Two For Eternity - The Crusades

I want to preface this by writing that I’m Roman Catholic and went through twelve years of Catholic School. Having said that, I have to call it the way I see it. I would rather write the truth than make friends. The truth is the Catholic Church has a bit of shady past, none more evident than what occurred during the time of the Crusades. Although I don’t doubt the sincerity of many of the Crusaders, since in their minds they were driving the heathens out of their church’s lands and in the process they would be cleared of their sins. The problem was the people running the Crusades, mainly Church leaders and wealthy barons and businessmen had one motivation – greed. For them, it was about capturing land and obtaining riches in the form of holy relics and gold.

The Crusaders were known for their brutality. In the town of Worms, in the land that is now Germany, the Crusaders abducted all of the Jews in town and gave them the option of converting to Christianity or die.

The other epidemic from this time period was the Knights Templar, a group that started with humble beginnings, protecting travelers on their way to the Holy Land. With a combination of greed and ruthlessness, they amassed great wealth and weapons, eventually becoming the Church’s military arm. They answered to no one and massacred their opposition with impunity. They grew so strong that they created the world’s first banking system and later funded entire governments. That’s why I made my villain Vrag the Grand Master of the Knights Templar in this section of my novel leading up to a good battle scene, where Raiken, who at this point is a Cardinal trying to subvert them from within, does battle with his ancient nemesis. You can read more by purchasing a copy of Two For Eternity, now available on Amazon.com and weavingdreamspublishing.com