Talking Templars

King Philip IV of France is most famous for having the Knights Templar within his realm arrested, imprisoned, tortured, put on trial and then the leadership executed. What motivated such a drastic course of action? Other monarchs wondered what was going through Philip's mind. The usual assumption is that he simply needed Templar money to fund his war with England. But the Talking Templars duo, Dr Steve Tibble and Tony McMahon, think Philip may have genuinely believed some of the sordid charges levelled against the Templars - which included heresy, diabolism, and sodomy. They present their evidence in this week's episode.

Evidence for the Knights Templar existing in Britain can be found in the landscape in the form of place names and remnants of their buildings. The Templars established a presence in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland but how important was the British Isles for this brotherhood of crusading knights? Talking Templars presenters Dr Steve Tibble and Tony McMahon investigate.

Do you think the Knights Templar possessed the Holy Grail or imbibed a secret version of Christianity banned by the Roman Catholic church? Have you heard that the Templars were set up by a secret society called the Priory of Sion? These and many more theories about the Templars drive mainstream historians mad. In this episode of Talking Templars, TV historian Tony McMahon flags up the conspiracy theories and Yale published academic Dr Steve Tibble shoots them down.

The Knights Templar were the most feared warriors on the battlefield during the Crusades. But what was the secret to their military success? Talking Templars presenters Dr Steve Tibble and TV historian Tony McMahon examine the tough drills and rules that made the knights such a force to be reckoned with. How did that combination of monastic vows and spartan lifestyle create such formidable warriors, fighting for Christ?

William Marshal was first Earl of Pembroke, a valiant soldier, superb statesman, dashing on the tournament field, and an all-round medieval superhero. Talking Templars presenters Dr Steve Tibble and Tony McMahon take a look at this courageous figure from the Middle Ages. The shocking story of how, at the age of 5, he was nearly catapulted over a castle wall. And why he came to be closely associated with the Knights Templar.

In the year 1095, Pope Urban called for a new kind of war - the Crusades. This would be a holy war to take back Jerusalem from Muslim control. Four years later, and Jerusalem was indeed seized by crusader forces. At that time, the crusaders seemed unstoppable. But through the 12th century, the Islamic enemies of the invading Christian crusaders became more unified and took back lost territory. Talking Templars presenters Dr Steve Tibble and Tony McMahon look at whether the Crusades could have been successful for the Christian forces of were they always doomed to lose?

For centuries, stories have circulated that the Knights Templar possessed the Holy Grail and other sacred artefacts. They were said to have unearthed the cup that held the blood of Christ in Jerusalem. The origin of this tale is very likely in the tales about King Arthur. So why are so many people convinced that the Templars owned the Grail? Talking Templars presenters Dr Steve Tibble and TV historian Tony McMahon investigate.

This week, Talking Templars investigates the catastrophic downfall of the Knights Templar. How did an order of holy Christian warriors previously seen as the bravest warriors in the Crusades get to be condemned by Pope Clement V and King Philip IV of France as diabolists, heretics, and sodomites? Something had gone badly wrong by the year 1307 when they were rounded up, imprisoned, tortured, and the leaders burned at the stake. Dr Steve Tibble and Tony McMahon set out to uncover the truth. What were the deadly reasons for the annihilation of the Knights Templar?

The Talking Templars duo investigate the origins of the Knights Templar. This brotherhood of holy warriors was created around the year 1118 in Jerusalem at the height of the Crusades. Contemporary chroniclers described the new order as a kind of security service for pilgrims visiting the Holy Sepulchre. But over the centuries, myths and legends have developed about the origins of the Templars. In our own time, it's been claimed that shadowy organisations with names like the Priory of Sion or Rex Deus conjured the Knights Templar into existence. Academic author Dr Steve Tibble, ever the sceptic, pores cold water on these conspiracy theories. TV historian Tony McMahon wonders how they came about. Let the investigation begin!

What is the true story behind Assassin's Creed? Talking Templars presenters Dr Steve Tibble and Tony McMahon investigate the real-life story behind the violent clash between the Knights Templar and the death cult known as the Assassins. We go back eight centuries to the height of the Crusades in the Holy Land to find out how the Templars got the better of the Assassins.