From the Publisher: From Parzival through Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade to The da Vinci Code, the Knights Templar have had an enduring hold over the popular imagination. At dawn on Friday, October 13, 1307, they went from being one of the most powerful organizations in medieval Europe to prisoners and fugitives. They were questioned under torture and their leaders were executed for heresy. Officially disbanded in 1312, the Knights Templar ceased to exist. The legend of the Templars has proved harder to destroy. Rumors persisted of hidden treasure, of a curse that blighted a dynasty, and of a secret so powerful that it threatened the very basis of the Church. New organizations such as the Freemasons looked back to the Templars, and became shrouded in myth and conspiracy theory themselves. The Templars is the first in a series of Colonial Gothic sourcebooks covering secret societies and other organizations. Within these pages you will find detailed and authoritative information on the activities of the Knights Templar in the world of Colonial Gothic, including their acknowledged and secret histories, their structure and organization, their goals in the Thirteen Colonies and around the world, and the implications of membership. Although they do not show their hand openly, the Knights Templar remain a force in the world of Colonial Gothic. Their hand is seldom seen, but it pulls on many strings.