royvdb's review against another edition
4.0
The middle part was more about the crusades than the Templars. But the origins and the downfall were an interesting read.
basbleu_dans_labiblioteque's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
4.0
lillucys's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
4.0
The Knights Templar were the wealthiest and most powerful religious military orders during the times of the crusaders. The historian Dan Jones, who's podcast This is History is a bite size series now into season 3, knows his history!
I read this book, having already read In the Reign of King John: A Year in the Life of Plantagenet England in December 2022, provides a broader overview of how the Templars were formed in the early 1100's and their fall just over 200 years later.
The book is in 4 parts, Pilgrims, Soldiers, Banks and Heretics and it covers all the major crusades that they had involvement with and although it is a very broad overview, you get a good insight into the order over the course of just over 400 pages it is a good introduction to this period of history.
I read this book, having already read In the Reign of King John: A Year in the Life of Plantagenet England in December 2022, provides a broader overview of how the Templars were formed in the early 1100's and their fall just over 200 years later.
The book is in 4 parts, Pilgrims, Soldiers, Banks and Heretics and it covers all the major crusades that they had involvement with and although it is a very broad overview, you get a good insight into the order over the course of just over 400 pages it is a good introduction to this period of history.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Animal death, Chronic illness, Violence, War, Blood, Physical abuse, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
deavery's review against another edition
2.0
The kind of history books I really can't stand or appreciate. Just a mere enunciation of facts, very 19-century like (if you like simple facts, then, go ahead). Stopped reading.
flexmentallo's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Dan Jones is an excellent writer, which tends to make his histories more readable than the average historian's. Here, he covers the two centuries of the Knights Templar, their rise and fall, and the Crusades that happened around them. It's an interesting book, and while it is obviously from a Western point-of-view, he does include some Muslim histories to give a different view of what was happening. Overall, this is interesting and informative, even if it has to skim over a lot of the people and events in order to cover the broader sweep of the order as a whole.
jacksinderby's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Brief history covering the formation and demise of the templars in the holy land