The Pocket A-Z of the Knights Templar
The Pocket A-Z of the Knights Templar

Author: Gordon Napier

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2014-04-07

Total Pages: 379

ISBN-13: 0750958545

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The Knights Templar were among the most famous of Christian military orders. Created after the First Crusade of 1096 and endorsed by the Catholic Church in 1129, the Order grew rapidly in membership and power. Templar knights were some of the best equipped, trained and disciplined fighting units of the Crusades. But when the Holy Land was lost and the Templars suffered crushing defeats, support for the Order faded and rumours about their secret initiation ceremony created mistrust. When the Order suddenly disappeared, disbanded by the Pope, it gave rise to speculation and legends which have kept the name 'Templar' alive. From Aaron to Zion, The Pocket A–Z of the Knights Templar is an invaluable reference of the places, people, and themes of the Crusades, the Knights Templar and their legacy.

Knights Templar Encyclopedia
Knights Templar Encyclopedia

Author: Karen Ralls

Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser

Published: 2007-01-01

Total Pages: 302

ISBN-13: 1564149269

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Historian Ralls has written an authoritative source book on the fascinating history behind the most famous military religious order of the Crusades--the Knights Templar. This encyclopedia also includes a wealth of information on the key Templar people, places, events, and more.

The Templars
The Templars

Author: Piers Paul Read

Publisher: Orion Publishing Group

Published: 2000-08-01

Total Pages: 350

ISBN-13: 9780753810873

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Sifting myth from history, Piers Paul Read reveals the Templars ¿ the multinational force of warrior monks, in their white tunics with red crosses over chainmail. They were not only unique among Christian institutions but constituted the first uniformed standing army in the western world and became pioneers of international banking. Expropriated by Philip IV of France in 1307, and confessing under torture to blasphemy, heresy and sodomy, the Order was finally suppressed by Pope Clement V in 1312. In a narrative that incorporates the story of the crusades and the many colourful characters who had links with the Templars, Piers Paul Read examines the question of their guilt and identifies their relevance to our own times. 'A highly readable and nicely paced book that draws on the lessons of modern historical scholarship while also communicating a sense of narrative excitement and drive' 'Evocative, measured and engaging' Evening Standard 'Magnificent in every way' Mail on Sunday

Knights of the Black and White
Knights of the Black and White

Author: Jack Whyte

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2006-08-08

Total Pages: 820

ISBN-13: 110121502X

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A brother of the Order-a medieval secret society uniting noble families in a sacred bond-Sir Hugh de Payens has emerged from the First Crusade a broken man seeking to dedicate his life to God. But the Order has other plans for him: to uncover a deadly secret that could shatter the very might of the Church itself.

The Templars and their Sources
The Templars and their Sources

Author: Karl Borchardt

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2017-01-20

Total Pages: 420

ISBN-13: 1315475286

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Even 700 years after the suppression of the Order of the Temple and the execution of the last grandmaster, Jacques de Molay, there is no shortage of publications on this influential military order. Yet unlike other medieval institutions the Templars are subject to speculative fiction and popular myth which threaten to swamp the fruits of scholarly endeavour. Fortunately, recent years have produced a thriving academic scholarship which is challenging these myths. More and more sources are currently being edited, particularly those for the trial of the Templars (1307–1312). Others are still awaiting indepth study, among them, surprisingly, the greater part of the charters that cover more than 150 years of the Order’s history. The papers in this volume step into this gap and critically evaluate new directions in Templar studies on the basis of as-yet unedited source material. Open issues and desiderata regarding the sources are discussed and from a range of inspiring results a new status quaestionis is proposed that will not only provide a better understanding of the Order’s archaeological, economical, religious, administrative and military history, but also set new points of departure for the editing of charters and administrative documents. The papers here are grouped into six sections, focusing on the headquarters of the Order, its charters, manpower and finance, religious life and finally the suppression and the Order’s afterlife.

The Pocket A-Z of the Knights Templar
The Pocket A-Z of the Knights Templar

Author: Gordon Napier

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2014-04-07

Total Pages: 367

ISBN-13: 0750958545

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Knights Templar were among the most famous of Christian military orders. Created after the First Crusade of 1096 and endorsed by the Catholic Church in 1129, the Order grew rapidly in membership and power. Templar knights were some of the best equipped, trained and disciplined fighting units of the Crusades. But when the Holy Land was lost and the Templars suffered crushing defeats, support for the Order faded and rumours about their secret initiation ceremony created mistrust. When the Order suddenly disappeared, disbanded by the Pope, it gave rise to speculation and legends that have kept the name ‘Templar’ alive. From Abbasids to Zion, The A–Z of the Knights Templar is an invaluable reference of the places, people and themes of the Crusades, the Knights Templar and their legacy.

