A Brief History of the Knights Templar

Brief Histories

By: Helen Nicholson

Narrated by: John Telfer

Much has been written about the Knights Templar in recent years. A leading specialist in the history of this legendary medieval order now writes a full account of the Knights of the Order of the Temple of Solomon, to give them their full title, bringing the latest findings to a general audience.

Putting many of the myths finally to rest, Nicholson recounts a new history of these storm troopers of the papacy, founded during the crusades but who got so rich and influential that they challenged the power of kings. Helen Nicholson is Senior Lecturer in History at Cardiff University. She has published extensively on the Templars and the other Military Orders.

the Knights of the Order of the Temple of Solomon, to give them their full title, bringing the latest findings to a general audience. Putting many of the myths finally to rest, Nicholson recounts a new history of these storm troopers of the papacy, founded during the crusades but who got so rich and influential that they challenged the power of kings.

©2013 Helen Nicholson (P)2013 Audible Ltd

Very slow to start

liked it mostly but the first 3 chapters were very slow. the historical relevance is attractive.

Myths dispelled and knowledge gained

I loved this, so well told. Couldn't put it down again! Hear it and enjoy!

long and boring

If you aren't into kt then you won't like it. I was a little disappointed with the lack of story as to what happened after 1307. they only spent 45 mins on this.

Digs Deep for a Brief History

When I got my paws on this book, I was hoping--but not expecting--that it would dig a little deeper than some of the bigger books on the Crusades by virtue of being focused on just the Templars. Turns out, I got what I hoped for and then some. While this book is a good one for beginners that want to hit the ground running, I think it does help to have some background knowledge on the Crusades and a general idea of who the Templars were before diving in. The more you know, the better prepared you'll be for the more detailed parts of this book. It makes for a richer experience.

There are few books on the Templars that have made it to audiobook format that really dig in and give you some of the details. When it comes to tracking something like this down in paper format, most of the books out there seem to be either really basic and sometimes insulting, or they are written for the academic sect. That's what I love about this book, specifically. Nicholson tells you up front this isn't written for her colleagues in academia, but for the layperson with an interest. I am exactly her target audience as I have the scholarly enthusiasm for the subject matter, but my dedication is generally interrupted by other shiny objects. Still, I keep coming back.

There are a lot of names and dates, and at times you'll need to break out the scorecard, especially if you're preparing for deeper research. But for the most part, this book covers things such as the culture of the Templars, how outsiders reacted to them, and other bits of interest that it seems like most other books tend to avoid. Where other books lean on the "there's little actual information surviving" crutch, Nicholson comes right out and says there's actually quite a bit, and breaks it down in a way that's easy to understand.

Not being familiar with Nicholson's work before now, I can tell you her name is definitely on my radar where this subject is concerned. I am truly impressed with this book. I'm hoping to find companion books on the Hospitalers or the Teutonic order that aren't here on Audible, and also an even more expanded writings on the Templars.

A demystified methodical Analysis

With the exception of certain leaps in conclusion, Nicholson's analysis of the Poor Knights is a comprehensive, methodical, and methodologically-sound analysis of the origins and socio-economic life of the Order. There are few lapses and meaningless statements (such as "ordinary people are interesting", etc.), and the analysis is strictly non-military (for instance, iconic battles are reduced to statements such as "Saladin destroyed the army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem", or "after the defeat of..."), but the book is really about presenting the Order in a plain and non-mystified manner. The trials are well-presented, although some leaps in conclusion are again present. Overall, a very good introduction.

Confusing chronology of historical events

What would have made A Brief History of the Knights Templar better?

Author should have made a chronological timeline history leading up to the demise of the Templars rather than confusing listeners with a myriad of events occurring hundreds of years apart describing 1 event in the year 1120AD and in the next minute describing another event in 1240AD and in the next minute describing an event in 1307 AD and in the next minute going back to 1120AD.

Would you ever listen to anything by Helen Nicholson again?

No don't like her style.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Made it confusing by describing many timeline events in the span of couple of minutes that as a listener made it hard to follow through.

What character would you cut from A Brief History of the Knights Templar?

Information she provided about the Templars was ok though she gave little details regarding key important figures, after listening to the audiobook seems their are no main characters just people that shaped the history of the Templars.

Any additional comments?

She gives information about the Templars that is ok but listeners will get frustrated with her mixed timeline of events. I got so frustrated that I stopped listening and deleted the audiobook.