Product Description

Here is a complete account of one of the strangest phenomena of medieval history: The Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ, the Knights of The Temple of Solomon - more popularly known as The Knights Templar. In their brotherhood, the Knights united two conflicting medieval ideals, for they were both monks and warriors, committed to God and committed to war. In the strict hierarchy of the feudal world, where every man owed loyalty and allegiance to his overlord, The Templars obeyed no one except The Pope. Acquiring land and castles by gift conquest and purchase in every part of Europe and the eastern Mediterranean, they became a church within the Church - a state within the State. They were bankers, merchants, diplomats and tax gatherers and though themselves poor the wealth of their order was legendary. They led the Crusades against Moslem States of the East, yet when their order was destroyed in 1314, its enemies were not Muslims but Christians. Individually and as a group they were accursed of heresy, treachery, sodomy, usury, blasphemy, idolatry and a number of unspeakable sins. Pope Clement to whom The Order owed complete allegiance described them as 'horrible, wicked and detestable'. Charting the rise and fall of The Order, tracing the lives and deaths of its members, examining the motives of its supporters and opponents, Stephen Howarth cuts through the myths and legends and sets out the true historical facts.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #413992 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 321 pages

Review
A brisk narrative history of the Knights Templar and their place in medieval Europe, untroubled by the scholarly disputation that has long surrounded their fate. From 1118 until 1303, when their last stronghold in the Holy Land fell, the Templars were a dominant force not only in the Holy Land but throughout Europe. "There were many monastic orders which offered salvation through prayer, meditation, or charitable acts," Howarth writes; "but at that time only the Templars promised eternal life through fighting." With a bastion in the Holy Land, the Templars received massive financial support from extensive tax-free holdings throughout Europe, and were so trusted that they acted as bankers to entire kingdoms. Subject only to the Pope himself, they were both adored and feared - by rulers and people alike. But the envy they aroused, combined with the Templars' utter secrecy in all their activities, ultimately caused their downfall. When the Muslim leaders finally united and drove the Christian kingdoms into the sea, the Templars "seemed to many people" to have "no further reason or right to exist." (Howarth's account of their situation, country-by-country, and the traces of their existence that remain, is one of the more intriguing aspects of the book.) In 1307 Philip the Fair of Spain arrested all 500 Templars in France in a single night. Mass imprisonment, torture, confessions, and executions followed in short order; and though the Templars' reputation for virtue survived (at least, as Howarth interprets the evidence), the Order itself did not. The Pope (then a puppet of the French king) ordered it dissolved, and the Templars faded into history. Their rivals, the Hospitalers, were to survive 500 years longer, fighting the Muslims and Turks until a later French ruler, Napoleon, did away with them. Howarth's enthusiasm for his subject and the immediacy of his telling should go over well with armchair Crusaders. (Kirkus Reviews)

About the Author
Stephen Howarth is a professional historian and author. He comes from a family of teachers and writers. His first book was a history of the Koh-i.Noor diamond (Quartet) He is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Customer Reviews

Don't buy if you're looking for a conspiracy theory
This was an excellent history of the Templars and the Crusades. No conspiracy theories are present; Howarth just gives the known history of the Templars, and he does it in a very, very good manner. This was the most interesting history book that I have ever read, and one of the most enjoyable books I can ever remember reading. I had no idea the Crusades were so interesting before reading this book. Stories like King Richard (the Lion-Hearted) trying to steal a peasant's hawk and almost getting killed by the owner make this book a delight to read. Reynald de Chatillion and Richard were definitely the best characters in this book. Their exploits are simply amazing (and hilarious). I got this book to study the Templars and ended up getting so interested in the Crusades that I got some more books on the subject.

As for the content about the Templars, I cannot imagine a better presentation of their deeds. He does not hypothesize about their having the Holy Grail or the Ark of the Covenant; he simply gives what we know with reasonable certaintly about the development and actions of the Knights Templar, and he does not give it in a vacuum as conspiracy theorists do. Conspiracy theory books about the Templar tend to just report the Templar's deeds and take them out of context. Howarth gives the context. In fact, he gives about as much context as he does actual information about the Templars. Conspiracy theory books point to the fact that the Templars got away with nearly anything as evidence that they had some dirt on the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, they fail to mention that anyone else also got away with nearly anything back then: Crusading kings (i.e. Richard) would sack Christian cities on the way to the crusade and receive not even a scolding. This context is important for understand the Templars. They cannot be viewed in a vacuum, or else conspiracy theories start popping up. They look very strange to us nowadays, but when looked at in the company of other Medieval events and people, they look far more normal.

To the best of my knowledge, Howarth is very accurate in his presentation of the Templars (I especially liked his treatment of the Templar trials when the order was dissolved by Pope Clement). He cites a large number of primary sources, and I do not think that he makes conclusions beyond the merits of the evidence. If you are interested in studying the Knights Templar, this is an excellent book to begin with. With the context that this book provides, you will be able to critically examine the claims made about the Templar by other authors. The only complaint I have is that it should have included a map of the Holy Land.

Overall grade: A+

Non-scholarly overview of the Knights Templar
"Knights Templar" is a good introduction to the Templar military religious order. However, I don't believe it represents any new scholarship on the subject.

Howarth's prose is clear and concise. The book adopts a strict chronological order.

Unfortunatly, the book lacks proper maps to support the narrative. Place names and scaled maps for the medieval Levant and Europe are sorely needed. The strategy of the Order's Holy Land garrissons is impossible to understand without them. In addition, in many sections the Order are mere "spear carriers" to more famous historical figures (Richard the Lion Hearted and Philip I of France to name two).

The book is a good introduction to the Order. It is very readable. However, a more quantitative analysis of the Order's finances, logistics, population, and strategy for defense of the Holy Land would have been appreciated.

Introducing...the Templar Knights! [applause]
As other reviewers have said before me, this is pretty much a book to introduce someone to the legend and history of the Templar Knights. I could sense that reading the book myself, and I even had an incident where I was reading this book in a hotel lobby - the clerk told me he had read it, and it indeed skips through much of Templar history.

Does this mean its a bad read? Well, no not really, in fact it's quite a good read for any one who wants to read non-fiction and doesn't want to sit through 500 pages. Stephen Howarth weaves events and characters well, and keeps you turning the page like any author should. The only problem is, as I already suggested, it tends to glance over much of the church's order. The strongest points in the book are the opening, (with a great description of Philip and his executions) the rise of the Order, and the very end when the Templars are betrayed by church and nobility alike. Much of the pages inbetween these sections focus on Medieval and Crusade history. Now, it's all well and good to explain the time period to the read and make sure they understand the current timeline, but sometimes I wondered just how much we needed to know. Reading about Crusaders pirating down the Red Sea for several pages made me wonder just what the heck it had to do with the Templar Knights. All I understood about the Templar role in the Crusades was 1) they defended travellers, 2) they defended castles, and 3) they were often scapegoats. And lots of the latter, apparently. Howarth spends half the book apologizing for the order or saying something along the lines of, "Well, OK, just because they did this doesn't mean they were bad, someone did it worse..."

This book has made me interested in going out and buying other books on the Templar Knights, and like I said I enjoyed reading it. However, if you already have some knowledge of the Crusades or the Templar Order itself, then you may want to skip it.