The Knight Templar
Encyclopedia
The Knight Templar is the second book in Jan Guillou's
The Knight Templar (Crusades trilogy)
book series. This book follows the fictional character
of Arn Magnusson as a Knight Templar
in the kingdom of Jerusalem
. The book starts in Arn's 27th year and ends as he departs the holy lands.
At the age of 27, Arn is already a veteran
in the Crusader army, when he faces the strangest experience a Knight Templar can have. While pursuing a band of saracen
thieves, he comes across Saladin
, the leader of the Muslim forces, and saves his life. They become close friends, but great enemies at the same time. During the conversation with Saladin, Arn learns and deduces that Saladin is preparing an attack on the Kingdom of Jerusalem from the south and brings this information back to Jerusalem. As Arn is the commander
of the Templar fort at Gaza
, he prepares to take the first blow of Saladins force, hoping to at least delay Saladin, so that Jerusalem maybe saved as the Kings army at the time is busied with a campaign in the far north. After a short siege Saladin spares the city, in part due to Saladins life being saved by Arn earlier, as he is going for a bigger prize, the city of Jerusalem. Arn is given the order to march with all manpower to break the siege of Ascalon. Arn and his men manage a surprise attack, and together with the knights inside the city they completely crush the siege force. Even though both the Grand Master and two senior Templars are present in Ascalon, command of the Templar forces to pursue Saladin is given to Arn, due to his recent battle luck, seen as the will of God. Saladin still unaware of the broken siege is taken completely by surprise as the Templars charge on his center force in cover of dense fog, and trap the bulk of the Mamluk cavalry in a trench, utterly defeating Saladin's army at the Battle of Montgisard
. When Arnaud de Toroge
is named Grand Master of the Knights Templar, Arn is summoned to Jerusalem to become Master of the city where he and the Grand Master pursue a religiously tolerant policy with the goal of creating a lasting peace between Christians and Muslims.
After the death of de Toroge, assassinated by Heraclius
, Patriarch of Jerusalem
, Gerard of Ridefort is named new Grand Master, and Arn is immediately dismissed from the city and retakes his position in Gaza. Arn now becomes disillusioned by the crusades and in the Battle of Hattin
, Arn is severely wounded and spends several weeks at Saladin's hospital in Damascus
. He then becomes a personal advisor to Saladin and convinces Saladin to spare the population of Jerusalem, which is conquered (in 1187). Also in Saladins captivity is Gerard of Ridefort, who, by "persuasion", signs Arns release note from the order. In the very end of the book, Richard the Lionheart comes to Palestine
with an army of crusaders. Richard captures Acre
from Saladin, and when Saladin tries to buy back 5,700 prisoners from him, Richard prefers to massacre the populace instead, because some terms had not been fulfilled. Arn is now very eager to return home, and Saladin donates to Arn the remaining sum of money which the Lionheart forsook in his lust for blood. As is told in the following book, Arn travels to Acre, on the way hiring various craftsmen, then obtains a Templar cargo ship and departs for his homeland.
Meanwhile, Arn's fiancée, Cecilia Algotsdotter, is serving an equally long punishment (20 years) in a convent of Gudhem for the sins she and Arn committed at the age of 17. Gothia is plunged into a civil war over the crown, fought over by the Sverker clan, and the joined forces of the Erik- and Folkung clan. Cecilia being counted as a member of the latter is continuously bullied by the women at the convent, who are all of the Sverker clan. She is later joined by another Cecilia who is of the Erik clan. They thensforth named Cecilia Rosa (Algotsdotter) and Cecilia Blanka
, die to their hair colours. Together they outlast the torture of the Sverkers, and especially the Abbess Rikissa, who spare no effort in punishing the two friends. Relief comes as the Eriks and the Folkungs finally defeat the Sverkers at the battle of Bjelbo. Cecilia Blanka who is the fiancée of the future King, Canute I Ericson
begins to haunt the Abess with her coming power, which finally breaks the persistent torture of the two. The two also befriend a young Sverker maid, Ulvhilde Emundsdotter, ironically the daughter of the man who was famously defeated by Arn Magnusson and later slain by Canute. The three form a lifelong friendship and with their wit and cunning eventually become a ruling force in the nation (more so in the following books).
