Go to Jerusalem to recapture Christ's tomb ! The call issued by Pope Urban II was enthusiastically received by the western knights who were to reconquer the Holy City on 15 July 1099. But the crusaders were short of both money and manpower. And the county of Champagne was about to supply them with both. Leaving behind his wife and children, Hugues de Payns went to Jerusalem and stayed there. To ensure the safety of pilgrims to the Holy Land, he founded the Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon. It was not long before he was joined by Hugues I, Count of Troyes, formerly his feudal lord and now a fellow Templar. In 1129, riding on the powerful support of Bernard, famous Abbot of Clairvaux, the Knights Templar became the first military religious order in Christendom. This brotherhood of monks and soldiers not only took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience; they also vowed to devote their lives - and if necessary to sacrifice them - to the defence of the Holy Land. In this book, the most authoritative experts in this field bring to lite the age of the Templars, in both the East and the West. Using previously unpublished archive documents, the authors trace the history of the commanderies of the Champagne region, which were some of the earliest in France. They describe the daily lives of the Templars, with their simultaneous activities as soldiers, merchants, artisans and farmers. Finally, they explore the many facets of the myths that still surround them. What were the reasons for their arrest and trial? Was there really a treasure ? Did some Templars manage to flee and to found a new order ? And how have these mysteries provided inspiration for both literature and the cinema ?
