Travis Simpkins: "The Templars: The Secret History Revealed" by Barbara Frale, Vatican Secret Archives Historian

The Templars: The Secret History Revealed

by Dr. Barbara Frale

Arcade Publishing, 2004, 2009

Brief Review by Travis Simpkins

A straightforward history text, backed by scholarly research, The Templars by Barbara Frale is a paramount addition to the field of material regarding the legendary Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon, better known as the Knights Templar. In her work as a staff historian at the Vatican Secret Archives, Dr. Frale made the discovery of the long-lost Chinon Parchment, a document that proved that Pope Clement V had indeed absolved the Templars of the notorious charges of heresy brought against them by King Philip the Fair in the early 14th Century. This brought to light new evidence of the Knights' proper place in history and the Catholic community, and further demonstrated the innocence of those Templars condemned to burn at the stake on the orders of the French King.

The concise but energetically-written text follows the history of the Templar Knights from the Order's inception in 1129 AD, to the infamous arrest of it's members on Friday the 13th of October in 1307, to the horrific execution of it's last heroic Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, in anno domini 1314. At it's height, the Temple had unparalleled power, answering only to the Pope. Presiding over mounds of wealth and real-estate, the Order created the world's first international banking system, with accounts and interest used to fund their many Crusades to reclaim the Holy Land (with a focus on the Holy Sepulchre) from Muslim forces. In the end, they were brought down by the torrid accusations of a jealous monarch. Envious of the Templar's wealth and autonomy, King Philip the Fair brought charges of heresy against the order in an effort to claim their fortune for his court. The charges stemmed from misinterpreted elements of the Templar initiation ceremony, which involved denying Christ, spitting on the cross and engaging in homoerotic acts. While based in fact, the charges played up the sordid elements and ignored the multi-layered lessons of obedience and temperament that the ceremony was intended to teach the initiate. Pope Clement, ill in health and near death, investigated and absolved the Templars… but the King went ahead and executed them anyway without cause or authority.

Of particular interest is Dr. Frale's effort to portray the psychological struggle the Templars faced in their dual nature as a deeply religious order that engaged in brutally violent acts during times of war in Jerusalem and beyond. In the minds of the Templar Knights, when they killed an enemy they were not committing a homicide… it was a malicide, the killing of evil.

The text is by-the-book history, with a focus on the stance of the Holy Roman Catholic Church… so there is not much legend or conjecture here, with only passing references in the Afterword to the Holy Grail, the Shroud of Turin and the knowledge of the Templars being passed down through history to the Freemasons.

Infused with rare knowledge and unique access to seldom-shared documents in the Vatican Secret Archives, Dr. Barbara Frale has created an essential work with these 200 pages.