To Tempt a Knight (26 page)
The Brotherhood of the Scottish Templars is a fictitious name for a group of men who truly existed in medieval Scottish history. The hero of
To Tempt a Knight
, Sir William Keith, was one of the knights selected by James “Black” Douglas at the time of King Robert the Bruce’s death to take the king’s embalmed heart to the Holy Land. Their mission was to place the king’s heart in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
In the spring of 1330, the Bruce’s inner circle of knights, supported by twenty-six squires and a retinue of men, set off on a Crusade from Scotland for Jerusalem, fighting the infidels along the way.
James Douglas wore the heart of the king in a specially designed cylindrical vessel about his neck, using it as a talisman as he and his men made their way through enemy territory.
On the morning of August 25, 1330, the Scottish knights joined King Alfonso of Castile in a battle that was intended to crush the Kingdom of Granada, which was held by the Moors at that time. A false battle cry sent the Scottish knights into battle before they had adequate reinforcements. They were outnumbered a hundred to one. And even with the heart of the king on their side, they were doomed to failure. The knights were crushed by the Moors, and their mission failed.
Five of the ten knights died, along with hundreds of
foot soldiers. Sir William Keith and Sir Simon Lockhart of Lee recovered the Bruce’s heart and returned with it and the bodies of the fallen knights to Scotland.
There is no documentary evidence that shows that the knights who traveled with the Bruce’s heart on Crusade were Templar knights. However, enough evidence exists to suggest Sir William Sinclair and his brother, John Sinclair of Rosslyn, were associated with the Templars. The idea of this association is not too much of a stretch for the time period, especially since their journey took them into lands once protected by the Templars.
It is recorded in French Masonic history that eighteen Templar ships left at midnight from La Rochelle, France, at midnight on October 11, 1307, reportedly heading to Scotland, the refuge place designated for Templar relics.
In the year 1331, when this story takes place, the Templars worldwide had been disbanded for seventeen years—everywhere, that is, except in Scotland. In those years, Scotland was seen as a safe haven for Templars, because Robert the Bruce never disbanded the Templar Order within his lands.
Another notable aspect of the Templars is their connection to the legendary treasure. Did it truly exist? What precious artifacts did it contain? No one knows for certain. In the pages of
To Tempt a Knight
, the Templar artifact the hero and heroine struggle to protect is the Longinus Spear, also known as the Spear of Destiny and the Holy Lance.
According to tradition, at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Spear was in the possession of the Roman Centurion Gaius Cassius Longinus. It was Longinus who pierced Christ’s side with the Spear. Eventually the Spear fell out of Longinus’s care and into the hands of destiny.
Among those who are alleged to have possessed the Spear at one time or another are the following: Boadicea;
Herod the Great; Saint Maurice of the Theban Legion; Constantine the Great, who carried the Spear into victory at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, and also while surveying the layout of his new city, Constantinople; Theodosius; Alaric, who sacked Rome; Theodoric, the only man to force Attila the Hun to retreat; Justinian; Charles Martel, grandfather of Charlemagne; and Charlemagne himself, who is said to have carried the Spear through forty-seven victorious battles and died when he accidentally dropped it.
In early 900 AD, the Spear fell into the possession of the Saxon dynasty of Germany, passing from Heinrich I, who was victorious in his battle against the Magyars, to his son Otto I, who carried the Spear into victory over the Mongols in the Battle of Leck.
After the death of Otto I, there are conflicting stories concerning the fate of the Spear. Eventually, it fell into the possession of the house of Hohenstaufen.
Napoleon attempted to seize the Spear after the Battle of Austerlitz, but it had been smuggled out of Vienna just prior to the battle.
In the early twentieth century, the Spear was briefly in the possession of Kaiser Wilhelm II before eventually ending up in the Imperial Treasury
(Schatzkammer)
at Hofburg Palace in Vienna. It was there, in September 1912, where Adolf Hitler first laid eyes upon it.
