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The Secret Alliance to Build the New Jerusalem
Destiny Books 2007 ISBN #1-59477-146-4 It is a bit unusual to see the Knights Templar being aligned with piracy, to say the least! The focus of Frers' work is the history of the Knights Templar following the Church's condemnation of the order in 1312, the confiscation of their properties, and their literally being hunted down and killed. In presenting the history of the Knights Templar, Frer has made the dry subject that history can be come alive. Following the drastic actions of the Church in 1312, the Templars fled to the sea, which was easy for them to do, as they already had an existing fleet of ships, and were excellent mariners. They did not just flee to the sea, they committed themselves permanently to it. (As Frers notes, their massive fleet suddenly "vanished" off of the coast of southern France, only to reappear hoisting the dreaded black flag bearing the skull and crossbones. An added note here is that the Templar vessles often flew the famed Jolly Roger, which was named after King Roger II of Sicily, as he was the first to fly the flag after a dispute with the Pope in 1127. Perhaps not incidentally, King Roger II was also Templar.) Their primary objective was to exact revenge on the Pope and the Catholic kingdoms that served the Church. The Templars hoped to weaken the powers of the Church by attacking the vessels of the Papal States and kingdoms aligned with the Vatican. The Templars were joined in this activity by other autonomous bandits due to the tremendous amount of booty available. While not directly connected, this activity did serve the Templars purpose well. Frers notes that the Templars were the actual founders and instigators of what we know as modern piracy, and that they gave rise to the golden age of corsairs, buccaneers, and freebooters. This certainly gave me a new way of looking at piracy, and the temperament of the men involved. Frers also indicates that some unaffiliated pirates, who admired the Templar's ideals, formed their own secret societies, which, together with the Templars, laid the groundwork for the independence movement in France and contributed to the growth of Freemasonry. There is a wealth of fascinating information in this book. Included is background on Christopher Columbus, on the prevalent story of why he sailed for America, who he sailed for, and who paid the bill, and the truer probability of why he made that trip, who he made it for, and who paid for it (Frers presents the position that it is likely that Jewish bankers, or rather, bankers from a Jewish background, actually funded the trip). Along with this was the secret objective of the Templars, to establish a New Jerusalem. The "Templar Pirates" is also the story of secret societies such as the Knights Templar, the Knights Hospitaller of Saint John (later called the Order of Malta), and the Freemasons. Woven through the threads of the secret societies are the politics of the times - which lead, of course, to our current political structure. The wealth, beliefs, and connections of these societies had a tremendous effect on commerce, governments, and nations. Nine of the thirteen delegates that signed the Declaration of Independence for the United States were known, committed Freemasons, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams. George Washington took his oath of office wearing a formal Masonic apron. Look at our currency - the esoteric leanings of the Freemasons is quite evident. I found "The Templar Pirates" to be well researched, and well presented. History as recorded is not necessarily history as it happened - history here comes alive, and things that perhaps did not make sense to you before reading this book will make sense after you read it. The graphics included allow us to look into the past and connect with the words of the author. For anyone interested in history, the Knights Templar, or Freemasonry, this is a valuable book.
Bonnie Cehovet
Graphics by Art for the web |
