This book is an essential exploration into the history of a legendary group of Crusaders, which are prominently featured in Dan Brown’s recent best seller, The Da Vinci Code. The Knights Templar rose from humble beginnings to become the most powerful military religious order of the Middle Ages. Formed to protect pilgrims in the Holy Land, they participated in the Crusades and rapidly gained wealth, lands, and influence. Seemingly untouchable for nearly two centuries, they fell from grace spectacularly after the loss of the Holy Land. In the ensuing centuries the Templars have exerted a unique influence over European history; orthodox historians see them as nothing more than soldier-monks whose arrogance was their ultimate undoing, while others see them as occultists of the first order. With clarity and ease, Martin navigates between the orthodox and the speculative, the historical and the myth, to bring alive the story of the Templars. Like those other legends of the Middle Ages—the characters of the Arthurian tales—The Knights Templar holds captive the imagination of all those intrigued by conspiracy and how history and myth intertwine to become the stuff of legend.

This book has received some good reviews on Amazon, although there was at least someone who did not like it. I thought that it was a good primer on the subject of the Knights Templer. It concerned itself mainly with historical fact although it did delve briefly into the Templar myths in the second part.

The book is short and written in a light style to allow you to digest it quickly. There is not much exploration of the history of the Templars just a move through key people and dates. Despite that, the book is not dry and I found it a bit of a page turner, since it starts with a scene of the Templar demise and asks why did the order rise so quickly and fall just as fast.

Sean Martin does a good job of tackling the subject before him. He does quote sources, although his primary sources are normally from other secondary sources, which can be dangerous as the context can disappear. He is discerning in how he views the medieval sources he uses, acknowledging that there were elements with their own positions to push.

He includes some recommended reading at the end and nicely divides it between those books on the fact and those on the myth. He has written a book about the fact although the last paragraph shows that he is not entirely unsympathetic towards the myth.

A good read and a good introduction to the Templars.

An interesting read for anyone caught up in The DaVinci code and wants to take it one step further. An interesting history for those looking for an interesting read or those who fully believe in some of the more complex ways of looking at these things.

An account of the Teplar's History and service and later deemed threat to the Church.

After reading "The Da Vinci Code" I wanted to know more about the real history behind the book. The Knights Templar turned out to be one of the most difficult subjects to find solid information on. This was practically the only book I could find that had any kind of respectable citations, although they are light even in this book. As I came to learn this was because there was very little hard history about the Templars, most of the stories are anecdotal at best and at worst mostly fiction. Sean Martin covers their history fairly and clearly delineates what is backed by hard evidence and what is purely anecdotal. The book is definitely brief but it covers the subject well and without the sensationalism most of the books on the subject use.

Tiny, short, ill-researched. I recommend this to those with more money than sense or whom are OBSESSED with getting anything and everything about the Templars regardless of how shaky the ground on which it stands. Avoid this one.