Michael Baigent facts for kids

Michael Baigent (born Michael Barry Meehan, 27 February 1948 – 17 June 2013) was a writer from New Zealand. He wrote many popular books that questioned common ideas about history and the life of Jesus. He is best known for co-writing the book The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail.

Biography

Michael Baigent was born on February 27, 1948, in Nelson, New Zealand. He grew up in nearby towns called Motueka and Wakefield. His father was a very religious Roman Catholic, and Michael learned about Catholic beliefs from a young age.

When Michael was eight, his father left the family. He then went to live with his grandfather, Lewis Baigent, and took his last name. His great-grandfather, Henry Baigent, was once the mayor of Nelson city. He also started a forestry business.

Michael went to Nelson College for high school. Later, he studied at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch. He first planned to study science and work in forestry, like his family. But he changed his mind and decided to study different religions and philosophy.

After finishing university in 1972, Baigent traveled a lot. He worked as a photographer in places like Laos and Spain. In 1976, he moved to England. While working for the BBC and a soft-drinks factory, he met Richard Leigh. They met through a TV producer who was making a show about the Knights Templar.

Richard Leigh became his frequent writing partner. Together with Henry Lincoln, they researched a supposed mystery in Rennes-le-Château in France. Their findings were shared in their famous book, The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail.

In 2000, Baigent earned another degree, a Master of Arts, from the University of Kent. He studied Mysticism and Religious Experience. Michael Baigent was also a Freemason and held a high position in the United Grand Lodge of England. He was an editor for Freemasonry Today magazine for many years.

Personal Life

Michael Baigent married Jane, an interior designer, in 1982. They had two daughters, Isabelle and Tansy. Jane also had two children from an earlier marriage.

Michael Baigent passed away on June 17, 2013, in Brighton, England. He died from a brain haemorrhage.

Works

The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail

The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail was published on January 18, 1982. This book made a popular idea well-known. It suggested that the real secret of the Holy Grail was that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had a child together. This child was the start of a family line. This family later married into a French royal family called the Merovingians. They were also linked to a secret group known as the Priory of Sion.

The idea that Jesus and Mary had a physical relationship was based on Baigent's reading of old texts. Other authors like Laurence Gardner and Margaret Starbird had also promoted similar ideas before.

Dan Brown Lawsuit

Some of the ideas from Baigent's book The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail were later used in Dan Brown's very popular novel, The Da Vinci Code.

In The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown named a main character Sir Leigh Teabing. This character was a historian and scholar. His name was a tribute to the authors of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail. "Leigh" is Richard Leigh's last name, and "Teabing" is an anagram (letters rearranged) of Baigent.

In March 2006, Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh sued Dan Brown's publisher, Random House. They claimed that their copyright had been broken.

While the lawsuit was happening, Baigent released a new book called The Jesus Papers. Some people criticized him, saying the book was just a new version of ideas from The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail. They thought it was released to get attention from the movie The Da Vinci Code and the trial. However, Baigent stated that the release date was set by his publisher long before.

On April 7, 2006, a judge in the High Court rejected Baigent and Leigh's claim. On March 28, 2007, Baigent and Leigh lost their appeal against this decision. They ended up with legal bills of about £3 million.

Other Books

Starting in 1989, Baigent and Leigh wrote several other books together. One important book was The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception (1991). In this book, they used ideas from Robert Eisenman about the Dead Sea Scrolls. However, these ideas were later questioned by other scholars.

In 1999, Baigent and Leigh published The Inquisition. This book talked about the historical institution of the Inquisition.

See also

In Spanish: Michael Baigent para niños