The ''Crusades'' Trilogy is a series of historical novels written by Swedish author and journalist

Jan Guillou Jan Oskar Sverre Lucien Henri Guillou (, ; born 17 January 1944) is a French-Swedish author and journalist. Guillou's fame in Sweden was established during his time as an investigative journalist, most notably in 1973 when he and co-reporter Pet ...

about the Consolidation of Sweden and

the Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were i ...

. The main character of the trilogy is Arn Magnusson, a

fictional Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, ...

Knight Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

in the 12th century, who becomes a witness as well as a catalyst to many important historical events both in his homeland of Västra Götaland and in the Crusader states. The trilogy consists of the following novels: *''

The Road to Jerusalem ''The Road to Jerusalem'' ( sv, Vägen till Jerusalem) is the first book in Jan Guillou's ''The Knight Templar'' book series. The book follows the fictional character of Arn Magnusson from his birth and until he sets off to Jerusalem. Arn is bor ...

'', original Swedish title ''Vägen till Jerusalem'' (1998) *''

The Knight Templar ''The Knight Templar'' ( sv, Tempelriddaren) is the second book in Jan Guillou's The Knight Templar (Crusades trilogy) book series. This book follows the fictional character of Arn Magnusson as a Knight Templar in the kingdom of Jerusalem. The bo ...

'', original Swedish title ''Tempelriddaren'' (1999) *''

The Kingdom at the End of the Road ''The Kingdom at the End of the Road'' ( sv, Riket vid vägens slut) is the third book in Jan Guillou, Jan Guillou's The Knight Templar (Crusades trilogy) book series. This book follows the fictional character of Arn Magnusson as he returns home ...

'', also called ''Birth of a Kingdom,'' original Swedish title ''Riket vid vägens slut'' (2000) There is also a fourth novel entitled ''

The Heritage of Arn ''The Heritage of Arn'' ( sv, Arvet efter Arn) is a sequel to The Knight Templar (Crusades trilogy) by Jan Guillou about Birger jarl, the founder of Stockholm - fictionalized to be Arn Magnusson's grandson. The story spans across a transitional pe ...

'' (2001)'','' original Swedish title ''Arvet efter Arn.'' It is as a direct follow-up to the trilogy, depicting the rise of

Birger Jarl Birger Jarl, also known as ''Birger Magnusson'' (21 October 1266), was a Swedish statesman, ''jarl'', and a member of the House of Bjelbo, who played a pivotal role in the consolidation of Sweden. Birger also led the Second Swedish Crusade, whi ...

, who came to rule during the formation of Sweden and is the supposed founder of

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

. In Guillou's fictional universe, Birger Jarl is the grandson of Arn Magnusson.

Concept and creation

In 1995 Guillou had finished his bestselling

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

spy series about Carl Hamilton. By this time he had begun noticing an increasing hostility in Western media, such as on

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...

, against the Arab world. He concluded that the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

were looking to target a new enemy to replace the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

and

Communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

, in order for the West to keep the world separated into good guys and bad guys. He decided to depict this political development by writing about the previous

Holy War A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war ( la, sanctum bellum), is a war which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent to wh ...

between

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

and

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

. Although the majority of the Crusading Knights came from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, Guillou needed a Swedish protagonist since he is mainly writing for a Swedish readership, even he admits that a Swedish crusading knight is less realistic. With this decision a large part of the plot had to be set in Sweden, but when Guillou began his historical research about the 12th century he found that Sweden was yet to be created. At his chosen period, the different realms that were to be consolidated into Sweden were still ruled by blood-feuding noble houses and many historical facts were vague and contested. This added the creation of Sweden as a major theme for the trilogy, and he chose the historical thesis that the region of Västra Götaland had been the cradle of Sweden.

Main plot

The first novel begins in the year 1150 with the birth of Arn in the kingdom of

Västergötland Västergötland (), also known as West Gothland or the Latinized version Westrogothia in older literature, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish), situated in the southwest of Sweden. Väs ...

, one of the realms pre-dating Sweden. The story follows Arn's childhood and upbringing and his subsequent involvement in the politics and events of the realm, before being banished to the Holy Land at the age of 17. The second novel follows Arn in

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

, where he has become a Knights Templar and participates in the defense of Gaza and

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

from the forces of

Saladin Yusuf ibn Ayyub ibn Shadi () ( – 4 March 1193), commonly known by the epithet Saladin,, ; ku, سه‌لاحه‌دین, ; was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Hailing from an ethnic Kurdish family, he was the first of both Egypt and ...

. In parallel the novel also follows the development in Västergötaland, through the eyes of his lover Cecilia. The third novel sees the return of Arn to Västergötland, where he implements his learnings from the Crusades into his home society and takes a crucial part in the formation of Sweden.

