Knights Templar: A Secret History

Born during the dark days that saw the struggles of the great crusades, the warrior monks of the Knights Templar vowed to defend the pilgrims traveling to the Holy Lands. In actuality, there are few, if any, historical records of the Templars ever fulfilling this task. Instead, historical records show that the Templars' history is one of bloodshed and conquest, wealth and power, dark secrets and conspiracies. Today, their story is intricately linked with the story of the Holy Grail. But what exactly is this ancient artifact?  How has it been used to manipulate history for the last one thousand years?

This book is based on the notes of the recently diseased historian Dr. Emile Fouchet and his attempts at unlocking the secrets of the Knights Templar. It begins with an examination of their historical origins, their growth in the early middle ages, and their supposed destruction under charges of heresy. From there, it uses the clues left by the Templars to reconstruct their secret journeys as they moved the Holy Grail from Europe to the New World and back. It also charts the secret, three-way war that is still being fought today between the Templars, the Freemasons, and the Catholic Church. Finally, the book reveals the greatest of all conspiracies, the attempt to found a new world order under the auspices of the European Union.

You don't have to agree with the author's conclusions to appreciate the historical anecdotes contained in this book. Well worth the read, if not for the treatment of controversial historical societies, then for the good ideas you will get the next time you wish to run an intrigue/conspiracy based RPG session or campaign.