Publication Date: March 24, 2015
Knox Robinson Publishing
Formats: eBook, Hardcover
Pages: 360

Series: The English Templars (Book One)
Genre: Historical Fiction/Middle Ages

READ AN EXCERPT.

The year is 1191. A daring counterattack against the Saracens’ last-ditch effort to relieve the besieged city of Acre has not only saved the Christian host from a fatal defeat; it has also brought the leader of that counterattack, English Templar Michael Fitz Alan, to the attention of King Richard the Lionheart.

In the days that follow, the king charges Fitz Alan with a life-or-death mission – to recover the Holy Lance, a long-lost religious relic widely believed to be responsible for the near-miraculous success of the First Crusade.

The ensuing quest leads Fitz Alan and a hand-picked band of Templars on a journey deep into enemy territory, where they battle Saracens, Assassins, hostile Christians and even a traitor within their own ranks as they seek to return the Holy Lance to Christian hands and thereby ensure the success of the crusade.

Guest Post from Andrew Latham

Deleted Scene From The Holy Lance

Even at this early hour, thought Bishop Walter, the summer heat in this part of Christendom undoubtably rivaled that of the eternal fires of hell.  Mopping his beaded brow with a kerchief, he looked around him, surveying King Richard’s war council.  All, or almost all, of the remaining leaders of the pilgrimage were assembled around the massive, map-strewn table at the center of the pavilion.  Richard, now the indisputable leader of the expedition, sat immediately to the Bishop’s left at the head of the table.  Arrayed along the right side of the table were those who had arrived with the now-departed, and from Walter’s perspective little missed, King Phillip of France: Hugh, Duke of Burgundy; Philip, the Bishop of Beauvais and his brother the Count of Dreux; and several bishops and lesser nobles.  Along the left side of the table were those who had arrived in Outremer with Richard: Henri, Count of Champagne; Robert Beaumont; Jacques d’Avesnes, Lord of the powerful Flemish contingent. Clustered at the far end of the great table were Guy de Lusignan, King of Jerusalem; the king’s brothers, Amaury and Joffroi; Robert de Sablé, Grand Master of the Knights Templar; and Garnier of Nablus, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller.  Notably absent from the table, the Bishop reflected, were Conrad de Monferrat, Lord of Tyre and Marquis of Montferrat, and his chief ally Balian, Lord of Nablus.  The Bishop wondered what treason this “council of consummate iniquity”, as one of his scribes had labeled them, were hatching at this moment.  Conrad had thus far refused to add his forces to those under Richard’s command and was even rumored to be scheming with Saladin himself to frustrate the pilgrimage and secure the northern part of the Kingdom of Jerusalem for himself.  The Bishop had no doubt that before long he would have take steps to deal with that pack of rabid dogs.

The din around the great table was rising as the assembled leaders began to argue over the future course of the expedition.  The Bishop shifted his gaze from the assembled nobles to the King, who was rising to his feet demanding silence so that he could speak.

“My lords,” he said, “Acre is ours and Saladin’s perfidy has been dealt with.  We have tarried here too long.” The din began to rise again, this time in approval of Richard’s apparent impatience.  “The time has come for us to strike another blow for Christ and His heavenly kingdom,” he continued.  The din became even louder, but Richard raised his hand slowly and the noise subsided.

“My lords,” he continued,  “as is written in the Book of Proverbs: Surely you need guidance to wage war, and victory is won through many counselors.  So I put to you, my counselors, the question: How should we proceed to victory?”

Hugh of Burgundy was first to weigh in.  “Your Grace,” he began, “our course seems clear and obvious.  Let us set out immediately for Jerusalem.  We are as strong as we are ever likely to be.  Our spirits are high as a result of our victory at Acre.  Saladin has been bested and shown to be wanting in the eyes of the Saracen heretics.  Jerusalem, I am told, is far less formidable than Acre.  If we strike now, it will surely fall.  And if the fall of Acre wounded Saladin’s reputation, the fall of the Holy City will surely finish it.  Once that has come to pass, his empire will crumble and Christendom will not only be restored in the East, but secured until the Second Coming.”

A murmur of approval rippled around the table.

