In 1099, the city of Jerusalem, a possession of the Islamic caliphate for over four hundred years, fell to an army of Christian knights intent on liberating the city from Islamic rule. From the ranks of these holy warriors emerged an order of monks trained in both scripture and the military arts: the Knights of the Temple of Solomon, called the Templars. In this engrossing chronicle, spanning three centuries, Piers Paul Read tells the bloody story of the Templars' rise to political and financial power throughout Europe and the Holy Land, their catastrophic fall, and their far-reaching legacy. Drawing on the most recent scholarship, Read blends historical authority with novelistic excitement to create a comprehensive history of the vaunted and feared warriors whose remarkable order still captures our imaginations today.

Author Biography

Piers Paul Read studied history at Cambridge University and has authored fourteen acclaimed novels and seven works of nonfiction, including the international bestseller Alive. His novels have won the Hawthornden Prize and the Geoffrey Faber, Somerset Maugham, and James Tait Black awards. He lives in London.