New Evidence on the Knights Templar

Five years of research for a book yields new information on what really happened to the warrior monks.

Read more in the Book Description that follows.

The Templars Two Kings and a Pope was published April 3rd 2009 in the US and England. The listing appeared on Amazon.com as of 4/13/09 and it will show up at other major internet book outlets by April 30, and at brick-and-mortar bookstores by May 5th.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING...

John L. Palmer, KTCH, KCT, 33º, Managing Editor,Knight Templar Magazine(June 2009) "Unlike most fiction about the Templars, this exciting historical novel has been painstakingly researched...the detail is incredibly accurate, so if you are interested in the day to day lives of the ancient Templars, here is presented an opportunity to learn about them and to have a fun read at the same time..." 

Jim Cox, Midwest Book Review(Summer 2009)."A truly riveting novel from beginning to end, this is the stuff of which Hollywood blockbuster movies are made!" 

Knight Templar Jim Russell,KofP, Texas: "...(a) perfect soryline to be savored...a balance of historical fact and esoteric knowledge that has seldom been brought to the public's eye. A must read for the modern Templar..."

Ron Holland, International Bundesbrief Society ( Swiss hertitage): "...enjoyed the attention to detail...many of the (same) conclusions I have shared for over a decade researching the Templars."

Neal Watt, Texas: "Grigor Fedan has written a great read based on his studies of the Templars and medieval history...I believe my brother Masons wil find great interest in Mr. Fedan's book."

Beth McKenzie, Reviewer, MyShelf.com: "I approached this book as a student of the middle ages, as a member of a Masonic family, as a person interested in Gnostic teachings, and as an uninformed reviewer. When you read  "The Templars, Two Kings and a Pope," as every person seeking spiritual enlightenment will be drawn to do, you will be delighted with an intricate midrash for seekers in the 21st century."

William C House, Editor, Reversespins.com (May 2009): "Compelling historical fiction unlike any other." 

Dustin Collins, Washington: "One of the best books I have ever read. I couldn't put it down..."

Mike Akers, California: "...if you love the middle ages, this is the book to read, if you really want to know and understand the Templars, this is the one to read."

Dwayne Young, U.S. Navy: "I finished the book for the third time...I highly recommend this book."

Jack McCallum, Tennessee: "I am honored to preview your book, and hope to see it one day in a first rate movie. It's that good!."

Peter Leever, The Netherlands: "I enjoyed (the book) tremendously. I gained insight into the Templars' tactics, weaponry and hierarchy. Thanks for all the pleasant reading hours."

Robert Wilkinson, England: "What a fantastic book."

Carter Diggs, Virginia: "Thank you for sharing your book...it's like you had inside information."

Lora Cline, Arizona: "I finished it in two days...I couldn't put it down...it touched me profoundly."

Sandra Spatariu, Romania: "I absolutely loved it...thank you...a great adventure and a fascinating, maybe even probable point of view on what really WAS."

Dave Archer, Isle of Wright, U.K. "Excellently researched and written...great insight into the Templars. Compelling reading from the first page, even better than The Da Vinci Code. A must read for everyone..."

BOOK DESCRIPTION

320 pages, 141,000 words

Introduction. I wanted the truth about the Knights Templar. Did they really meditate, were therefore deeply spiritual, but also the best fighting force of their time? What really happened to them? I spent five years doing research and found so much more than I bargained for. I focused on a critical period in their history, between 1290 and 1315 and discovered a story of a secret war, but also of expansive spirituality, and the surprising connection between the two.

Historical Background. The Knights Templar were officially around from 1119 to 1312; warrior-monks who achieved notoriety in the Holy Land for their fighting skills and in Europe for their financial abilities. They were also rumored to be wealthy. In the period I studied events came to a boil: the Templars, along with all Christian armies, were thrown out of the Holy Land by the Turks in 1291, and in 1307 the French King Philip IV and the Pope imprisoned and tortured them supposedly because they had adopted heretical practices. It’s likely that the French King just wanted their money. That’s how the Order came to an end according to historians. But the legends claim that the Templars survived by settling in Scotland and Switzerland under the guise of a secret society, “The Brotherhood.” The Rosicrucians in their Fama Fraternitatis—History of the Brotherhood—published in 1614, and other esoteric groups since then, have claimed a direct connection.