“My lord is correct,” added Robert of Dreux.  “We should do as we have vowed and proceed to Jerusalem, immediately.  Having by now heard of the fate of the defenders of Acre, Saladin’s Jerusalem garrison will surely flee at our approach.  And what is to be gained by waiting?  The rains will soon be upon us, making our march ever more difficult, perhaps even impossible.  Saladin may win a few minor skirmishes and recover his footing; he may even receive reinforcements from the extremities of his heretical empire.  Nor does delaying strengthen our host.  With each passing day, disease and desertion wear away at our forces with little prospect that our numbers will be swelled by additional pilgrims from the West.  Indeed, if we fail to press our case vigorously, Saladin need do nothing more than sit and wait and he will triumph.  Finally, it must be said, all of us have interests at home that need to be tended – sooner rather than later.  None of us who are on pilgrimage can stay in the East forever.  No, we must finish the Lord’s business quickly and decisively.  Fortunately, as the good Bishop has pointed out, circumstances seem to favor precisely this course of action.  So I say, let us strike hard and fast for Jerusalem.  Reason dictates it, honor requires it, and our vows demand it.”

The pilgrims, those neither from Outremer nor planning to remain there after fulfilling their vows, nodded or otherwise signaled their agreement.  These men, whatever had motivated them to take the Cross, wanted above all to discharge their obligations to Christ as quickly as possible; for all of them needed to return home to bask in the glory of the pilgrimage and to deal with the challenges to their authority that would surely have arisen in their extended absence.  Since arriving at Acre the previous June, none had felt the pull of the former more strongly than Richard; and since Phillip’s departure in early August, none had felt the press of the latter more intensely than the Angevin king.

“Bretheren,” interjected the Grand Master of the Hospitallers, sensing that things were quickly moving in what he believed to be a dangerous direction. “Bretheren!”  He repeated, finally commanding their attention.  “Before we commit ourselves to such a course of action, permit me to complete the picture of our situation that our good friends Burgundy and Dreux have so ably begun.  While what they have said is true, those of us with a somewhat longer tenure here in the East know that there are a few additional considerations that need to be borne in mind if our decision is to be a prudent one.  To begin with, while the fall of Acre has cost him dearly in men, supplies and prestige, Saladin still possesses a formidable host.  Indeed, he probably outnumbers us by two or three to one.  And, because he holds Ascalon, he can still draw on reserves from Egypt if necessary.  Second, our position in the East is currently highly dependent on our superior sea power.  With the destruction of Saladin’s fleet at Acre we now have complete control of the seas.  That is both a blessing and a curse.  It is a blessing in that it affords us mobility, secure supply lines and nearly complete freedom of maneuver up and down the coast.  It is a curse, however, in that we are tethered to our fleet and cannot move very far inland without losing all the advantages it confers upon us.”

Murmurs of agreement and disagreement rippled around the table.

“Consider, my lords, the bitter lesson of Hattin: to expose our host to the danger of encirclement, to separation from its sources of food, water and other supplies, is to court unimaginable disaster.”

He spoke, of course, of the terrible defeat at the Horns of Hattin four years previous.  “Saladin still has a formidable field army,” the Grand Master continued, “and, unless it is brought to battle and destroyed, that army will always be in position to cut off any force that moves inland without careful preparation.  No, my lords, as seductive as it sounds, a direct thrust to the Holy City would be ill-advised at this time.  We must not be unduly hasty, for does not the Book of Proverbs also counsel: Be patient and you will finally win.

“Perhaps, Grand Master,” said the Bishop of Beauvais, “you might enlighten us as to what approach we might take in lieu of a direct attack on Jerusalem.”

Although the challenge had been offered to Garnier de Nablus, it was taken up by no less than Guy de Lusignan, the King of Jerusalem.

“My lord Bishop,” he said, barely suppressing the contempt he felt for the lesser of les frères Dreux, “the prudent course of action, imposed on us by the realities of the East, is as simple as it is obvious.  Given the precariousness of our situation, not to mention the obvious advantages enjoyed by Saladin, our only hope is to approach Jerusalem indirectly.  This means three things.  First, we must weaken Saladin’s coalition by hammering away at his reputation and prestige.  We must continue to hand him defeats and in so doing demonstrate both to him and his people the superiority of our host and its leader.  Second, we must bring his main army to battle and destroy it.  As long as that horde remains intact it will forever threaten any advance we might make on the Holy City.  And finally, we must sever the link between Egypt and Syria.  Egypt is the font of Saladin’s wealth and power.  If we take Ascalon, he will be denied access to this font.  Moreover, once Ascalon is in our hands we can feint in the direction of Alexandria.  This will force the Sultan’s hand, for Egypt is far more important to him that Jerusalem.  He will always choose the former over the latter.  In short, taking and holding Ascalon is the key to taking and holding Jerusalem.”

“Is there anything else?” the Bishop of Beauvais asked drily.

