The Knights Templar: A History Strange and True

by Dorsey Armstrong, The Great Courses

Hidden treasures. Secret societies. War and plunder. You’ve heard the stories, seen the movies, pondered the conspiracy theories. You know that the Knights Templar are said to be connected with the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant, the Freemasons—even Oak Island, off the coast of Nova Scotia. But who were they really?

Embark on a thrilling journey through the Middle Ages with The Knights A History Strange and True. Over 24 riveting lectures, Dr. Dorsey Armstrong, a distinguished medieval scholar at Purdue University, peels back the layers of legend to reveal the flesh-and-blood reality of the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon. Founded around 1119 to protect Christian travelers in the wake of the First Crusade, the Templars evolved from a humble band of knights to a military and financial powerhouse, responsible for managing the wealth of nobles and defending Crusader states.

Your course takes you from Pope Urban II’s call for the First Crusade in 1095 to the dangers that faced traveling Christians in the Levant. After the 1119 massacre of 300 pilgrims near the Jordan River, two knights—Hugues de Payens and Godfrey de Saint-Omer—vowed to protect future travelers. Dr. Armstrong traces their cinematic arc from 1119 to the aftermath of October 13, 1307, when King Philip IV of France orchestrated a mass arrest, accusing the Templars of heresy, idolatry, and treason.

What happened at the end of their era? Did they all disappear back into Europe? Or did something of their order live on? Look beyond conspiracies around the Freemasons or The Da Vinci Code to discover the real legacy of the Knights a unique fusion of faith, finance, and warfare that shaped medieval Europe and continues to spark our imaginations today.

PLEASE When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Religion

Audible Audio

Published September 26, 2025

About the author

Dr. Dorsey Armstrong is Associate Professor of English and Medieval Literature at Purdue University, where she has taught since 2002. The holder of an A.B. in English and Creative Writing from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in Medieval Literature from Duke University, she also taught at Centenary College of Louisiana and at California State University, Long Beach. Her research interests include medieval women writers, late-medieval print culture, and the Arthurian legend, on which she has published extensively, including the 2009 book Sir Thomas Malory's Morte Darthur: A New Modern English Translation Based on the Winchester Manuscript and Gender and the Chivalric Community in Sir Thomas Malory's Morte d'Arthur, published in 2003. In January 2009, she became editor-in-chief of the academic journal Arthuriana, which publishes the most cutting-edge research on the legend of King Arthur, from its medieval origins to its enactments in the present moment. Her current research project-Mapping Malory's Morte-is an exploration of the role played by geography in Malory's version of the story of King Arthur.

Reviews

[Anne]

The Truth Revealed.
For centuries, the Knights Templar have been side-eyed in connection to all kinds of conspiracy theories. And in one fell swoop, Dorsey Armstrong confirms all our worst fears about this holy order of warrior monks.



None of it is true.
Yeah, these guys had issues, but they were a lot less corrupt than you might think, and they certainly didn't carry off the holy grail or knowledge that Jesus had a secret bloodline going with Mary Magdaline.
However, their entire existence makes sense within the geopolitical climate of Europe and the Middle East, and the distinct lack of separation of church and state that was the norm of the day for every kingdom at that time.



And while the Knights Templar might seem pretty boring without all those connections to Freemasons and The Da Vinci Code, this was actually a really interesting history of the rise and fall of the guys who invented the Crusade version of the ATM.



By all accounts, these were incredibly well-trained, highly motivated warriors who turned the tide of many campaigns and were a force to be reckoned with on and off the battlefield.
It seems that it was the covetousness of one king in particular, who wanted their vast wealth for himself, a Pope's chronic illness, and people's general insistence on believing conspiracy theories that caused the eventual downfall of the Templars.
Excellent lecture.

Recommended.

[Elena Sala]

Unfortunately, the lecturer reads her classes using a very irritating sing song tone, just like an Instagram influencer. Her discourse is filled with cliches, as if her classes were targeted to dim witted teenagers, for example, she often repeats phrases like: "wait for it!!...", "stay tuned...", she uses the word "crazy" very often to describe things which might be rare, seldom seen before, peculiar, etc. I had a hard time trying to focus on her words because her delivery really distracted me. I'm relieved because I didn't buy this course. It would have been a waste of money.