Hitler seized the Spear in the name of the Third Reich on March 12, 1938, the day he annexed Austria. During the final days of the war in Europe, at 2:10 p.m. on April 30, 1945, Lieutenant Walter William Horn of the United States Seventh Army took possession of the Spear in the name of the United States government.
Within ninety minutes of the United States’ capturing the Spear, Adolf Hitler committed suicide.
Generals Eisenhower and Patton decided to return
the Spear to the House of Hapsburg shortly thereafter. The Spear can once again be found in the Imperial Treasury at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna.
There are several Spears that claim to be the “true” Spear of Destiny. In addition to the Vienna lance, another lance discovered during the First Crusade exists in Echmiadzin, Armenia. Saint Louis brought another spear to Paris, following his return from the Crusades in Palestine in the thirteenth century. Another lance, known as the Vatican lance, was sent to Pope Innocent VIII by the Ottoman sultan Bajazet II in 1492. Some medieval scholars believe that this lance is truly the Echmiadzin lance, which fell into the hands of the Turks and eventually made its way to Bajazet, who sent it to Pope Innocent. The Vatican lance is encased in one of the pillars supporting the dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica. Another Spear is kept in Kraków, Poland, and is believed to be a copy of the Vatican lance.
Which is the real Spear of Destiny? The world may never know.
WARRIOR’S LADY
“The passion and vibrant excitement of the Middle Ages glows on every page of Russell’s latest thrilling, emotionally captivating romance.”
—
RT Book Reviews
“
Warrior’s Lady
is heart-melting passion, a powerful story of hate turning to love and being able to trust again. This tale brought a tear to my eye and a pang to my heart as I flipped the pages. This is definitely a book that historical readers will love.”
—Fresh Fiction
“Gerri Russell is an author for the medieval lover who cherishes both history and the mythical, magical medieval world.”
—Merrimon Book Reviews
“An exciting, fast moving story with interesting characters,
Warrior’s Lady
is an absorbing and intense tale of greed and dark deeds…Readers are sure to enjoy the romantic and enthralling story.”
—Romance Reviews Today
WARRIOR’S BRIDE
“A captivating, heartfelt love story born of strength, survival and eternal trust. Ms. Russell gifts us with a remarkable story that touches the heart. The ending is nothing short of exhilarating…You don’t want to miss this one!”
—Fresh Fiction
“Russell, winner of the American Title II contest, returns with her second powerful medieval romance touched with magic and passion. This well-paced, emotional, poignant drama enhances the romance just as the paranormal elements merge perfectly in Russell’s capable hands.”
—
RT Book Reviews
“Ms. Russell has created two strong characters able to rise above all that fate and nasty fathers can throw at the them…But the journey to the breathtaking conclusion gets more and more intriguing. The primary relationship…takes center stage with the suspenseful plot, but the other characters and the questions of loyalty and redemption of past deeds adds to the richness of the whole.”
—Romance Reviews Today
THE WARRIOR TRAINER
“Russell…debuts with an action-packed, emotiondriven story that immediately captures your attention. Readers yearning for strong heroines and masterful men will find them here, along with a carefully plotted story. Russell’s fresh voice secures her a place on the to-buy list.”
—
RT Book Reviews
“
The Warrior Trainer
is a romantic, action-packed story. Scotia is as hard as stone, except when it comes to those she loves. The characters are lovely and the story line will keep you coming back for more. I highly recommend this debut novel from talented new author Gerri Russell.”
—Fresh Fiction
“
The Warrior Trainer
is an intelligent, heart-wrenching historical romance that convincingly and seamlessly weaves actual history and mythical fiction together in a work of literary craftsmanship. Gerri Russell has succeeded in rendering emotions, both ecstatic and agonizing, onto the written page. Pangs of joy and grief will linger long after the read is done.
The Warrior Trainer
is a wonderful gift from a very talented author.”
—Romance Junkies
“Gerri Russell provides a strong fictional twist to the authentic history. The story line is action-packed from the start…”
—Book Crossing
A LEISURE BOOK®
September 2009
Published by
Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc.
200 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Copyright © 2009 by Gerri Russell
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E-ISBN: 978-1-4285-0727-2
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