“Indeed there is,” interjected the Hospitaller Grand Master, “we must also do everything in our power to bring pressure to bear on Saladin’s other power base in Syria.  Indeed, if we can force that demon to choose between Damascus, Jerusalem and Alexandria, Jerusalem will be ours without a fight.”

“I cannot speak for the rest of you, my lords,” the Count of Dreux exclaimed angrily, “but I did not take the Cross to help the king of England add Egypt and Syria to his dominions!  The course of action suggested by the Grand Master would present itself as madness were it not so obviously self-serving.  No, I have travelled to the East on Christ’s business, not Richard’s. The oath I swore was to visit the holy sites in Jerusalem, not the bloody pyramids of Egypt.  I say now that we have taken Acre, we advance without delay on the Holy City!”  He stabbed a bejeweled finger at the map.  “South from here to the Haifa Road, then on to Caymont, Legia, Jenin, Nablus and finally Jerusalem.  Once there, we kick in the door.  When Saladin has been handed a defeat of this magnitude, his demonic empire will collapse and King Guy’s domain will be restored.”

The supporters of the pilgrim count cheered loudly.

“My lord Count,” Richard exclaimed, striving to hide his anger at the senior Dreux’s insolence, “do not presume to know my mind.  I have heard your counsel as well as that of the opposing school.  I have been reflecting on this question since before we landed in Cyprus, let alone in Outremer.  I have entertained the views of many, great and lowly, who have fought for years in the service of Christ and for the liberation of the holy places.  And I have had the benefit of insight from various spies and informants who have illuminated for me the mind of Saladin and his counselors.  No my lord, do not presume that my goal is other than the liberation of Jerusalem or that I have not considered fully all the means by which that goal might be realized.”  Turning to the assembled leaders of the host, he then inquired: “are there any other views that should be aired?”

Silence filled the pavilion.

“Good,” Richard pronounced, “then here’s what we’ll do.  Tomorrow we will begin to assemble the host for a march south along the coast to Jaffa.  The inland route suggested by the Count of Dreux is out of the question as it would leave us without the support of the fleet and exposed as at Hattin.  Once we have secured the port, we will reassess the situation.  We might then strike against Ascalon, and we might even feint in the direction of Egypt.  More likely, though, we will strike inland toward Ramla,” now it was Richard’s turn to stab a bejeweled finger at the map, “then Bayt Nuba, and from there Jerusalem.  Ultimately, I am persuaded that the Holy City is ripe for the plucking.  I am also persuaded that once we have taken back what is rightfully ours, Saladin will be so dishonored that his empire will simply disintegrate.”

“And what of his field army?” asked Garnier de Nablus, “What of our exposed lines of communication as we move inland from the sea?”

Hiding his rising vexation as best he could, Richard replied in his best regnal voice.  “It is simply inconceivable that our movement down the coast will not invite Saladin to attack.  He cannot allow us to move with impunity through what he considers to be his realm.  And when he attacks, it will be in the usual cowardly fashion.  But when the moment presents itself, when he presses just a bit too far as he doubtless will, then we’ll strike with the full force of the host and scatter his horde to the winds.  If we time it just right, in so doing we will deal him such a crushing blow that we will have to repair to Damascus or even beyond.  After that, we will be able to maneuver up and down the coast – indeed throughout Palestine – with complete freedom.  Then, and only then, will we move against Jerusalem, and there will be nothing Saladin or any of his heathen vassals will be able to do to prevent us from securing it once again for Christ and his Holy Church.”  He paused for a moment, taking the measure of the men assembled around the table.  “Are there any objections?” he asked.

“And once we have taken the City, what then?” asked Robert de Sablé.  “How will we hold it once the pilgrims have departed and Saladin has recovered his footing and begins once again to marshal the armies of his empire against us?

“Once Jerusalem has been liberated,” replied the Bishop of Salisbury, “Saladin’s empire will fracture into dozens of impotent little principalities and will never again pose a threat to the Christian East.”

“Surely you jest, my lord bishop,” interjected Joffroi de Lusignan, “Saladin’s empire seems quite formidable for those of us who have had to endure it.”

“I rarely jest about such matters, my lord, and while the sultan’s empire may appear formidable, in actuality it is little more than a precarious collection of fiefs and principalities held together by nothing more than the power of Saladin’s personality.  And what is the source of this power?  Nothing more than his standing as a fearless holy warrior, as a champion of Islam and, most importantly, as a prince who can deliver victories over the Christians.  Put directly, my lords, Saladin has built his empire by being a successful general; and upon this reputation it’s continuing viability now depends.”  He surveyed the room, noting with not a little satisfaction the look of rapt anticipation on the faces of even Richard’s most ardent detractors.  “Our victory at Acre,” he continued emphatically, “has smashed that reputation.  Saladin’s aura of invincibility has been dispelled, but his reputation has not yet been destroyed.  The heretics still look to him as their savior.  A bold and successful move now against Jerusalem would constitute a decisive blow to his reputation.  Saladin would be finished and with him his entire evil empire.”

