Templar Traitor: The Englishman who fought for Genghis Khan

by Angus Donald

'Templar Traitor is Donald at the height of his powers. Richly atmospheric, filled with sweeping vistas, blood-pumping action and romance. I couldn't put it down. The highest praise I can give is I wish I'd written it myself!' Matthew Harffy, author of the Bernicia Chronicles

“Do not lie to me, Templar, or it will be the last thing you do.” July 1241. Western Europe cowers in terror before the threat of a Mongol invasion. The swift cavalry columns of Genghis Khan have smashed the steel-clad warriors of Russia, Poland and Hungary – and now Austria lies directly in their path.

At a skirmish outside the walls of Vienna, German knights capture a squad of Mongol scouts and are astonished to discover one of their number is an Englishman – a former Templar – who has been riding with these Devil’s horsemen for more than twenty years.

Interrogator Father Ivo of Narbonne is summoned to draw the truth from the prisoner before his impending trial, to find out why he abandoned his faith, his Brethren and his homeland to become… a traitor to Christendom.

Based on a true story, this is the first novel in a new blockbuster trilogy from 'master of the genre' Angus Donald.

Praise for Templar Traitor "Brimming with action" Adam Lofthouse, author of Eagle and the Flame

Genres: Historical Fiction

411 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 28, 2025

Reviews

[Terry Rudge · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

What a ride. Angus Donald has a real gift for pulling you into the dust and blood of history, and here he does it again with Robert of Hadlow’s tale.

The unique framing of Robert recounting his story under duress gives the whole book a tense, confessional atmosphere. It’s not just a narrative, it feels like a lived memory being torn from him, sometimes reluctantly, sometimes urgently, and that immediacy makes it impossible to put down.

Donald’s writing style has that raw edge and the way he threads Robert’s personal voice through it makes the whole thing feel authentic. It’s like sitting across the table from a battered old knight who has seen too much but has to tell you what happened.

I loved every section where we landed with the mongolian army. I found myself so absorbed and at times it felt like I was actually riding with the army, the thunder of hooves under me.

The scale, the discipline, the alien culture to a European knight, it all had that epic, cinematic sweep. Honestly, it gave me huge Last Samurai vibes, except here it’s Mongols instead of samurai. That outsider perspective, being drawn into an entirely different warrior world, was chefs kiss 👌

You can tell Donald has done his homework. The research drips through every page, not in a dry academic way, but woven seamlessly into the flesh of the story

A great book

[Jolene Neri · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great adventure!

Another great adventure. Loved the premise based on threads of history. Robert’s character was stellar, noble, dauntless and quite human. Always enjoy your books. Thank you for another great adventure

[Benjamin John Tolley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haven’t read one of his books for a while. Bloody brilliant. Already preordered the next in the series. Epic novel.

[Patrick Larsimont · Rating 5 out of 5]

Donald gives Falconer and Iggulden a real run for their money.

With a fantastic quest, breathtaking vistas, plotting and intrigue interspersed with heart in the mouth battles – what’s not to love? A great start to The Mongol Knight series.

[Sumit · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘𝘼𝙡𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙮 𝙂𝙤𝙙, 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙮. 𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙮 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙊𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙅𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙨 𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙆𝙝𝙖𝙣, 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙧 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙩𝙤 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚. 𝘽𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚, 𝙨𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙨𝙬𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙪𝙥𝙤𝙣 𝙖 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙮, 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙪𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜.’

🐎The book —1st in The Mongol Knight series — is based on the life of Robert of Hadlow, an Englishman who has been riding in the Mongol horde for more than two decades.



‘𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙡𝙮 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚. 𝙂𝙤𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙩. 𝙄 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙃𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙗𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙚. 𝙉𝙤𝙬, 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙪𝙨 𝙜𝙤 𝙪𝙥 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩!’

1241, Austria. Amid the Mongol invasion of Europe, a group of German knights capture a band of Mongol scouts—only to discover that one of them is Robert of Hadlow, an Englishman and former Templar.

As Inquisitor Father Ivo of Narbonne interrogates him, Robert recounts adventures with the Mongol horde. Through these tense, confessional sessions, we trace his transformation from a man of the Cross to a warrior of the East — and uncover the truth behind his betrayal.

