The Templars: The Secret History Revealed
By (Author) Barbara Frale
Translated by Gregory Conti
Foreword by Umberto Eco
Skyhorse Publishing
Skyhorse Publishing
1st May 2011
United States
General
Non Fiction
European history: medieval period, middle ages
European history
History and Archaeology
History of religion
Christianity
271.7913
Paperback
256
Width 140mm, Height 216mm, Spine 20mm
341g
Barbara Frale gives us an explosive, exhaustively researched history of the medieval worlds most powerful military order, the Templars. At its height, the Order of the Knights Templar rivaled the kingdoms of Europe in military might, economic power, and political influence. For 700 years, the tragic 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 Inquisitionwhich held the key to the truthhad vanished.
Templar historian Barbara Frale happened to be studying a document at the Vatican Secret Archives when she suddenly realized that it was none other than the long-lost transcript! It revealed that Pope Clement V had absolved the order of all charges of heresy. The Templars chronicles the spectacular rise and fall of the organization against a sweeping backdrop of war, religious fervor, and the struggle for dominance, and finally lifts the centuries-old cloak of mystery surrounding one of the worlds most intriguing secret societies.
Barbara Frale is a historian on staff at the Vatican Secret Archives. An expert in ancient documents, the Templars, and the Crusades, Frale is the author of several books including The Last Battle of the Templars, The Papacy and the Trial of the Templars, and The Templars. She is also the author of the acclaimed The Templars: The Secret History Revealed. Frale earned her PhD at the University of Venice. She lives in Italy.