The Knights Templar and Other Secret Societies of the Middle Ages

by Thomas Keightley

The cultural clash between Christianity and Islam that shook the world a thousand years ago has re-emerged as the central theme of modern life for millions around the world. This book illuminates the conflict's origins, tracing the development of secret societies formed by men who sought mysteries beyond the dogma of their own the Templars, warrior monks who exercised their religious devotion through force of arms; and the Assassins, Islam's first monastic military order, who fought Muslim and Christian alike to spread their doctrine.
In addition to its chronicles of the Assassins and Templars, this absorbing history profiles the secret tribunals in Westphalia known as the Fehm-Gericht, a vigilante organization that conducted trials and executions during a medieval period of lawlessness in Germany. Originally published in 1837, this was the first book to offer information on these secret orders. Written by an author of vast learning and deep reflection, this classic remains a foundation reference upon which many contemporary scholars rely.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval, Ebooks

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Irish writer known for his works on mythology and folklore

Reviews

[Валерій Калниш · Rating 1 out of 5]

1. Це найгірша книга про таємні товариства, яку я читав.
2. Це має своє пояснення - її перша публікація відбулася у 1837 році) Тому для сучасного читача вона не має жодної цінності.
3. Вся книга це переповідання хронології правлінь. По суті та структурі таємних товариств тут майже нічого немає, оскільки це не дослідження, а переповідання відомих (на початок 19 сторіччя) фактів. Так, тамплієрів автор взагалі не вважає таємним товариством)
4. Не витрачайте час на цю книгу.

[The Esoteric Jungle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This work is actually passable on the data side of retaining sources for us and tracing a few groups down in a basic way. But on the meaning side, it, as usual, gets almost every incident almost entirely diametrically backwards from what really happened and from what it really meant (according to sources predating their late coming popularized victorious redactors).

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. A detailed but very dated account of three secret societies from the Middle Ages that even today remain fodder for conspiracy theories. There is some interest today, of course, due to the characterization by some of the assassins as prototypes of the modern Islamic extremist terrorists, but that seems a little "off" to me. Anyway, worth reading if you have an interest in the particular subjects, but otherwise, I wouldn't recommend this one.