🐎Having enjoyed Angus Donald’s Berserker series, I was eager for this one — and it didn’t disappoint. Donald’s meticulous research and sweeping worldbuilding immerse you in every detail, from the fields of Europe to the steppes of Asia. The story evokes strong Last Samurai vibes — only this time, it’s the Mongols instead of samurai.

🐎The framing device of Robert’s interrogation gives the novel a claustrophobic, emotional intensity. It feels like a confession torn from a man’s soul — raw, haunted, and utterly human. I also found Father Ivo’s sections fascinating, though I wish we’d glimpsed more of Sarantuya, who promises to be a complex and intriguing character.

🐎The plot unfolds with layered suspense and a few shocking revelations that completely caught me off guard. By the end, I was thoroughly invested in Robert’s fate — and ready for his next adventure.

Overall, Templar Traitor is a gripping, richly detailed historical epic, full of battle, betrayal, and faith tested to its limits. Perfect for fans of Matthew Harffy, Conn Iggulden, or anyone who craves historical fiction grounded in real history and human emotion.

𝙈𝙮 𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨(4.5/5)

[Adam Lofthouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do love an Angus Donald book. His Outlaw series about Robin Hood is the gold standard for historical fiction, and his Last Beserker books have flown off the shelves, so I was excited to get a read of his next project.

This one starts in 1241, Austria, with a collection of knights rallying to fight off Mongol scouts encroaching on their land. After the battle, in which the knights are victorious, they discover that one of their prisoners is in fact an Englishman, fighting for their feared enemy.

Father Ivo of Norbonne is summoned to question the prisoner, to find out why he has abandoned his faith to fight for the heathens and betray Christendom. The prisoner turns out to be Robert of Hadlow, once a Templar Knight, expelled from the Order for the sin of gambling.

He travels east, across mountains and deserts. Surviving the extreme cold and blistering heat, eventually finding himself on the borderlands of the empire of the Great Khan. It is there he is faced with a choice. The Mongols are on course to invade Persia, the might of the Khwarazmian Empire stands in their way. Robert must win the favour of Ghengis Khan, so he may strike a trade treaty that may save the life of his brother. So how far will he go to get what he wants?

This sets us up for a fantastic, action packed, immersive historical novel. In a previous life I know Angus was a journalist, a well travelled one at that. I think his past shines through in this book. From Europe, the Middle East, to Asia, Angus really builds his world well and grounds his character into place.

The research done into the daily lives of the Mongols also seeps from the page, as their customs and culture come through. I've not read many novels covering this part of history before (Iggulden's series on the Mongols perhaps?) but I found that when Robert joined up with the 'Tartar's' as the Europeans called them, the story went up a notch.

So all in all, a brilliant book filled with epic adventure, brutal battles and rich in detail. What's not to like?

[Richard West · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the fun things about reading historical fiction is that it's just that - fiction - and the author has taken some liberties with history. This is one of those instances. Genghis Khan, who was one of the more notorious butchers in world history - responsible for the deaths of between 20 and 30 million people according to a study by the University of North Carolina Asia Center comes off as a fairly decent sort. It makes no difference he married multiple wives and had between an estimated 600 - 1000 children (he was busy!) and according to a 2003 genetic study, some 8% or roughly 16 million men today in the areas he ruled are direct descendants of Khan. That might explain a lot about why the world is in the state it's in today!

This is the fictionalized version then, of a true story featuring Robert of Hadlow, a Templar knight who through a series of circumstances found himself in the employ and favor of the notorious Genghis Khan. It is also a love story as he - a Templar who has sworn to avoid such earthly delights as sex - finds himself falling in love with the wife of one of the Khan's men. Naughty, naughty, bad Templar, you broke your vow of celibacy.

And if you want to find out more, you need to buy the book. If you don't you're depriving yourself of a fantastic reading experience. This is the first of a trilogy, and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the second installment. If it's as good as the first part, it should be superb.

