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An international [[bestseller]] upon its release, ''The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail'' spurred interest in a number of ideas related to its central thesis. Response from professional historians and scholars from related fields was negative. They argued that the bulk of the claims, ancient mysteries, and [[conspiracy theories]] presented as facts are [[pseudohistorical]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Damian |last=Thompson |title=[[Counterknowledge|Counterknowledge. How We Surrendered to Conspiracy Theories, Quack Medicine, Bogus Science and Fake History]] |publisher=Atlantic Books |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-84354-675-7}}</ref><ref name="Miller2004">{{cite news |last=Miller |first=Laura |title=The Last Word; The Da Vinci Con |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B07E0DD103AF931A15751C0A9629C8B63 |access-date=16 July 2008 |date=22 February 2004 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kelley |first1=David H. |last2=Anderson |first2=Robert Charles |date=1982 |title=Holy Blood, Holy Grail: Two Reviews |journal=The Genealogist |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=249–263 |via=New England Historic Genealogical Society}}</ref> Historian [[Richard Barber]] called the book "the most notorious of all the Grail pseudo-histories… which proceeds by innuendo, not by refutable scholarly debate."<ref name=Barber/>
In a 1982 review of the book for ''[[The Observer]]'', novelist and literary critic [[Anthony Burgess]] wrote: "It is typical of my unregenerable soul that I can only see this as a marvellous theme for a novel."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Burgess |first1=Anthony |title=Homage to QWERT YUIOP |date=1986 |publisher=Hutchinson |isbn=0091617103 |page=35}}</ref> The theme was later used by [[Margaret Starbird]] in her 1993 book ''[[The Woman with the Alabaster Jar]]'', and by [[Dan Brown]] in his 2003 novel ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]''.<ref name="Brown 2003">{{cite book |first=Dan |last=Brown |author-link=Dan Brown |title=[[The Da Vinci Code]] |publisher=[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] |year=2003 |isbn=0-385-50420-9}}</ref><ref>Quoting Dan Brown from [[NBC Today]], 3 June 2003: "Robert Langdon is fictional, but all of the art, architecture, secret rituals, secret societies, all of that is historical fact" (found in {{cite book |first1=Carl E. |last1=Olson |author-link1=Carl E. Olson |first2=Sandra |last2=Miesel |author-link2=Sandra Miesel |title=The Da Vinci Hoax: Exposing The Errors In The Da Vinci Code |page=242 |publisher=Ignatius Press |year=2004 |isbn=1-58617-034-1}})</ref>
== Background ==
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* the public revelation of the tomb and shrine of [[Sigebert IV]] as well as the [[Arch of Titus#Architecture|lost treasure]] of the [[Temple in Jerusalem]], which supposedly contains genealogical records that prove the Merovingian dynasty was of the [[Davidic line]], to facilitate Merovingian restoration in France
* the re-institutionalization of [[chivalry|chivalric]] [[knighthood]] and the promotion of [[pan-European nationalism]]
* the establishment of a [[theocracy|theocratic]] "[[European Federation|United States of Europe]]": a Holy European Empire politically and religiously unified through the [[imperial cult]] of a Merovingian [[Great Catholic Monarch|Great Monarch]] who occupies both the throne of Europe and the [[Holy See]]
* the actual governance of Europe residing with the Priory of Sion through a [[one-party state|one-party]] [[European Parliament]].
The authors also incorporated the [[antisemitism|antisemitic]] and [[anti-Masonry|anti-Masonic]] tract known as ''[[The Protocols of the Elders of Zion]]'' into their story, concluding that it was actually based on the master plan of the Priory of Sion. They presented it as the most persuasive piece of evidence for the existence and activities of the Priory of Sion by arguing that the original text on which the published version of ''The Protocols of the Elders of Zion'' was based had nothing to do with [[Judaism]] or an "[[international Jewish conspiracy]]", as it issued from a [[Masonic body]] practicing the [[Scottish Rite]] which incorporated the word "[[Zion]]" in its name. Per Baigent ''et al'', the text was not intended to be released publicly, but was a program for gaining control of [[Freemasonry]] as part of a strategy to infiltrate and reorganise church and state according to [[esoteric Christian]] principles. After a failed attempt to gain influence in the court of Tsar [[Nicholas II of Russia]], [[Sergei Nilus]] was supposed to have changed the original text to forge an inflammatory tract in 1903 in order to discredit the esoteric clique around [[Papus]] by implying they were [[Judaeo-Masonic conspiracy theory|Judaeo-Masonic conspirators]], but he ignored some esoteric Christian elements, which hence remained unchanged in the published [[antisemitic canard]].
