Jones makes history so accessible and interesting, without sacrificing depth and scholarship. His accounts are vivid and make great use of historical sources. The Templars is about the order of the Templar Knights, including how the order was formed, their influence over the centuries, and the way they’ve been transformed into myth.
I went into this book knowing nothing about the Templars except that they existed. The Knights Templar began as a group of knights dedicated to protecting Christians in Jerusalem, as well as the holy city itself. They took vows of poverty and chastity, and lived lives similar to those of Cistercian monks. However, they were also allowed to go into battle and to kill. In a very short period of time their power and money exploded. When they finally fell out of favor, it was in spectacular and bloody fashion (short but not spoilered version: they ran afoul of the king of France, who did not trust the order…and was also in debt to them).
I have read several books about this era (about 1119 until about 1312), but always with a focus on England. The Templars explains what was going on in Jersualem and in Western Europe during the Crusades. I especially enjoyed learning more about Spain and France during this period, and the capsule history of the city of Jerusalem was illuminating as well. Again, after so many books from, say, Richard the Lionheart’s point of view, it was also fascinating to learn more about Saladin.
Jones finishes the book with a discussion of how pop culture has transformed the Knights Templar, and the way their legacy has shifted and turned to myth, which makes a nice bookend to the historical narrative.
If you enjoy narrative history and are interested in the Middle Ages, definitely try Jones’s work! He also wrote the wonderful The Plantagenets and The Wars of the Roses.
–Marie
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