Browse our Categories! Arms and Armor Celtic Lore Historical Fiction Historical Non-Fiction (A-H) Historical Non-Fiction (I-R) Historical Non-Fiction (S-Z) King Arthur Legends Miscellaneous Fiction Miscellaneous Non-Fiction

Historical The Knights Templar in the Golden Age in Spain by Juan Garcia Atienza $16.95 / Destiny Press/ 2006 Arguably, there has never been another organization in history that has cast such a mysterious shadow over the human psyche than the Knights Templar. The rumors of murder, political intrigue, battlefield prowess and fallen heroes, lost treasure, unspeakable heresies, ancient secrets, the legends that surround the Knights Templar are almost endless. What is certain is that the rise and fall of the Knights Templar order defined a conclusion historical period of Medieval Europe. From the establishment of the Crusader States, to the ascendancy to the Christendom throne as Kings of Jerusalem, to the excommunication by the French Pope, no other group seized and continued to grip the imagination quite like the Knights Templar. Now renowned Templar scholar and historian Juan Garcia Atienza has written the definitive book on the Templaris activities in the Iberian Peninsula. The Knights Templar in the Golden Age of Spain explores the crucial role the Templars played in the Reconquista, the pivotal development that drove the Moors from Spain. Atienza also investigates mysterious connection between the Templar Knights and many aspects of the Medieval world. Did the Templar learn great secrets while on the throne of Jerusalem? What connection did they have with the Kings of Portugal, and why did they associate themselves with the heretical Cathar order? What did the Templar Knights possibly have to do with the creation of the troubadour movement of Spain? Why were they really excommunicated from the Catholic Church and where did they hide their fabled treasure? The Knights Templar in the Golden Age of Spain attempts to find answers to these and many more puzzling questions. Atienza also devotes a chapter to the level of influence the Templar order had over Spanish King James I, also known as James the Conqueror, who truly has aspirations to be the one sovereign king of the known world. His attempts to establish a universal theocratic monarchy had the fingerprints of Templar influence all over it. Atienza's research is superb and the book is well written. With the success of Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code, the market has been flooded with books about the Templars and their plethora of associations, some good, some not-so-good. However, The Knights Templar in the Golden Age of Spain is one of the best Templar books available today. An excellent and erudite read, with a central focus on Templar history in Spain, you will not find a better tome than this one   –Michael Lohr

Click here to order:The Knights Templar in the Golden Age in Spain             To order Renaissance Magazine, click here. To order medieval tapestries and other period products, click here.