Gone Medieval28 Apr 2023

The Knights Templar

This is a special episode from a series we made in collaboration with Ubisoft, the makers of Assassin's Creed.

In Assassins vs Templars, we're immersing ourselves in the real history that inspired the first game. As well as exploring rise and fall of The Knights Templar and the Assassins, we chat to leading experts and historians to analyse the historical backdrop of the first three crusades, reveal the real histories behind key characters in the game, and unearth the folklore around the mythical Holy Grail.

In this episode, Matt Lewis is joined by Professor Helen Nicholson to discuss The Knights Templar, and how an order of crusading monks draped in white robes marked with a red cross perhaps don’t sound that daunting when you first hear of them, went on to become one of the most powerful organisations in the world during the crusades.

From land ownership to banking to fighting on the frontlines with their faith as a weapon, the Knights Templar were worthy competition for the Assassins. But who were their contemporaries, how did the Knights Templar get so powerful, and how good were they on the battlefield?

Produced by History Hit and Ubisoft, with Post Production done by Paradiso Media.

To listen to the rest of Assassins vs Templars, make sure you're following Echoes of History wherever you get your podcasts!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(529)

Seeking Sanctuary

Could a medieval church really protect a killer from the law?From the 40-day asylum of parish churches to the more permanent protections claimed by Westminster Abbey, sanctuary was never simply an esc...

2 Jun 1h 5min

The First Troubadours

How could a love song become a political weapon? How were scandals, wars and crusades turned into some of the most influential poetry ever written?The songs of the troubadours - celebrities in their d...

29 Mai 47min

Foolish Medieval Fatalities

Who survives when medieval deaths are turned into Top Trumps? In this riotous made up game of Foolish Fatalities, Dr. Eleanor Janega and Matt Lewis rank the most ridiculous ends of the Middle Ages, fr...

26 Mai 1h 8min

Fatimid Dynasty: Descendants of Prophet Muhammad

How did the Fatimids build one of Islam's most powerful medieval empires? What can the rise of this dynasty reveal about power, culture, tolerance, and women’s authority?Stretching across North Afric...

22 Mai 41min

The Merovingian Dynasty: France's First Kings

Long-haired rulers, dynastic bloodshed, secret letters, and a kingdom built in the aftermath of empire; Dr. Eleanor Janega and Dr. James Palmer dive into the wild, Roman-adjacent world of the Meroving...

19 Mai 57min

After Agincourt: Henry V's French Campaigns

What happened after the Battle of Agincourt? How did Henry V's victory turn into a seven-year struggle of sieges, diplomacy, ambition, murder and missed destiny?Matt Lewis is joined by W.B. Bartlett t...

15 Mai 52min

Matilda of Canossa: Medieval Italy's Iron Countess

What if one medieval woman could outwit emperors, shape popes, and force Henry IV to stand barefoot in the snow?Dr. Katherine Harvey joins Dr. Eleanor Janega to tell the astonishing story of Matilda o...

12 Mai 43min

Battle of the Eras: Medieval vs Early Modern

What if the medieval world did not end with a bang, but with a messy argument over who gets to define history itself? Matt Lewis spars with Not Just The Tudors' host Professor Suzannah Lipscomb to spa...

8 Mai 55min