The Templars by Dan Jones

Review By Elleanore Vance

In Great Britain school children are taught about the Plantagenets, (Henry II to Richard III), and no story involving those British kings would be complete without mention of the Templars. I was not one of these children, so I had to learn about these 'holy' warriors from renowned historian Dan Jones.

As an American student,  my knowledge of the Knights Templars and the crusades could be summed up in two sentences:
   1) The Templars were a group of warrior monks across Europe,  sanctioned by the Pope and later the Holy Roman Emperor. 
   2) The Crusades were a series of Holy Wars urged on by several different Popes (over the years) to secure Jerusalem for Christians.

As I found out, that is just the tip of the proverbial  iceberg. Author Dan Jones details wave after wave of those bloody and horrendous battles, as well as the kings and Popes who lead them. This falls into an area of history that should make you feel uncomfortable, especially if you are a Christian. I actually urge every Christian to read this book and learn if the atrocities done in the name of Christ and Salvation. It seems that the motto of the day was "Our Way Or Death" for these Middle Age Christians. Forgive me if I fail to see where the church has changed drastically in its persuit of conformity. (Protestants, y'all ain't off the hook for this. This is before Martin Luther put his note on the church door, so this is your history,  too)

Well written and firmly grounded, this isn't a scholar's history; dry and dull. This is a reader's history: action packed, blood soaked, and full of intrigue.

I invite you to forget what you thought Dan Brown (Angels and Demons, The DaVinci Code) and "The Maltese Falcon" taught you about these warrior priests, and learn the real, uncomfortable history.

⭐⭐⭐⭐4.5/5