Barbara Frale gives us an explosive, exhaustively researched history of the medieval world’s most powerful military order, the Templars. At its height, the Order of the Knights Templar rivaled the kingdoms of Europe in military might, economic power, and political influence. For 700 years, the tragic demise of this society of warrior-monks amid accusations of heresy has been plagued by … controversy, in part because the transcript of their trial by the Inquisitionwhich held the key to the truthhad vanished.
Templar historian Barbara Frale happened to be studying a document at the Vatican Secret Archives when she suddenly realized that it was none other than the long-lost transcript! It revealed that Pope Clement V had absolved the order of all charges of heresy. The Templars chronicles the spectacular rise and fall of the organization against a sweeping backdrop of war, religious fervor, and the struggle for dominance, and finally lifts the centuries-old cloak of mystery surrounding one of the world’s most intriguing secret societies.
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Took me back to High School History class. Dry, too much like a textbook.
Very well-written historical book that reads more like a novel.
Loaded with facts about the Templars, it doesn’t read like a text book. The author tries to bring the characters (real people in real history) to life.
I found this book very informative. I’m not familiar with this era and learned much more about the world during the Crusades and the Templars especially. It is not easy to read because of the historical information but provides food for thought.
Bought this one for my husband – he loved it!
This is an historical non-fiction book of the history of The Templars. It is rich with historical characters and very easy to read.
excellent history of the Templars
A must read on Templar history. Very well written.
well documented ,easy to read
I had limited knowledge of the Templars and their end. This was a useful volume, though I would need to balance with a couple more to be confident of the facts.
Fantastic, well researched. No matter how the church tried to cover it up, it was always about the money.
A glimpse, albeit fiction, of a time in history when the secret society was at its zenith