What We're Reading: Edward

Templar

by P. C. Doherty

The Crusades and the Knights Templar are part of the romantic past for most of us. What kind of fortitude did it take to make the journey from France to the Holy Land? In this the first of a new series, Doherty exposes us to the real trials and tribulations faced by the men, women, and children of the Crusades. The story begins in 1095, when Pope Urban II called for the support of the Byzantine Emperor against the invading Turks. The First Crusade escalated into a effort to free the Holy Land. Eleanor, the sister of Hugh de Payens, tells us what she sees and hears during the trip from Burgundy to Jerusalem. The trip was not easy. The Crusaders suffered from hunger and thirst, primitive living conditions, bad weather and even battles with their allies. It was their strong belief, DEUS VULT, that allowed them to endure and conquer. Hugh De Payens and his friend, Godefroi of St. Omer will go on to be the founders of the Knights Templar.