Knights Of The Black And White (2006) - Plot & Excerpts
Jack Whyte lives in Kelowna, BCBegins in 1085 Templars existed for less than 200 years-legitimate standing army of the RC church. Invented first international banks, developed the largest navy in the world, financed all the kings and kingdoms of Christendom, amassed the largest real estate holdings in history. All the original templar knights were French and nobly bornHugh de Payens (Hugues of Payens) founder of the Knights Templar.Weren't called "Crusades" until hundreds of years later. Outremer-the land beyond the sea, is what the Holy Land was called..Medieval Europe was not called Europe but Christendom. There was no middle calss in medieval Europe.!. commoners, serfs slaves peasants, mesnes 2. aristocrats, who owned and ruled the land,-which were divided into knights and clerics.Knights were not literate. Their job was to fight.Clerics looked after order and the church.There wasa no law stipulating that a knight had to be of noble birth. It just tuned out that way.Knights practised at least six hours a day. Their swords were 4 feet long and 3 inches wide and weighed 14 pounds.Stephen St. Clair-most famous knight in Christendom. Was with William the Conquorer's army and killed the english king, Harold Godwinson-1066. twenty years later the Normans were still fighting Saxons.William the bastard, Duke of Normany-William the Conquoer, William I of EnglandThe Order of Rebirth in Sion-only one son per family and only if one qualifies. Not necessarily the oldest.-must be at least 18 years old-ancesters were Jews and sprung from the EssenesRaising- an entrance ritual first done by the Essenes- lowered into a grave with skeleton in it and then being drwn up, leaving one's past behind hem in the grave.This group in Jerusalem became known as "The Patriarch's Patrol" A special group of knight-monks. At first they called themselves "The poor fellow soldiers of Jesus Christ"Later called "The Knights of the Temple Mount"Jesus' brother James was called James the Just-his murder on the steps of the Temple led to the last rebellion and Jewish war against Rome. James disliked and dis trusted Paul Pope Urban II- Council at Clermont (1095), Called for "The Pope's Holy War which began in 1096-- 4300 knights and 30 thousand infantry.Seige of Antioch (lated 8 months)-6000 men died, mostly of famine. Guards took bribes and opened the gates. Then the Seljik Turks were defeated in 1099and Jerusalem fell to "The First Crusade"THE KNIGHTS OF THE HOSPITAL- started in 1113 . Knights was just an honorary name. They were monks whose total responsibility was to the pilgrims and were not allowed to fight "Thou shalt not kill."Peter the Hermit - Leader of the Crusade of the Poor PeopleAlso known as known as Cucu Peter, Little Peter or Peter of Amiens, Peter the Hermit preached Crusade in the wake of Urban's speech at Clermont.Country of Origin / Nationality: FranceLifetime: Died 1131Born: c1050Background : He was a monk in Amiens, FranceDied: Peter the Hermit died in 1131Character of Peter the Hermit: Pious, determined, charismatic, passionate, eloquent and courageousAccomplishments and Achievements or why Peter the Hermit was famous: Leading the People's Crusade - The First Crusade 1096 - 1099Philip I, king of France lived openly as an adulter with the Countess of Anjou and he was excommunicated.Woolgathering-thinking or dreaming.Mendicant-a beggars tunicCerement-shroud worn to the grave by a dead personSion-hebrew name for the Holy LandTrebuchet- a seige engine invented by the NormansMalcolm Canmohr-king of Scotland at this time. His wife was first cousin to Egbert, the saxon heir to the english throne and so she pushed her husband to invade england (1091)Mithras-Roman God of soldiers was born in a stable and born of a virgin. Symbol was a white, four armed crossHorus-son of a virgin. Detined to die for the sins of othersAnathema-A formal ecclesiastical ban, curse, or excommunication. A vehement denunciation; a curse: "the sound of a witch's anathemas in some unknown tongue" (Nathaniel Hawthorne). One that is cursed or damned. One that is greatly reviled, loathed, or shunned: The Way-to find God one must search within oneself, so what need is there