Spanish chivalry

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Royal Armoury of Madrid, Spain ArmeriaPalacioRealMadrid.JPG
Royal Armoury of Madrid, Spain
Combat des chevaliers dans la campagne (1824) by Eugene Delacroix, now in the Louvre Louvre-peinture-francaise-paire-de-chevaliers-romantiques-p1020301.jpg
Combat des chevaliers dans la campagne (1824) by Eugène Delacroix, now in the Louvre

During the Middle Ages, Medieval Europe was engaged in constant warfare. European warfare during the Middle Ages was marked by a transformation in the character of warfare from antiquity, changing military tactics, and the role of cavalry and artillery. In addition to military, tactical and technological innovations during this period, chivalric military and religious ideals arose, giving motivation for engagement in the ceaseless warfare. In the Iberian Peninsula (particularly in Spain or future Spanish territories), chivalric ideals and institutions would be adopted and exercised with more fervour than anywhere else. [1]

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Early Spanish chivalry

Chivalry, or chivalric codes of manners and proper military engagement, is believed to have arrived in the Iberian Peninsula during the 10th century, in the context of the Reconquista. This was when Frankish knights, who were willing to fight the Muslim invaders of Iberia prior to the Crusades, appeared to protect pilgrims flocking to what was believed to be the tomb of the apostle James in Galicia. [2] St. James himself was known and celebrated in Christianity as ‘the slayer of the Moors’, and the discovery of his body by Christians has been considered an igniting factor of the Reconquista. [3] The Reconquista had begun under Alfonso II (791–842) and would last nearly 700 years as Christians attempted to drive Muslims out of the Iberian Peninsula. However, the in-statement of chivalric knightly orders and the chivalric ideals and codes of conduct weren’t present on the Iberian Peninsula until almost the second century of the Reconquista. In the context of the Reconquista, and the close proximity of Christian and Muslim populations, the atmosphere for the development of Knightly Orders was ripe, and in the subsequent centuries, chivalry flourished in Spain to a greater extent than in other Christian states. [1]

Chivalry in medieval Spain cannot be understood outside of the context of the military orders of knighthood. Historians are conflicted as to whether Spanish knights were directed more by royalty (such as the king of Castile or the king of Aragon), or by the Papacy. But there seems to be a consensus that the knights had obligations to both and an overarching allegiance to the Church, as both were in direct contact with knights (and often royalty were themselves, knights and crusaders). [4] Some scholars have suggested that the later Spanish military Orders, like that at the fortress of Calatrava, pledged their loyalty primarily to their Kingdom, in this case Castile, but orders like the Templars or Hospitallers were more independent and not necessarily loyal to any kingdom consistently. [3]

The uniqueness of Spanish chivalry

The Iberian Peninsula had multiple factors contributing to the strong chivalric ethos exemplified by Spanish knights. One determinate factor to the strong adoption of chivalric orders in Spain is the Reconquista, in which Christian kingdoms attempted to expel Muslims from the peninsula. The greatest foes of the Spanish knights were Muslims, who were not an imagined enemy but one deeply entrenched in reality and not as distant as the infidel, or enemy, was for the knights of France or Germany. In other Christian kingdoms, the fighting was initially waged between Christians of different kingdoms, and as such was more debated and contested within Christian circles. [5] However, in Spain, the Christian knights and kingdoms were engaged with what was almost acknowledged as a foe to Christianity, and this common enemy had some role in uniting Christian kingdoms in the cause of the Crusades and Reconquista. [6] In the 12th and 13th century, most of the prominent Spanish knightly orders were formed. The early formation of the orders was dangerous and unstable. In Calatrava, in the mid-12th century, Castilian knights established a fortress, which would later be abandoned due to the threat of a Muslim attack. Within fifty years, a fort of the Order of Calatrava was rebuilt and became a fortified monastic community. [7]

Castillo de Calatrava la Nueva Calatravacasti.jpg
Castillo de Calatrava la Nueva

The prominence of knightly orders in the political and military realms of the Christian kingdoms of the peninsula fluctuated with the crusader zeal of the kingdoms’ rulers; however, their power was not exclusively tied to the Crusader Kings. For instance, Ferdinand III of Castile’s reign facilitated the rise of more Spanish orders because of the desire in the kingdom, led by the king, to crusade against the Moors. [8]

After the death of Ferdinand III, Castile was relatively peaceful and the morale of the orders was undermined. In this period of peace between the orders and the Muslims, mercenaries were hired to replace and assist knights in their fighting, Masters of the Orders were no longer religiously appointed, and civil war was waged between Christian knights with conflicting loyalties.

