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"Before heaven and earth and with all of you here as my witnesses....I declare, and I must declare, that the Order is innocent. Its purity and saintliness is beyond question. -from the final recorded statement by Jacques de Molay, the last Templar Grand Master, on March 18, 1314, before he was led to the stake. Who were the medieval Knights Templar? How is their name connected to Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem? What does their red cross symbolize? Why were they suddenly arrested on Friday, October 13, 1307? What unusual relics or Grail did they harbor? Today, as never before, interest in the Knights Templar is growing exponentially especially since The Da Vinci Code. But who were these powerful knights of the Crusades? What is fact and what is fiction And how did they become the wealthiest multinational corporation in the medieval West A first of its kind, Knights Templar Encyclopedia presents in convenient, readable, A-to-Z format, the fascinating history behind the most famous military religious order of the Crusades - the Knights Templar. Written by leading Templar authority and medieval historian Dr. Karen Ralls, this authoritative sourcebook of hundreds of entries features a wealth of information on the key Templar people, places, events, symbols, organization, daily life, beliefs, economic empire, trial, and more. The product of more than a decade of meticulous, scholarly research, this indispensable resource is for the general reader and specialist alike - for anyone, in fact, who is interested in the history and legacy of the powerful Knights Templar (1119-1312). Knights Templar Encyclopedia includes photos and illustrations, an extensive bibliography, a historical time line, and a list of major European Templar sites.