The Knights Templar: A History Strange and True

The Knights Templar: A History Strange and True

Overview

Unravel the true history of the Knights Templar, a medieval order of warrior-monks whose legacy continues to be shrouded in mystery.

Course No. 20110

Hidden treasures. Secret societies. War and plunder. The Knights Templar are connected with legends of the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant, and the Freemasons – but who were they really? This 24-lecture course reveals their fascinating true story.

Course Content

Origins and Rise of the Templars

• Who Were the Knights Templar? (30 min)
  • Introduction to Jerusalem in the Middle Ages and the order’s founding context.

• The Crusades (29 min)
  • How Pope Urban II’s call to reclaim Jerusalem created need for pilgrim protection.

• The Knights Templar Are Formed! (29 min)
  • Hugues de Payns and Godfrey de Saint-Omer establish the order.

4. Promotion and Criticism of the Order (25 min)
   • Bernard of Clairvaux’s advocacy and early controversies.

• The Fall of Edessa and the Second Crusade (31 min)
  • Templars’ growing military and financial roles.

Templar Life and Organization

6. Life as a Templar Knight (26 min)
   • Daily routines, hierarchy, and education within the order.

7. Symbols and Signs (23 min)
   • Meaning behind Templar iconography and architecture.

8. Castles and Cash, Part 1 (29 min)
   • Land donations and the development of Templar banking.

• Castles and Cash, Part 2 (26 min)
  • Key fortresses in their defensive network.

Crusades and Military Campaigns

10. The Battle of Hattin and the Loss of Jerusalem (30 min)
    • Devastating defeat against Saladin in 1187.

• After Hattin and the Fall of Jerusalem (32 min)
  • Richard the Lionheart and the Third Crusade.

12. The Fifth and Sixth Crusades (28 min)
    • Templar influence in later Crusades.

• Mongols, Mamluks, and More (29 min)
  • New powers reshaping the Levant.

Decline and Fall

14. Growing Discontent in the West (25 min)
    • European disillusionment with Crusader losses.

15. The Fall of Acre and the End of Outremer (27 min)
    • Final collapse of Christian strongholds.

16. After the Fall of Acre (29 min)
    • Relocation to Cyprus and mounting pressures.

17. Friday the 13th: The Templars Arrested (27 min)
    • Philip IV’s mass arrest in 1307.

18. The Trial of the Templars, Part 1 (26 min)
    • Clash between king and pope over the order.

19. The Trial of the Templars, Part 2 (27 min)
    • Jacques de Molay’s final stand and execution.

Legacy and Legends

20. After the Trial: Capitulation and Resistance (25 min)
    • Order’s dissolution and property redistribution.

21. The Holy Grail and the Shroud of Turin (26 min)
    • Examining Templar relic myths.

22. The Freemasons (29 min)
    • 18th-century conspiracy theories.

23. Oak Island, Rosslyn Chapel, and More Mysteries (25 min)
    • Modern treasure hunt legends.

24. Uses and Abuses of the Templar Legacy (29 min)
    • How the order’s image has been appropriated.