This is a "course" which might enthrall fans of The Da Vinci Code. She keeps mentioning the book and film frequently to illustrate some kind of bullshit, so not only the delivery was disappointing, but the contents were poor, very basic (not even for a freshman level) and very biased. I find appalling that a medievalist (as the lecturer seems to be) can't even pronounce three Latin words correctly.

[a ☕︎]

my dad was like is this your fave lecturer again and i was like well yes! i do love prof armstrong...especially bc i listened to this one over quite some time so when she repeated certain points it aided retention. my fave bit was about the sailor who gave safe passage to many women from the falling city of acre, all of whom were offering their bodies, jewels, and marriage as payment—none of which he accepted. i even remember her exact words: but who he was, whence he came, or whither he went, no man knows to this day (lol). i’ll add more notes later bc i jotted down quite a few whenever i had a spare moment

[Will]

extremely informative, super interesting. author is both knowledgeable and an excellent teacher. learned a lot! probably would have learned even more if i’d read it as a physical book but i had fun!!

[Hayley Gooding]

I really enjoyed this. The Knights Templar are a subject I’ve always found fascinating, so I was very excited to finally dive a little deeper into their history, and this lecture series taught me a lot that I didn’t know.

One of the things I particularly enjoyed was how much this focused on the actual history of the Knights Templar, rather than simply the mythology that has grown up around them. Going into this, I realised that a surprising amount of what I thought I knew about the Templars was actually based on the legends and stories that have developed around them over the centuries. It was really interesting to separate the historical reality from the myths and get into the nitty gritty of who they actually were, how the Order developed, and the historical circumstances surrounding them.

I listened to this on Audible, which is generally how I find I absorb nonfiction best, and I think the lecture format worked really well for me. Dorsey Armstrong is a really engaging lecturer. She explains things clearly, has a good sense of humour and manages to make what could potentially be quite dense historical material easy to follow.

This wasn't necessarily something I was desperately reaching for at every opportunity, which is unusual for a historical subject I’m particularly interested in, but I actually think it worked really well as an audiobook to have playing in the background while I was doing other things. I still found myself listening properly and taking in a lot of information, and I definitely came away feeling like I had learned something.

I also really enjoyed the distinction between the Templars themselves and the mythology that followed them. The Grail, secret knowledge, treasure and all the various legends surrounding the Order are fascinating in their own right, but understanding just how much of our modern perception of the Templars comes from later stories was probably one of the most interesting parts for me.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable and informative introduction to the history of the Knights Templar. It definitely made me want to explore the subject further, particularly the mythology and folklore that grew around them after the Order disappeared.

A really interesting listen and one I’d recommend to anyone who is fascinated by medieval history, the Knights Templar and the line between history, legend and myth.

[James Livermore]

One of my favorite subjects with one of my favorite lecturers! Absolutely loved it! Highly recommend. It is well organized, insightful, and entertaining! Ad inferos, rex Philippus IV!

[عدنان العبار]

I am a big fan of Dr. Armstrong. I corresponded with her over email over medieval history, and obviously think highly of her opinion. Of her audiobooks, I have listened to Medieval Myths & Mysteries, King Arthur: History and Legend, The Medieval World, Great Minds of the Medieval World, and Powerful Women of the Medieval World. This will hopefully not be her last one. The first thing I would characterize her books is that they are fun. Armstrong knows how to give a gripping lecture. She knows what facts to add, and which ideas to omit. The curios of history are sprinkled all over the lectures, and also the precise questions we never thought we might want to ask. This audiobook is no different.

Let me start with this point. Is there any difference between the Hospitallers and the Templars? Why are the Templars called so? How had the Templars affected the modern Christian and Nonchristian conspiracies? Is there any relation whatever between the Knights Templars and the Free Masons? (Yes: As the Free Masons claim, every Mason is a Knights Templar.)

As a lecturer, Armstrong beautifully takes us from the beginning: That is, from before the crusades started, then how the Templars were formed as the servants of the pilgrims and crusaders to Palestine/Judea, how they are the servants of Christians near the Temple of Solomon, and how they fought the Muslims with the Christian nations during the several crusades.

One misgiving about the book is her focus at the beginning and the end of the book on Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, a book I never really cared about, nor even considered reading. In another chapter, one of the latter ones, she talks about Foucault’s Pendulum which made me hyped up for it.

I am excited to see what next will she do.