The Knights Templar
The Knights Templar

Author: Stephen Howarth

Publisher: Barnes & Noble Publishing

Published: 1991

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13: 9780880296632

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The age of the Crusades encompassed the rise and fall of a singular Order of fighting men, equally devoted to God, war and the defense of Palestine. After the Crusades the Templars obeyed no one except the Pope and acquired land and castles by gift, conquest and purchase, becoming a church within the Church. They were bankers, merchants, diplomats and tax gatherers, and though they themselves were poor, the wealth of their Order was legendary. As the nation states arose the Templars were accused of heresy, treachery, sodomy, usury, blasphemy and idolatry. The author assesses the faults and fine qualities of the brotherhood, examining the reasons for its initial allure and eventual, ignominious obliteration.

Seven Myths of the Crusades
Seven Myths of the Crusades

Author: Alfred J. Andrea

Publisher: Hackett Publishing

Published: 2015-08-21

Total Pages: 201

ISBN-13: 1624664059

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"Seven Myths of the Crusades' rebuttal of the persistent and multifarious misconceptions associated with topics including the First Crusade, anti-Judaism and the Crusades, the crusader states, the Children's Crusade, the Templars and past and present Islamic-Christian relations proves, once and for all, that real history is far more fascinating than conspiracy theories, pseudo-history and myth-mongering. This book is a powerful witness to the dangers of the misappropriation and misinterpretation of the past and the false parallels so often drawn between the crusades and later historical events ranging from nineteenth-century colonialism to the protest movements of the 1960s to the events of 9/11. This volume's authors have venerable track records in teaching and researching the crusading movement, and anyone curious about the crusades would do well to start here." —Jessalynn Bird, Dominican University, co-Editor of Crusade and Christendom

Secret Societies of America's Elite
Secret Societies of America's Elite

Author: Steven Sora

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2003-02-24

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 1594778671

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An expose of the dark and critical role secret societies play within the ruling families in America and their influence on American democracy, current events, and world history. • Reveals the enormous influence secret societies still have on contemporary American life. • Shows how the secret Masonic cells that smuggled in the democratic ideals inspiring the American Revolution also enabled the future elite of the new society to build huge fortunes. Elite and secret societies have always been a major force in the history of Western civilization. The alliances formed in secret societies such as the Knights Templar, the Knights of Christ, and the Freemasons transcended patriotism and religious beliefs and had a powerful influence on the establishment of the United States of America. While these secret associations of merchants, smugglers, occultists, gamblers, spies, and slavers succeeded in freeing the United States from foreign domination, the dark side is that the elite used their secret connections to further their own wealth and power. These secret cells did not hesitate to sponsor the assassination of a president and even attempted to break up the union on several occasions when it was deemed expedient. From the Sons of Liberty and the Essex Junto to the Ku Klux Klan, secret societies have played critical roles in building the fortunes of America's elite. Now Steven Sora reveals in alarming detail how secretive societies continue to wield power even today as organizations such as Yale's Skull & Bones unite America's modern ruling families as strongly as Masonic Lodges once connected the Astors, Livingstons, and Roosevelts. Their immense power and wealth allow this elite to control America to an even greater degree than the Templars once dominated Europe.

First Templar Nation
First Templar Nation

Author: Freddy Silva

Publisher: Conran Octopus

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 318

ISBN-13: 9780985282431

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"In this fast-paced historical detective work, bestselling author Freddy Silva uses rare sources to upturn history and uncover the Templars' greatest and least-known accomplishment. Conventional history claims that in 1118 nine men formed a brotherhood in Jerusalem called the Knights Templar. But what if it could be shown that not only was this group greater in number, but they existed far earlier, and together with a secret group of monks named the Order of Sion they planned one of the most daring endeavors in history: the creation of Europe's first nation-state. But what motivated the Templars to establish this virgin territory 2000 miles west of Jerusalem? Was it related to a discovery under Temple Mount, a secret that required protection from the Church and for which the knights would rather die than reveal? What did their inner brotherhood know about an ancient esoteric practice called 'raising the dead'? Why did they build initiation chambers? Why the obsession with John the Baptist and Mary Magdalene? Why did Portuguese Templar Masters vow to protect a holy bloodline? And could their most famous chapel be the actual resting place of the one object most associated with the knights - the Grail? This original, eye-opening account will engage and surprise even the most seasoned Templar enthusiasts"--Publisher's description.