It’s Christmas and for the Templar in your life – there is surely only one gift. Give him or her the first two books in my trilogy on the history of the Knights Templar, published by Pen & Sword and now available on Amazon, and other online stores. Surely the ideal Templar Christmas present for this year (or any year)!
The first book – The Knights Templar: History & Mystery – sees me gallop through two hundred years of history from the foundation of the Templars in the year 1118 through to their destruction in 1312 and the burning to death of the last grand master, Jacques de Molay, in 1314. It’s jam packed with heroic and dastardly medieval characters from kings and princes to knights and assassins.
Reviews were overwhelmingly positive when this book was released in early 2025. For example:
“This is a very fascinating read for anyone interested in the Knights Templar, I highly recommend it if you would like to know more about them, beliefs of how they were formed, their downfall and I guess fall from grace.“
The second book – Downfall of the Templars: Guilty of Diabolic Magic? – takes up the story of the Templars with their mass arrest, imprisonment, and torture at the hands of King Philip IV of France. In 1307, he set out to crush the Templars and seize their assets for the crown. To achieve this, he bullied Pope Clement V into going along with his plan.
In this book, I examine both Philip and Clement, looking at their respective motives and the dynamics in their relationship. But then I investigate the possibility that Philip believed the Templars were guilty of some of the appalling crimes of which they were accused. This led me to the conclusion that the trials of the Templars foreshadowed the witch trials that were about to erupt across Europe a century later. I present my evidence to you in the book.
Next year, Pen & Sword will bring out the third book in the trilogy which will focus solely on the alleged connection between the Knights Templar and the Freemasons. Is this completely fictional? Well, the answer is complicated and draws us into a murky world of treason and dirty politics. I’m not a Freemason myself but I’ve found this topic fascinating.
So, to fully educate yourself on the Templars – get your copies of the two books already out and wait with bated breath for the third book next year. I’ve gone mad on the research giving you all the facts and stories you need to be the most expert person on the subject.
Happy reading!
