Knights Templar Encyclopedia: The Essential Guide to the People, Places, Events, and Symbols of the Order of the Temple

Before heaven and earth and with all of you here as my witnesses....I declare,
and I must declare, that the Order is innocent. Its purity and saintliness is
beyond question.
--from the final recorded statement by Jacques de Molay, the last Templar
Grand Master, on March 18, 1314, before he was led to the stake.

Who were the medieval Knights Templar?

How is their name connected to Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem?

What does their red cross symbolize?

Why were they suddenly arrested on Friday, October 13, 1307?

What unusual relics or Grail did they harbor?

Today, as never before, interest in the Knights Templar is growing exponentially especially since The Da Vinci Code. But who were these powerful knights of the
Crusades? What is fact and what is fiction And how did they become the
wealthiest multinational corporation in the medieval West A first of its kind, Knights Templar Encyclopedia presents in convenien, readable, A-to-Z format, the fascinating history behind the most famous military
religious order of the Crusades--the Knights Templar. Written by leading
Templar authority and medieval historian Dr. Karen Ralls, this authoritative
sourcebook of hundreds of entries features a wealth of information on the key
Templar people, places, events, symbols, organization, daily life, beliefs,
economic empire, trial, and more.
The product of more than a decade of meticulous, scholarly research, this
indispensable resource is for the general reader and specialist alike--for
anyone, in fact, who is interested in the history and legacy of the powerful

Knights Templar (1119-1312).
Knights Templar Encyclopedia includes photos and illustrations, an extensive
bibliography, a historical time line, and a list of major European Templar sites.