By this time chivalry was influenced by the fictional prowesses of chivalry romances. Knight Suero de Quiñones and his friends, in summer 1434, maintained a pas d'armes (Passo Honroso) jousting as an homage to his future wife in 166 combats against pilgrim knights that attempted to cross a bridge on Saint James's Way. [9]

The decline of knightly orders in Spain is debatable. Some historians have attributed the fall of chivalry and knightly orders to Miguel de Cervantes, because he “smiled Spain’s chivalry away” with his satirical novel Don Quixote (published in two parts, 1605 and 1615). [1] Others have suggested that chivalry's decline was due to the expulsion of the Muslims in 1492, or the centralization of political power under the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella. [10] Once the Moors were expelled, the four orders were perceived as powerful subjects and it became a priority for the Crown to gain control over them – particularly at a time when the Crown was struggling to establish its central authority. If one subscribes to this latter view (the earlier fall of chivalry and knightly orders at the end of the 15th century), then clearly Cervantes did not so much contribute to that event, as to document (at the beginning of the 17th century) its prior occurrence, a point that is central to Don Quixote, that this decline had already occurred at the time of Quixote's adventures.

The Spanish kings had frequently obtained the election of close connections of their families as Masters of the Orders and at Calatrava in 1489, Santiago in 1494, and Alcántara in 1495, the administration of the three Magisteries were ultimately granted to King Ferdinand of Aragón, as Sovereign of Aragón and King-Consort of Castille. Finally, by the Bull Dum intra of Pope Adrian VI dated 4 May 1523, the perpetual administration' of the three orders was transferred to "Charles I (the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V), King of Spain, and his heirs and successors…” [11]

Later incarnations of Spanish chivalry

After the Reconquista and the loss of their prominence, Spanish orders would find a new role as an elite corps of the nobility, maintaining their castles and estates as commanderies to provide incomes for those who had distinguished themselves in the service of the monarch. The succeeding centuries saw the rise of the Spanish Empire, and the chivalric ideals of the knights transcended and reappeared in the guise of the conquistadors in the New World. “The rewards for the conquistador were similar to those of his medieval predecessor, the reconquistador: land to conquer, people to convert to Christianity, and glory or fame. The one major difference was that the conquistadors and reconquistadores were real people who also sought wealth whereas the knight-errant of the romances was a fictional creature indifferent to material gain. Bernal Díaz de Castillo, a soldier who took part in the conquest of Mexico, put the conquistador’s objective succinctly: 'we came here to serve God and the king and also to get rich'”. [12] [13]

Spanish chivalric literature

El Cid

Engraving by Alphonse-Marie-Adolphe de Neuville of the Cid ordering the execution of the instigator of the revolt and almoravid after his conquest of the city in 1094. The Cid ordering the Execution of Ahmed.jpg
Engraving by Alphonse-Marie-Adolphe de Neuville of the Cid ordering the execution of the instigator of the revolt and almoravid after his conquest of the city in 1094.

