Overwritten unless you need a FULL background of the Crusades. However, If you already understand the Crusades, but if it’s been awhile, it might be a good refresher. Well written and lively but not overly scholarly.

Read is definitely on the side of the Order but points out it’s flaws and shortcomings. He is also sympathetic to the Crusaders as a check against Islam gaining a foothold in Western Europe. Still he doesn’t whitewash either sides’ deficiencies. He just doesn’t like Islam much and presents his argument however biased it might be. The last chapter might even be seen to be prophetic given it was written in 1999.

He debunks most of the latter day myths (freemasonry, etc.)

Good bibliography, decent notes and index. ( )

Tento rytířský řád vznikl na obranu křesťanských principů s cílem zasahovat všude tam, kde byly v ohrožení. Navrací nás o tisíc let nazpět, do doby, kdy první křižácká výprava z Evropy vymanila roku 1099 Jeruzalém a Šalamounův chrám z nadvlády islámu, pod níž se nacházel čtyři století. Na obranu svatých křesťanských symbolů i křesťanství jako takového se z rytířů ustavil ozbrojený sbor, říkající si templáři. Jejich oddaná služba poutníkům do Svaté země, jejichž životy s nasazením svých vlastních bránili proti útočníkům, i jejich dvě století trvající krvavý boj proti islámským uchvatitelům, jehož bilance byla katastrofální, to všechno Read popisuje barvitě a s detailní znalostí dějů. Zdůrazňuje jejich život na principech chudoby a odříkání, avšak i potřebu finančních prostředků k existenci této první organizované mezinárodní armády. To se stalo i příčinou neslavného konce templářů. Jejich provázání s evropskou oligarchií vyděsilo světské i církevní hodnostáře, a ti s touto kdysi bohulibou, teď už však politicky příliš mocnou organizací rázně a s tragickými důsledky skoncovali.

LOS TEMPLARIOS

Alabados por su ascetismo, castidad y defensa a ultranza del cristianismo, denostados por herejes, sadomitas y traidores capaces de vender Tierra Santa a los infieles musulmanes, fuente de inspiración del genio creativo de Wagner en Parsifal y Walter Scott en Ivanhoe, los caballeros templarios formaron uno de los ejércitos más temidos y poderosos de la historia.

La orden de los templarios, cuyos miembros recibían una rígida educación religiosa y militar, se formó en la primera cruzada, tras la conquista de Jerusalén, con el fin de defender de la amenaza musulmana la Ciudad Santa, el templo de Salomón y a los peregrinos que acudían a Tierra Santa. Tal formación se convirtió en el primer ejército estable uniformado en el mundo occidental y alcanzó un elevado poder financiero al desarrollar una forma casi precursora del sistema bancario internacional, cuya influencia se dejó sentir durante dos centurias hasta ser aplastada totalmente por Clemente V en 1312.

Haciendo alarde de su indudable habilidad para plasmar los acontecimientos del pasado, el historiador y novelista Piers Paul Read separa en esta emocionante crónica realidad y ficción y relata con detalle el ascenso y el declive de los monjes guerreros, situándolos en un vasto contexto político y social.

Really tells you nothing about the Templars..........I understand that you cannot tell the story of the Templars without telling the story of the Crusades but I am sure there is enough information and research out there to flesh this out a little more and engage the reader on a different level. ( )

I suspect this book was published to capitalize on the Da Vinci Code success, but was in the works for awhile. This book is rich in details, explaining the history and the Knight Templars. And pretty much everything you know about them is wrong.

First, they were organized to protect Christian Pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem from slavers, pirates, and the Islamic Caliphate. Their loyalty was to the Pope, not to any state or king. As their power grew, they turned into a military force that warred with the Caliphate, also interested in the area. Sometimes it was the Caliphate who initiated the violence, other times, it was the Christians. At the end, an initiate that was kicked out, claimed that the Templers were actually in league with the Devil, including holding Satanic Masses. It started a witch hunt, and nations that were upset about having to support the Templars, used this as an excuse to take away Templar property, lock up Templars (even the old and elderly) and generally take control from the Pope.

This book is dense. Lots of names, every chapter lasts around 25 years or so. As a result, it can be difficult to follow the narrative. There is so much to time to cover, that the individual details tend to blur together. This is a book I can only read a few pages at time, and it took me most of the year to do it. However, the result was worth reading. The real history of the Knight Templars is so much better than the mythology.

Some interesting points from this book:

Free Masonry was associated with the Knight Templars. But, in this book, they were only mentioned a handful of times, and that was in conjunction with building castles and fortresses.

On Homosexuality - at different times, the Church had different views on what was homosexual activities. A monk wrote in a letter about 100 years before the founding of the Knight Templars: "Of course if you get a bunch of men together, they are going to do certain acts". Also, at the time, only one act counted as sex, and it was only between a man and women.

On Judaism - I never realized why Islam is against Jews. Its the same reason as Christians are - At the time, Muslims considered Jews to be a cousin tribe - so rejection of Mohammad is a bit of a slap in the face to the family.

On Christian Kingdoms - Europe has actually set up a Christian Kingdom in Jerusalem and manage to hold it for a a few hundred years - something I did not know. ( )