[Jason Barato]

Book Reflection: The Knights Templar: The Strange and True

What I found most fascinating about this book was the realization that an institution that has reached almost mythological status is still being studied seriously by academia. There is something remarkable about that. Myths are one of the ways human beings transfer knowledge, values, and lessons across generations. Even when stories become exaggerated over time, the fact that certain institutions continue to capture our imagination says something important about their original impact.

The Knights Templar began with a simple purpose: protecting pilgrims travelling to Jerusalem. From that mission, they developed into a powerful and complex organization. Through discipline, trust, and organization, they became military strategists, builders of extraordinary fortresses, managers of international networks, and one of the most advanced financial institutions of the medieval world. Their banking system, which allowed people to move wealth safely across long distances through a network of verification, showed an incredible level of trust and innovation for the time.

What impressed me most about the Templars was not their wealth or military power, but the trust they established. They started with a mission to protect people, and that purpose allowed them to become one of the most respected institutions in medieval Christianity. Their story shows how a clear purpose, combined with discipline and reliability, can grow into something much larger than its original intention.

I originally approached this book hoping to understand whether the Knights Templar represented the origins of modern brotherhoods. The answer was more complicated. They were not simply the beginning of these traditions, but they represented a larger human pattern: people creating institutions built around loyalty, service, discipline, and shared values. The aspect I connected with the most was the opportunity they provided for men who were not born into privilege. In a society where birth order often determined a person’s future, the Templars offered another path where identity, purpose, and respect could be earned through commitment and service rather than inheritance.

I thought the book was well presented because it focused on the origins, rise, downfall, and lasting influence of the Knights Templar while recognizing the complexity of judging a medieval institution through a modern lens. The Templars had admirable qualities and serious flaws, but both are necessary to understand their story. Overall, I found the book fascinating because it showed how a simple mission can create trust, how trust can create institutions, and how those institutions can continue shaping human society centuries later.

[Yopi Makdori]

Saya nemu bukunya di Wondrium tahun lalu...

Yang buat saya menarik soal kisah Henry Sang Navigator alias Pangeran Henry dari Portugal, orang ini memiliki peran yang sangat sentral dalam sejarah Ordo Kristus [sebelumnya Ksatria Templar], khususnya dalam mengalihkan misi ordo tersebut dari militer tradisional ke arah penjelajahan samudra.

Pada tahun 1418, Pangeran Henry menjabat sebagai gubernur (sebutan untuk pemimpin agung atau grand master) dari Ordo Kristus. Berbeda dengan Ksatria Templar terdahulu yang bertanggung jawab langsung kepada Paus, sebagai pemimpin Ordo Kristus, Henry bertanggung jawab langsung kepada Raja Portugal.

Henry menggunakan posisi dan kekayaan ordo (yang merupakan warisan aset dari Ksatria Templar di Portugal) untuk mendanai visi penjelajahannya. Harta tersebut diberikan tujuan baru untuk mendukung ambisi maritim Portugal.

Dengan sumber daya yang dimilikinya melalui ordo, Henry mendirikan sekolah bagi para navigator maritim. Sekolah ini melahirkan tokoh-tokoh penjelajah besar dunia seperti Vasco da Gama, Magellan, dan Christopher Columbus.

Visi Pangeran Henry dalam mengelola Ordo Kristus dianggap sebagai faktor kunci yang meresmikan Zaman Penjelajahan yang kemudian mengubah dunia secara drastis.

Dengan demikian, Henry Sang Navigator mengubah Ordo Kristus dari sebuah ordo militer-monastik menjadi institusi pendukung utama bagi dominasi maritim dan ilmu navigasi Portugal. Dia juga yang membuka era kolonialisme.

[Daniel Frederickson]

Dorsey Armstrong provides a quality narrative of the strange history of the Knights Templar, while failing to connect this great history to the larger political narratives facing the past and the present.

The central history is so fascinating that a mere retelling of the facts is adequate to keep the learner engaged, but this history finds itself sandwiched between her jaundiced view of religion on one side and political blindness on the other.

Armstrong falls into the same pit as most academics when discussing the crusades. Nuanced and intriguing views abound, yes, but it can be synthesized into a single phrase: Christians "conquer", Muslims "expand".