El Cantar de Myo Çid ( El Poema de Myo Çid or Mio Cid, known as The Song of my Lord, known in English as The Lay of the Cid and The Poem of the Cid) is the oldest preserved Spanish epic poem. Based on a true story, it tells of the Spanish hero El Cid, and takes place during the Reconquista. “The protagonist of the poem is the historical Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (1045–1099), also known as Cid (a dialectal form of the Arabic word sayyid, 'lord' or 'master') and Campeador ('Battler' or 'Victor'). The poem begins with the departure of Rodrigo from his home in Vivar, the first of two exiles of Rodrigo decreed by Alfonso VI, king of Castile and Leon (1065–1109). In the poem, this first exile (1081) and the second (1089) are conflated and lead to the Cid's military campaigns in the Spanish Levant, culminating in the Cid's conquest of the Moorish kingdom of Valencia (1094). Here, Rodrigo will remain with his wife and children as an independent prince until the end of his life.” [14]

Amadís de Gaula

The original author is anonymous, perhaps from Portugal. It was first printed in 1508 by Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. It is a chivalric romance linked to the Matter of Britain. The main character fights across several European realms, gets mad in courtly love for his lady and is persecuted by a wizard. The book had several sequels and translations into European languages. [15]

Don Quixote

Don Quixote, his horse Rocinante and his squire Sancho Panza after an unsuccessful attack on a windmill. By Gustave Dore Quixo-panza.jpg
Don Quixote, his horse Rocinante and his squire Sancho Panza after an unsuccessful attack on a windmill. By Gustave Doré

Don Quixote is a novel written by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes. Published in two volumes in 1605 and 1615, Don Quixote is the most influential work of literature from the Spanish Golden Age in the Spanish literary canon.

“A Spanish knight, about fifty years of age, who lived in great poverty in a village of La Mancha, gave himself up so entirely to reading the romances of chivalry, of which he had a large collection, that in the end they turned his brain, and nothing would satisfy him but that he must ride abroad on his old horse, armed with spear and helmet, a knight-errant, to encounter all adventures, and to redress the innumerable wrongs of the world. He induced a neighbour of his, a poor and ignorant peasant called Sancho Panza, mounted on a very good ass, to accompany him as squire. The knight saw the world only in the mirror of his beloved romances; he mistook inns for enchanted castles, windmills for giants, and country wenches for exiled princesses. His high spirit and his courage never failed him, but his illusions led him into endless trouble. In the name of justice and chivalry he intruded himself on all whom he met, and assaulted all whom he took to be making an oppressive or discourteous use of power. He and his poor squire were beaten, trounced, cheated, and ridiculed on all hands, until in the end, by the kindliness of his old friends in the village, and with the help of some new friends who had been touched by the amiable and generous character of his illusions, the knight was cured of his whimsies and was led back to his home in the village, there to die.” [16]

Prominent knightly orders of Spain

Order of Calatrava – was the first military order founded in Castile, but the second to receive papal approval. The papal bull confirming the Order of Calatrava as a Militia was given by Pope Alexander III on 26 September 1164. [13]

Order of Santiago – (or the Order of Saint James of Compostela) was founded in the 12th century, and owes its name to the national patron of Spain, Santiago (St. James the Greater), under whose banner the Christians of Galicia and Asturias began in the 9th century to combat and drive out the Muslims. [17]

Order of Alcántara – also called the Knights of St. Julian, was originally a military order of León, founded in 1166 and confirmed by Pope Alexander III in 1177. [18]

Order of Montesa – was dedicated to Our Lady, and based at Montesa, Valencia. Pope John XXII approved it on 10 June 1317, and gave it the Cistercian rule. [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

Knight Award of an honorary title for past or future service with its roots in chivalry in the Middle Ages

A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Greek hippeis and hoplite (ἱππεῖς) and Roman eques and centurion of classical antiquity.

<i>Reconquista</i> Medieval Christian military campaign

The Reconquista is a historiographical construction of the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Nasrid kingdom of Granada in 1492, in which the Christian kingdoms expanded through war and conquered al-Andalus, or the territories of Iberia ruled by Muslims.

Chivalry Traditional ideology and code of conduct of knights

Chivalry, or the chivalric code, is an informal and varying code of conduct developed between 1170 and 1220. It was associated with the medieval Christian institution of knighthood; knights' and gentlemen's behaviours were governed by chivalrous social codes. The ideals of chivalry were popularized in medieval literature, particularly the literary cycles known as the Matter of France, relating to the legendary companions of Charlemagne and his men-at-arms, the paladins, and the Matter of Britain, informed by Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written in the 1130s, which popularized the legend of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table. All of these were taken as historically accurate until the beginnings of modern scholarship in the 19th century.

