SJA Turney’s Knights Templar books follow the adventures of Arnau de Vallbona as he travels across Europe to fulfil his duties as a new knight of the Temple. Simon tells Historia about the background to his latest book, The Crescent and the Cross. This is the fifth and penultimate book in a series in which […]
International trade in the early Middle Ages
After the fall of the Roman Empire, trade in Europe declined, roads fell into disrepair and commerce was centred on small towns and local markets; but by the 11th century new routes were opening up, Ironhand author Hilary Green tells Historia.
Ironhand by Hilary Green
1095. Pope Urban calls on the princes of Christendom to free Jerusalem from the infidel. Bohemond of Taranto arrives in Sicily seeking recruits for his force of Crusaders. Ranulph of Erbistock, known as Ironhand, joins him. Bohemond’s army is beset by enemies without and dissension and treachery within, but Ranulph becomes one of his trusted […]
The Women of the Knights Templar
Simon Turney explores the surprising history of the female Knights Templar. The Knights Templar are without a doubt one of the most well-known groups of the medieval world – studied endlessly, depicted in numerous novels and movies as both good guys and bad, their bravery and piety vaunted, their secretive nature explored, their morals questioned, their […]