Author : Stephen Howarth
Release : 1991
Genre : History
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 632/5 ( reviews)
Book Synopsis The Knights Templar by : Stephen Howarth
Download or read book The Knights Templar written by Stephen Howarth. This book was released on 1991. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The age of the Crusades encompassed the rise and fall of a singular Order of fighting men, equally devoted to God, war and the defense of Palestine. After the Crusades the Templars obeyed no one except the Pope and acquired land and castles by gift, conquest and purchase, becoming a church within the Church. They were bankers, merchants, diplomats and tax gatherers, and though they themselves were poor, the wealth of their Order was legendary. As the nation states arose the Templars were accused of heresy, treachery, sodomy, usury, blasphemy and idolatry. The author assesses the faults and fine qualities of the brotherhood, examining the reasons for its initial allure and eventual, ignominious obliteration.