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History. Nonfiction. HTML: In 1187, nearly a century after the victorious First Crusade, Saladin captured Jerusalem. The Templars, headquartered on the Temple Mount, were driven from the city along with the Frankish population.The fall of Jerusalem was a turning point, the start of a narrative of desperate struggle and relentless loss. In little more than a century Acre would be destroyed, the Franks driven from Outremer, and the Templars themselves, reviled and disgraced, would face their final immolation. Michael Haag's new book explores the rise and fall of the Templars against the backdrop of the Crusader ideal and their settlement venture in Outremer. Haag argues that the Crusader States were a rare period when the population of Palestine had something approaching local rule, representing local interests - and the fall of Jerusalem to Saladin was a disaster. He contends that the Templars, as defenders of the Crusader States, were made scapegoats for a Europe whose newfound nationalism caused it to withdraw support for the Crusader venture. Throughout, he charts the Templars' rise and fall in gripping narrative, with their beliefs and actions set in the context of their time..… (more)
User reviews
At so many sections of this book I thought, "Wow, I didn't know that." I certainly had not put together the pieces of how intact Outremer was as a region, how long that had gone back throughout history. The Crusades were an attempt to right what Christianized Europe saw as historic wrongs (and the invaders into the region slashed and burned and killed, no question about it), and even the Crusades themselves are presented with full backstory.
Then we get into the Templars and their training, controversies, and intrigues. They were a disciplined body who faced strong methods from within to rush into danger and not surrender unless a call was given. Haag also gives insight into their building, the difference between the Templars and the Knights Hospitaller, and the loss of so many records on the island of Cyprus. I highly recommend this book for the curious and interested in this region, period, and topic.