K-Ord-o-Spain-art - 9/15/08 "Knightly Orders of Spain" by Marija Kotok. NOTE: See also the files: Chivalry-art, knighthood-msg, chiv-orders-msg, chivalry-msg, fealty-art, fealty-msg, Spain-msg. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This article was submitted to me by the author for inclusion in this set of files, called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org Copyright to the contents of this file remains with the author. While the author will likely give permission for this work to be reprinted in SCA type publications, please check with the author first or check for any permissions granted at the end of this file. Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: Stefan li Rous stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ Previously accepted for Publication in Fox Tales. Knightly Orders of Spain by Marija Kotok The Order of The Hatchet This is a rather unusual order in that it was clearly a military order for women. In 1149 it was founded by Raymond Berenger in Catalonia under special circumstances. It honored the women of Barcelona who fought to defend Tortosa against Moorish attack. The Dames admitted to the order were exempt from tax, took precedence over men in assemblies, and enjoyed many other privledges. It is believed the order died out with the original members. The Order of Calatreva In 1157 the Almohads (a North-African people) invaded southern Spain, the Templars abandoned the castle.. The king of Castile, Sancho III, promised it to the people who could defend it. Two monks, fray Raimundo Serrat and fray Diego Velazquez (the last one an ancient soldier) took into charge the defense. In 1163, Raimundo Serrat died; the knights of the castle didn't want to keep under the command of a monk, so they elected a Master, the last year, the Pope Alejandro III aprobed the Order. The Order of Alcantara The order of Alcantara was created at 1156, when some knights of Salamanca defended the castle of San Julian del Pereiro. In 1177, the Pope, Alejandro III approved the order, with the name of Order of SanJulian del Pereiro. In 1213, the king of Leon, Alfonso IX, gave them the city of Alcantara, changing the name of the order to "Order of Alcantara". The order fought in the Castilian civil wars of XIV & XV centuries, finally, after the reign of Catholic Kings, the king was the master of the order. The Order of Santiago The order of Santiago was created by 12 knights: "los caballeros de Caceres", who defended the pilgrims who went to Santiago de Compostela. In 1161, the king of Leon, Fernando II gave them the name of Order of Santiago. Ucles, became the capital of the order. The order took part in the Castilian civil wars of XIV & XV centuries, finally, after the reign of Catholic Kings, the king was the master of the order.During the "Golden Century", it was the most distinguished of the Spanish knighthood orders: authors like Francisco de Quevedo, painters like Diego Velazquez or politicians as the Count-Duke of Olivares were members of the order. The Order of Montessa The origin of the order of Montesa is the Templar Order. When this was dissolved, the king of Aragon, Jaime II, created the new order of Nuestra Seaora de Montesa with the aragonese branch of templars. At 1317, the Pope Juan XXII approved the statutes of the order. Their mission was to defend the coast of Valencia against moorish pirates. Sources - Ashmole, _The Institution, Laws, and Ceremony of the Most Noble Order of the Garter_ Desmond Seward, _The Monks of War_ Guy Stair Sainty, _The Spanish Military Orders_ ------ Copyright 2002 by Marilyn Kinyon, 1598 Sawmill Rd., Hedgesville, WV 25427. . Permission is granted for republication in SCA-related publications, provided the author is credited and receives a copy. If this article is reprinted in a publication, I would appreciate a notice in the publication that you found this article in the Florilegium. I would also appreciate an email to myself, so that I can track which articles are being reprinted. Thanks. -Stefan. Edited by Mark S. Harris K-Ord-o-Spain-art Page 2 of 2