Jan Guillou
Jan Oskar Sverre Lucien Henri Guillou is a Swedish author and journalist. Among his books are a series of spy fiction novels about a spy named Carl Hamilton, and a trilogy of historical fiction novels about a Knight Templar, Arn Magnusson...
The Knight Templar (Crusades trilogy)
The Knight Templar (Crusades trilogy)
The Knight Templar is a series of books about the fictional character of Arn Magnusson. The series is written by Swedish author and journalist Jan Guillou....
book series. This book follows the fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
of Arn Magnusson as a Knight Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
in the kingdom of Jerusalem
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Catholic kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks, but its history is divided into two distinct periods....
. The book starts in Arn's 27th year and ends as he departs the holy lands.
At the age of 27, Arn is already a veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
in the Crusader army, when he faces the strangest experience a Knight Templar can have. While pursuing a band of saracen
Saracen
Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs. In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam...
thieves, he comes across Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
, the leader of the Muslim forces, and saves his life. They become close friends, but great enemies at the same time. During the conversation with Saladin, Arn learns and deduces that Saladin is preparing an attack on the Kingdom of Jerusalem from the south and brings this information back to Jerusalem. As Arn is the commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
of the Templar fort at Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
, he prepares to take the first blow of Saladins force, hoping to at least delay Saladin, so that Jerusalem maybe saved as the Kings army at the time is busied with a campaign in the far north. After a short siege Saladin spares the city, in part due to Saladins life being saved by Arn earlier, as he is going for a bigger prize, the city of Jerusalem. Arn is given the order to march with all manpower to break the siege of Ascalon. Arn and his men manage a surprise attack, and together with the knights inside the city they completely crush the siege force. Even though both the Grand Master and two senior Templars are present in Ascalon, command of the Templar forces to pursue Saladin is given to Arn, due to his recent battle luck, seen as the will of God. Saladin still unaware of the broken siege is taken completely by surprise as the Templars charge on his center force in cover of dense fog, and trap the bulk of the Mamluk cavalry in a trench, utterly defeating Saladin's army at the Battle of Montgisard
Battle of Montgisard
The Battle of Montgisard was fought between the Ayyubids and the Kingdom of Jerusalem on November 25, 1177. The 16 year old King Baldwin IV, seriously afflicted by leprosy, led an out-numbered Christian force against the army of Saladin...
. When Arnaud de Toroge
Arnaud de Toroge
Arnold of Torroja was a Catalan knight and the ninth Grand Master of the Knights Templar from 1181 until his death in 1184.- Personal life :...
is named Grand Master of the Knights Templar, Arn is summoned to Jerusalem to become Master of the city where he and the Grand Master pursue a religiously tolerant policy with the goal of creating a lasting peace between Christians and Muslims.
After the death of de Toroge, assassinated by Heraclius
Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem
Heraclius or Eraclius , was archbishop of Caesarea and Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.Heraclius was from the Gévaudan in Auvergne, France. Like his later rival William of Tyre he studied law at the University of Bologna: his contemporaries and friends included Stephen of Tournai and Gratian...
, Patriarch of Jerusalem
Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem is the head bishop of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, ranking fourth of nine Patriarchs in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Since 2005, the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem has been Theophilos III...
, Gerard of Ridefort is named new Grand Master, and Arn is immediately dismissed from the city and retakes his position in Gaza. Arn now becomes disillusioned by the crusades and in the Battle of Hattin
Battle of Hattin
The Battle of Hattin took place on Saturday, July 4, 1187, between the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem and the forces of the Ayyubid dynasty....
