The military orders of the Iberian Peninsula, beyond the Templars

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Montesa Castle occupied by the order of Montesa. by tamas There is a place in Ciudad Real and another in Cáceres , which gave their name to two important medieval military orders of the Iberian Peninsula. Orders very similar to the Templars or the Hospitallers. Montesa , in Valencia, also has that honor in its past, that of having given its name to an order. We are talking about the orders of soldier monks from Alcántara, Calatrava, Santiago and Montesa. They were part of our history for centuries and left their mark across much of Spain in the form of castles, names and memories. If we talk about Knights Templar, we immediately think of the Crusades, the Middle Ages and those soldier monks with habits, crosses and swords. The relationship also works in the opposite direction. If we think of soldier monks, images of the white habits and crosses of the Templars come to mind. But in addition to the Templars there were other similar orders, and some of them are typical of the Iberian Peninsula.

The Templars had a presence in the Iberian Peninsula Church of the castle of Calatrava la Nueva in Aldea del Rey, Ciudad Real. Church of the castle of Calatrava la Nueva in Aldea del Rey, Ciudad Real. By luisfpizarro The Templars were born united to the Holy Land, around the First Crusade. We are talking about the year 1099, although the order Cell Phone Number List would not officially exist as such until a few years later, in 1120. Its power grew rapidly and so did its presence throughout Europe, although to a large extent, always working with the focus on its actions in the Holy Land. . Logically, they were also on the peninsula. There are many Iberian places that belonged to the Templars, and several kings and counts who had a close relationship with them. In some cases, becoming part of the order, such as the Count of Barcelona Ramón Berenguer III. Alfonso I of Aragon, upon his death in 1134, ceded all of his possessions to the military orders of the Templars, the Hospitallers, and the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem.



There is a particular aspect of the peninsula that made the situation special. That aspect was the Reconquista. And, furthermore, this fact favored the appearance of other orders, with a double purpose. At first, he fought against the Muslims, with that double vision of monk and soldier . Later, on the conquered territory, military orders were established as a border protection force. There are 18 towns in Ciudad Real that have Calatrava in their name Calatrava Castle Calatrava Castle. By KarSol One of those Iberian orders was the order of Calatrava, formed in the second half of the 12th century. Its origin is linked to King Sancho III of Castile, when he offered the enclave of Calatrava to anyone who agreed to defend it. The place is currently part of Carrión de Calatrava, in the province of Ciudad Real. Calatrava was a border town for a long time and when it was reconquered and placed in the hands of Alfonso VIII of León, he gave it to the Templars .