In The Knights Templar, Alan Butler provides an overview of the mysterious and once-powerful order of warrior monks. From their creation in 1129 (shortly after the First Crusade) to their violent end in 1307 [when the French King had them declared heretics so he could cancel his debts and seize their assets], Butler walks through their rise, daily life, rules of conduct, participation in the crusades, and more. He concludes with a section on select legends concerning them- mostly on the vanished Templar fleet and gold.
This was . . . okay. Rampant grammatical errors and poor writing, coupled with uneven narrative (some things are repeated, other topics skipped) and questionable scholarship normally make for a worthless read. However, the plentiful illustrations are wonderful (I especially enjoyed seeing Medieval art relevant to the topic), so it may stay on my shelf despite its flaws.
Rating: C
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