Order of Alcántara
The Alcántaraorden was a Spanish order of knighthood, which took part in the Reconquista. It was founded in 1156 by Fernández Suero Barrientos and the Prior Gómez Fernández under the name Orden de San Julian de Pereiro to protect the town of Ciudad Rodrigo from the Moors. 1177 the original rule of the order was confirmed by the Pope. As in all the orders of chivalry, its members were expected to clergy, though they sociopolitical rather represented the interests of the nobility. The Order was geographically and personally strongly rooted in the Spanish Extremadura, where the period of its existence there were also almost all his lands. Traditionally, a close political links with the crown of León, Castile later.
With the takeover of the fortress Alcántara to protect the strategically important Roman bridge over the River Tagus in 1218, which was associated with certain formal concessions to the previously responsible for a number of years with the defense of the bridge Order of Calatrava, the Order took over the rule of the Cistercians. Alcántara was for a long time the Order's headquarters. In the period following the new designation Order of Alcántara displaced gradually to the original name and was used later than 1253 in the official titulary the grandmasters. The Consecration of Saint Julian de Pereiro turned therefore from the name in a mere protective patronage.
The Alcántaraorden was, like the other great Spanish orders also performed on the model of the Knights Templar as a tighter military unit. In recognition of military service he received through donations from the Crown extensive lands and privileges in south-western Spain, about bridge tolls and mill levies. Throughout its history, the Order could multiply decide legal disputes with the Knights Templar on possessions in Extremadura for themselves ( what concessions to the interests of the king, as the Templar is much more politically independent bandaged ). A number of particularly important commanderies of Alcántaraordens were in the region Serena in the southeastern Extremadura, where he also still more of the goods took upon dissolution of the Knights Templar. Practically reached the possessions of Alcántaraordens but already with the conquest of Cordoba by Ferdinand III. 1236 their final territorial expansion. The Order took even later in conquests in Andalusia in part, won there but hardly added goods.
Among the great masters of Alcántaraordens to find well-known names of the Spanish high nobility such as Juan de Zúñiga and Gonzalo Pérez Gallego. Nicolás de Ovando, a knight of the Alcántaraordens and favorite of King Ferdinand II of Aragon, was sent by the king to Hispaniola opponent of Christopher Columbus, who refused any assistance in this his fourth trip. Luis de Ávila y Zúñiga was a noted historian and troop leader, often referred to as its ambassador to the Popes Paul IV and Pius IV intervened as a favorite and diplomat Charles V and Charles accompanied on his campaigns in North Africa. He also took on the side of the Duke of Alba, Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, the Smalcald War in Germany in part.
In the second half of the 15th century, the territory of the Order of Alcántara comprised a large part of today's province of Cáceres, on the border with Portugal, the mountains of the Sierra de Gata and virtually the entire eastern part of the province of Badajoz (the area of La Serena ). There, the Order had in the neighborhood of important royal goods (Real Dehesa de La Serena ) large cattle herds that participated in the transhumance in the annual migration of the winter pastures ( invernaderos ) on special cattle drive routes ( cañadas ) to the summer pastures ( agosteros ). Even today, in Castuera, one of the most important formerly dominated by Alcántaraorden places once held annually in September, the " Salón del Ovino " an acclaimed throughout the Extremadura sheep farmers fair. Overall, you can determine the size of the Ordensbesitzungen in Extremadura with around 7,000 km ² quantified ( isolated enclaves in Andalusia and Castile not included), so the Alcántaraorden but significantly lagged behind the Calatrava and the Order of Jacob. As the smallest of the three orders of knighthood of Spain, the Order of Alcántara thus had significantly less financial resources than the other orders, which of course was also expressed in his lower military strength.
Based on a Bull of Pope Innocent VIII established the Catholic Monarchs and the Alcántaraorden under the administration of the Crown. With their actions the military and financial power of the order of knighthood, and thus the high nobility should be circumcised. 1492 became King Ferdinand II of Pope Alexander VI. the transfer of the Grand Master of the Order of Alcántara dignity for life. With the final transfer of the now hereditary Grand Master titles of all three Spanish riders on the crown by Pope Adrian VI. in 1522 its political independence has ended.
The habit of Alcántaraordens consisted of a white jacket with an embroidered green lily cross, which in its form the red cross of Calatrava very similar since the 13th century.