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The Knights Templar: A History Strange and True

Unravel the true history of the Knights Templar, a medieval order of warrior-monks whose legacy continues to be shrouded in mystery.
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The Knights Templar: A History Strange and True

Trailer

Who Were the Knights Templar?

01: Who Were the Knights Templar?

Begin your journey with an introduction to the Knight Templar, an order of monk-knights founded around 1119. Before delving into their rise to power, this first lecture sets the stage with an exploration of Jerusalem in the Middle Ages. Learn about Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

30 min
The Crusades

02: The Crusades

With the stage set, now it’s time to explore what led to the founding of the Knights Templar. Here, dive into the First Crusade, beginning with Pope Urban II’s 1095 call to reclaim Jerusalem and resulting in the need for Christian pilgrims to be protected as they traveled from Europe to the Holy Land.

29 min
The Knights Templar Are Formed!

03: The Knights Templar Are Formed!

Meet Hugues de Pans and Godfrey de Saint-Omer, two knights who recognized the need for a protective order and decided to do something about it. In their early years, the order defied the traditional Three Estates Model, blending knightly and monastic duties. Trace their rise from humble beginnings to papal legitimacy.

29 min
Promotion and Criticism of the Order

04: Promotion and Criticism of the Order

The Knights Templar gained papal support through Bernard of Clairvaux’s advocacy at the Council of Troyes in 1128. This lecture walks through some of the sources that tell us about the knights and how their unique position allowed them to collect spoils of war, giving them power and wealth but also setting them up for criticism.

25 min
The Fall of Edessa and the Second Crusade

05: The Fall of Edessa and the Second Crusade

In 1144, the fall of Edessa to the Muslim leader Zengi sparked the Second Crusade from 1147-1148. In addition to playing a role as warriors, the Knights Templar also loaned funds to King Louis VII of France, illustrating the controversial new role in military and political affairs.

31 min
Life as a Templar Knight

06: Life as a Templar Knight

After the Second Crusade, the daily life of Templar Knights highlighted their unique monk-warrior structure. In this lecture, Dr. Armstrong walks you through the order’s structure of roles, knightly behavior, and prohibitions. She also dives into other aspects of daily life in the order, including education.

26 min
Symbols and Signs

07: Symbols and Signs

Because the medieval world was largely illiterate, signs and symbols took on important meanings. One of the most widely recognized symbols of the 12th century was the red cross of the Knights Templar. Dig into this and other iconography, including financial tokens, prison graffiti, and church naves modeled on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

23 min
Castles and Cash, Part 1

08: Castles and Cash, Part 1

Starting in the 1120s, donations of land and goods fueled the expansion of the Knights Templar. Thanks to this growing wealth, they developed an innovative banking system for pilgrims in the Holy Land, which in turn fed rumors of greed and sowed the seeds of their eventual downfall.

29 min
Castles and Cash, Part 2

09: Castles and Cash, Part 2

Continue your study of Templar power with a look at their extensive fortress network, which spanned from England to Jerusalem and secured their banking network. Visit several key strongholds, including Baghras, Tortosa, Chastel Blanc, Safad, and Atlit. Reflect on how the fall of Acre in 1291, a notable turning point in Templar fortunes.

26 min
The Battle of Hattin and the Loss of Jerusalem

10: The Battle of Hattin and the Loss of Jerusalem

Toward the end of the 12th century, the Templars suffered a devastating defeat in the Battle of Hattin. This lecture explores the Crusaders’ disunity, the reckless attack on Saladin, the fall of Jerusalem, and the symbolic shift that reshaped the Holy Land. In the end, Muslims united under Saladin while Christians planned a counteroffensive from Tyre.

30 min
After Hattin and the Fall of Jerusalem

11: After Hattin and the Fall of Jerusalem

Examine the chaotic aftermath of the 1187 Battle of Hattin and the fall of Jerusalem. Medieval Europe was shocked, leading Pope Gregory VIII to call for a Third Crusade. Follow the story of Richard the Lionheart’s leadership and Templar discipline as they preserved some Christian control of the region—but not of Jerusalem.

32 min
The Fifth and Sixth Crusades

12: The Fifth and Sixth Crusades

After the 1192 Treaty of Jaffa, Jerusalem was under Muslim control while Crusaders were based in Acre. Here, with instability in Jerusalem, see how the Templars’ wealth strengthened their influence, giving them a critical role in subsequent Crusades in the early 13th century.

28 min
Mongols, Mamluks, and More

13: Mongols, Mamluks, and More

Step into the 13th century, when new powers began to shape the Levant. After the Mongols displaced the Khwārezmian Turks, the latter people sacked Jerusalem in 1244, massacring Christians and overwhelming the Templars. Then came the Mamluks, who launched a ruthless campaign that decimated the Crusaders.

29 min
Growing Discontent in the West

14: Growing Discontent in the West

Shift your attention from battles in the Levant to Western Europe’s response to Crusader losses. In France, King Louis IX’s failures and Templar loans fueled resentment. Although Iberian leaders appreciated the Templars for the Reconquista, disillusionment was growing.

25 min
The Fall of Acre and the End of Outremer

15: The Fall of Acre and the End of Outremer

In the late 13th century, the city of Acre was one of the few remaining Crusader bastions in the Levant. Here, you will survey the stunning siege of the city in 1291, a defeat that marks the collapse of Christian control in the Holy Land. Go inside the fortress and meet fighters such as Guillaume de Beaujeu, the Templar grand master.

