Publisher's Synopsis
Templars in America explodes the myth that Columbus was the first European to discover the Americas. Using archival and archaeological sources, Tim Wallace-Murphy and Marilyn Hopkins reveal the Venetian connection between the Knights Templar and pre-Columbian America and prove the continuous history of such exploration from the time of ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, through the Viking explorations. Told in fascinating detail, this story takes as many twists and turns as a historical mystery novel. Templars in America takes readers through the many possible early explorations of America, which set the stage for the real mystery: the tale of how various dealings between Venice and Normandy resulted in the Templars coming to America. Two leading European Templar families, nearly 100 years before Columbus, combined forces to create a new commonwealth in America. This is the story of Henry St. Clair of the Orkney Islands, then part of Normandy, and Carlo Zeno, a Venetian trader. These early explorers made peaceful and mutually beneficial contact with the Canadian Mikmaq people. Although the voyage had little immediate political or commercial impact, it acts as a signpost to a centuries-long process that culminates in the beliefs and traditions of the Templars and Freemasonry, shaping the thinking of the founding fathers of the United States and the American Constitution.