The character of Arn Magnusson

Arn is born in the year 1150 as the second son of a noble

Folkung In modern Swedish, Folkung has two meanings, which appear to be opposites: # The medieval "House of Bjelbo" in Sweden, which produced several Swedish statesmen and kings. # A group of people (singular ''Folkunge'', plural ''Folkungar''), who were ...

family in Arnäs,

. At the age of five he has a life-threatening accident when falling from the tower of his family's fortress, and is believed to be saved from harm thanks to his mother's intense prayers to Saint

Bernard of Clairvaux Bernard of Clairvaux, O. Cist. ( la, Bernardus Claraevallensis; 109020 August 1153), venerated as Saint Bernard, was an abbot, mystic, co-founder of the Knights Templars, and a major leader in the reformation of the Benedictine Order through ...

. The mother considers it a

miracle A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divin ...

and finds she must recompensate God by giving the boy to the monastery in

Varnhem Varnhem is a locality situated in Skara Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 707 inhabitants in 2010. Varnhem is the location of the oldest known stone church in Sweden outside of Scania, erected in the 1040s at the latest. It is a ...

. Arn remains with the monks for twelve years, largely isolated from the outside world, and in addition to studying the languages and the learned arts of the monks he comes to be trained in the art of medieval war by a brother Guilbert who is a former

Knight Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

Outremer The Crusader States, also known as Outremer, were four Catholic realms in the Middle East that lasted from 1098 to 1291. These feudal polities were created by the Latin Catholic leaders of the First Crusade through conquest and political int ...

. Brother Guilbert trains Arn in horse riding and the use of weapons, with the modern techniques from

and

the Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy L ...

that is yet to be discovered in Scandinavia, where the men still fight like

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

. When reaching adulthood, the

Prior Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be l ...

Father Henri tells Arn he is to return to his family. Arn wishes to become a monk, but before being able to take the eternal vows of

poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...

chastity Chastity, also known as purity, is a virtue related to temperance. Someone who is ''chaste'' refrains either from sexual activity considered immoral or any sexual activity, according to their state of life. In some contexts, for example when mak ...

and obedience (q.v. Evangelical counsels) he must witness the outside world. Arn gets involved in the deadly politics of the realm, both with his own family's local feuds and the blood-feud between the two royal families competing for the throne. He proves himself as a superior swordsman when defending his family's honour and participates in the assassination of the king, making him a prolific adversary in the feud for the throne. Through political schemes he is judged guilty of the terrible sin of

fornication Fornication is generally consensual sexual intercourse between two people not married to each other. When one or more of the partners having consensual sexual intercourse is married to another person, it is called adultery. Nonetheless, John ...

before marriage with the noble daughter Cecelia Algotsdotter, who he is engaged to. Cecelia has become pregnant and tells her sister Katarina. Katarina, who fears she will be stuck in the nunnery she has until then shared with Cecelia, becomes jealous and tells the Abbess. To make things worse, she purports that Arn also had

carnal knowledge Carnal knowledge is an archaic or legal euphemism for sexual intercourse. In modern statutes, the term "sexual penetration" is widely used, though with various definitions. Biblical source The term derives from ''carnal'', meaning "of the flesh ...

of her as well, from a feast when she had attempted (and failed) to seduce a very naive and very drunk Arn. According to the laws of the Church, it is considered especially heinous and scandalous to have sexual intercourse with two women who have the same mother, and further triggered by his role in the ongoing power struggle in the realm, Arn is condemned to spend 20 years in the

Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...

as a Knight Templar, while Cecelia is given the same sentence to the nunnery. At the age of 27, Arn has become a veteran in the

Crusade The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were i ...

r army, when he faces the strangest experience a Knight Templar can have. During a time of truce, while pursuing a band of

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...

thieves, he comes across the very enemy of all Christendom,

, and saves his life. This idea is apparently borrowed from ''

The Talisman A talisman is an object which is purported to possess certain magical properties. Talisman may also refer to: Art and entertainment Fictional characters * Talisman (comics), a superhero from Marvel Comics who was a member of Alpha Flight * Tali ...

'' by

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...

. After this, both become very close friends, but great enemies at the same time. Arn returns to his command of the fortress at Gaza, later seeing Saladin's army arrive but not stay to lay siege, instead advancing on a bigger prize, the city of

. Arn is given the order to march with all his knights, and they defeat Saladin's army at the

Battle of Montgisard The Battle of Montgisard was fought between the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Ayyubids on 25 November 1177 at Montgisard, in the Levant between Ramla and Yibna. The 16-year-old Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, seriously afflicted by leprosy, led an out ...

