35773 m75

ling to the shrine of St James at Compostella during the period 1158-64. In 1175 the knights were recognized as a military order by the Pope. They wore a white habit with a red cross on the left breast; the bottom arm of the cross resembled a sword blade. The Portuguese branch of the order, Sao Thiago, also wore a white habit and red cross but the bottom arm of their cross ended in a Ileur-de-lis.

In 1162 there existed a smali group of Portuguese knights known as the Brethren of Santa Maria. In 1170 they adopted the Benedictine rule. After the Moorish attacks on Portugal in 1190 the order built many posts north of the T agus and in 1211 acąuired the town of Aviz, becoming known then as the Knights of Aviz. The knights probably wore a black cloak or surcoat, being of the Benedictine rule.

Around 1166 another group of knights, known as the Knights of St Julian, was operating on the Castile and Leon frontier. They were recognized as a military order by the Pope in 1183. By 1264 there Were 600 knights and 2000 sergeants. They wore a white cloak or surcoat.

The Knights of Our Lady of Montjoie were founded by a former knight of Santiago about 1176 in the Holy Land, and were recognized by the Pope in 1180. A smali detachment fought at Hattin, after which most of the Order retired to Aragon and were incorporated with Calatrava in 1221. The knights wore a white habit with a red and white cross, the form of which is unknown.

THE 1 BERIAN ARMIES

Until the 11 th century most of the fighting between the Moors and the smali Christian kingdoms of Iberia was conftned to the mountainous regions north of the Douro, and therefore the infantry was the dominant arm. This changed as the Spanish began to gain a foothold south of the Douro during the 11 th century, but no feudal system existed for raising or supporting large numbers of the expen-sive armoured cavalry. Therefore, the kings gran-ted the newly won lands to any settler who would promise military service in return, and those settlers who could not afford a horse and armour were given them by the king. Newly liberated towns were also handed over to settlers, divided into

Late i3th-century knight (Magdeburg Cathedral) showing a plate-reinforced surcoat worn over the hauberk. It ends at the waist behind; the flaps at the front were not usually reinforced with piąte but were perhaps padded. Notę also the separate coif, common from the mid-i3th century. The flap or lappet (repeated at the back) was fastened to the chest. In the last quarter of the century these lappets were extended to form a cape which reached almost to the points of the shoulders, and also covered the chin and mouth. A vertical slit at the rear, secured with laces, enabled the coif to be donned easily.