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History. Religion & Spirituality. Military. Nonfiction. HTML:�??Dan Jones is an entertainer, but also a bona fide historian. Seldom does one find serious scholarship so easy to read.�?� �?? The Times, Book of the Year A New York Times bestseller, this major new history of the knights Templar is �??a fresh, muscular and compelling history of the ultimate military-religious crusading order, combining sensible scholarship with narrative swagger" �?? Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Jerusalem 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.Jerusalem 1119. A small group of knights seeking a purpose in the violent aftermath of the First Crusade decides to set up a new order. These are the first Knights Templar, a band of elite warriors prepared to give their lives to protect Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land. Over the next two hundred years, the Templars would become the most powerful religious order of the medieval world. Their legend has inspired fervent speculation ever since. In this groundbreaking narrative history, Dan Jones tells the true story of the Templars for the first time in a generation, drawing on extensive original sources to build a gripping account of these Christian holy warriors whose heroism and alleged depravity have been shrouded in myth. The Templars were protected by the pope and sworn to strict vows of celibacy. They fought the forces of Islam in hand-to-hand combat on the sun-baked hills where Jesus lived and died, finding their nemesis in Saladin, who vowed to drive all Christians from the lands of Islam. Experts at channeling money across borders, they established the medieval world�??s largest and most innovative banking network and waged private wars against anyone who threatened their interests. Then, as they faced setbacks at the hands of the ruthless Mamluk sultan Baybars and were forced to retreat to their stronghold in Cyprus, a vindictive and cash-strapped King of France set his sights on their fortune. His administrators quietly mounted a damning case against the Templars, built on deliberate lies and false testimony. On Friday October 13, 1307, hundreds of brothers were arrested, imprisoned and tortured, and the order was disbanded amid lurid accusations of sexual misconduct and heresy. They were tried by the Pope in secret proceedings and their last master was brutally tortured and burned at the stake. But were they heretics or victims of a ruthlessly repressive state? Dan Jones goes back to the sources tobring their dramatic tale, so relevant to our own times, to life in a book that is at once authoritative and c… (more)
User reviews
And as I’m writing this, it dawned on me that there is an ironic symbolism in that, given the topic of Dan Jones’ superb book.
The Knights Templar –
They became a vital part of every major operation of successive Crusades, pushed the boundaries of finance and banking – but ultimately, this order of what was essentially (intended to be) warrior monks was brought down by very secular means.
And yet, they still influence our collective imagination to this day.
Jones does a spectacular job of boiling down the (at times extremely) motley history of this legendary order to a format that makes it approachable, enjoyable – and at the same time solidly academic.
He draws not only upon Western sources – we also get to hear from chroniclers, courtiers, diplomats and poets from the other side of the conflict. A nice touch, that adds a lot of depth to the narrative.
I flat out loved it, to be honest. Finishing it on October 13th – the date of their downfall in 1307 – was an unexpected little flourish. And if you like your medieval history well-written, impeccably researched and entertaining in tone – you will too.
An easy 5/5 for this one.