of priestsHubris-dangerous prideDamsels--knights newly arrived to Jerusalem from ChristendomSaracens-rose out of the Syrian dessert to continaully raid all travellers in PalestineSuccubus- a very common female devilFerenghi-an Arabic corruption of "frankihs" a foreigner in PalestineMaccabees- hereditary high priests of the Jewish temple befroe the invasion of the Selucids, a powerful dynasty, kings descended from one of Alexander the Greats generals, Seleucus who founded Asia minor and Sicily. They married and mixed their hellenic blood with that of the Arabs to produce a bastard race.They ruled Syria for hyndreds of years and produced Herod, who married Miriamne, the last Maccabee princess. he then destoyed the royal family and proclaimed himself King of the Jews. The Jews and zealots hated him and Herod Antipas.All the Maccabee priests of the temple were replaced by herod's priests called Pharisees. Known as Herodians to the RomansEbionites of Essenes The Poor Ones. (Weere also called nazerites or Nazerenes)Only Romans and Herodians were rich in jesus' time. he said "it is as unlikely that a rich man will enter the kingdom of heaven as it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle" Paul was a Selucid-half greek, half ArabAntioch on the Orontes Syrian Antioch) was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the Near East and was a cradle of Gentile Christianity. It was one of the four cities of the Syrian tetrapolis. Its residents are known as Antiochenes. Once a great metropolis of a half million people, it declined to insignificance during the Middle Ages because of repeated earthquakes, the Crusaders' invasions, and a change in trade routes, following the Mongol conquests, which then no longer passed through Antioch from the far east.Godfrey de Bouillion who led the first Holy War, said he could not be king and wear a crown of gold when jesus had only worn a crown of thorns so he was instead made "Advocate of the Holy Sepulcher"Died after one year in office and his brother Baldwin declared hiself King of Jerusalem, taking over the Aqsa Mosque, over the Dome of the Rock and converting it into his palace.His wife was Queen MorfiaStephen of Blois--Count Stephen was one of the leaders of the First Crusade, often writing enthusiastic letters to Adela about the crusade's progress. Stephen was the head of the army council at the Crusaders' siege of Nicaea in 1097. He returned home in 1098 during the lengthy siege of Antioch, without having fulfilled his crusading vow to forge a way to Jerusalem. He was pressured by Adela into making a second pilgrimage, and joined the minor crusade of 1101 in the company of others who had also returned home prematurely. In 1102, Stephen was killed at the Second Battle of Ramla at the age of fifty-seven. King .Stephen of England was the son of Adela, a daughter of William the Conqueror. Stephen's father was Stephen, Count of Blois. The Count was killed on Crusade and Stephen was looked after by his uncle, Henry I, the king of England. Stephen was bestowed with a great deal of land by Henry and he soon became extremely wealthy and powerful. In 1125 Stephen married Matilda of Boulogne, who was next in line to inherit the lands around Boulogne. This gave Stephen control of a major port on the Channel and control over trade between the two countries. Claiming the throne When King Henry I died the claimant to the throne was Matilda (also known as Maud) his daughter. Although it has been agreed that Matilda would rule with her husband, Geoffrey Plantagenet Count of Anjou, the Barons neither wanted a female ruler or a ruler from Anjou. Stephen was crowned at Westminster Abbey on the 22nd of December 1135. This started the war between Maude and StephenEdessa, Mesopotamia, now Şanlıurfa, Turkey County of Edessa, a crusader state Tripoli is in northern LebanonCarcassonne in the Languedoc area. Archives held original writings of Josephus, the Jewish historianEvery thing Jewish came out of Egypt with MosesAnkh-a symbol of life and prosperity not only in this life but in the nextCherubim -supposedly on the top of the Arc.with their wings spread out touching one another God lived not in the arc but under the protection of their wings.
