The Templars were one of many religious orders that arose in medieval Europe and the East—but without doubt, it was the most famous and mysterious. Beginning in very humble circumstances, the Order of the Temple quickly became the most powerful organization of its time, and its knights turned into half-legendary figures. The destruction of the order at the beginning of the 14th century shocked the Christian world. The end of the Templars came so abruptly and was so brutal that it gave birth to new legends about them.
And today, more than seven centuries after the defeat of the order, the Templars are not forgotten: interest in them has not faded, people want to imitate them, and some are literally obsessed with them.
So who were the knights of the Order of the Temple really? The British historian Dan Jones believes that much of the Templars’ history echoes powerfully in today’s world. His book is not only about the knights of the Temple, but also about the endless war in Palestine, Syria, and Egypt; about an international organization more powerful than some governments; about the connection between finance and geopolitics; about the power of propaganda and myth-making; and finally about brutality, betrayal, and treachery.