Welcome to dashinvaine.co.uk, the website of Gordon Napier. I am something of a historian, with a particular interest in the Military Orders of the Crusades, and generally in the culture and history of the Middle Ages. I am the author of 'The Rise and Fall of the Knights Templar' (published by Spellmount in 2003), and of the pending publication 'The Templar A-Z' (2007). I have also written several articles on related subjects for Templar History Magazine.

I was born in Aberdeen in 1979, and presently live in Buckinghamshire (UK). I graduated from the University of Worcester in 2001, with a joint BA honours degree in History and Art. At Worcester, I wrote my history dissertation on the suppression of the Templars. More recently (2006-7), I completed a MA in Crusader Studies. The course was split between Queen Mary's University of London, where I studied under Dr Thomas Asbridge, and Royal Holloway, University of London, where I studied under Prof. Jonathan Phillips. This time the title of my Independent Study was 'The Cult of St Mary Magdalene and the World of the Crusades.' Other major elements of the course were the Latin East where I wrote on the career of the Muslim warlord Zenghi, and Louis IX, Mongols and Mameluks, for which I submitted essays on the Emperor Frederick II's impact on the Crusading Movement, and on the comparable fiascoes of the Fifth and Seventh Crusades. I also studied Latin. Teribilis est hoc lingua!

This side of my website, presently under revision, primarily showcases my history book, and also contains some of my historical articles and essays. If you wish to leave any comments and feedback on dashinvaine.co.uk and its content, I would be grateful to receive them by email.

Thank you for your visit

GN