The Real History Behind the Templars

by Sharan Newman

The medieval historian who revealed The Real History Behind the Da Vinci Code uncloaks the Templars.

In the year 1119, these noblemen found their calling as protectors of the faithful on a dangerous pilgrimage to newly conquered Jerusalem. Now, historian Sharan Newman elucidates the mysteries and misconceptions of the Templars, from their true first founding and role in the Crusades to more modern intrigues,

- Were they devout knights or secret heretics?
- Did they leave behind a fantastic treasure-hidden to this day?
- How did they come to be associated with the Holy Grail?
- Did they come to America before the time of Columbus?
- Does the order still exist?

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Historical, Medieval, Religion, Medieval History, British Literature

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Sharan Newman is a medieval historian and author. She took her Master’s degree in Medieval Literature at Michigan State University and then did her doctoral work at the University of California at Santa Barbara in Medieval Studies, specializing in twelfth-century France. She is a member of the Medieval Academy and the Medieval Association of the Pacific.

Rather than teach, Newman chose to use her education to write novels set in the Middle Ages, including three Arthurian fantasies and ten mysteries set in twelfth-century France, featuring Catherine LeVendeur a one-time student of Heloise at the Paraclete, her husband, Edgar, an Anglo-Scot and Solomon, a Jewish merchant of Paris. The books focus on the life of the bourgeoisie and minor nobility and also the uneasy relations between Christians and Jews at that time. They also incorporate events of the twelfth-century such as the Second Crusade and the rise of the Cathars.

For these books, Newman has done research at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique France Méridionale et Espagne at the University of Toulouse and the Institute for Jewish History at the University of Trier, as well as many departmental archives.

The Catherine Levendeur mysteries have been nominated for many awards. Sharan won the Macavity Award for best first mystery for Death Comes As Epiphany and the Herodotus Award for best historical mystery of 1998 for Cursed in the Blood. The most recent book in the series The Witch in the Well won the Bruce Alexander award for best Historical mystery of 2004.

Just for a change, her next mystery, The Shanghai Tunnel is set in Portland in 1868.

The Shanghai Tunnel allowed Sharan Newman to explore the history of the city she grew up in. She found that the history she had been taught in school had been seriously whitewashed. Doing research in the city archives as well as the collections at Reed College and the Oregon Historical society was exciting and eye-opening. Many of the “founding fathers” of Portland turn out to have been unscrupulous financiers. Chinese workers were subject to discrimination and there was an active red light district.

On the other hand, Portland in the post-Civil War period also saw some amazingly liberal movements. Women’s rights were an important issue as was religious toleration. Even at that early date, preserving the natural environment was hotly debated.

This is the world in which Emily Stratton, the widow of a Portland merchant and the daughter of missionaries to China, finds herself.

Newman has written a non-fiction book, The Real History Behind the Da Vince Code Berkley 2005. It is in encyclopedia format and gives information on various topics mentioned in Dan Brown’s novel. Following on that she has just completed the Real History Behind the Templars published by Berkley in September of 2007.

She lives on a mountainside in Oregon.

(Text taken from: http://www.sharannewman.com/bio.html )

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant. It's well set out and cuts through absolute mountains of dubious information about the Templars (and helicopters :-)! ) to bring the reader the straightforward no frills history. It's clear and simple. But easy to read doesn't mean under-researched or basic, not one bit. It has detailed references and understanding in depth which is distilled for the reader into handy chapter subjects. There's a chapter on the assassins for example, one on the grand masters with biographies. Another on the Templars in Paris, in London, on banking etc. There's a brilliant piece at the end which tells the reader how to know if they are studying 'pseudohistory'. Each chapter contains detailed footnotes, identifying just where Sharan Newman got her information. There's one historical error as another reviewer pointed out, but it's a nit-pick concerning the ID of Adela of Blois that got past the copy editing stage and not worth knotting one's knickers about in an otherwise fabulous work. It's going straight on my keeper shelf. Bravo Sharan Newman!

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never really looked into the Templars and thought I should find a book that helps give a good introduction to the Templars. After reading this book, it fulfilled my needs and then some. It not only gave historical references, but it also discussed the myths about the Templars and whether there was any accuracy to the myths. Sharan Newman was not afraid to dispel events that weren't accurate based on historical data, but she also knew when to leave events "open" that didn't have any historical data backing them up but could have potentially happened due to other facts about that time period. A good mix for a good beginning source on the Templars.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A superb, detailed account of the Templars, cutting sharply through the copious mire that is written about an organisation that really does not need the fantastical embellishments it sadly receives in pseudo history... Newman manages to cleverly combine academic analysis of the sources with a style that reaches both amateur enthusiasts and academic historians.

[Ixel Balamke · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a decent book on Knights Templars. The author shells out what is known and what is just myth with the Templars. My only major dislike is how the history is all over the place and it's not done in a more linear path. The book jumps around on various histories. The book is very easy to read. However, the book is worth checking out the chapter on Baphomet.

