The Rise and Fall of the Knights Templar: The Order of the Temple 1118-1314 - A True History of Faith, Glory, Betrayal

by Gordon Napier

A highly readable look at the lifespan of the famous Knights Templar, who were warrior monks and the first disciplined, regulated, and uniformed standing army since antiquity throughout Europe and the Holy Lands—an economic force to be reckoned with and perhaps an institution guarding dark secrets. The origins of the concept of Holy War are explored, from Biblical times through the rise of Islam and the Christian movement, which inspired untold thousands to set out to recapture Jerusalem, as warriors and as pilgrims. This book explains how nine knights led by Hugues de Payens came from France to guard pilgrims in the Holy Land, how they gained the site of the Temple of Solomon, and what they did there, including a reevaluation of the historical evidence. Other topics discussed include how an unprecedented religious Order grew and pledged to bloodshed in defense of pilgrims, the territory conquered by the Crusaders, and the role and agenda of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux and other powerful backers. The Order's contribution to the ongoing Crusades is explained, as well as their military tactics and organization and the fortresses and bases they established. Discussion of the fate of the Order after the failure of the Crusades includes a detailed examination of the charges of occult rituals involving idol worship, spitting on the Cross, and obscene kisses, through to the burning of the last Grand Master Jacques de Molay in 1314.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

200 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2003

Reviews

[Michael]

Overall, the book was a very good, if short, story of the Knights Templar and the broad strokes of their life and legacy. I read it as a part of a bigger research project on the fall of the order specifically in Portugal, so I was disappointed that Iberia, although one of the biggest fronts in the Templar's crusades, was barely a footnote. Still, the book was very well-researched and it was pretty digestible, so I would recommend it as a good general history.

[Fubzi]

A detailed and well thought out history of the Templars. More suited to someone studying the order than someone reading out of a vague interest.

[Robert Wingfield]

Superb and well researched history

A fascinating read covering all the crusades and the history of the various factions, including the Assassins, who were actually a bunch of Saracens given sponsorship to knock off the enemy - not far off the folks in the Diskworld books. Only when you explore what was going on out there do you appreciate that the world was in continuous turmoil then as it seems to be now.
Nothing seems to change!
Thoroughly recommended as a great tale even if you’re not into history.

[Ruth]

c2003. Ordered this book due to a good review given to it on a book blog. It certainly was easy to read for a non-fiction book. Some prior reader had very kindly underlined all the "mistakes" in the copy that I obtained. Fortunately, there were not many! Facts have been presented alongside the popular myths and it made for interesting reading. The only complaint I have is that the dreaded phrase "living rock" appeared in one of the chapters. Who would have believed this to have been noted in a non-fiction book? Whilst I thought that I knew most of what happened to the Templars and what they had been accused of, details of their early beginnings contained a lot of new information for me. I certainly did not realise the bigger picture of the Crusades and all the various "players". Very edifying. I would recommend this book to anyone who wanted to know some of the facts surrounding the Knights Templar but who do not want to actually have to page through tomes of information.

[Ben Fairchild]

What idealism manifest. Almost incredible.

[Talya]

Never finished, lost interest and gave up...who knows, maybe one day I'll pick it up again...