The Monks of War

In the 12th century the Church was in need of crack troops to devote their lives to the Crusades. To address this need, the knight brethren of the military orders banded together: noblemen vowed to poverty, chastity and obedience, living a monastic life in barracks, waging war on the enemies of the Cross. The three great orders were the Templars, Hospitallers (Knights of Malta) and Teutonic Knights, though Santiago and Calatrava were no less formidable. They were the first properly disciplined and officered troops in the West since Roman times.

In this acclaimed history, the only one of its kind, Desmond Seward explores the little-known history of the monks of war. He shows how the brethren fought to hold Jerusalem and Rhodes, their faceless masks and billowing white cloaks striking fear into their adversaries. The Teutonic Knights created the land of Prussia, and their Iron Cross remains the emblem of the German army, while in Spain, the knights of Santiago ranched sheep and cattle on the lonely meseta where no peasant dared settle for fear of Moorish raiders. Seward also explores why one order met a grisly end – the last of the Templars, Jacques de Molay, was burnt alive over a slow fire – while others endure today as religious charities. With a text revised considerably by the author, this is a fascinating account of those who attempted, literally, to fight their way into heaven.

História Geral / Não-ficção / Religião e Espiritualidade