The Freemasons: A History of the World's Most Powerful Secret SocietyWhat did Mozart and Bach, Oscar Wilde and Anthony Trollope, George Washington and Frederick the Great, Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt have in common? They were all Freemasons, a subject of endless fascination. To the layman, they are a mysterious brotherhood of profound if uncertain influence, a secret society purported in some popular histories to have its roots in the fabled order of the Knights Templar, or in the mysteries of the Egyptian pyramids. They evoke fears of world domination by a select few who enjoy privileged access to wealth and the levers of power. The secrecy of their rites suggests the taint of sacrilege, and their hidden loyalties are sometimes accused of undermining the workings of justice and the integrity of nations. Though not a mason himself, Jasper Ridley nonetheless refutes many of the outrageous allegations made against Freemasonry, while at the same time acknowledging the masons shortcomings: their clannishness, misogyny, obsession with secrecy, and devotion to arcane ritual. In this much-needed reassessment, he offers a substantial work of history that sifts the truth from the myth as it traces Freemasonry from its origins to the present day. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a "New York Times" bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home. " |
Contents
The Masons | |
The Heretics | |
The Seventeenth Century | |
Grand Lodge | |
The Popes Bull | |
Germany and France | |
Napoleon | |
The Restoration | |
The Case of William Morgan | |
The Lautaro Lodge | |
The Nineteenth Century | |
The New Assault on Freemasonry | |
Freemasonry in the World | |
Modern Freemasonry in Britain | |
Other editions - View all
The Freemasons: A History of the World's Most Powerful Secret Society Jasper Ridley Limited preview - 2011 |
Common terms and phrases
accused American anti-masonic appointed army arrested Austrian Barruel became become a Freemason believed Bonaparte Britain brothers Catholic Church century Charles Chevallier Civil Communist Constitution Count of Artois court d’Éon death defeated denounced Denslow Duke Earl Edward elected Emperor England English Freemasons English Grand Lodge Europe France Frederick Freemasonry Freemasons French Revolution George German Grand Lodge Grand Master Grand Orient Hamill and Gilbert Holy Roman Emperor House Ibid Illuminati imprisonment independence initiated Jacobins James Jews John joined Jones Joseph King King’s Knights Templars Lautaro Lodge leaders Liberal London Lord Louis Louis XVI masonic lodges Masonry meeting Mexico military Minister murdered Naples Napoleon oath officers organization Paris Party persecution Philippe Egalité political Pope Portugal President prison Protestant Queen Radical revolutionary Roman Catholic royal Russia Scotland secret society sentenced Serbia South Spain Spanish story supported suppressed Taxil torture United Ustaše Wilkes William World Freemasonry wrote