For blood&glory
> New series offers a realistic look at the Knights Templar and what brought about the demise of this powerful military order
THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR was the most powerful and wealthy military order of the Middle Ages, and its epic rise and fall is the stuff of romantic legends and mystery.
In fact, its story has been fodder for many poets and writers, from battles in the Holy Land to clashes with the King of France and the dark events leading to the demise of the Templar Order in 1307 on Friday the 13th (a date now synonymous with bad luck).
However, the story of the Knights Templar has never been fully told – until now.
After giving us the world of Vikings, History (on Astro channels 555 and 575) delivers another epic series – Knightfall – which is based on the history of the Knights Templar.
This 10-episode production from A+E Studios, in association with The Combine and Midnight Radio, begins with the fall of the city of Acre, the Templar’s last stronghold in the Holy Land and home of the sacred Holy Grail.
Years later, a clue emerges suggesting the whereabouts of the Grail. The Templar knights, led by the noble, courageous and headstrong Landry – played by Welsh actor Tom Cullen ( right) – then set out on a life-or-death mission to find the lost Grail.
This drama series also stars Pádraic Delaney as Gawain, a great swordsman who was crippled at Acre; Simon Merrells as Tancrede, a brave resolute knight; Jim Carter as Pope Boniface VIII, the holy leader of the Templar knights; Olivia Ross as Queen Joan of Navarre, wife to Ed Stoppard’s King Philip IV of France; and Julian Ovenden as the king’s Machiavellian right-hand man William De Nogaret.
During a recent teleconference interview, Cullen said the series presents the Templar knights as they are, warts and all.
“We strive for authenticity in this show for everything,” Cullen added, “from the amount of dirt we put on our faces to how filthy our costumes were, how heavy the chain mail was, how brutal the fighting was, and how difficult their lives were.”
The Knights Templar was founded in 1119, and grew rapidly to become a skilled fighting unit, as well as the most wealthy establishment of its time.
Cullen said: “The story tells how the Knights Templar became this very powerful, unique monastic order that answered to no king or queen. They only answer to the pope and God.
“The order had become so powerful that it formed the world’s first banks, and could dispose of kings and queens. The world was very scared of the Templar.”
Because of this paranoia and mistrust of the order, King Philip IV of France had many of the Templar knights in France arrested, tortured and burned at the stake in 1307. And under pressure from King Philip, Pope Clement V disbanded the order in 1312.
Cullen said the series’ opening sequence is set in 1291 when the Templar knights lost their key stronghold Acre.
The scene then jumps 15 years later to Paris, following Landry, a former knight who has become a monk.
“At that time, the politics in France was really interesting. The conflict between the king, the pope, and the Templar knights was very fascinating.
“My character, when you [first] see him, is a maverick, cocky, brash young man who is emboldened by the fact that he has God by his side. He feels immortal and invincible. But he loses the Holy Grail and Acre.
“[In Paris, 15 years later], Landry is like a caged animal. He is no longer a warrior; he is now a monk who hands out bread. He doesn’t feel that he is useful. He is battling his fate and starting to discover his humanity.
“He is loyal to [the brotherhood], but he is lying to them because he is having an affair with a woman.”
Cullen added that despite it all, Landry is still a fearless warrior.
Knightfall was shot in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, on sets built to resemble the medieval times.
Cullen explained that there was a historian on set to make sure everything was on point.
For his role, Cullen said he had to work out and get more muscular. The actors were also put through a bootcamp where they were trained to fight like the knights and warriors of the Middle Ages.
Injuries and mishaps were to be expected in a story of this nature. Cullen spoke about a co-star who fell into the sea, sank to the bottom, and had to be quickly fished out.
“Most of our injuries were [muscle-related] because of all the weight we had to carry around. There were also broken bones.
“I broke my finger in a specific place in the very first episode. It healed, but broke again in the same place when [we were] shooting the last episode.”
Cullen said what history teaches us is that humans don’t have a very great memory.
“It is good to remind ourselves of the mistakes that we had made. We talk about how people use religion as a weapon for power and for their own gain. That is something that resonates at a very big level.
“For me, [ Knightfall] is a story about brotherhood, family, friendship, love, and relationships.”
Knightfall