The Order of the Temple, founded in 1119 to protect pilgrims around Jerusalem, developed into one of the most influential corporations in the medieval world. It has retained its hold on the modern imagination thanks to the dramatic events of the Templars' trial and abolition two hundred years later, and has been invoked in historical mysteries from Masonic conspiracy to the survival of the Turin shroud. Malcolm Barber's lucid narrative separates myth from history in this full and detailed account of the Order, from its origins, flourishing and suppression to the Templars' historic afterlife.
Contents
1. Origins; 2. The concept; 3. The rise of the Templars in the east in the twelfth century; 4. Hattin to La Forbie; 5. The last years of the Templars in Palestine and Syria; 6. Templar life; 7. The Templar network; 8. The end of the Order; 9. From Molay's curse to Foucault's Pendulum.
Review
'… the Templars evolved into one of the most powerful military forces of the Middle Ages. The story of their rise and sensational fall is the subject of this splendid book.' The Observer
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