Order of Alcántara

History

This order draws its origin from a founded military brotherhood in 1156, with San Julián del Pereiro (Holy Julien of the Pear tree) in the Diocèse of Ciudad Rodrigo in Estrémadure with the borders of the Portugal, beside a hermitage, by the noble ones of Salamanque, with the imitation of the Templiers, with an aim of defending the area against the Moors. The brotherhood is recognized in 1176 in a concession of the king Ferdinand II of León. In 1177, it is confirmed like religious order and soldier by the pope Alexandre III. In 1183, a pontifical Bulle of Lucius III gives him the rule of Cîteaux. At that time, the seal of the order represents a pear tree with the stripped roots.

In 1218 the king of Leon, Alphonse IX, gives the fortress of will el-Kantara - Alcántara - that it has just conquered with the brothers of the Ordre of Calatrava. The distance of the bases of the orde of Calatrava makes difficult the task of its knights, in particular the sending of reinforcements in the event of need. Alphonse IX then decides to entrust the castle to the order of San Julián del Pereiro, which passes in this context under the control of Calatrava. This tender with the order of Calatrava hardly lasts. The order keeps on the dress white used by Calatrava (the dress is related to the rule cistercian) and the pear tree yields the place to the fleurdelysée cross. The order installs its seat in the fortress and takes progessivement the name of order of Alcántara , officialized in 1253. The initial establishment of San Julián del Pereiro becomes a commandery.

The order takes an active part in the fight against the Moors and, after being illustrated during its creation with Ciudad Rodrigo against the Almohades, in the war against the Moslems in Estrémadure at the sides of the king Alphonse VIII of Castille, takes an active share with the catch of the castle of Almeida (with the Ordre of Saint-Jacob), with the catch of Badajoz (1230) inter alia…

In 1489, with died of the Master of Alcántara, Ferdinand the Catholic, is made elect Grand Master of the Order, and joins together the large-control with the Crown. The order takes part, like the other order Iberian, with the catch of the Royaume of Grenade in 1492 which signs the end of the Reconquista.

In 1546, the obligation of chgasteté of the knights is raised; n the other hand, the order begins to defend the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.

The goods of the order are confiscated in 1808 on instructions of Joseph Bonaparte during his short Spanish reign, for him to be restored in 1814 by Ferdinand VII of Spain, and will end up being definitively secularized by Pascual Madoz. The order is removed by the First Spanish Republic then restored in 1875 in agreement with papacy. Since this date, the order is a simple personal decoration given by the king of Spain for rendered services of a military nature.

List Large Masters of the order

Suero Fernández Barrientos (1156-1174)
Gómez Fernández Barrientos (1174-1200)
Benito Suárez (1200-1208)
Nuño Fernández (1208-1219)
Diego García Sánchez (1219-1227)
Arias Pérez (1227-1234)
Pedro Yáñez (1234-1254)
García Fernández of Barring (1254-1284)
Fernando Páez (1284-1292)
Fernando Pérez (1292-1294)
Gonzalo Pérez (1296-1312)
Ruy Vázquez (1312-1318)
Suero Pérez Maldonado (1318-1334)
Ruy Pérez Maldonado (1334-1335)
Fernando López (1335)
Suero López (1335)
Gonzalo Martínez de Oviedo (1337-1338)
Nuño Chamizo (1338-1343)
Peralonso Pantoja (1343-1346)
Fernando Pérez Sandpapers of León (1346-1355)
Diego Gutiérrez de Ceballos (1355)
Suero Martínez Aldama (1355-1361)
Gutierre Gómez de Toledo (1361-1364)
Martín López de Córdoba (1364-1369)
Pedro Muñiz de Godoy (1369)
Melendo Suárez (1369-1371)
Ruy Díaz of Vega (1371-1375)
Diego Martínez (1375-1383)
Diego Gómez Barroso (1383-1384)
Gonzalo Nuñez de Guzmán (1384-1385)
Martín of Barruda (1385-1394)
Fernando Rodríguez de Villalobos (1394-1408)
Sancho de Castilla (1408-1416)
Juan de Sotomayor (1416-1432)
Gutierre de Sotomayor (1432-1456)
Gómez de Cáceres there Solís (1457-1470)
Alfonso de Monroy (1471-1473)
Juan de Zúñiga (1473-1492)
Kings d' Espagne starting from 1487

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