Conrad BauerThe Knights Templar: The Hidden History of the Knights Templar: The Church’s Oldest Conspiracy (History of the Knights and the Crusades)

I have long been a fan of secret societies or organizations from the past that came and went yet were extremely powerful for the time they existed. The Knights Templar is one very interesting group and this book does not disappoint in any way.There are many points brought out about The Knights Templar that I was not aware of and have changed some of my thinking about the organization. One example is the power bestowed on the group by the Pope. The Pope gave the group the power to cross boundaries, not pay taxes and answer to only one person, the Pope.Additionally, The Knights Templar were given donations, property and valuables to support their efforts of protecting Christians on their travels to the Holy Lands. They were also known to have developed the first banking system and looking back were considered the most powerful national and international organization of it's time.The Knights Templar is "associated" with many things in our past, from The Shroud of Turin to the Ark of The Covenant and more. It seems that there was little of importance that happened without The Knights Templar being involved. A very busy, well organized and powerful group.I could get into more details though I hesitate to make a review of "spoilers". If you have an interest in The Knights Templar this book will not disappoint and is well worth the price. Riveting and highly recommended.

I choose this rating because it was a good history, but I would have liked to see a lot more factual detail instead of a general synopsis of each segment. I lived three miles from Faulenberg castle and because our Baumholder HS history teacher chose to teach about her hometown of Boston and not the history of Germany, regretfully I never knew about the Knights Templar and having left Germany for college I never came back. I found that I had missed so much history after I had spent so much time in Luxembourg and Brussels and never learned.When I was 60 years old I saw some good pieces on History channel, saw what I has missed, so I researched the Knights Templar and then went to see the church they built around 1396 in Newport, RI known as the Newport Tower. The trips to Nova Scotia and as far as Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois and even Arizona need more solid research. The details whet my imagination. I see you have the knowledge to write that long of a detailed book, but then that is just a suggestion, but they are the stuff of history, horror and wonderment. Thank you.

Good unusual topic that I began reading about many decades ago. Nice to find a simply written update. Quick read but good pros & cons are touched upon! For newcomers it is a good place to start also.

This was a fairly decent read. It didn’t delve into the history of the templars to the extent that I thought it would but yet and still it was a fairly good read.

Interesting stuff. I enjoyed the book. It provides insight into one of the world's major secret societies. It provides a fast paced look into a historically significant secret society with possible influence up to the present day.

While this book scratches the surface of the knights Templar, the author Conrad Bauer allows the reader to formulate his or her own opinion and not the opinion of the author. It is a well-balanced book, leaving the reader to move onto book 2 which is where I am headed now.

A good read. I like these types of subjects.

I am a De Molay and a 32 degree Mason. Very much enjoyed this book. It was a quick and easy read.

I really enjoyed the book it was a quick read full of information. I was hoping to here more about the possible Oak Island connection.

I liked the style of this book. I felt it gave a complete, knowledgeable overview of the history of the Knights Templar and due to the amount of research that had been done, it was not a flimsy read. Parts of it took me back to my childhood memories of the Robin Hood stories and how King Richard had been idolised for going off to the Crusades. This book reflects the facts of that, not the romance. This book is definitely worth a read if you are the slightest bit interested in the Knights Templar.

Really interesting book. Filled in a lot of holes from previous books where the Knights Templar were mentioned but only in passing. An insight into the beginning through to the end. Probably not for everyone but for those readers who like to have all of the ends tied off try it. Mk

Nice little book, main key factors

I've read a few books on the Knights Templar so far. This had some interesting tidbits of info I hadn't seen anywhere else. Fairly well written, and relatively inexpensive. If you like the subject matter it's worth it