Alfonso VIII, called the Noble or the one of Las Navas, was King of Castile from 1158 to his death and King of Toledo. After having suffered a great defeat with his own army at Alarcos against the Almohads in 1195, he led the coalition of Christian princes and foreign crusaders who broke the power of the Almohads in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212, an event which marked the arrival of a tide of Christian supremacy on the Iberian peninsula.

Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa Battle between Iberian Christian armies and an Almohad Muslim army (1212)

The Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, known in Islamic history as the Battle of Al-Uqab, took place on 16 July 1212 and was an important turning point in the Reconquista and the medieval history of Spain. The Christian forces of King Alfonso VIII of Castile were joined by the armies of his rivals, Sancho VII of Navarre and Peter II of Aragon, in battle against the Almohad Muslim rulers of the southern half of the Iberian Peninsula. The caliph al-Nasir led the Almohad army, made up of people from all over the Almohad Caliphate.

Military order (religious society) One of a variety of Christian societies of knights

A military order is a Christian religious society of knights. The original military orders were the Knights Templar, the Knights Hospitaller, the Order of Saint James, the Order of Calatrava, and the Teutonic Knights. They arose in the Middle Ages in association with the Crusades, both in the Holy Land and in the Iberian peninsula; their members being dedicated to the protection of pilgrims and the defence of the Crusader states. They are the predecessors of chivalric orders.

Crusading movement Series of religious wars in late medieval times

The First Crusade inspired the Crusading movement, which became one of the most significant attributes of late medieval western culture. The movement touched on every area of life, every European country, and the history of the western Islamic world. This influence is evident in the Church, religious thought, politics, the economy, and society. A distinct ideology is evident in the texts that described, regulated, and promoted crusading. The movement defined legal and theological terms based on the concepts of holy war and pilgrimage. Theologically, this merged ideas from Old Testament parallels of Israelite wars instigated and assisted by God, with New Testament viewpoints around forming personal relationships with Christ. Crusading, as holy war, was based on the ancient idea of just war. The criteria were that a legitimate authority must initiate the war, that there was a just cause, and that it was waged with pure intentions. Crusades were special pilgrimages—a physical and spiritual journey under the authority and protection of the Church. Pilgrimage and crusade were penitential acts; popes considered crusaders as having earned a plenary indulgence that gave remission of God-imposed temporal penalties.

Man-at-arms Term for skilled soldiers serving as heavy cavalrymen in Medieval and Renaissance Europe

A man-at-arms was a soldier of the High Medieval to Renaissance periods who was typically well-versed in the use of arms and served as a fully-armoured heavy cavalryman. A man-at-arms could be a knight, or other nobleman, a member of a knight's or nobleman's retinue, or a mercenary in a company serving under a captain. Such men could serve for pay or through a feudal obligation. The terms knight and man-at-arms are often used interchangeably, but while all knights equipped for war were men-at-arms, not all men-at-arms were knights.

Order of Calatrava

The Order of Calatrava was one of the four Spanish military orders and the first military order founded in Castile, but the second to receive papal approval. The papal bull confirming the Order of Calatrava was given by Pope Alexander III on September 26, 1164. Most of the political and military power of the order dissipated by the end of the 15th century, but the last dissolution of the order's property did not occur until 1838.

Order of Santiago Spanish religious and military order founded in the 12th century

The Order of Santiago, is a religious and military order founded in the 12th century. It owes its name to the Patron Saint of Spain, "Santiago". Its initial objective was to protect the pilgrims on the Way of St. James, to defend Christendom and to remove the Muslim Moors from the Iberian Peninsula. Entrance was not however restricted to nobility of Spain exclusively, and many members have been prominent Catholic Europeans in general. The Order's insignia is particularly recognisable and abundant in Western art.