A stunned silence descended on the table.

“Are there any further concerns?” asked Richard.

None were expressed, though from the look on some of the faces around the table he was sure that more than a few of the poulains still had serious reservations.

“So be it. We begin assembling the host tomorrow.  I’ve no doubt it will take a great effort to pry many of our holy warriors from the fleshpots and alehouses of Acre, so let us plan to depart for Jaffa three days hence.”

And with that, the assembled leaders of the Christian host departed Richard’s tent and began preparing for the long march ahead.

Early Praise for The Holy Lance

“A timely and compelling novel. The Crusades inform and often infect our understanding of the contemporary Middle East, and while this book is fiction it reveals much of the truth about that misunderstood era. Outstanding reading.” – Michael Coren, award-winning television host, radio personality, syndicated columnist, and best-selling author of fourteen books, including most recently The Future of Catholicism

“A fascinating and thrilling story played out under the boiling heat of Palestine at a time when two cultures clashed violently over the ultimate prize of Jerusalem. Andrew Latham has created a believable and sympathetic lead character in the Templar Fitz Alan as well as providing us with a thrilling insight into the mysteries of the Templar order. A most enjoyable tale, like that of an experienced jongleur, set against the personal conflict between Richard of England and Saladin. It vividly resurrects the life and death struggle between Saracen and Crusader.” – Dr. Paul Doherty, OBE, historian and critically acclaimed author of dozens of works of historical fiction, including The Templar, The Templar Magician and most recently The Last of Days

“Grizzled warriors, an epic conflict, a fabled quest: Latham’s engrossing tale of violence and faith careens savagely through the Third Crusade and its legendary clash of wills – ‘Coeur de Lion’ versus ‘Saladin’, ‘Frank’ versus ‘Saracen’. The splendid English Templar, Michael Fitz Alan – flawed, fearless, lethal – here joins the front rank of historical fiction’s greatest warriors.”- Dr. Dean F. Oliver, award-winning author, director of research at the Canadian Museum of History, and Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau

“Violent and visceral…. meticulously researched… superbly plotted…. The Holy Lance is historical fiction at its best!” – Steven A. McKay, bestselling author of Wolf’s Head and The Wolf and the Raven

“If you’re looking for an historical adventure soaked in blood… The Holy Lance delivers…. Latham shows a welcome attention to the complexities of the Crusader world and to the details of Templar life. A satisfying amount of blood is shed as Michael Fitz Alan and his Templar troops battle their way towards their goal. And the book offers a rousing conclusion, with the promise of more to come. Bring it on!” – Jack Hight, author of The Saladin Trilogy

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About the Author

Knox Robinson author Andrew A. Latham is an award-winning professor of International Relations who regularly teaches courses in medieval political thought, international relations, and war. Trained as a Political Scientist, Latham has spent the last decade-and-a-half researching political violence in the Middle Ages. He has written scholarly articles on medieval war, the crusades, jihad, and the political thought of Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas. His most recent book is a work of non-fiction entitled Theorizing Medieval Geopolitics: War and World Order in the Age of the Crusades.

Latham was born in England, raised in Canada and currently lives in the United States. He graduated from York University in Toronto with a BA (Honours) in Political Science, later earned an MA from Queen’s University in Kingston and, later yet, a PhD from his alma mater, York.

Latham is a member of the Historical Novel Society, the Historical Writers’ Association and De Re Militari: The Society For Medieval Military History.

Since 1997 Latham has been a member of the Political Science Department at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where he where he lives with his wife Wendy, daughter Bernadette and son Michael.

For more information and updates, please visit Andrew Latham’s website. You can also find him on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

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The Holy Lance Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, May 4
Guest Post & Giveaway at Let Them Read Books

Thursday, May 7
Guest Post & Giveaway at Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More

Friday, May 8
Guest Post at The Writing Desk

Sunday, May 10
Review at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book

Monday, May 11
Review at A Book Geek
Spotlight at A Literary Vacation

Tuesday, May 12
Spotlight at Just One More Chapter

Wednesday, May 13
Review at Book Lovers Paradise
Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews

Thursday, May 14
Guest Post at Book Lovers Paradise

Friday, May 15
Review at Bookramblings
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Review & Giveaway at Words and Peace