Barbara Frale is an Italian historian recognized for her studies on the Knights Templar and the Shroud of Turin. Her research delves into the trial documents of the Templars, proposing that the accusations leveled by King Philip IV of France contained elements of truth deliberately distorted by royal propaganda. She posits that the king fabricated charges of heresy to circumvent the order's immunity. According to Frale, the Templars' transgression was not heresy itself, but a secret initiation ritual, intended as a test of military obedience, which included acts of religious contempt.
Exploring the rise of the Templars, the narrative delves into their origins as warrior-monks, highlighting their secret rituals and immense wealth. This fascinating journey chronicles their influence and power, ultimately leading to their downfall and the confiscation of their assets. The book offers insights into the complexities of their legacy and the historical context surrounding their dissolution.
The second book in a fascinating series by Vatican historian Barbara Frale. The Knights Templar - the most powerful religious-military order of the Middle Ages - almost certainly looked after a mysterious shroud that is now kept in Turin. Worshipped in a relentlessly secret manner and known in its intimate nature only by a handful of the order's officials, the swathe of fabric was kept in the central treasury of the Knights Templar. In an age of doctrinal confusion, the shroud might have represented a powerful antidote against the spread of heresy...
At its height, the Order of the Knights Templar rivaled the kingdoms of Europe in military might, economic power, and political influence. For 700 years the tragic demise of this society of warrior-monks amid accusations of heresy has been plagued by controversy, in part because the transcript of their trial by the Inquisition--which held the key to the truth--had vanished. Templar historian Barbara Frale happened to be studying a document at the Vatican Secret Archives when she suddenly realized that it was none other than the long-lost transcript. It revealed that Pope Clement V had absolved the order of all charges of heresy. Using this sensational new information, Frale chronicles the Templars' spectacular rise and fall against a sweeping backdrop of war, religious fervor, and the struggle for dominance, and finally lifts the centuries-old cloak of mystery surrounding one of the world's most intriguing secret societies.--From publisher description.