==Influence and similarities==▼
===''The Da Vinci Code''===▼
{{more citations needed section |date=September 2021}}▼
The 2003 [[conspiracy fiction]] novel ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]'' by [[Dan Brown]] makes reference to this book, also liberally using most of the above claims as key plot elements;<ref name="Brown 2003"/> indeed, in 2005 Baigent and Leigh unsuccessfully sued Brown's publisher, [[Random House]], for [[plagiarism]], on the grounds that Brown's book makes extensive use of their research and that one of the characters is named Leigh, has a surname (Teabing) which is an [[anagram]] of Baigent, and has a physical description strongly resembling Henry Lincoln. In his novel, Brown also mentions ''Holy Blood, Holy Grail'' as an acclaimed international bestseller<ref>{{cite book |last=Brown |first=Dan |author-link=Dan Brown |title=[[The Da Vinci Code]] |date=2003}} Chapter 60</ref> and claims it as the major contributor to his hypothesis. Perhaps as a result of this mention, the authors (minus Henry Lincoln) of ''Holy Blood'' sued Dan Brown for copyright infringement. They claimed that the central framework of their plot had been stolen for the writing of ''The Da Vinci Code''. The claim was rejected by [[High Court of Justice|High Court]] Judge [[Peter Smith (judge)|Peter Smith]] on April 6, 2006, who ruled that "their argument was vague and shifted course during the trial and was always based on a weak foundation." It was found that the publicity of the trial had significantly boosted sales of ''Holy Blood'' (according to figures provided by [[Nielsen BookScan]] and [[The Bookseller|Bookseller magazine]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aQVP7b.oSjXQ&refer=culture |title=Da Vinci Code' Lawsuit Lifts Sales Before Judgment |website=Bloomberg News |date=6 April 2006}}</ref>). The court ruled that, in effect, because it was published as a work of (alleged) history, its premises legally could be freely interpreted in any subsequent fictional work without any copyright infringement.▼
===Opera===▼
[[Stewart Copeland]], former drummer for the rock band [[The Police]], composed the opera ''Holy Blood, Crescent Moon'', heavily inspired by this book.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-10-12-ca-65-story.html | title=OPERA REVIEW : 'Holy Blood and Crescent Moon' Has No Sting : Music: Ex-Police drummer Stewart Copeland puts the music world's spotlight on Cleveland with premiere of his opera | website=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=12 October 1989 }}</ref>▼
===Other influences===▼
The 2008 documentary film ''[[Bloodline (2008 film)|Bloodline]]'' by [[Bruce Burgess]], a filmmaker with an interest in [[paranormal]] claims, expands on the "Jesus bloodline" hypothesis and other elements of ''The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail''. Accepting as valid the testimony of an amateur archaeologist going under the pseudonym of "Ben Hammott", relating to his discoveries made in the vicinity of [[Rennes-le-Château]] since 1999, Burgess claims to have found the treasure of [[Bérenger Saunière]]: several mummified corpses (one of which is allegedly [[Mary Magdalene]]) in three underground tombs created by the Knights Templar under the orders of the Priory of Sion.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tomb-discovered-in-france-considered-knights-templar---when-excavated-findings-may-challenge-the-tenets-of-christianity-57449477.html |title=Tomb Discovered in France Considered Knights Templar – When Excavated, Findings May Challenge the Tenets of Christianity |work=[[PR Newswire]] |date=17 April 2008 |access-date=16 March 2016}}</ref> During an interview on 21 March 2012, "Hammott", going by his real name of Bill Wilkinson, made an apologetic confession stating that everything to do with the tomb and related artifacts was a hoax, and revealed that the tomb was now destroyed, having been part of a set located in a warehouse in England.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://grailseekers.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/picture-of-ben-hammotts-tomb-last-night.html |title=Ben Hammott Discusses the Bloodline Tomb Hoax |first=Brian |last=Kannard |work=Grail Seekers |date=22 March 2012 |access-date=16 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.benhammott.com/hammott-statement.html |title=Statement by Ben Hammott |work=benhammott.com |year=2012 |access-date=16 March 2016 |archive-date=30 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030024644/http://www.benhammott.com/hammott-statement.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>▼
==Criticism==
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Historian [[Marina Warner]] commented on ''The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail'' when it was first published:
