Sifting myth from history, Piers Paul Read reveals the Templars ¿ the multinational force of warrior monks, in their white tunics with red crosses over chainmail. They were not only unique among Christian institutions but constituted the first uniformed standing army in the western world and became pioneers of international banking. Expropriated by Philip IV of France in 1307, and confessing under torture to blasphemy, heresy and sodomy, the Order was finally suppressed by Pope Clement V in 1312. In a narrative that incorporates the story of the crusades and the many colourful characters who had links with the Templars, Piers Paul Read examines the question of their guilt and identifies their relevance to our own times. 'A highly readable and nicely paced book that draws on the lessons of modern historical scholarship while also communicating a sense of narrative excitement and drive' 'Evocative, measured and engaging' Evening Standard 'Magnificent in every way' Mail on Sunday

Historian Ralls has written an authoritative source book on the fascinating history behind the most famous military religious order of the Crusades--the Knights Templar. This encyclopedia also includes a wealth of information on the key Templar people, places, events, and more.

An instant New York Times bestseller, from the author of Crusaders, that finally tells the real story of the Knights Templar—“Seldom does one find serious scholarship so easy to read.” (The Times, Book of the Year) A faltering war in the middle east. A band of elite warriors determined to fight to the death to protect Christianity's holiest sites. A global financial network unaccountable to any government. A sinister plot founded on a web of lies... In 1119, a small band of knights seeking a purpose in the violent aftermath of the First Crusade set up a new religious order in Jerusalem, which was now in Christian hands. These were the first Knights Templar, elite warriors who swore vows of poverty and chastity and promised to protect Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land. Over the next 200 years, the Templars would become the most powerful network of the medieval world, speerheading the crusades, pionerring new forms of finance and warfare and deciding the fate of kings. Then, on October 13, 1307, hundreds of brothers were arrested, imprisoned and tortured and the order was disbanded among lurid accusations of sexual misconduct and heresy. But were they heretics or victims of a ruthlessly repressive state? Dan Jones goes back to the sources to bring their dramatic tale, so relevant to our own times, to life in a book that is at once authoritative and compulsively readable.

The Knights Templar is a secret society that has existed for many centuries. Few books have been written about them from an insiders point of view. This book was originally released by the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar, United States of America, after seven years of historical research by an assigned committee. The author, Brown, was a member of that committee and their purpose was to provide Templars with an accurate history of their organization. It was for members only and much of the information is not found elsewhere. We've also added, from another source, their Constitution and Abbreviated By-Laws, out of print for over 100 years, as a service for potential members or for those who desire a better knowledge of the inner workings of the Templars. These two works, combined together, will hopefully shed new light on an interesting and sometimes mysterious organization.

The Order of the Temple was founded in 1119 with the limited aim of protecting pilgrims around Jerusalem. It developed into one of the most powerful corporations in the medieval world which lasted for nearly two centuries until its suppression in 1312. Despite the loss of its central archive in the sixteenth century, the Order left many records of its existence as the spearhead of crusading activity in Palestine and Syria, as the administrator of a great network of preceptories and lands in the Latin west, and as a banker and ship-owner. Because of the dramatic nature of its abolition, it has retained its grip on the imagination and consequently there has developed an entirely fictional 'after-history' in which its secret presence has been evoked to explain mysteries which range from masonic conspiracy to the survival of the Turin Shroud. This book offers a concise and up-to-date introduction to the reality and the myth of this extraordinary institution.

A richly detailed, sometimes challenging work, Charles Addison's The History of the Knights Templar traces the rise and fall of this legendary religious-military organization. Addison was an official member of the Templar Inner Table when he composed his definitive study. This newly edited 2018 edition from The Templar Press updates some of Addison's more archaic wording into modern English.

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.

Barbara Frale gives us an explosive, exhaustively researched history of the medieval world’s most powerful military order, the Templars. At its height, the Order of the Knights Templar rivaled the kingdoms of Europe in military might, economic power, and political influence. For 700 years, the tragic demise of this society of warrior-monks amid accusations of heresy has been plagued by controversy, in part because the transcript of their trial by the Inquisition—which held the key to the truth—had vanished. Templar historian Barbara Frale happened to be studying a document at the Vatican Secret Archives when she suddenly realized that it was none other than the long-lost transcript! It revealed that Pope Clement V had absolved the order of all charges of heresy. The Templars chronicles the spectacular rise and fall of the organization against a sweeping backdrop of war, religious fervor, and the struggle for dominance, and finally lifts the centuries-old cloak of mystery surrounding one of the world’s most intriguing secret societies.

The age of the Crusades encompassed the rise and fall of a singular Order of fighting men, equally devoted to God, war and the defense of Palestine. After the Crusades the Templars obeyed no one except the Pope and acquired land and castles by gift, conquest and purchase, becoming a church within the Church. They were bankers, merchants, diplomats and tax gatherers, and though they themselves were poor, the wealth of their Order was legendary. As the nation states arose the Templars were accused of heresy, treachery, sodomy, usury, blasphemy and idolatry. The author assesses the faults and fine qualities of the brotherhood, examining the reasons for its initial allure and eventual, ignominious obliteration.