Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Nobly Born by Stephen Dafoe

Nobly Born: An Illustrated History of the Knights Templar






posted by Bill McElligott at 4:00 AM

2 Comments:

Blogger Bill McElligott said...

Nobly Born: An Illustrated History of the Knights Templar,
by: Stephen Dafoe
Publisher: Lewis Masonic
ISBN: 978 0 85318 280 1
The Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ and the Templar of Solomon, popularly known as the Knights Templar, was the most famous and infamous of the crusading military orders. Created in the aftermath of the First Crusade,
(1096-1099) the Templars were established to ensure the safety of the large numbers of European pilgrims, who flowed towards Jerusalem after its conquest.
The Templars were an unusual Order in that they lived both an active and contemplative life; making them effectively the first warrior-monks in the western world. As such the Templars quickly expanded beyond their role as protectors of pilgrims and played a vital role in many battles of the Crusades.
Although they suffered more defeats than celebrated victories, the Templars are remembered as Christendom's most fearless military force.
Through innovative financial techniques that could be considered the foundation of modern banking and the use of a well established network of land holdings, the Templars in many ways resembled today's multi-national corporations. The Order's highly organised infrastructure, coupled with influential patrons, allowed the Order to gain great wealth and power in a relatively brief period of time.
This rise in power and prosperity continued until the Templars ran foul of King Philip IV of France, who arrested the Templars on October 13, 1307 on a variety of heretical charges. Philip had the Templars tortured in order to extract confessions of guilt and many of their number were ultimately burned at the stake. Under the influence of King Philip, Pope Clement V disbanded the Order on March 22, 1312.
In Nobly Born: An Illustrated History of the Knights Templar, noted expert Stephen Dafoe explores the Order from its origins through to its dissolution, set against the complex political and sociological backdrop that was the middle ages; a period of history where enemies could become allies at the drop of a hat.
Individual chapters examine:
-The factors that led to the First Crusade as well as a detailed account of the capture of Jerusalem.
-The origin of the Templars between the years of 1118 - 1120 AD.
-The Order's rise to papal favour and power and their commercial activities.
-The day to day life of the Templar in the convent.
-The military structure and discipline of the Order in the field.
-The major battles fought by the Templars during the Crusades.
-The downfall of the Order following the loss of the Holy Land in 1291.
-The legacy and mythos of the Templars that has developed since their demise.
Alongside the author's well-researched and comprehensive text is a superb illustrative content, vividly portraying the life of the Templars during this remarkable period of history.

Can be found at the Lodgerromstore

January 17, 2008 9:07 AM  
Blogger Bill McElligott said...

Question: OK Stephen, thank you for agreeing to this interview, I guess you know there is still a lot of interest in your writing after the success of your previous books. What is Nobly Born all about.

On the surface, Nobly Born is another book about the Knights Templar. However, the book is not so much a book about the Templars as is it is a book about the world in which the Templars lived and the interactions between this “new knighthood” as they were called and the “nobly born” Easterners and Westerners they had to deal with.


Question :Is there a difference in Nobly Born to your previous work, Stephen?

There are several differences between Nobly Born and my previous books on the Templars. The biggest difference is that The Warriors and the Bankers and the Knights Templar Revealed were both speculative in nature, while Nobly Born is an examination of the Templars derived largely from primary source materials.

There are many things in the previous two books, which I’m still proud of; however, after a decade, my views and take on just who and what the Templars were have changed somewhat.

The other major difference with this new book is that it is illustrated. There were 200 images submitted with the manuscript – including a number of maps showing Templar locations and battles. One thing that always bothered me about books like this is that I wanted to see where battles took place without digging out my historical atlas.

Question: What would you like the reader to take from this book?

You know, in whatever I write, I like the reader to take from the work what they will. I’ve done the research, I’ve presented the story based on that research; but I would hope that the reader would draw their own conclusions about what they’ve read. Too many people read books and accept what is written at face value.
Now, all of that being said, if there is one thing I’d like the reader to come away with is a de-mystified view of the Templars. I think that over the past 700 years since the Templars met their demise the Templar story has been so embellished that the Order is left either utterly demonized or elevated on an unreachable pedestal. I’d like the reader to see that, despite the ideal of what the Templars were supposed to be, they remained every bit as susceptible to human greed and failings as their secular counterparts. I truly believe that this, more than anything, makes the Templars a fascinating subject.

Question: What prompted you to write Nobly Born and who is the probable reader?

Well first and foremost, I was prompted to write the book because my publisher asked me to submit a proposal for an illustrated book on the Templars. I’d really wanted to tell the story of the Templars through the eyes of the crusades, but more importantly through the eyes of those whom they dealt with during the crusades. What was really appealing to me was I realized that in order to do this, I’d need to tell the story of the First Crusade, which paved the way for the Templars to be created in the first place.

