The Templars: History and Myth: From Solomon's Temple to the Freemasons

I was in two minds after finishing this book. If you are familiar with the time periods covered you may find this book a little too simplistic. If you have a good working knowledge of, say, the medieval period this book will still be useful to you as it covers the Biblical to Byzantine period to explain how we arrived at the Crusader period. As all students of history know, all trees have roots. The authors knowledge of these earlier periods is somewhat lesser than the Medieval period and does not reflect the latest scholarship. However no less valid as what he wrote was still in vogue when I studied history at University. As we know, revisionism is rife and things may change again. For the medieval period, essentially what we are buying the book for, it is well written, even very funny in places, and insightful. I particularly liked his point on the Byzantines essentially viewing Islam as another branch of Christianity when they first came across it. Something that seems strange now with hindsight, but a point well made and something I had not considered before. This book is post Chinon document, so good for the end of the Templars. To some up, If you are new to this area or only wish to buy one Templar book, buy this one. Certainly worth five stars. If you have already read a lot of Malcolm Barber or Helen Nicholson pass this one over unless you didn't get the in depth Barber straight in your head! Still a very enjoyable read none the less.

This book is wonderfully full of information for those wanting to learn more about the Knights Templar. Moving away from "alternative history" inspired by conspiracy theorists and novelists, this book points the way to the evidence that throws the Templars into a whole new light. The book does not force any particular religious or political view point, but remains objective in how it deals with the information, and only descends into subjectivity when debunking the swelling mass of conspiracy theories, highlighting the author's dislike of bad history. My one criticism of the book is that the proofreaders have failed to notice some basic grammatical mistakes and spelling errors, but other than that I found that I couldn't stop reading this fascinating book.

On Christmas Day in 1119 at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, on the spot which marks the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, a religious order of fighting knights was established to protect pilgrims to the Holy Land from attacks by Muslim raiders. Because their headquarters was on the Temple Mount, where King Solomon had built his Temple two thousand years previously, they called themselves the Poor Knights of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon - although they are most commonly known as the Knights Templar. Over the following two hundred years the order became one of the wealthiest and most powerful forces in the medieval world until, falsely accused of blasphemy, heresy and immorality, they were destroyed by King Philip IV of France in 1307. Ever since, the Templars have been the subject of wild speculation and conspiracy theories galore and in this fascinating and very readable book the classical and medieval historian, Michael Haag, distills the fact from the fiction as he retells the story of the Knights Templar from Crusader-era Jerusalem to the present day.There are countless books about the Knights Templar on the market but what attracted me to this particular one was that it is the first history of the order, written by a serious historian, since the discovery of the Chinon Parchment in the Vatican archives in 2001. This document showed that in 1308 Pope Clement V had absolved the Templars from the exaggerated charges brought against them by King Philip’s Inquisition. The Parchment, combined with other historical sources cited in the book, proves - according to Haag - that the Templars were simply “the victims of a titanic power struggle between France and the Papacy, between emerging European nationalism on the one hand and the universalist claims of the Church on the other” - rather than some unholy conspiracy cooked up by secret dark forces as some of the more outlandish theories of their demise proclaim.An outstandingly good read for history buffs and those interested in the esoteric, this very well laid out, well-illustrated book is divided into 7 parts and 20 chapters making it easy to dip in to - and out of - at your leisure. With each chapter sub-divided into key points it is very much targeted at modern readers like me with internet-induced short attention spans [there is actually a guide to recommended Templar sites on the internet for those wishing to use the web to find out more]. It also has a useful section on places associated with the Templars which I found particularly interesting as I am planning to visit Jerusalem and the Holy Land – or the land of Outremer as it was known in Templar times – shortly and I’ve put a number of these locations on my list of things to see while I’m there. What is striking, after having read this book, is how much of the modern world has been shaped by this band of chaste warrior monks and how their legacy survives, in the most unlikely of places, right up to the present day.

It was a very good read and in depth informationRecommend to anyone that is interested in the knights templars.

This should be compulsory reading in schools. It covers a swathe of history which is, of course, affecting our world today. It's both well written and illuminating. Haag's style makes history detailed and accessible, Thoroughly recommended.

Ive only just started reading the book but I’m already gripped by the compelling writing style and the gritty depth of information and description used.

An interesting historical account of the origins of the Knights Templar including some of the myths and legends associated with this military religious order from the Middle Ages. I was quite surprised reading through the book as it was quite detailed and offered a very easy reading style. This is not an easy subject area to read unless you’re a real history enthusiast or have particular interest in the Templar story. It offered varying accounts of some key events such as the different theories around events that led to the battle of Hattin and the actions of characters like Raymond of Tripoli.It was also interesting to read about the Chinon Parchment and the role it could have played in the final outcome in the trial of Jacques de Molay, definitely worth further reading. All in all a very good book if you are interested in historical facts not just conjecture, speculation and downright fairytales. My only criticism would be some of the typo errors especially where Raymond became Reynald and made some of the reading a bit confusing. Otherwise I would have been happy to give 5 stars!!

Those who are either, Knights Templars, inspiring to become one, or those who just love their history, this book is a must have! Factually and informative. Also the price is a steal!!! Awesome book!

La première grande partie du livre donne un portrait très complet de l'époque, avant et après Jésus : les Gnoses, la naissance de l'Islam, ce qui explique pourquoi Jérusalem fut disputée par les ultras des trois religions.L'arrivée sur scène des Templiers - et des autres ordres de moines-soldats - devient alors presque naturelle.La troisième partie traite des mythes autour des chevaliers du Temple et de la plupart de sociétés qui revendiquent un héritage… c'est la partie la plus faible du livre.Ouvrage recommandé

This book is really well written. It's easy to ready even for a non specialistic approacher. The only negative thing is that there aren't foot notes.

Interesting read with a lot of valuable information about the Templars and their downfall. Many historical references and templar locations

THE TEMPLARS – HISTORY & MYTH by Michael HaagI have been interested in the history of the Knights Templar for years and have read many books about them, both fiction and non-fiction. A friend recommended The Templars – History and Myth, by Michael Haag, and I found this to be the most comprehensive and interesting book on the topic. Just as the author states – it covers from the building of Solomon’s Temple to the Freemasons, a guide to Templar history, culture and locations.I learned a lot from this book about the Templars, the vast history that led to their existence, and their legacy. I liked that the author offered different accounts of what was recorded at the time. I also enjoyed his style of writing, which helped me understand the considerable amount of information provided, and made it easy to imagine the places and people.I greatly appreciated the chronology at the end, the extensive reference list, and his opinions on many of the fiction and non-fiction books and movies on the subject. I have just finished reading one of his fiction recommendations which I thoroughly enjoyed.Because of the amount of information contained in this book, I will be making time to read it again.