Knights Templar jump from Dan Brown to Down Under
Dan Brown, Crusades, The Da Vinci Code, knights, knighthood, Knights Templar, fiction, literature, Christian, Christianity, religion, religious, war, Military Orders, New South Wales, NSW, Sydney, The Sydney Morning Herald
An article by Dylan Welch in The Sydney Morning Herald about the Knights Templar in Australia. The article briefly outlines the origins of the order in the early twelfth century as protectors of Christian pilgrims to Jerusalem, and its disbandment in the early fourteenth. The order has since been revived and now also operates in Australia, combining Christian charity work with instruction in swordplay and a French form of kickboxing. The article interviews two Australian members of the Templar’s, Paul O’Sullivan and Paul Grice. It is noted that the modern knights have little in common with those featured in Dan Brown’s novel ‘The Da Vinci Code’. Instead, they are described as a ‘modern-day esoteric knighthood’.
Welch, Dylan
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
12 December 2009
The Sydney Morning Herald
Newspaper Article; Hyperlink
English
The Esford Armoury ‘Knights Templar’ Range
arms, armoury, Brisbane, chain mail, chainmail, cloak, Crusades, dagger, Esford Armoury, Holy Land, hood, knights, Knights Templar, mail coat, medieval clothing, military order, Order of the Temple, Queensland, QLD, re-enactment society, red cross, shield, soldiers of Christ, surcoat, sword, war, warfare, weapons
This website advertises a range of Knights Templar garb and weaponry that has been designed with the guidance of ‘The Knights Templar’, a Brisbane-based re-enactment society. The Knights Templar formed what was arguably the most powerful and well-known of the Christian military orders in the medieval period. The order was endorsed by the Catholic Church in the early twelfth century and was particularly active during the Crusades. The clothing adopted by the Templar Knights was distinctive, consisting of a white surcoat with a red cross. Most of this ‘war gear’ is visually self-explanatory, thanks to films such as The Kingdom of Heaven (2003), which depicts crusading knights playing politics and fighting Saladin in the Holy Land. The Esford online catalogue promotes their version of the Templar sword, dagger, helmet, gambeson, surcoat, and hooded cloak. The purpose of the surcoat was initially to protect the wearer from the sun, although the practice was quickly adopted elsewhere, even in the northern lands where the climate did not warrant such precautions (See Mark Cruse, ‘Material Culture’ in Albrecht Classen, ed. Handbook of Medieval Studies: Terms, Methods, Trends, Vol. 1., Berlin, De Gruyter, 2010, p.841). Curiously, there are two essential items missing from the Templar’s equipment: a mail coat and a red cross emblazoned triangular shield.
Esford Swords and Armoury, Brisbane
November, 2011
Esford Swords and Armoury, 2011
Hyperlink
English
The Dragon’s Realm re-enactment group and store, Burnie, Tas
Armour, axe, Burnie, buttress, church, combat, costume, The Dragon Order, The Dragon’s Realm, Gothic Revival, knight, Knights Templar, lancet window, living history, online shop, re-creation, re-enactment, retail, shop, The Sovereign Military Order of the Knights Templar Tasmania, spear, sword, Tas, Tasmania, weapons, website, western martial arts swordsmanship combat.
<p>The Dragon’s Realm are both a re-enactment group and a retail store based in the northern Tasmanian city of Burnie. The store opened in 2006 and is located in the CBD in a former church built in the Gothic Revival style with buttresses and lancet windows. Products are also available online and include medieval-style weapons (swords, axes, spears etc), clothing, and armour, as well as medieval-inspired items such as fantasy books and castle tower candle holders.</p>
<p>The re-enactment group, The Sovereign Military Order of the Knights Templar Tasmania [The Dragon Order], is a full contact battle group practicing western martial arts swordsmanship combat. The group re-create combat from the whole medieval period.</p>
<p>For their website see http://www.dragonsrealm.com.au/</p>
The Dragon's Realm
Copyright © 2013 The Dragon's Realm. All rights reserved.
Website