The Knights Templars

A gripping history of the legendary warrior monks of the Middle AgesFew names in medieval history evoke as much fascination as the Knights Templar, guardians of pilgrims, warriors of the Crusades, and figures surrounded by mystery, power, and dramatic downfall.In this authoritative classic, Charles G. Addison traces the complete story of the Order from its humble beginnings in the early twelfth century and its rise as one of the most formidable military and financial institutions of Christendom to its sudden suppression in the early fourteenth century under King Philip IV of France and Pope Clement V, culminating in the tragic fate of Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master.Rich in historical detail, today’s readers will also discover the enduring legacy of the Templars in European memory together with a fascinating study of the remarkable architecture of the Temple Church in England, where narrative drama meets careful historical scholarship.Presented here in an illustrated edition with complete footnotes, this volume remains an essential resource for all who seek to understand the Crusades, medieval Europe, the religious military orders of Christendom, and the historical roots of the Templar legend.A timeless study of faith, power, betrayal, and memory, this work stands as the definitive nineteenth-century history of the Knights Templar.Excerpt: 'The extraordinary and romantic career of the Knights Templars, their exploits and their misfortunes, render their history a subject of peculiar interest.Born during the first fervour of the Crusades, they were flattered and aggrandized as long as their great military power and religious fanaticism could be made available for the support of the Eastern church and the retention of the Holy Land, but when the crescent had ultimately triumphed over the cross, and the religio-military enthusiasm of Christendom had died away, they encountered the basest ingratitude in return for the services they had rendered to the christian faith, and were plundered, persecuted, and condemned to a cruel death, by those who ought in justice to have been their defenders and supporters. The memory of these holy warriors is embalmed in all our recollections of the wars of the cross; they were the bulwarks of the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem during the short period of its existence, and were the last band of Europe’s host that contended for the possession of Palestine.'