The Templars: The Secret History Revealed

Barbara Frale gives us an explosive, exhaustively researched history of the medieval world’s most powerful military order: the Templars.

At its height, the Order of the Knights Templar rivalled the kingdoms of Europe in military might, economic power, and political influence. For 700 years, the demise of this society of warrior-monks amid accusations of heresy has been plagued by controversy, in part because the transcript of their trial by the Inquisition-which held the key to the truth —had vanished.

After nearly a millennium in obscurity, the document was unearthed by Templar historian Barbara Frale, who made the game-changing discovery that Pope Clement V had absolved the order of all charges of heresy. The Templars chronicles the spectacular rise and fall of the organisation against a sweeping backdrop of war, religious fervour, and the struggle for dominance. It finally lifts the centuries-old cloak of mystery surrounding one of the world’s most intriguing secret societies.