The Templars
The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God's Holy Warriors
Ratings11
Average rating3.3
15
The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God's Holy Warriors
Ratings11
Average rating3.3
A narrative history of the Knights Templar draws on extensive original sources to separate fact from myth, exploring their actual work and influence, the reasons they fell out of favor, and whether or not they were guilty of heresy.
Reviews with the most likes.
I enjoyed this book, but nowhere near as much as his works on the Plantagenets and The War Of the Roses. I felt an absence of passion for this subject as compared to medieval English history - the absence was probably mine (but perhaps a little was his?).
A well researched and articulated account of The Templars' crucial role in the Crusades and the shocking events surrounding their downfall.
I was all excited to read this book; to finally get some details about the mysterious Templars. I acknowledge that the mandate of the Templars was to make war upon Muslims and to protect Christians but I wish the book didn't spend so much time on the war aspect. I wasn't here to learn the play-by-play of the battle tactics and what the opposing historians thought of the other side, I was wanting to know about the structure and workings within the Templars.
The book does tell you that they knew the right people with the right connections, at the right time but then veers off to the battle. It does describe the buildings they acquire/build in the east but doesn't really go into details about the running of them. There are mentions of people but only those that are in the battles.
Another good thing, for a movie geek like myself; before the loan expired I did find out that several of the characters in the movie Kingdom of Heaven were based on real people.
I read this in two formats: partly as an ebook, and partly as an audiobook. I find that it goes a mite faster while in audio format, but that I couldn't concentrate on the details as much as I would have if I were reading it. Either way though, this is a pretty fun read, if a bit dry in some places. Considering the amount of fictionalised accounts out there about the Templars (to say nothing of the outright lies), it was nice to read something that just told their history without trying to embroider any details or make up any conspiracies. Of all the chapters, though, I think the last one's the most important, because it's where Jones details all the myths that've sprung up around the Templars in the hundreds of years since their fall - including how they've been used to promote white supremacy. That last bit's very important imo, considering how the Templar name is being used to legitimise an abhorrent ideology.