. When

Arnold of Torroja Arnold of Torroja ( ca, Arnau de Torroja; ? – 30 September 1184) was a knight of Crown of Aragon and the ninth Grand Master of the Knights Templar from 1181 until his death in 1184. Personal life While no date of birth survives for Torroja; ...

is named

Grand Master of the Knights Templar The grand master of the Knights Templar was the supreme commander of the holy order, starting with founder Hugues de Payens in 1118. Some held the office for life while others resigned life in monasteries or diplomacy. Grand masters often led ...

, Arn is summoned to Jerusalem to become Master of the city. In the

Battle of Hattin The Battle of Hattin took place on 4 July 1187, between the Crusader states of the Levant and the forces of the Ayyubid sultan Saladin. It is also known as the Battle of the Horns of Hattin, due to the shape of the nearby extinct volcano of t ...

, Arn is severely wounded and spends several weeks at Saladin's hospital in

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

, after that he accompanies him to Jerusalem, which is

conquered Conquest is the act of military subjugation of an enemy by force of arms. Military history provides many examples of conquest: the Roman conquest of Britain, the Mauryan conquest of Afghanistan and of vast areas of the Indian subcontinent, t ...

. In the very end of the second book,

Richard the Lionheart Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overl ...

comes to

with an army of crusaders. He captures

Acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imp ...

from Saladin, and when about to buy the freedom of 5,700 prisoners from the Christian king, Saladin and Arn were horrified to see Richard having them slaughtered, even the children "as the

mamluk Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning " slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') ...

s were riding, trying to save them, in tears." Arn then confides that Richard "only will be remembered as the slaughterer" and that he will never capture Jerusalem, thus confiding himself that he doesn't care if the city remains in Muslim hands. He embraces Saladin, and then starts traveling home to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, where a kingdom is about to be born. On his leave Saladin hands him a very large sum of gold money, the money that Richard declined to kill the prisoners. He also awards him a special sword worthy of a Knight Templar. The money allows him to fulfill the plans he has with the new kingdom. After returning to Sweden along with a group of people from the Holy Land (among them two

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

craftsmen, two

Englishmen The English people are an ethnic group and nation native to England, who speak the English language, a West Germanic language, and share a common history and culture. The English identity is of Anglo-Saxon origin, when they were known in O ...

specializing in

crossbow A crossbow is a ranged weapon using an elastic launching device consisting of a bow-like assembly called a ''prod'', mounted horizontally on a main frame called a ''tiller'', which is hand-held in a similar fashion to the stock of a long fi ...

s and

longbow A longbow (known as warbow in its time, in contrast to a hunting bow) is a type of tall bow that makes a fairly long draw possible. A longbow is not significantly recurved. Its limbs are relatively narrow and are circular or D-shaped in cross ...

s, glass workers,

felt Felt is a textile material that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum-based acrylic or acrylonitrile or wood ...

makers, copper smiths and two learned Saracen

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

s), Arn has great plans for his childhood home, Arnäs, and

Forsvik Forsvik is a locality situated in Karlsborg Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the King ...

, the estate which was to be his before he was forced into service as a Templar. He explains his idea of "building for peace" by constructing a modern

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

at Arnäs and to create a manufacturing centre at Forsvik. Arn starts training several young men and boys to become

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

s (or at least a competent

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

force) at Forsvik. When he returns to his family, they are at first overwhelmed with a joy that soon cools when he voices his desire to marry Cecilia. His family wishes to use him for a

political marriage A marriage of state is a diplomatic marriage or union between two members of different nation-states or internally, between two power blocs, usually in authoritarian societies and is a practice which dates back into ancient times, as far back as ear ...

, but due to the intrigues of Cecilia and her friend the

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

they are soon after married, earning them the enmity of

Birger Brosa Birger Brosa Old Norse: ''Birgir Brósa'' (died 9 January 1202) was jarl of Sweden from 1174 to 1202. Biography He was a son of Bengt Snivil and a member of the powerful House of Bjälbo. In the medieval texts he is either called the '' jarl o ...

. After a little time they have a daughter together and Forsvik grows rapidly. However his newfound luck is shattered when King Sverker attempts to kill the sons of the late King

Knut Knut (Norwegian language, Norwegian and Swedish language, Swedish), Knud (Danish language, Danish), or Knútur (Icelandic) is a Scandinavian, German language, German, and Dutch language, Dutch first name, of which the anglicised form is Canute. ...

. Commanding his force of cavalry, he defeats the king's soldiers at the

Battle of Älgarås The Battle of Älgarås took place at the royal estate of Älgarås in northernmost Västergötland in November 1205 between the House of Sverker and the House of Eric who were fighting for the Swedish crown. The four sons of the former king Canu ...

