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7th out of 8 books
—
3 voters
Templars: History And Myth: From Solomon's Temple To The Freemasons
by
Michael Haag
The first history of the legendary knights since the Vatican momentously released the records of their trial and exoneration
Who were the Templars?
What was the secret of their wealth and power?
Why did the pope and the king of France act to destroy them?
The Knights Templar were founded on Christmas Day 1119, on the very spot in Jerusalem where Jesus Christ was crucified....more
Who were the Templars?
What was the secret of their wealth and power?
Why did the pope and the king of France act to destroy them?
The Knights Templar were founded on Christmas Day 1119, on the very spot in Jerusalem where Jesus Christ was crucified....more
Paperback, 384 pages
Published
2011
by Profile Books
(first published January 1st 2008)
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I’m most at home when reading medieval history and having read about the Crusades in the past I was eager to try Michael Haag’s book about the Templars, the order of knights founded to defend the Holy Land after the First Crusade who went from being revered to reviled in Europe in the space of two centuries.
Haag’s book covers an extensive timeline beginning with the earliest references to the Temple of Solomon, its building, destruction, rebuilding and so on until we reach the First Crusade wher...more
Haag’s book covers an extensive timeline beginning with the earliest references to the Temple of Solomon, its building, destruction, rebuilding and so on until we reach the First Crusade wher...more
In the wake of the sensational fiction books about the Templar Knights Mr. Haag's book is a welcome historical effort to tell the truth about the Catholic society of knights Templar.
The first chapter dealing with the Temple of Solomon is mostly conjecture and for a better understanding about the truth of the Hebrew kingdom I would suggest Dr Israel Finklestein's "The Bible Unearthed". Relying on religious records for truth is always a mistake. Following this wasted chapter the following is a pr...more
The first chapter dealing with the Temple of Solomon is mostly conjecture and for a better understanding about the truth of the Hebrew kingdom I would suggest Dr Israel Finklestein's "The Bible Unearthed". Relying on religious records for truth is always a mistake. Following this wasted chapter the following is a pr...more
If you are new to Templar history, if you've just become fascinated by them and are looking for a good starter book, then I highly recommend. If you know a bit about them already, then this might come across as just a simple rehashing of facts you probably already know. A rehashing that might be great for a high school kid, but leaves an adult wanting more.
I gave it three stars because I've read other books on the Templars and the crusades and while this was decent, I've already been exposed to...more
I gave it three stars because I've read other books on the Templars and the crusades and while this was decent, I've already been exposed to...more
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.
This was an interesting and well illustrated history of the years of the Crusades-a fascinating period, about which I knew very little, but wanted to learn more as I find myself drawn to novels based around these events. There was a lot of detail and dates-but it didn't overwhelm the reader with too much information.
By the end I felt much more conversant about what these armies were attempting-and following close on the heels of BBC 4 excellent 3 part series on the same theme, I found myself wa...more
By the end I felt much more conversant about what these armies were attempting-and following close on the heels of BBC 4 excellent 3 part series on the same theme, I found myself wa...more
An extremely factual, detailed look into the history of the Knights Templar, the religious order originally founded by the Pope to insure the safety of Christian pilgrims travelling to the Holy Land. The book traces their humble beginnings through 200 years of Templar history, to their forced disbanding by King Philip IV of France.
200 years of history is difficult to pack into ~300 pages, but the author does a good job of providing an amazing amount of insight into the people, politics, and reli...more
200 years of history is difficult to pack into ~300 pages, but the author does a good job of providing an amazing amount of insight into the people, politics, and reli...more
the only thing the auther didnt mention about why the crusade happened is that the catholic church waged war against muslims not because of defending their faith but to raid the gold rich middle east since the french were using squirl skins as currency.
the author also explains how the templars created their organization , self governing with legance following the catholic church, and started international banking by receiving huge donations then loaning to europeans monarchs,and how the churche...more
the author also explains how the templars created their organization , self governing with legance following the catholic church, and started international banking by receiving huge donations then loaning to europeans monarchs,and how the churche...more
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...more
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...more
May 09, 2013
Eddy Allen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
arts-and-historical
The first history of the legendary knights since the Vatican momentously released the records of their trial and exoneration
Who were the Templars?
What was the secret of their wealth and power?
Why did the pope and the king of France act to destroy them?
The Knights Templar were founded on Christmas Day 1119, on the very spot in Jerusalem where Jesus Christ was crucified. A religious order of fighting knights, the Templars defended the Holy Land and Christian pilgrims in the decades after the First...more
Who were the Templars?
