title: Dungeon, Fire and Sword: The Knights Templar in the Crusades
author:  John J. Robinson 
description: Founded in 1119 shortly after the first crusade to defend those areas of the Holy Land conquered from the Muslims, the Poor Knights of the Temple, or Knights Templars, were a manifestation of the new zealous piety of the 12th century. Their name derives from the site, supposedly near Solomon's temple, given them by Baldwin, king of Jerusalem; the Templars' lifestyle, combining the anti-Muslim and quasi-monastic ideals of the day, brought them respect and enormous wealth in the 12th century. By the late 13th century, however, Europeans' loss of the Holy Land undermined the Templars' prestige at the moment when King Philip IV of France coveted their wealth, and he had them suppressed. Based entirely on secondary sources, many of them dated, rife with inaccurate and misleading information, this is not a sound treatment of either the crusades or the Templars. The general reader for whom the book is intended will learn more from Karen Armstrong's Holy War: The Crusades and Their Impact on Today's World ( LJ 2/15/91). Not recommended.<BR><I>- Bennett D. Hill, Georgetown Univ., Washington, D.C.</I><BR>Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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  DUNGEON, FIRE  
  & SWORD
  
  
  DUNGEON, FIRE  
  & SWORD
  
  
  THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR  
  IN THE CRUSADES
  
  
  Johnson J. Robinson
  
  
  ![Image](../images/pub.jpg)
  
  
  Copyright © 1991 by John J. Robinson
  
  
  First paperback edition 2009
  
  
  _All rights reserved_. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or
  by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and
  retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a
  reviewer who may quote passages in a review.
  
  
  Published by M. Evans  
  An imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.  
  4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706  
  [www.rlpgtrade.com](http://www.rlpgtrade.com)
  
  
  Estover Road, Plymouth PL6 7PY, United Kingdom
  
  
  Distributed by NATIONAL BOOK NETWORK
  
  
  **The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:**
  
  
  Robinson, John J.
  
  
  Dungeon, fire & sword: The Knights Templar in the crusades/John J. Robinson.
  
  
  p. cm.
  
  
  Includes 