. He also takes command at the

Battle of Lena The Battle of Lena occurred on 31 January 1208, and probably took place near Kungslena, which is located in the Tidaholm Municipality in Västergötland, Sweden. It was an important battle between the Danish-backed King Sverker II of Sweden and ...

and emerges victorious. Two years later, when King Sverker returns once again with a Danish army and Arn commands the forces of King Erik at the

Battle of Gestilren The Battle of Gestilren took place on July 17, 1210. The battle was fought between the exiled King of Sweden Sverker and the ruling King Eric X. Sverker had been beaten in the previous Battle of Lena, but returned with new forces. Sverker was how ...

. He takes a fatal wound while pushing forward to kill King Sverker, he succeeds in this and the battle is won. He dies of his wounds a few days later, now aged 60, and is buried in Varnhem monastery.

Translations

''The Knight Templar'' trilogy is translated to the following languages: * Bulgarian (Рицaрят тaмплиeр: "Пътят към Йeрусaлим", "Рицaр на Храма", "Крaлствo в крaя на пътя") * Catalan (Trilogia de les Croades: ''El camí de Jerusalem'', ''El cavaller del Temple'' and ''El retorn a casa'') * Chinese (圣殿骑士) * Croatian (Put u Jeruzalem, Vitez Templar, Kraljevstvo na kraju puta) * Czech (Cesta do Jeruzaléma, Templářský rytíř, Království na konci cesty). * Danish (Historien om Arn: ''Vejen til Jerusalem'', ''Tempelridderen'' and ''Riget ved vejens ende'', and besides that ''Arven efter Arn'') * Dutch (''De weg naar Jeruzalem'', ''De Tempelridder'' and ''De terugkeer'') * English (The Crusades Trilogy: ''The Road to Jerusalem'', ''The Templar Knight'', and ''Birth of the Kingdom'') * Estonian (''Tee Jeruusalemma'', ''Templirüütel'' and ''Riik tee lõpus'') * Finnish (Ristiretki-trilogia: ''Tie Jerusalemiin'', ''Temppeliherra'' and ''Pohjoinen valtakunta'' and as fourth ''Arnin perintö'') * French (''Le Chemin de Jérusalem'' - Trilogie d'Arn le templier - tome I, ''Le Chevalier du Temple'' - Trilogie d'Arn le templier - tome II, ''Le Royaume au bout du chemin'' - Trilogie d'Arn le templier - tome III, ''L'Héritage d'Arn le templier'') * German (Die Götaland-Trilogie: ''Die Frauen von Götaland'', ''Die Büßerin von Gudhem'' and ''Die Krone von Götaland'') * Italian (Il Romanzo delle Crociate: ''Il Templare'', ''Il Saladino'', ''La Badessa'') * Norwegian (Arn-trilogien: ''Veien til Jerusalem'', ''Tempelridderen'' and , and besides that ''Arven etter Arn'') * Polish (Krzyżowcy: ''Droga do Jerozolimy'', ''Rycerz zakonu templariuszy'', ''Królestwo na końcu drogi'') * Portuguese (Trilogia "As Cruzadas": ''A Caminho de Jerusalem'', ''O Cavaleiro Templário'' and ''O Novo Reino'') * Serbian (Витез темплар: ''Пут за Јерусалим'', ''Темплар'', and ''Краљевство на крају пута'') * Spanish (''El camino a Jerusalén'', ''El caballero templario'' and ''El reino al final del camino''/''Regreso al Norte'')

Film and TV adaptation

The trilogy was adapted into two Swedish movies and an extended tv series, with a simplified version of the original plot from the novels. The first movie ''

Arn – The Knight Templar ''Arn: The Knight Templar'' ( sv, Arn: Tempelriddaren) is an epic film based on Jan Guillou's trilogy about the fictional Swedish Knight Templar Arn Magnusson. The film was released to cinemas in Sweden on 17 December 2007 and the sequel, '' Arn ...

'' premiered in Sweden in December 2007, followed by ''

Arn – The Kingdom at Road's End ''Arn – The Kingdom at Road's End'' ( sv, Arn – Riket vid vägens slut) is an epic film based on Jan Guillou's trilogy about the fictional Swedish Knights Templar Arn Magnusson. It was released to cinemas in Sweden on 22 August 2008 and is th ...

'' in August 2008. The tv series. extended into 6 hours, was first broadcast on

TV4 (Sweden) TV4 (''TV fyra'') is a Swedish free-to-air television network owned by TV4 AB, a subsidiary of the TV4 Media AB. It started broadcasting by satellite in 1990 and, since 1992, on terrestrial television. In 1994, TV4 became the largest channel a ...

in March 2010. The adaptation is the most expensive Swedish movie project ever.

References

External links

* * {{Crusades trilogy Literary trilogies Novels by Jan Guillou Novel series Novels set during the Crusades Knights Templar in popular culture