Don García (b. ? Navarre – d. ?) was the first Grand Master of the

Order of Calatrava The Order of Calatrava ( es, Orden de Calatrava, pt, Ordem de 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 Orde ...

from 1164 to 1169 and was responsible for the foundation of many of the order's rules and battle traditions.

Biography

The exact location of Don García's birth and death are not known although it is believed that he was from Navarre. The reasons for him being named as the first Grand Master of Calatrava are also unknown although the order was very new at the time of his tenure in office, having been officially recognized by Papal Bull in 1164. What is certain is that García would have been an exceptional leader and soldier to be tapped for this prestigious role by King Alfonso VIII de Castilla which consisted of overseeing all lands and castles under the order's protection and control. The most famous castle being the one at

Almadén Almadén () is a town and municipality in the Spanish province of Ciudad Real, within the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. The town is located at 4° 49' W and 38° 46' N and is 589 meters above sea level. Almadén is approximately 3 ...

Papal Bull of 1164

Under his Grandmastership, the order obtained its formal charter from the

Papacy The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

with its customs being modeled around the

Cistercian Order The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Sain ...

from which Calatrava developed. The Papal Bull, amongst other things, obliged all member knights of the order to observe three ideological virtues; obedience, chastity, and poverty. Member knights were also held to strict living rules such as maintaining silence in their dormitories and eateries, sleeping with their armor on for four days a week, and to keep as their only garment of clothes, a white cloak with a simple black cross called the "Flordelisada" (which became red as seen in above right image in the 14th Century).

Death

After his death, Don García was buried in a convent on the outskirts of

Guadiana The Guadiana River (, also , , ), or Odiana, is an international river defining a long stretch of the Portugal-Spain border, separating Extremadura and Andalusia (Spain) from Alentejo and Algarve (Portugal). The river's basin extends from the ...

. In 1217, his remains were transferred to the Capilla de los Mártires de Calatrava la Nueva.

References

* Some of the information on this page was translated from its Spanish equivalent.

External links

* Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. (In Spanish
Documentos para el estudio de la Orden de Calatrava en la meseta meridional Castellana (1102-1302)
* Francisco de Rades y Andrada: (In Spanish
Catálogo de las obligaciones que tienen las personas del hábito de Calatrava
Published in 1571. * Heraldic Hispani

{{DEFAULTSORT:Calatrava, Don Garcia de Year of birth missing Year of death missing Spanish untitled nobility Grand Masters of the Order of Calatrava 12th-century people from the Kingdom of Navarre

Biography

Papal Bull of 1164

Death

See also

References

External links