Research. I sifted through the scholarly accounts as well as the myths and found a mishmash of information. Some historians neglected to mention the crucial link between the French King and his puppet pope, Clement V. Only a handful mentioned the Templars’ mystical practice, and most assumed that they were strictly Catholic. The majority paid little attention to their tactics, military hierarchy, the weapons and armor used, and ignored the training necessary to create a highly skilled and disciplined army. The legends were rife with overblown claims, what became known as “Templarism;” but in between I found valuable tidbits. Eventually I defined a credible version but was left with a host of questions. What exactly was the Templars’ mystical practice and where did it come from? Evidence suggests the warrior-monks had foreknowledge of their demise. Who told them, and why didn’t they resist? I was also intrigued that tactics used by rebel armies in Flanders, Aquitaine, Scotland, and Switzerland had a similar telltale Templar imprint. Lastly, was their fabled treasure; I arrived at the conclusion that it was real, but had nothing to do with money.

Findings. Then I made two significant discoveries that led me to write this novel.

First, that the Brotherhood’s reason for being was to safeguard their Gnostic practice, as was the case with other groups. After reading up on Gnosticism, things made sense, such as the Templars’ flag—black and white—called Beauseant, “To Be Whole,” also their battle cry. Spiritual wholeness was a goal in Gnosticism, a mystical path of Jesus and his disciples according to the recently translated ancient documents, the Nag Hammadi Library. But this was an original version—centered on meditation, what Jesus taught and the Templars inherited and found in present-day Kabbalah, Sufism, and Mystical Christianity—rather than the sect of dogma and ritual that evolved over the centuries. The second discovery involved a largely unknown historical figure, Lord Otto de Grandson, England’s chief diplomat, royal counselor, and without doubt, a member of the Brotherhood, who was active around the time the Templars were rounded up by the French King. Following his trail provided the rest of the answers I was after. The Templars’ apparent destruction was just one more chapter in a covert war that started in 1294, three years after they left the Holy Land. It was Lord Otto de Grandson who learned early on of the French King’s plans for empire and maneuvered the Brotherhood to fight him, using a mystical treasure portrayed both as the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail—the means to talk directly to God, and a physical link to Jesus—and I surmised that it had to have been a Gnostic manuscript written by Jesus. I now have no doubt that such a document existed, that it was the ”treasure” mentioned in the legends, and that it was the catalyst for the Templars’ survival. The Templars Two Kings And a Pope is the novelized reconstruction of the Brotherhood’s secret war against Philip IV. It begins in 1290 when Lord Otto de Grandson launched his scheme to stop the French King. It involved a prophecy, the search for the Jesus Gospel and the covert wars in Aquitaine, Flanders, and Scotland. It culminated twenty-five years later with dramatic seminal changes that transformed the world in the upcoming centuries. This novel is also a study of life in the Middle Ages, and an honest portrayal of what it was like to be a Templar.

Excerpt: Chapter 1

The Author

My name is Grigor Fedan and I’m home-based in Hawaii. I’m a journalist and have been conducting social research for the past twenty years, but my avocation is history. I’ve also been meditating and studying metaphysics all of my adult life. I wrote a semi-autobiographical novel as an experiment of sorts, and that opened the door to what I really would like to do: I intend to utilize all of the skills I picked up so far to research and write about historical events that distill the lessons about this life we are all trying so hard to learn. For The Templars Two Kings And a Pope I had to dig deep into Gnosticism, medieval military history, the biographies of both Edward I and Philip IV, whatever books on the Templars I could find, and piles of other assorted texts. I truly enjoyed learning about the Gnostic Gospels, the mystical teachings of Jesus, and the path of honor the Templars chose, as well as what life was like in medieval times. But I admit, a part of me also enjoyed researching and writing about the strategies, tactics, and weapons the Templars used and about the actual battles they fought. It was all quite a journey. I trust you will find the outcome worthwhile.