The After-history of the Templars: From the Holy Grail and the Ark of the Covenant to Freemasonry and the Priory of Sion

The arrest of the Templars in 1307, the suppression of the order in 1312, and the execution of Jacques de Molay in 1314 saw the end of the order in the eyes of academic historians. However, for conspiracy theorists, writers of pseudo-history, and many of their readers, the dramatic events of the early fourteenth century were simply the beginning of a new era in Templar history. In the second half of the twentieth century, and at an increasing rate with the rise of the internet, this speculative history of Templar survival has created an alternative to the orthodox version of events seen in most academic literature. Despite little or no evidence to support their theories, many writers have persisted in perpetuating rumours that some Templars survived the calamitous events of the early fourteenth century and, indeed, still survive to this day. In this study, some of the elements of this vast speculative literature are examined, focussing particularly on the supposed connections that the order had with Scotland before analysing the reasons why such literature seems to be accepted by so many people beyond the academic community.