2. INTRODUCTION:
The first military orders were founded in Palestine after the First Crusade (1099).
These orders, both military and religious, acted as protectors of the pilgrims to the
Holy Land and, at the same time, as protectors of the Holy Places and the Kingdom
of Jerusalem.
They depended directly on the Pope and organized his community rule according
to a monastic rule that was compatible with the secular condition and warrior
activities.
3.
4. THE ORDER OF CALATRAVA:
The Order of Calatrava, was the first religious-
military order created in Spain and one of the
first in Europe, to defend Christianity against
Islam.
It was founded in the city-fortress of Calatrava
in 1158, after the Templars did not see
themselves with enough courage to defend it
against Muslim attacks. Abbot Raimundo de
Fitero (Navarra) and Diego Velázquez, monk of
his monastery who had been a warrior in his
youth, volunteered to take charge of the
fortress.
5. The Order of Calatrava began its journey in a small
territory. Along the centuries it obtained important
properties both in extension and in economic
value.
It expanded through several areas of the Iberian
Peninsula, including Portugal; its power and
influence were enormous, especially in the still
known as Campo de Calatrava.
Ferdinand the Catholic, at the end of the 15th
century, decides to control it and annexes it to the
Crown. Since then, the Spanish kings, as great
masters, have managed, sold or mortgaged the
goods of the order, from the mines of Almadén to
countless territories that, in the nineteenth
century, were definitely confiscated.
6.
7. THE ORDER OF SANTIAGO:
The Order of Santiago appears as the most elitist in the
Hispanic religious-military orders. It had great wealth and
power, and was a mean to achieve a title of nobility. So great
was the prestige of being a member of that order, and
especially of that of Santiago.
The Order of Santiago marked a large number of places and
gave a great boost to art as reflected, among other unique
buildings, the monasteries of San Marcos (León) and Uclés
(Cuenca), the Church of Sancti Spíritus (Salamanca) or the
Conveners of the Comendadoras (Madrid and Toledo).
8. It was founded in the Kingdom of
León in the 12th century to support
the Reconquest and defend
Christianity against Islam, but also to
serve the interests of Christian
monarchs. Its history is full of warlike
episodes against Muslims and power
struggles.
9.
10. THE ORDER OF ALCÁNTARA:
The Order of Alcántara has reached a greater role in
the territorial area of the current region of
Extremadura. Its birth, in the 10th century, is related
to the military and colonizing interests of the León
monarchy that, at that time, was trying by all means
to consolidate its border to the South.
11.
12. THE ORDER OF MONTESA:
The Order of Santa María de Montesa and
San Jorge de Alfama is a religious and
military order founded by King Jaime II of
Aragón in the 14th century (1317).