Knights of the Black and White é o primeiro livro da série Templar Trilogy do escritor Jack Whyte. É também o primeiro livro que leio desse escritor. A trama gira em torno da Ordem do Templários, cavaleiros usados pela Igreja Católica para defender os peregrinos na Terra Santa. Os cavaleiros templários foi um verdadeiro exército da Igreja durante as Cruzadas e ajudou a instituição a restabelecer o Cristianismo em Jerusalém.A figura central do livro é Hugh de Payens, grão mestre e fundador da Ordem dos Pobres Soldados de Jesus Cristo, conhecida como Ordem dos Templários. O autor começa a história bem antes, quando o jovem Hugh é incorporado em uma sociedade secreta conhecida como Ordem do Renascimento, cujas cores são o Preto e o Branco. Algum tempo depois, Hugh é enviado a Jerusalém, juntamente com alguns dos seus companheiros da Ordem do Renascimento. O objetivo é ajudar a Igreja a restabelecer o Cristianismo na Terra Santa.Após o tal restabelecimento, Jerusalém passa a ser um reino cristão e Hugh decide se estabelecer no local a serviço do Rei e, secretamente, da Ordem do Renascimento. Após alguns anos chega em Jerusalém um jovem cavaleiro, Stephen St. Clair, também pertencente à Ordem do Renascimento, com uma missão para Hugh de Payens e seus companheiros, encontrar abaixo do palácio do Rei o antigo Templo de Salomão e seus tesouros.Para poder cumprir a missão sem que o rei e a Igreja, suspeitem, Hugh e seus companheiros, decidem se tornar monges e com o aval do Arcebispo e do Rei, surge a Ordem dos Pobres Soldados de Jesus Cristo.O livro é muito bem narrado e a trama é bem construída. Há momentos com intrigas, quando os cavaleiros são quase descobertos pelo Secretário do Arcebispo, o corrupto Bispo Odo. Aliás, através da figura de Odo nos é mostrada toda a sujeira da Igreja, a busca de alguns clérigos por riqueza e o descumprimento dos votos clericais, principalmente o da castidade.Em vários trechos do livro, o autor também se refere ao modo como o Cristianismo se tornou a religião do mundo ocidental. O que pode ser verdade sabe a vida de Jesus Cristo e o que a Igreja esconde de seus fieis. No entanto, o autor não faz uma crítica direta ao Cristianismo, pelo menos eu não senti como uma crítica. O que há são apenas constatações baseadas em fatos históricos.Outro ponto interessante é o testemunho de Hugh de Payens durante a Guerra Santa. A personagem se vê questionando o ideal cristão após testemunhar vários massacres acontecidos de forma injustificada que vão de encontro às palavras de Cristo e ao ideal do Cristianismo. As diversas injustiças e crueldade praticadas em nome de Jesus Cristo e a hipocrisia também são destacados pelo autor.Algo que achei bem interessante é a mudança da personagem central. Quero dizer, o autor, em determinado momento, coloca a trama sob o ponto de vista de outra personagem que passa a ser a central. O plot passa a ser desenvolvido sob a ótica de Stephen St. Clair. E diversos pontos referentes ao poder do Cristianismo e aos votos dos monges da Ordem são novamente colocados em cheque pela personagem.Por ser o primeiro livro da trilogia, a Ordem dos Templários nos é mostrada como uma ordem de monges pobres ainda sem influência política ou religiosa. O cumprimento da missão, com o descobrimento de um tesouro há muito procurado pela Ordem do Renascimento, faz com que Hugh de Payens volte para Sião e procure um patrono para os cavaleiros templários através de Bernardo de Claraval, sobrinho de um dos membros da Ordem, para que a Ordem dos Pobres Soldados de Jesus Cristo seja reconhecida pelo Papa.Por fim, resta dizer que o livro é ótimo, com personagens e fatos reais misturados de uma forma excelente com elementos ficcionais. Em nenhum momento a narração é cansativa, há algumas tramas paralelas que podem parecer que destoam um pouco do foco central, mas fica fácil perceber a intenção do autor em colocá-las na trama.Recomendadíssimo.
What do You think about Knights Of The Black And White (2006)?
