The knights templar of the middle ages wielded double-edged swords, combining military might and impressive financial power. The Pope himself couldn't escape their long shadow and the whispers about a fabulous secret treasure, which was said to include the Holy Grail and the Ark of the Covenant. In this four-part documentary history BBC Series we investigate who - or what - brought down the mighty Knights Templar? This is the story of an organisation extinct for nearly seven centuries, but whose legacy still echoes through some of today's "secret societies."
The Templar organization was without frontiers and constructed a financial system years ahead of its time. It was this vastly powerful Templar corporation that enabled their elite warrior knights to survive on the frontline, the Holy Land, surrounded by the hostile forces of Islam. But beholden to no nation, the Templars could and did play their own hand in the deadly game of Middle Eastern politics. Negotiating with the enemy meant yet more controversy, and so they sowed the seeds of their own downfall.