This book won't appeal to everyone because there's a lot of blood spilled and the battle scenes are spelled out in graphic detail - people lose their heads and so on. But, if you like a good piece of historical fiction, pick this one up. Someone in their review, called it "awesome." I'll second that. This is one of the better books of the genre to be released in 2025.

[Unseen Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of Templar Traitor from Netgalley to review.

Rating of 4.5.

Those in the mood for an awesome and intense adventure should check out the soon-to-be-released historical fiction novel from Angus Donald, Templar Traitor, an outstanding book that I had a brilliant time getting through.

Plot Synopsis:

“Do not lie to me, Templar, or it will be the last thing you do.”

July 1241. Christendom cowers in terror before the threat of a Mongol invasion. The swift-moving, invincible cavalry of Genghis Khan has smashed the proud, steel-clad knights of Russia, Poland and Hungary – and now Austria lies directly in their path.

At a skirmish outside the walls of Vienna, German knights capture a squad of Mongol scouts, and are astonished to discover one of their number is an Englishman – a Templar knight – who has been riding with these Devil’s horsemen for more than twenty years.

Interrogator Father Ivo of Narbonne is summoned to Vienna Castle to draw the truth from the imprisoned Englishman before his impending trial, to find out why he abandoned his Faith, his Brethren and his homeland to become… a traitor to Christendom.

This was a very impressive novel from Donald that nicely sets up a cool new historical fiction series, while also containing an intense and exciting story. Loaded with action, adventure and some fascinating historical elements, Templar Traitor was an excellent read that I’m very glad I got to check out early.

To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2025/08/17/...

For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you very much to NetGalley who offered me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!
As a medievalist i was out of my depth here as i confess, I know exceptionally little about genghis khan. What drew me to the book was the premise of a knight's templar being in genghis khan's army.


I give the book 3 starts not because it is a poor story.In fact, it is actually a very exciting and very interesting story. My rating is based on my medievalist sense of inspiration. I gauge a book like this based on whether it inspires me to read more about the topic my confess, I am torn. The middle east and eastern tribes are just not an area of interest to me.

I did however enjoy learning about Robert the english templar, who fought amongst genghis khan's cavalry. The book also gives fantastic tribute to the amazing equestrian skills of the mongols. I very much enjoyed the author's portrayal. Of coursemanship, in this time period it is very well researched and well presented.

The plot is action, packed with epic battles.Love interests and beautiful horses. Not sure if I will continue with the series or not. One thing I would have liked was more of the templars and the interworkings of their order during this time period. I was more interested in the elements of the templars than I was of genghis khan so I was disappointed when it was not a dominant part of the story

I feel like this book is a good lead into what may be an exciting series.There is a few plot twists and characters with double agendas. If this books era is your vibe will definitely be intrigued and interested to see where the story goes.

[Nick Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

The latest from the talented pen of Angus Donald. The start of a new trilogy with the background of the reign of Genghis Khan and his swarm into Europe. At a battle outside Vienna, one of his men is captured and it turns out to be an Englishman and disgraced Templar fighting with Genghis Khan. As a prisoner, he is interrogated and this book is the recounting of his story.
Lots of research has gone into this and most of us will have heard of Genghis Khan but not really understood how he fits into European history so, as usual, Mr Donald educates us while telling a tale with plenty of action, intrigue and strong characters.
I say strong characters (a strong point of Angus Donald’s books) but oddly I found Robert (our “templar traitor”) perhaps the weakest one. Excellent fighter and very pious but less character depth than most of the rest of the cast. Hopefully in the next book he will be a bit more relaxed!

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Story

This brings back all the memories of the Mongol series by conn iggulden even down to the names. This novel is a fantastic adventure literally across the world to the might and force of gengis and the Mongol empire.

[Angus Donald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspired by James Clavell's masterpiece Shogun, I think this may be the best book I have ever written.

[John Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome.

I couldn't put this down. Impatiently waiting for the next one.
A great character in an alien world.
Top notch historical fiction.

[neillcowans · Rating 5 out of 5]

ripping

A ripping good story ,fast moving with great characters and good plots
A must read,one not to miss,go for it

[Richard Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous Book

What a page turner of a book. As normal with any book from Angus, you just cant put the book down as action and adventures take place on every page.