The Road to Armageddon: The Last Years of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem by W B Bartlett
The Third Crusade of Richard the Lionheart is well known but the build-up to it less so. The years that led up to the Battle of Hattin in 1187 is resonant with intrigue, plot and counter-plot, and the abuse of power. This book presents the story of those events, involving the greatest of the military orders, the Templars and their key ally.