doth kiss my Master Templar’s nether regions, in joyous praise to the mighty Baphomet!”
Nevertheless, in all seriousness, the consequences of not falsely confessing were in fact quite dire indeed, where the feet of one particular Templar Knight were burnt to the point of the bones falling out! Ooft! Ouch! That’s gotta hurt.
I also enjoyed the quote from Italian philosopher, Umberto Eco, "You can always tell a lunatic, because sooner or later he brings up the Templars", haha, hilarious.
It was interesting learning about the Chinon Parchment which was discovered in 2001, where up until that point, the fate of the Templars had presumably been nothing but conjecture and educated guesswork.
And again, 'character spotting' was great fun, mainly from the trilogies I've previously mentioned. Namely people like Mameluk sultan and former slave Baybars and French Master of the Temple, Everard des Barres.
So, all in all and despite its faults, the book is better than it is bad. 'Allahu Akbar!'
Nevertheless, to get back on point haha, the reason I hadn't read this historical biography after the afore mentioned trilogies, was because I never even knew I had the book! I only realised I owned this work of non-fiction, when I came across it on a reshuffle of my library, dough!! **face plam**
I will also concur with other reviews, in that the book IS somewhat dry, for the most part at any rate. Because there are patches where you can really feel the author's enthusiasm shining through and this did seem to come across as Haag having more of a vested interest in the subject, where he actually lets his personality do the talking, rather than just having a drone throw facts and figures at you. Although few and far between, the sections that had a bit of heart to them, were exciting, moreishly interesting and thankfully turned the book into somewhat of a page turner.
Unfortunately, I would also have to agree that the author does stray into racism/xenophobia and Islamophobia, an example being, when he says things like, 'Saladin's hoards' when describing Eastern armies. That type of generalized, pejorative language is most certainly used to denigrate people, especially by the likes of right wing media outlets, so I definitely don't like to see it in any literature that I’m reading at any given point. But as the book also shows us, it's depressingly just more of the same in a long line of an ignorant 'White supremacist' tradition,
'Even four centuries after the Franks were driven from the coast, the devastation wrought by the Mamelukes was still apparent, in 1697 the English traveller Henry Maundrell noted, ‘the many ruins of castles and houses, which testify that this country, however it be neglected at present, was once in the hands of a people that knew how to value it, and thought it worth the defending'.'
Dismissing thousands of years of architecture and culture from ’Brown’ and ’Black’ people, for the couple of hundred that ’Whites’ had occupied. Jeezo! Un-f*cking-believable!
King Philip IV of France, who's spurious charges of heretical blasphemy leveled against the Templars, was genuinely like something straight out of the 'Witchsmeller Pursuviant' episode of Blackadder. "That proves it!" **swoon** haha! Any motive other than greed and avarice is ridiculous and fanciful. And any claim of piousness on behalf of the egregious French monarch, which is the author's first suggestion, is patently nonsense. However, due to their imperialistic colonizing and being the inspiration behind the Freemasons, I would have probably been all for the actions of Philip IV, if not for the afore mentioned legend of the Templars aiding Scotland against Edward's I and II!
The author also goes on to tell us, that many of the thousands of Templars that were arrested in France in the early fourteenth century, crumbled and falsely confessed even before their torturers had taken out their equipment and gotten down to their dirty business. Something to which I can fully appreciate, ”Sacré bleu monsieur! No need to light yonder fire ‘neath my feet, good Sir! For I will sing like the proverbial canary! For I did doth kiss my Master Templar’s nether regions, in joyous praise to the mighty Baphomet!”
Nevertheless, in all seriousness, the consequences of not falsely confessing were in fact quite dire indeed, where the feet of one particular Templar Knight were burnt to the point of the bones falling out! Ooft! Ouch! That’s gotta hurt.
I also enjoyed the quote from Italian philosopher, Umberto Eco, "You can always tell a lunatic, because sooner or later he brings up the Templars", haha, hilarious.
It was interesting learning about the Chinon Parchment which was discovered in 2001, where up until that point, the fate of the Templars had presumably been nothing but conjecture and educated guesswork.
And again, 'character spotting' was great fun, mainly from the trilogies I've previously mentioned. Namely people like Mameluk sultan and former slave Baybars and French Master of the Temple, Everard des Barres.
So, all in all and despite its faults, the book is better than it is bad. 'Allahu Akbar!'
July 12, 2010
10th book of 2010. Very interesting subject but the book kind of reads like a high school text book. It is a bit too dumbed down. I did learn some things though. If you already know quite a bit about the Templars, you'll know a lot of the stuff in it already, though there are some facts that still might surprise you.
January 11, 2012
Ok I decided to go on with the book despite of the author's apparent prejudice towards Islam and I thought I will just read it as a story or something just to know what people think of the issue of the Templar. But the distorted stories he presented on the some of the historical facts that I know made me stop because I could not take it any more.
November 7, 2013
Read it for my history class this semester thinking it would be an interesting read. It was terrible to try and follow what was going on and had too many inserted tidbits that made the confusion worse. Barely got through it!
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