The Knights Templar faced two sets of charges during their trials between 1304 and 1314 that fell under Heresy and Sodomy. One crime involved denying the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the supremacy of the Roman Catholic church. The other crime, sodomy, was the use of sex to undermine the natural order of things. Both…
Did the Knights Templar know they were going to be arrested? It’s a key question because all those theories about the Templars burying secret treasure in various locations rests on the knights having advance knowledge that the French king’s forces were coming to round them up. Mainstream historians – and contemporary chroniclers – are almost…
On November 30 this year, my new book on the Knights Templar is published by Pen & Sword. It’s the first of a trilogy from this publisher – all authored by me – covering every aspect of this enigmatic order of holy warriors. This will answer every question you’ve ever had on the Knights Templar…
Make sure to watch an amazing episode of Laurence Fishburne’s History’s Greatest Mysteries on the Templars, in which I appear revealing secrets about our favourite holy warriors. Season five is now airing and in episode two – The Lost Fortune of the Knights Templar – we discuss stories of lost treasure and why the knights…
One thinks of The Crusades as being a very macho affair full of swinging swords and the clash of steel – and indeed it was for over two hundred years. During that period, some of the leading warriors provoked gossip over their preference for men between the sheets. Being gay didn’t in any way diminish…
The Vatican has announced it’s going to introduce new rules to authenticate miracles as social media promotes unverified claims. For the pope – modern technology has created plenty of new heretics. And if there’s only thing the Roman Catholic church enjoys doing – and that’s rooting out a heresy! You might have imagined a few…
The trials of the Knights Templar saw prosecutors using accusations of demonic magic and necromancy. It was an early sign that witchcraft and sorcery were moving into the medieval mainstream. Previously, wizards and witches, while being condemned, were viewed as a fringe threat to Christian belief – a hangover from paganism. But in the late…
Many stories from history involve those who have brought upon themselves ill fortune by their endeavours. Cursed Histories investigates these frightening tales from the past. And I’m one of the experts so make sure to watch the Super Channel in Canada over the next few weeks to catch this amazing series. The show was nominated…
The medieval Easter was the most important event in the church calendar during the time of the Knights Templar as Tony McMahon discovers
It’s hard to believe today but if you went back to the 13th century – you would have found something very different at Hampton Court Palace. No magnificent complex of Tudor and Stuart buildings but a medieval manor run by the Knights Hospitaller – under the direction of the Priory at Clerkenwell, which was the…
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