This is the first history of the Templars presented since the Vatican published its sensational records, clearing them of heresy. It investigates the Templars' history, legends and mysteries, and the belief that their hand can be seen in everything from the Cathar heresy to Masonic conspiracies. An order of warrior monks founded after the First Crusade to protect pilgrims to Jerusalem, the Templars developed into one of the wealthiest and most powerful bodies in the medieval world. Two centuries later, accused of blasphemy and heresy, the Knights' order was abolished, and their leaders burnt at the stake. The Templars> explains the whole context of Templar history, from its origins in the mysteries of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem through to the nineteenth century development of the Freemasons.
368pp, 160mm x 212mm, illus. in b&w, hardback, 2008