For almost two hundred years, the Knights Templar were one of the most fearsome military forces in the world. Despite their strict vows of individual poverty, the Order was a global financial powerhouse, with valuable holdings across Europe and the Middle East. Even today, the myth of the Templars endures. But who were the men who devoted themselves to the mysterious order? And how did such a powerful international organisation find itself suddenly brought down?

This is a Short History of The Knights Templar.

Written by Duncan Barrett. With thanks to Thierry Do Espirito, author of The Knights Templar for Dummies, and to Michel Carnet, voice of the French nobleman. 

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