The origin of the Templars, their rise and growth, decline and fall and the fate of the last Grand Master. James Anthony Froude (1818-1894) was Late Regius Professor of Modern History in The University of Oxford. He was a renowned writer and historian, and a close friend and disciple of Thomas Carlyle. He was a controversial figure during his lifetime, and brought down upon himself the wrath of the high church; this did not stop the crowds from attending his lectures, as he was a compelling speaker. As a writer of English prose he has few equals in the nineteenth century.