[Mephistia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome. Just. Awesome. I love a good history book, as people who know me at all know. Even more than that, I love a well-written, engaging, yet thoroughly researched and reliable history book. She had footnotes throughout the entire thing. The last two pages of every chapter were nothing but footnotes. I have a four-page list of to-read books gleaned from this book alone. I am in heaven.

Oh, and the book? Interesting, informative and well-written. I love how she presented the information in a well-structured, cohesive manner. She didn't jump around too much in the timeline. I was impressed with her ability to move onward from the inception of the Knights Templar to their dissolution without tangetializing too much on the individual events that led up to the dissolution. She still covered the individual events in depth, don't get me wrong -- but each of those individual events (obviously) has other events that tie into them, with others that tie into them and so on and so forth. Ms. Newman has quite the ability to stay on topic.

I also enjoyed the last few chapters, where she addresses some of the myths and pseudo-histories that have arisen around the Knights Templar. I have to admit to some flabbergasted curiosity at some of the things she hinted at.

Because of this book, I want to learn more about The Hospitallers, the Inquisition and the various Crusades. I was absolutely fascinated at the wealth of information that glimmered on the edges of this book, tangential to the topic at hand but still oh-so-alluring.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sharan Newman’s The Real History Behind the Templars cuts through centuries of myth, conspiracy theories, and Dan Brown-style embellishment to uncover the truth about the legendary Knights Templar.

Rather than a linear history, Newman delivers a series of short, accessible chapters explaining who the Templars really were, what they believed, and how they operated within the political, religious, and financial currents of the medieval world. Along the way, she skewers the wilder legends with a dry, mischievous wit - slipping in one-liners that make you chortle in the middle of a history lesson.

Her humour never undermines the scholarship; instead, it makes the material more engaging and human. Grounded in primary sources yet refreshingly irreverent toward nonsense, this is a clear-eyed, entertaining antidote to romanticised fiction - ideal for readers who prefer history over hype but still enjoy a chuckle.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took my time with this one. Rich in history, it educates on The Crusades and the battles to control the Holy Land as well as how public perception of the Knights Templar differed from reality. From inception to downfall, myth to reality, Newman has written an informative, readable history. Recommended.

[Adam Faderewski · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re looking for wild Templar theories and the “facts” that support him then you’re in the wrong place (book). The author sticks to the provable facts about the Knights Templar and debunks the outlandish “truths” proposed by other authors. All in all, a devastating blow to the image of the Templars as mystical knights, but not at all damaging to their fictional ethos.

[Don Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based on real historical research, Ms. Newman does an excellent job of separating fact from fiction, which is no easy feat when it comes to the Templars. It is an engaging and fun read on one of the Middle Ages most interesting religious military orders. Highly recommend for anyone interested in the Crusades and the Templars.

[Diana Suddreth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Newman's book is a good introduction to the "real history" of the templars and makes a long period of time very accessible. Her prose is easy to follow and her research is solid. She presents the information in a format that's more thematic than chronological and this made it a little more difficult for me. Nevertheless, it was a good read in advance of a templar tour in my near future.

[Donna Templeton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Real History Beijing the Templar’s

I was glad to see references and footnotes where information was researched. Always important to verify that what you read has sound backup. I’ve read many books on the Templar’s, but this book beats them all with actual facts!

[Adam Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting overview of the History of the Templars debunking a lot of the modern myths about them.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took a while to finish but was a really good read. Interesting read for anyone fascinated by the Templars

[Anderolas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really easy to read, amazing documentation in the foot notes. I think it explains really really good the facts and myths.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

"This book is an attempt to give the known facts about the Knights Templar, from their beginnings in 1119 or 1120 to the dissolution in 1312 and beyond." The order's purpose was to "defend the poor and the churches" of the Holy Land from the Saracens or Moslems of the Arab peninsula. They believed that by fighting the infidel and protecting the pilgrims visiting the holy sites they would gain remission of their sins and have the hope of heaven. Over the years legends have swirled around the Templars and they have been admired and reviled. Sharan Newman brings all of this to light by relating the facts that are known about members of the Templars and their activities. I found it a really interesting read.

[Wayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good introduction.
Quick history of origin of templars.
Crusades in the East.
Names can get a bit confusing but the author always makes it an easy an entertaining read.
Numerous references.
Sticks up for the templars.
Dismisses modern legends.
A funny piece on pseudo history.
All in all very enjoyable.

[Melisende · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very basic coverage of the Templars, their history, their fate, their mythology.

But just one tiny annoyance for me: Adela of Blois was the daughter of William the Conqueror. King Henry I of England was her brother!

[Anton Zolotarjov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provides a well documented and fact-based overview of the history of the Knights of the Temple. This book may lack action and drama, but is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in what really happened to the Order of the Temple.

[Derek Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating. The history is pieced together as historian should do it -- and written in a way that you can see how historians have to evaluate sources when piecing together what really happened.
Since you've 'heard' about the Knights from popular fictional sources ... this is a good read.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the title states, this is the real history behind the Templars. It is well researched and cites many primary sources. The chapters are nice and short too, so you won't get bogged down!

[Velvetink]

tuebl

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

not as good as real davinci code. too much detail about one topic.