About the book: 2009 / Everyone knows the tragic end of the Order of the Temple, a military monastic order founded in the 12th century, one of the most powerful in West, the process against which, begun by Philip the Fair in 1307, still feeds many legends and gives rise to many disputes to this day. Perhaps less known is Jacques de Molay (c. 1244-1314), the last Grand Master of the Order of the Temple, who died in the flames of a fire because he did not want to renounce his order. It is true to say about this man, a native of the County of Burgundy, for almost Few people have heard of his entire quiet career in the East. Elected head of the Templars in 1292, he survived the disappearance of the Latin states after the capture of Acre by the Mamelukes. From Cyprus, where the Christians of the East had retreated, he inspired them to fight for the return of Jerusalem, relying on an alliance with the Mongols. But this strategy failed and the great dream came to an end. Invited to France by Pope Clement V to discuss the crusade and the merger of the Orders of the Temple and the Hospital, Molay fell into a trap as a result of an intrigue that he did not see and which became fatal for the Templars. Alain Demurger, using unpublished documents that recently came into his possession, surveys the life path of a little-known man, whom descendants often judged poorly, but who was not devoid of character or ambition. Along the way, clarifying some dates and data that until now seemed indisputable, in a fascinating investigation he reveals the extent of the responsibility of the last Grand Master for the outcome of the process of the Order of the Temple and the true motives of his behavior.