, Arn is severely wounded and spends several weeks at Saladin's hospital in Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
. He then becomes a personal advisor to Saladin and convinces Saladin to spare the population of Jerusalem, which is conquered (in 1187). Also in Saladins captivity is Gerard of Ridefort, who, by "persuasion", signs Arns release note from the order. In the very end of the book, Richard the Lionheart comes to Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
with an army of crusaders. Richard captures Acre
Acre, Israel
Acre , is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the country....
from Saladin, and when Saladin tries to buy back 5,700 prisoners from him, Richard prefers to massacre the populace instead, because some terms had not been fulfilled. Arn is now very eager to return home, and Saladin donates to Arn the remaining sum of money which the Lionheart forsook in his lust for blood. As is told in the following book, Arn travels to Acre, on the way hiring various craftsmen, then obtains a Templar cargo ship and departs for his homeland.
Meanwhile, Arn's fiancée, Cecilia Algotsdotter, is serving an equally long punishment (20 years) in a convent of Gudhem for the sins she and Arn committed at the age of 17. Gothia is plunged into a civil war over the crown, fought over by the Sverker clan, and the joined forces of the Erik- and Folkung clan. Cecilia being counted as a member of the latter is continuously bullied by the women at the convent, who are all of the Sverker clan. She is later joined by another Cecilia who is of the Erik clan. They thensforth named Cecilia Rosa (Algotsdotter) and Cecilia Blanka
Cecilia Johansdotter of Sweden
Cecilia Johansdotter of Sweden, , is the traditional name of the Queen Consort of King Canute I of Sweden and mother of King Eric X of Sweden.- Biography :...
, die to their hair colours. Together they outlast the torture of the Sverkers, and especially the Abbess Rikissa, who spare no effort in punishing the two friends. Relief comes as the Eriks and the Folkungs finally defeat the Sverkers at the battle of Bjelbo. Cecilia Blanka who is the fiancée of the future King, Canute I Ericson
Canute I of Sweden
Canute I, Swedish: Knut Eriksson , was king over all of Sweden from 1173 to 1195...
begins to haunt the Abess with her coming power, which finally breaks the persistent torture of the two. The two also befriend a young Sverker maid, Ulvhilde Emundsdotter, ironically the daughter of the man who was famously defeated by Arn Magnusson and later slain by Canute. The three form a lifelong friendship and with their wit and cunning eventually become a ruling force in the nation (more so in the following books).
See also
- The Knight Templar (Crusades trilogy)The Knight Templar (Crusades trilogy)The Knight Templar is a series of books about the fictional character of Arn Magnusson. The series is written by Swedish author and journalist Jan Guillou....
- The Road to JerusalemThe Road to JerusalemThe Road to Jerusalem is the first book in Jan Guillou's The Knight Templar book series. The book follows the fictional character of Arn Magnusson from his birth and until he sets off to Jerusalem....
(1998), ISBN 91-1-300565-0 the first book in the series - The Kingdom at the End of the RoadThe Kingdom at the End of the RoadThe Kingdom at the End of the Road is the third book in Jan Guillou's The Knight Templar book series. This book follows the fictional character of Arn Magnusson as he returns home to Sweden after 20 years as a Knight Templar....
(2000), ISBN 91-89426-02-9 the third book in the series - The Heritage of ArnThe Heritage of ArnThe Heritage of Arn is a follow-up to The Knight Templar by Jan Guillou about Birger jarl, the founder of Stockholm - fictionalized to be Arn Magnusson's grandson....
(2001), ISBN 91-642-0003-5 a follow-up about Birger jarlBirger jarl, or Birger Magnusson, was a Swedish statesman, Jarl of Sweden and a member of the House of Bjelbo, who played a pivotal role in the consolidation of Sweden. Birger also led the Second Swedish Crusade, which established Swedish rule in Finland. Additionally, he is traditionally attributed to have...
, the founder of Stockholm - fictionalized to be Arn's grandson