The Military Orders and the Spanish Reconquest in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries

Abstract

In recent years renewed interest has been shown in the history of the military orders in the Iberian peninsula, and a considerable number of studies have been published both in Spain and elsewhere. Yet most of the works that are concerned with the medieval period treat of a single order, and little attempt has been made to provide general surveys. Obviously much detailed research still needs to be undertaken before definitive conclusions can be formulated, and the nature of the evidence makes the discussion of some topics more difficult than that of others. The surviving sources supply more direct information about rights and privileges than about the orders' role in the struggle against Islam. But, as the function of the military orders was to fight against the infidel, their contribution to the reconquista is a subject that merits investigation, despite the limitations of the evidence.

Mapping Spheres of Influence on Medieval Iberia's Religious Frontier via Viewshed Analysis and Cost-Distance Analysis

“…This assumption was formed as a counterpoint to a very specific line from a 1984 article on the subject of the fortresses of the military orders by Alan Forey titled "The Military Orders and the Spanish Reconquest in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries." 7 This article represented the first, and to date only, effort outside of my dissertation to directly assess the role of the military orders in the formation of the frontier across the entire peninsula. In short, Forey concluded that it was "impossible" to create a survey of all of the frontier fortresses that had come into the possession of Iberia's military orders.…”

Historical Frontiers and the Rise of Inequality: The Case of the Frontier of Granada

“…Secondly, the low population density that is characteristic of these insecure border regions, the demographic decline brought about by epidemics, 11 and the expulsion of the Muslim population 10 Following the example of the Holy Land crusaders, the Castilians created three great military orders that served as armies for the country to conquer Muslim lands and defend the Christian frontier. The order of Calatrava was founded in 1158, the order of Santiago in 1170, and the order of Alcántara in 1175, during the second half of the twelfth century, a period from which military orders grew in importance due to their key role in the defense of the frontier (Forey, 1984;González Jiménez 1989), with the creation about a century later of the order of Santa María de España (1272). Besides their military activity, these orders played an active role in the resettlement of the conquered lands.…”

The Armies of the Military Orders in Medieval Iberia

“…In return, they would receive the same spiritual benefits that they would have obtained in the Holy Land. 17 We can probably also include the seglares (laymen) in this category of associated knights, who-according to an account by the Archbishop Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada-lived in Calatrava in 1214 with the brethren of the order and were saved from starvation by the prelate himself, the nobles, and other knights. 18 Shortly thereafter, in 1220, Pope Honorius III extended the indulgences associated with the crusader vow to anyone who would fight alongside the Calatravans at their frontier castles.…”