The history of the Knights Templars is a remarkable story of triumphs and defeats, marked with controversies and tragedy. From their rise to their demise, Charles G. Addison captivatingly chronicles the various characters that played a role in shaping this powerful military order that reigned for almost two centuries during the Middle Ages.
Including previously unpublished and little known material, this cutting-edge book presents a detailed discussion of the archaeological evidence of the five military orders in the Latin East: - the Hospitallers - the Templars - the Teutonic Knights - the Leper Knights of St Lazarus - the Knights of St Thomas.
A mystery that spans the past A conspiracy that lives on in the heart of an ancient order... Army Ranger Lt. Col. John Holliday had resigned himself to ending his career teaching at West Point. When his uncle passes away, Holliday discovers a medieval sword-wrapped in Adolf Hitler's personal battle standard. But when someone burns down his uncle's house in an attempt to retrieve the sword, Holliday realizes that he's being drawn into a war that has been fought for centuries-a war in which he may be the next casualty.
The Templars were a shadowy medieval cult proscribed by a joint decision of the King of France and the Pope. It was originally founded to fight for Christianity, but over time_as the Templars acquired immense power, adopted heretical teachings, and established a capitalist system based on material gain, their order fell afoul of the Church. After being dispersed, the cult survived underground.
From Library Journal Student of philology in 1970s Milan, Casaubon is completing a thesis on the Templars, a monastic knighthood disbanded in the 1300s for questionable practices. At Pilades Bar, he meets up with Jacopo Belbo, an editor of obscure texts at Garamond Press. Together with Belbo's colleague Diotallevi, they scrutinize the fantastic theories of a prospective author, Colonel Ardenti, who claims that for seven centuries the Templars have been carrying out a complex scheme of revenge. When Ardenti disappears mysteriously, the three begin using their detailed knowledge of the occult sciences to construct a Plan for the Templars [...]