Here I am writing a review after only one hundred and seven pages. It's not my policy, but I have enough to say that I think this early review is valid.The entire first section of Knights of the Black and White, called Beginnings by Jack Whyte, is the biggest, clunkiest most useless piece of exposition I have ever read. It is a classic example of an author's cerebral, pre-writing work spilling over into their novel without any thought for pacing, necessity or readability. Indeed, it took only three pages of Awakenings, the second part of the novel, to see that this is where the novel truly begins. This is another fine example of what Shane Joseph recently described as "only us Plebs needing a copy editor." Someone should have told Mr. Whyte to reel it in and cut Beginnings; sadly, no one did.But this isn't the only issue I have with Knights of the Black and White. Does the following passage ring any bells for anyone who has read a Whyte book in the past: "Godfrey's face twisted in a frustrated grimace. 'I know what I want to ask you, but I don't know how to put into words properly. Let me think about it for a moment.''Think as long as you wish. I'll wait,' Hugh lay back and closed his eyes again.'"Substitute Arthur Pendragon for Godfrey and Caius Merlyn Britannicus for Hugh and you've got every discussion Whyte's characters ever had in the Dream of Eagles series, and its subsequent books. Does anyone actually ruminate in such a way when they talk to a close friend? Maybe there are a few who do this, but they must be in a very small minority. Regardless, the similarity is instantly off-putting, and it makes me want to put down the Knights of the Black and White so I can avoid wasting my time. But, of course, I won't.I am doomed to read the whole book. I only hope my tentative rating of two stars can be overcome by something truly inspired, but I don't think I'll submerge myself in the tub in anticipation. I may add more to this when I am finished reading, so stay tuned.Later...So much for being doomed to finish. I can't do it; I can't and won't go on. I am BORED. Whyte hasn't created a single character for me to care about. It isn't very often I put away a book before I'm done, particularly without plans to give it another try, but I am done with The Knights of the Black and White. If I ever read a Whyte book again, and that is uncertain, I'll go back to Dream of Eagles. The Templar Trilogy is done wasting my time.I hoped for more, but I got less than I hoped. I would love to give this book one star, but I don't feel it's fair to change my initial rating when I won't be finishing the book. So two is where it will stay. The Knights of the Black and White, however, is teetering on the edge of a pyre, although that may be too kind.Later still...Okay. One star. And it tipped into the fire tonight. It took a year, but I am done.
—Brad
I'm presuming well researched, it certainly reads as if it is, but I'm afraid its one thing to be able to pour facts into a novel, to paint what is essentially a thin veneer of fiction over what is obviously a detailed knowledge, yet quite another to make it interesting as a fictionalised piece of writing.Exposition heavy and yet, oddly enough, at the same time there were so many historical events dealt with in the blink of the eye ..... to give an example, the Siege of Antioch, an event that took place over eight months, here it was covered in just under 2 pages.More character based than action packed, perhaps a good move given that this point of view has been well tried and tested, the character led perhaps slightly less so. Its just disappointing that it is these very characters that let the book down so badly. Poorly drawn. Their language, often written in a modern vernacular, laughable. The sex scenes (though thankfully few), quite frankly, cheesy. Part one in a trilogy, I don't suppose it will come as any surprise when I say I shan't be continuing with the series.Copyright: Tracy Terry @ Pen and Paper.
—Tracy Terry
Truth be told, I couldn't finish this book. I made it about half-way through before I gave up.That said, Whyte certainly did his research for this book, and it shows. Unfortunately, that's pretty much all that shows, because the book would much rather tell you everything and just pour said research onto the page which got dull very quickly - especially when the characters seem to spend almost all their time sitting or standing around and talking. When there's finally some action it's glossed over so quickly and told in such a passive voice that it gets completely lost in all the endless conversations, discussions, and debates. The book also suffers from a bad case of soap-box with regard to religion - Christianity in particular, though I have to admit I couldn't tell if it was a character soap-box or the author's.I definitely will be giving the other two books in the trilogy a pass.
—Foxwine
