The document discusses the major military orders that originated in Spain during the Reconquest from the Moors. The most important orders were the Orders of Santiago, Calatrava, and Alcantara. The Order of Santiago was founded in 1170 and played a major role in the Reconquest and repopulation of regions. The Order of Calatrava was founded in 1157 to defend the fortress of Calatrava. It grew rapidly in power and territory. The Order of Alcantara emerged in the 12th century to fight the Almohad threat and was mainly located in Extremadura. With the completion of the Reconquest, the Catholic Monarchs sought to gain control over the extensive lands owned by the

1. THE MILITARY ORDERS
IN SPAIN
BY Mª DEL MAR BENITO VELASCO

2. Index
• What are the military orders? And which are the most important?
• Military orders in Spain.
• The main military orders in Spain (I).
• The main military orders in Spain (II).
• Finally…

3. What are the military orders?
• 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 kingdom of Jerusalem. And
they depended directly on the Pope.
And which are the most
timportant?
• The Templar and the Hospital are two of the most
important military orders that were born to protect the
Holy Land during the Crusades and from these some
military orders arose in Spain from the XII century. Their
mission was the armed defense of Christian ideals and the
war against Islam.

4. Military orders in Spain
• These military orders shared the same mission as other
orders, but also with the mission of promoting the
repopulation of the lands, winning in the battle and
defending these lands. In exchange they received from the
kings extensive possessions and privileges.
• Some of the military orders in Spain were:
The most importants
- The Order of Sant Jordi d’Alfama
- The Order of Santa María de España
- The Order of Belchite
- The Order of Avis
- The Order of knights of Christ
-The Order of Santiago
-The Order of Calatrava
-The 0rder of Alcántara
-The Order of Montesa
Others

5. THE MAIN MILITARY ORDERS IN SPAIN (I)
THE ORDER OF SANTIAGO
• The most important was the order of Santiago. It
was created in 1170, and recognized by the Pope
in 1175.
• They collaborated in the Reconquest and
repopulation of the regions of Teruel and
Castellón, fought in Las Navas de Tolosa (1212)
and obtained privileges that allowed them to
repopulate large regions in Andalusia and Murcia.
• Some of the most outstanding knights were: The
great writer of the Golden Age Francisco de
Quevedo and the best painter in the history of
Spain, Velázquez.
THE ORDER OF CALATRAVA
• The origins date back to 1157. A decade earlier, in 1149,
Alfonso VII of Castile had ceded to the Templars the fortress of
Calatrava, a strategic point located next to the Guadiana River,
on the road that connected Toledo with Córdoba, on the
border with the Almohad Empire.
• Later Sancho III, the new king, offered possession of the
fortress to anyone who could defend it. Raymond Sierra, an
abbot, accepted the challenge and moved there with his
monks and soldiers.
• Pope Alexander III granted them the official status of religious
and military order.
• In a short time, their great human and economic resources
gave the Order a huge political and military power, which
lasted until the end of the Reconquest.

6. THE MAIN MILITARY ORDERS IN SPAIN (II)
THE ORDER OF ALCÁNTARA
• The order emerged in León in the XII c. to
fight against the Almohad danger.
• In 1218 they received the goods that the Order
of Calatrava owned in the kingdom of León.
• They were mainly in the Extremadura area,
where most of his possessions were
concentrated.
• They participated in several campaigns although
the military power of the order was small, due
to their lower territorial possessions and their
lower economic power.
• They finished their military activity at the
beginning of the XV c. after being defeated in
Granada.
THE ORDER OF MONTESA
• The Templars had a great influence on the
Iberian Peninsula but in the XIV c. the Temple
fell out. The Pope ordered that their
possessions passed to the hospitals.
• The possessions of the temple of the kingdom
of Valencia passed to the Order of Montesa in
1319.
• Their mission was to monitoring the Mudejar
population of Valencia and the protection of
the coast from pirate attacks.

7. FINALLY….
• With the end of the
Reconquest, the Catholic Kings
wanted to build a strong state,
and for that it was necessary
to have control over the
extensive possessions of the
warrior monks.
• In 1523 Carlos I appropriated
the titles of Master of
Santiago, Alcántara and
Calatrava. And from there, the
title of member of one of
these orders became an
honorary designation.

8. THANKS FOR YOUR
ATTENTION