Order of Mountjoy

The Order of Mountjoy was a military order during the crusades.

Battle of Alarcos 1195 battle of the Reconquista

Battle of Alarcos, was a battle between the Almohads led by Abu Yusuf Ya'qub al-Mansur and King Alfonso VIII of Castile. It resulted in the defeat of the Castilian forces and their subsequent retreat to Toledo, whereas the Almohads reconquered Trujillo, Montánchez, and Talavera.

This is a timeline of notable events during the period of Muslim presence in Iberia, starting with the Umayyad conquest in the 8th century.

Kingdom of Valencia Monarchal state on the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula (1238-1707)

The Kingdom of Valencia, located in the eastern shore of the Iberian Peninsula, was one of the component realms of the Crown of Aragon. When the Crown of Aragon merged by dynastic union with the Crown of Castile to form the Kingdom of Spain, the Kingdom of Valencia became a component realm of the Spanish monarchy.

Order of Alcántara Spanish medieval religious and military order

The Order of Alcántara, also called the Knights of St. Julian, was originally a military order of León, founded in 1166 and confirmed by Pope Alexander III in 1177.

Order of chivalry Order, confraternity or society of knights

An order of chivalry, order of knighthood, chivalric order, or equestrian order is an order of knights, typically founded during or inspired by the original Catholic military orders of the Crusades and paired with medieval concepts of ideals of chivalry.

Calatrava la Vieja

Calatrava la Vieja is a medieval site and original nucleus of the Order of Calatrava. It is now part of the Archaeological Parks of the Community of Castile-La Mancha. Situated at Carrión de Calatrava, Calatrava during the High Middle Ages was the only important city in the Guadiana River valley. It thus guarded the roads to Cordova and Toledo.

Emirate of Granada State in the Iberian Peninsula, 1230–1492

The Emirate of Granada, also known as the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, was an Islamic realm in southern Iberia during the Late Middle Ages. It was the last independent Muslim state in Western Europe.

This is a list of some of the modern orders, decorations and medals of Spain.

Coat of arms of Castilla–La Mancha

The coat of arms of the Castilla–La Mancha is described in the Spanish Law 1 of 30 June 1983, the Law of the coat of arms of Castilla-La Mancha Region and further regulated by Decree 132 of 5 July 1983, approving the official design of the coat of arms of Castilla-La Mancha and Decree 115 of 12 November 1985, supplementing Decree 132/1983.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Prestage, p. 109
  2. Contamine, pp. 55–6
  3. 1 2 Barber, p. 145
  4. Contamine, p. 277
  5. Prestage, pp. 81, 109
  6. Ludlow, James M. Age of the Crusades. Charles Scribner’s Sons Ltd. 1910 – p74
  7. Barber, p. 147
  8. Barber, p. 148
  9. Domingo, A. (2014-06-09). "De la que lió Don Suero 670 años después". Diario de León (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  10. The Spanish Military Orders. Chivalricorders.org. Retrieved on 2011-06-04.
  11. Spain Romances of Chivalry Spainthenandnow. Spainthenandnow.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-04.
  12. Elliott, J.H Imperial Spain 1469–1716 London 1963 – pg 53
  13. 1 2 The Military Order of Calatrava Archived 2008-02-10 at the Wayback Machine . Chivalricorders.org. Retrieved on 2011-06-04.
  14. cantar de mio cid introduction. Laits.utexas.edu. Retrieved on 2011-06-04.
  15. "Amadís". Literatura Europea (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  16. "Don Quixote", By Sir Walter Alexander Raleigh
  17. The Military Order of Santiago Archived 2008-01-28 at the Wayback Machine . Chivalricorders.org. Retrieved on 2011-06-04.
  18. The Military Ordert of Alcantara Archived 2008-02-13 at the Wayback Machine . Chivalricorders.org. Retrieved on 2011-06-04.
  19. The Military Order of Montesa Archived 2008-02-13 at the Wayback Machine . Chivalricorders.org. Retrieved on 2011-06-04.

Bibliography