{{cquote|Of course there's not much harm in thinking that Jesus was married (nor are these authors the first to suggest it), or that his descendants were [[Pepin the short|King Pippin]] and [[Charles Martel]]. But there is harm in strings of lurid falsehoods and distorted reasoning. The method bends the mind the wrong way, an insidious and real corruption.<ref>''[[The Times]]'', 18 January 1982.</ref>}}
Historian Ken Mondschein ridiculed the idea of a Jesus bloodline, writing:
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Quoting [[Robert McCrum]], literary editor of ''The Observer'' newspaper, about ''The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail'':
{{cquote|There is something called historical evidence – there is something called the [[historical method]] – and if you look around the shelves of bookshops there is a lot of history being published, and people mistake this type of history for the real thing. These kinds of books do appeal to an enormous audience who believe them to be 'history', but actually they aren't history, they are a kind of parody of history. Alas, though, I think that one has to say that this is the direction that history is going today...<ref>{{cite AV media |title=The History of a Mystery |series=[[Timewatch]] |publisher=[[BBC Two]] |date=17 September 1996}}</ref>}}
▲==Influence and similarities==
▲===''The Da Vinci Code''===
▲{{more citations needed section |date=September 2021}}
▲The 2003 [[conspiracy fiction]] novel ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]'' by [[Dan Brown]] makes reference to this book, also liberally using most of the above claims as key plot elements;<ref name="Brown 2003"/> indeed, in 2005 Baigent and Leigh unsuccessfully sued Brown's publisher, [[Random House]], for [[plagiarism]], on the grounds that Brown's book makes extensive use of their research and that one of the characters is named Leigh, has a surname (Teabing) which is an [[anagram]] of Baigent, and has a physical description strongly resembling Henry Lincoln. In his novel, Brown also mentions ''Holy Blood, Holy Grail'' as an acclaimed international bestseller<ref>{{cite book |last=Brown |first=Dan |author-link=Dan Brown |title=[[The Da Vinci Code]] |date=2003}} Chapter 60</ref> and claims it as the major contributor to his hypothesis. Perhaps as a result of this mention,
▲===Opera===
▲[[Stewart Copeland]], former drummer for the rock band [[The Police]], composed the opera ''Holy Blood, Crescent Moon'', heavily inspired by this book.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-10-12-ca-65-story.html | title=OPERA REVIEW : 'Holy Blood and Crescent Moon' Has No Sting : Music: Ex-Police drummer Stewart Copeland puts the music world's spotlight on Cleveland with premiere of his opera | website=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=12 October 1989 }}</ref>
▲===Other influences===
▲The 2008 documentary film ''[[Bloodline (2008 film)|Bloodline]]'' by [[Bruce Burgess]], a filmmaker with an interest in [[paranormal]] claims, expands on the "Jesus bloodline" hypothesis and other elements of ''The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail''. Accepting as valid the testimony of an amateur archaeologist going under the pseudonym of "Ben Hammott", relating to his discoveries made in the vicinity of [[Rennes-le-Château]] since 1999, Burgess claims to have found the treasure of [[Bérenger Saunière]]: several mummified corpses (one of which is allegedly [[Mary Magdalene]]) in three underground tombs created by the Knights Templar under the orders of the Priory of Sion.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tomb-discovered-in-france-considered-knights-templar---when-excavated-findings-may-challenge-the-tenets-of-christianity-57449477.html |title=Tomb Discovered in France Considered Knights Templar – When Excavated, Findings May Challenge the Tenets of Christianity |work=[[PR Newswire]] |date=17 April 2008 |access-date=16 March 2016}}</ref> During an interview on 21 March 2012, "Hammott", going by his real name of Bill Wilkinson, made an apologetic confession stating that everything to do with the tomb and related artifacts was a hoax, and revealed that the tomb was now destroyed, having been part of a set located in a warehouse in England.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://grailseekers.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/picture-of-ben-hammotts-tomb-last-night.html |title=Ben Hammott Discusses the Bloodline Tomb Hoax |first=Brian |last=Kannard |work=Grail Seekers |date=22 March 2012 |access-date=16 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.benhammott.com/hammott-statement.html |title=Statement by Ben Hammott |work=benhammott.com |year=2012 |access-date=16 March 2016 |archive-date=30 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030024644/http://www.benhammott.com/hammott-statement.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==See also==
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