The Order of the Band, Knights of the Band, or Equites Bindae, was a
military order Military order may refer to:
Orders
* Military order (religious society), confraternity of knights originally established as religious societies during the medieval Crusades for protection of Christianity and the Catholic Church
Military organi ...
in
Spain, instituted by
Alfonso XI,
King of
Castile in 1332.
[''The New Cambridge Medieval History, vol. 6: c. 1300 - c. 1415'', Michael Jones (ed.) (Cambridge, 1998), p. 209.] It took its name from the ''banda'', band, sash or red ribbon which was once worn by knights belonging to the order.
Membership of the order was awarded to certain distinguished knights and squires of the king, and had roots back as far as 1324.
This order was only for nobility; the eldest sons of
grandee
Grandee (; es, Grande de España, ) is an official royal and noble ranks, aristocratic title conferred on some Spanish nobility. Holders of this dignity enjoyed similar privileges to those of the peerage of France during the , though in neith ...
s were excluded; and a prerequisite to admittance was to have served at least ten years either in the army, or at court. They were bound to take up arms for
Catholicism against infidels. The King himself was Grand Master of the order. After a period of decline it is considered to have been extinct by 1474.
See also
*
Female order of the Band
*
Royal Bend of Castile
References
External links
Members of the Order of the Band
Band
Orders of chivalry of Spain
14th-century establishments in Castile
History of Catholicism in Spain
Catholic orders of chivalry
1332 establishments in Europe
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