As to who is the reader, I think anyone who is interested in the story of the Templars, especially one that places them in an historical context devoid of the usual fanciful trappings will enjoy the book. Although there are more than 650 footnotes, I think the book has an approachable narrative that is not found in many historical treatments of the subject.

Question: Can you give us some insight into how you constructed Nobly Born?

Well, the way we do books today is a little different than the way books were done in years past. The old way was to write the book and hope to find a buyer for it. Today, you write a proposal and pitch the concept before you write a single word of the manuscript. In this way you haven’t invested all that time writing a book nobody is going to buy. I think it really makes you think about what the reader might be interested in.

With Nobly Born, I tried to write the kind of book I wished I’d had to hand when I began studying the Templars; the kind of book that separates the myths and legends from the reality.

As I mentioned earlier, in order to tell the Templars’ story, I needed to tell the story of the First Crusade and the capture of Jerusalem. But what happened after Jerusalem was captured? What was the sociological and political landscape like? It was these types of questions, which put the formation and development of the Templars in their proper perspective and I used this approach throughout their 200 year history.

From there it is a matter of doing the research from as many primary sources as possible – both Christian and Muslim and translating that research into the book.

Question: Who or what was your inspiration in the writing of Nobly Born?

I wouldn’t say that I had a particular inspiration in writing the book. That being said, I’m always inspired by writers, artists or really any creative person who is passionate about their craft. Stephen McKim, who designed the cover for the book and Gordon Napier, who did several illustrations for the interior, are both inspirations to me. They are both always creating and always trying to outdo themselves with each new creation.

Question: Can you tell our audience what books have influenced you?

There have been too many to mention really. I truly believe that every book I read influences me either in a positive or a negative way. I recently tried to read a fiction novel, which was written in the present tense and it drove me nuts. I couldn’t even finish the first chapter. By contrast, a novel I read in my early teens has stuck with me to adulthood and I probably read it once a year just to remind me of how creatively brilliant a writer can be.
Lately, I’d have to say I’ve really been influenced by some nineteenth century writers. The prose style back then was simply beautiful.

Question: What or who do you draw on when engaged in the task of writing?

Writing is a lonely occupation and I think any writer will pretty much tell you that the only thing to draw on is your own drive and desire to complete the project. For me that means days and weeks of near solitude to the point where food has to be placed in front of me if I’m going to eat. I think I lost 30 pounds writing this book – which I needed to lose.

Not everyone can work in isolation and the nature of these things is that you have to keep your mouth pretty much sealed while working on them. There are a couple of things in this book, which I have not seen in print in the past. As much as I’d loved to have shared them with people, you simply cannot afford to do so until it hits the shelves. I’m still busting to talk about them, but it is still a few months before the book is to be released.

Question: What other books can we look forward to from Stephen Dafoe in the future?

My next book is due to be turned in at the end of December and is to be called The Compasses and the Cross. This book will be a history of Masonic Templarism. Essentially it will trace the evolution of Chivalric Masonry through Ramsay and Von Hund and how the Templar Orders in Freemasonry developed on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond. Like Nobly Born, it will have a number of illustrations and photographs – although it will be considerably shorter than Nobly Born.

Actually both Nobly Born and Compasses and the Cross were to be 60,000 word manuscripts. I’m thankful to Lewis Masonic for allowing me to expand on Nobly Born so as to tell the full story I’d wanted to tell. It wound up being about 100,000 words in length.

Question: any other projects?

I have a few irons in the fire, but nothing with dry ink just yet. My agent is still shopping my book on the Morgan Affair, which I’ve wanted to write for some time. The Scottish Rite Research Society will be publishing a 20,000 word paper of mine on the Morgan Affair in their next edition of Heredom, which I’m pleased about. It is a reworking of the four part series I did for Masonic Magazine in its first year of publication.

Beyond that I have been doing some comic book work lately, which I’m really excited about.

A friend of mine owns a comic book shop in Edmonton, Alberta called Happy Harbor and publishes a semi-annual comic anthology of local and regional talent. I’ve been designing the books and doing the prepress work for the series for a couple of years now, but in the last one I did an original illustrated prose piece for the book. Essentially I took the Morgan story and wrote it like a child would. It is without a doubt the strangest work I’ve ever done – blending humour, history, satire and sarcasm in one bizarre story.

I’ve committed to doing another story for the next anthology, which will be about how an ordinary man can be pushed to the point of embracing vigilantism as he watches his small town slowly destroyed by drugs. The story is pure fiction, while the background is based in reality.

In addition, I’ve completed the first script for an ongoing series about the Knights Templar. However, the project is on hold until I complete the manuscript for the Compasses and the Cross. I want to have at least two to three issues in the bag before I begin publishing it.

You will find this in the Lodgeroom International Magazine: ready to be downloaded at
http://www.lodgeroomus.net/downloadcenter/index.php

January 17, 2008 9:08 AM  

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