This kid-glove treatment of Muslims kicks into overdrive when discussing the modern day conspiracies involving wannabe Templars. There is no mention of Muslim mass migration, cultural incompatibilities with Western values, nor the tiniest mention of terrorism...it's all the fault of bigoted, white Westerners.

All that is nothing new and, in fact, I expected it. I was personally, most disappointed in her promotion of the novel idea that the term "Anglo-Saxon" is racist. I was disappointed because her other works on the middle ages tend to be better-balanced.

Go somewhere else for Templar history.

[Nilesh Jasani]

Few subjects come freighted with as much myth as the Knights Templar, and this series is an ideal entry point for anyone unfamiliar with the order beneath the layers of mystery, conspiracy, and centuries of appropriation. The lecturer walks the fine line between documented fact and interpretive impression with real skill, never letting speculation masquerade as evidence.

The Templars would be compelling on the strength of their own history alone, with a meteoric rise followed by an even more precipitous fall. But it's the collision of that record with everything ascribed to them over the centuries that makes the subject so inexhaustibly fascinating. There's always another thread to pull.

The lecturer sequences her topics thoughtfully and covers all the major territory with objectivity and a steady grounding in the evidence. The result is a series that informs without sensationalizing, and entertains without cutting corners.

[Kathy Allard]

4.25 stars
I'd been debating whether to read Dan Jones' book on the Templars or listen to this course. Decided to give this a try and I feel it gave me a sufficient amount of info on the Templars. The accompanying PDF is lacking images, esp in the symbols lecture. Also at one point, Prof Armstrong says, e.g., "get out a pen and paper and make a family tree for this next part." Um, no, the PDF should have provided that.

Prof Armstrong includes too much modern slang for my taste in this course about the medieval era, but perhaps that's the way to get thru to college-age students.

But overall, I found this useful and plan to listen to more Great Courses.

[Stuart]

I enojoyed this and learnt a lot more about the Templars than I needed.

I vaguely knew about the background and history but the detailed and complex background behind the crusades was new to me. Given the importance to the current state of the world and even the map of the Middle East the machinations of Popes and Kinds it surprised me that most of this is summarised into one or two remembered facts by most school leavers.

The fact that people would leave their home and travel so far under such dangerous conditions to go on a pilgrimage, in many cases it almost seems suicidal.

I'd definitely turn to this book again if I wanted to relearn something about the Templars.

[Bryan Whitehead]

I’m in an awkward spot with the media here. “Audible Audio” was the only format option for this title on Goodreads. However, I actually watched the Great Courses video series and read the companion book. Regardless of delivery method, Dorsey Armstrong’s excellent expertise and witty delivery are the main appeals. She runs the gamut on the Templars, from historical context to rise and fall to cultural impact (including some fun and some not-so-fun conspiracy theory stuff). If you’ve any interest in the subject, this series is worth your attention.

[Mark]

Postmodernism at is best. This lecture series is excellent despite a rocky woke start. Prof. Armstrong gives a detailed and a mostly unbiased overview of Templar history. She calls Hugues de Payens "Oog," which i quite enjoyed.

I have listened to a few lecture series by this professor and this one is her best-AND no, I'm not holding her views on King Arthur against her.

[Amy Gideon]

I was never interested in the Templars all that much until another of her lecture series. I like medieval history and realized this was a part of that history that I didn't know much about. This was engaging and a good introduction to the subject.

[Denise]

Finally, a new course by my favourite Great Courses lecturer! Interesting, informative, and delivered in Armstrong's familiar style: engaging and passionate about the topic at hand. As always, a pleasure.

[Henry]

Too many difficult names to remember. Post graduate course.

[Ne Na]

Finally catching up on some medieval history, cool stuff.

[AttackGirl]

Another Great Course. Thought after all of the books I have read I don't necessarily Agee with some of the information provided. However, that is also discussed.

[Myrick Crampton]

Generally good, but she goes off the rails on the last lecture, white supremacy, misogyny, etc in the last lecture.

[Emily]

The beginning was good but it devolved into what felt like a scathing reddit rant. Glad it was free because otherwise I would want my money back.

[E. Joy]

A fascinating and factual look at the Crusades and the Knights Templar (though one can tell it was written by a liberal).

[Nicolas Duchez]

Really liked the lecturer, interesting stuff about crusades, free masons, and conspiracies (on top of all the cool information about the knights Templar lol)