The Knights Templar

What does it take to face a Danish invasion and fight for a kingdom in just 222 days?In 1016, England is at war as Edmund Ironside meets Cnut for a crown on the line. Matt Lewis and Dr David McDermott trace a young warrior king who fought six battles, won his name for speed and s ...  Show more

How did an empress become the most dangerous claimant to the English throne?From the Battle of Lincoln to her legendary escape from Oxford Castle, Matilda was a formidable political actor whose legacy shaped the Plantagenet dynasty.Dr Eleanor Janega is joined by Professor Elisabe ...  Show more

An order of crusading monks draped in white robes marked with a red cross: the Knights Templar perhaps don’t sound that daunting when you first hear of them. But these monks were one of the most powerful organisations in the world during the crusades. From land ownership to ba ...

Few organisations in history have names as loaded with legend as the Knights Templar. Western culture is infused with the mythology of these pious warrior monks, who wielded magic and went on quests for legendary treasures. In reality, it was an elite fighting force that becam ...

Who joined the Knights Templar? When not waging war, what did they get up to on a day-to-day basis? And how did they become associated with the Holy Grail? In this “Everything you wanted to know” episode, Emily Briffett speaks with Helen Nicholson to uncover the answers to your t ...  Show more

With a network of fortifications spanning Europe, the backing of the Pope and a fierce reputation, how did the reign of the Knights Templar end in arrest, torture, disbandment and, in some cases, execution? Mike Carr is with Matt Lewis to share the rumours that led to the Knig ...