27 min
After the Fall of Acre

16: After the Fall of Acre

After the fall of Acre, the Templars relocated to Cyprus. Jacques de Molay, the new Templar Grand Master, faced hostile questions about the order’s role as well as pressure to merge with the Hospitaller knights. Meanwhile, King Philip IV’s financial schemes and persecution tactics were setting the stage for the end of the Templars.

29 min
Friday the 13th: The Templars Arrested

17: Friday the 13th: The Templars Arrested

In this lecture, Dr. Armstrong takes you inside the astonishing arrest of hundreds of Templars in France on October 13, 1307, a day that marked a turning point for the order. Deep in debt and envious of the Templars, King Philip IV accused the order of heresy and blasphemy, and used the arrests as an excuse to seize Templar wealth.

27 min
The Trial of the Templars, Part 1

18: The Trial of the Templars, Part 1

Following the events of October 13, King Philip IV clashed with Pope Clement V over Templar arrests, tortured confessions, and secret absolutions. This first of two lectures digs into the economic motives and religious zeal that drove this dramatic struggle and sealed the Templars’ fate.

26 min
The Trial of the Templars, Part 2

19: The Trial of the Templars, Part 2

The Templar trials continue. Here, you will witness their defiant stand against Philip IV’s persecution, the tragic burning of 54 knights, and the Order’s 1312 dissolution. Jacques de Molay and Geoffroi de Charny took a final stand, proclaiming innocence, and were burned at the stake—sparking rumors of de Molay’s curse.

27 min
After the Trial: Capitulation and Resistance

20: After the Trial: Capitulation and Resistance

In the wake of the Templars’ dissolution in 1312, the Hospitaller knights benefited the most by inheriting property and membership from surviving Templars. King Philip IV and Pope Clement V died in short order and were memorialized for greed and complicity in Dante’s Divine Comedy.

25 min
The Holy Grail and the Shroud of Turin

21: The Holy Grail and the Shroud of Turin

Although the Templars have been gone for centuries, rumors about the order continue to persist. What treasures did they uncover during the Crusades? Did they ever discover the “Holy Grail”? What about the Shroud of Turin? Unravel the myths linking sacred relics to the Templars’ legacy.

26 min
The Freemasons

22: The Freemasons

Continue your exploration of Templar myths and legends with a look at another “secret society.” In the 18th century, conspiracies arose around possible links between the Templars and the Freemasons. French revolutionaries and America’s Founding Fathers’ Masonic ties added to the conspiracy theories.

29 min
Oak Island, Rosslyn Chapel, and More Mysteries

23: Oak Island, Rosslyn Chapel, and More Mysteries

Fast forward to 1799, when a cache of hidden treasure was discovered on Oak Island in Nova Scotia. Despite no definitive link, certain artifacts resembled Templar graffiti, leading some to speculate that Templars fled to Nova Scotia post-1307. Would such a feat have been possible? Why has this tantalizing myth persisted?

25 min
Uses and Abuses of the Templar Legacy

24: Uses and Abuses of the Templar Legacy

In the 21st century, the Templar legacy took a dark turn when the order’s legacy was co-opted by alt-right groups for racist agendas. In this final lecture, contrast the modern conspiracy groups with the Templar’s own pragmatic relationship with the Muslim world. See how the Templar’s real history is more compelling than fiction.

29 min

Overview Course No. 20110

Hidden treasures. Secret societies. War and plunder. You’ve heard the stories, seen the movies, pondered the conspiracy theories. You know that the Knights Templar are said to be connected with the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant, the Freemasons—even Oak Island, off the coast of Nova Scotia. But who were they really?

The Knights Templar: A History Strange and True takes you on a thrilling journey to the Middle Ages to discover the real history of this order of warrior-monks. Over 24 riveting lectures, Dr. Dorsey Armstrong, a distinguished medieval scholar at Purdue University, peels back the layers of legend to reveal the flesh-and-blood reality of the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon. Founded to protect Christian travelers in the Levant, the Templars evolved from a humble band of knights to a military and financial powerhouse, responsible for managing the wealth of nobles and defending Crusader states.

Dr. Armstrong traces their cinematic arc from 1119 to the aftermath of October 13, 1307, when King Philip IV of France orchestrated a mass arrest, accusing the Templars of heresy, idolatry, and treason. What happened at the end of their era? Did they all disappear back into Europe? Or did something of their order live on?

Look beyond conspiracies around the Freemasons or The Da Vinci Code to discover the real legacy of the Knights Templar: a unique fusion of faith, finance, and warfare that shaped medieval Europe and continues to spark our imaginations today.

About

Dorsey Armstrong
Dorsey Armstrong

Join me for an adventure in the medieval past, and a new understanding of how it shapes our own ideas and attitudes in the present.

INSTITUTION
Purdue University

Dorsey Armstrong is a Professor of English and Medieval Literature at Purdue University. She received her PhD in Medieval Literature from Duke University. She is the executive editor of the academic journal Arthuriana, which publishes cutting-edge research on the legend of King Arthur, from its medieval origins to its modern enactments. She is a recipient of the Charles B. Murphy Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award, Purdue’s top undergraduate teaching honor.

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The Knights Templar: A History Strange and True

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