| Description |
xvi, 428 pages : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 25 cm |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 403-412) and index. |
| Summary |
In this groundbreaking narrative history, the bestselling author of The Plantagenets for the first time in a generation tells the true story of the Templars, drawing on extensive original sources to build a gripping account of these Christian holy warriors whose heroism and depravity have so often 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 united Syria and Egypt to drive all Christians out of the Middle East. They were experts at channeling money across borders, immune from taxation, and beyond the control of kings. They established the medieval world’s first global bank and waged private wars against anyone who threatened their interests. Then, in 1307, bogged down in a faltering war in the Middle East, the order fell foul of the king of France. On Friday, October 13, hundreds of brothers were arrested en masse, imprisoned, tortured, and disbanded amid accusations of lurid sexual misconduct and heresy. They were tried by the Vatican in secret proceedings, but were they really heretics? |
| Subject |
Templars -- History.
|
|
Military religious orders -- History.
|
| ISBN |
9780525428305 (hardcover) |
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