What was the secret of their wealth and power?
Why did the pope and the king of France act to destroy them?
The Knights Templar were founded on Christmas Day 1119, on the very spot in Jerusalem where Jesus Christ was crucified. A religious order of fighting knights, the Templars defended the Holy Land and Christian pilgrims in the decades after the First...more
Enjoyed reading this book. I never really enjoyed reading history books, but I found this book entertaining and informative. I felt that this author kept to his word and presented the facts and kept the myth out. In a seperate chapter, he presented the myths and it was interesting to see all the historical lies that have attempted to attach themselves to the Templars. It was also interesting to read about all the movies that had made reference to the Templars.
I thought his chapter 'Born Again Templars' about the use of the Templar myth in popular culture was hilarious, for example "after such revelations we barely pause to wonder how a bunch of warrior monks in Jerusalem come to be wearing Irish weave and ended up in New York. It is those Templars you see. They can do anything. ". Not to take away from the rest of the book which was an interesting and straightforward account of the historical Templars, with the added perspective of the recent discove...more
Nice overview but not deeply informative - the book starts with the development of the order and follows its history. It adds all the different mysterious or not so mysterious groups that claim to have some relation or other with the templars. The author lists sites in Europe and Middle East, plus all the books and movies. This will definitely not clutter up my shelves for very long.
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, th...more
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.
A decent first overview of Templar and crusade history. Not as in depth as I would have liked, a very surface level summary. Far too concerned with conspiracy theories, which I loathe. Not a serious enough study to even cite sources. Tho i did get a broad outline of the Crusades, with which i was not familiar.
Well, now I know something about Templars. This book was a good intro to both Templar and Crusader history. Mostly interesting but I could have done without the "Places" chapters where it suddenly reads like a travel guide. But that would be perfect if you were touring old Outremer.
Very useful book if you are interested in templars and want to know everything till the last point about them, but sometimes this book was really boring. It is a book where you won't find personal opinion, just facts, excellent for studying.
"A reminder that for most of human history, humans have been nasty, brutish creatures who made war, slaughtered whole towns with impunity, and sold the ones who survived into slavery.
Absolutely fascinating at the moment - and i haven't even got to the Templars yet! Learning about the evolution of Jerusalem,christianity, judaism, and islam.
Loved it. Very informative and probably hugely helped that I read whilst in Jordan (the country you idiot), You know, Amman (the city in Jordan. Stop it)
Too textbookish. A few interesting things mixed into tons of boring facts. Just had to force myself to finish. It did mention Joseph Smith.
The author did a good job of explaining the information clearly and concisely, however there was no life in his writing.
Gives an accurate history of the Templars and debunks the myths about them.
My thirst for history has once again been satisfied. The book give a good historical account of happenings surrounding Christianity, Islam and their relationship with Solomon's temple. The account of the templers also goes a long way in dis-proving the myths surrounding the various zeitgeists on the Freemasons as well. A good read for fact seekers.
However, there are some subtle areas of the book that might get you stuck in the history section of a library for long hours, because this books prov...more
Yes, I am a nerd. I found it fascinating.
This book is a great introduction to the facts and the myths behind the Templars - a topic of much fascination still. Its obviously written for the non-academic brain, which was a major appeal to me. I did look through quite a few introductory titles but this was the only one that really appealed in the way the information was chronologically laid out and it lays a great foundation of understanding the history that led to the formation of the Templars and the main purpose for their existence.
A fun book to read in short stretches because it is broken down into digestible chunks with lots of pictures and sidebars. I like the way it deals with all things associated with the Templars from legend to popular culture but doesn't confuse the two. I both liked and disliked the choppy style. Made it easy to dip in and out at will, but unsatisfying when I wanted to settle in.
I had hoped for a detailed history of the Templers. In reality, it is a survey of the Templers and the Crusader States. I learnt much, and in truth most of Templar history is lost, so I shouldn't have expected more depth, but I did. If you are interested in the Templers, this is an excellent book to start with.
Simply the best presented, most comprehensive and most up-to-date book on the Templars that I've read. Highly recommended.
Aug 07, 2011
Natasha
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
history,
non-fiction
An informative and somewhat fascinating book. I learned quite about the Crusades and the political situation of the times. This was a broad overview which leaves me wanting mire detail. I enjoyed the author's humor in the Templarism section of the book.
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I think it's probably likely that if you're i...more
Jul 20, 2012 07:14pm