The Templars

A well researched and articulated account of The Templars' crucial role in the Crusades and the shocking events surrounding their downfall.

I was all excited to read this book; to finally get some details about the mysterious Templars. I acknowledge that the mandate of the Templars was to make war upon Muslims and to protect Christians but I wish the book didn't spend so much time on the war aspect. I wasn't here to learn the play-by-play of the battle tactics and what the opposing historians thought of the other side, I was wanting to know about the structure and workings within the Templars.

The book does tell you that they knew the right people with the right connections, at the right time but then veers off to the battle. It does describe the buildings they acquire/build in the east but doesn't really go into details about the running of them. There are mentions of people but only those that are in the battles.

Another good thing, for a movie geek like myself; before the loan expired I did find out that several of the characters in the movie Kingdom of Heaven were based on real people.

Unfortunately I didn't finish this book. This was unusual as I'm normally a fan of Dan Jones. But The Templars was a real slog. The problem was that the book is a list of dates when events happened, and who got involved. It attempts to juggle too many people and places to make for a compelling narrative. This muddled, superficial approach prevents the text from flowing. Parts seem to be underwritten and too brief. Other parts seem too long and rambling. While information on the general period in history is included to provide context they aren't all that compelling. So what we end up with is a history of the crusades, with the Templars popping in and out from time to time. The book needs more focus on The Templers themselves. It was let down by a lack of in-depth analysis of the economic, theological and political factors that underpinned the rise and fall of the order. The takeaway was that The Templars became corrupt, amassed wealth and became part of the establishment. There is a vacuum which has yet to be filled to defend the religion from not only outside threats but from corruption and evil eating it from within, which is in danger of destroying Christianity. Best avoided.

I read this in two formats: partly as an ebook, and partly as an audiobook. I find that it goes a mite faster while in audio format, but that I couldn't concentrate on the details as much as I would have if I were reading it. Either way though, this is a pretty fun read, if a bit dry in some places. Considering the amount of fictionalised accounts out there about the Templars (to say nothing of the outright lies), it was nice to read something that just told their history without trying to embroider any details or make up any conspiracies. Of all the chapters, though, I think the last one's the most important, because it's where Jones details all the myths that've sprung up around the Templars in the hundreds of years since their fall - including how they've been used to promote white supremacy. That last bit's very important imo, considering how the Templar name is being used to legitimise an abhorrent ideology.

I enjoyed this book, but nowhere near as much as his works on the Plantagenets and The War Of the Roses. I felt an absence of passion for this subject as compared to medieval English history - the absence was probably mine (but perhaps a little was his?).