The Knights Templar

Formed in the twelfth century, the Knights Templar guarded pilgrims on the road in the Holy Land, but soon amassed enormous wealth and became a major military force in the Crusades. By the fourteenth century, the order was abolished. Accused of heresy, its members were arrested and tortured, their Grand Master executed.
For centuries the Templars' legacy lived on in the guise of myth and legend, and today they are the subject of media depictions ranging from villainous knights and noble guardians of the Holy Grail, to secretive occultists and shadowy conspirators.
Discover their history and the truth behind the myths and their legacy in Hollywood. Did the Templars really guard the Holy Grail? Are they ancestors of the Freemasons? And why do they continue to captivate us over 900 years later?

PATRICK MASTERS received a PhD from the University of Portsmouth for his thesis on the Knights Templar in popular culture. He also has an MA in Film and Television studies. He is a lecturer at the University of Portsmouth, where he has lectured on subjects such as film history and medievalism. In 2018 he received funding from the Templar Heritage Trust to present a paper at the International Medieval Conference. He has presented his research at several international conferences. He lives in Waterlooville, Hampshire.