The Order of the Band, Knights of the Band, or Equites Bindae, was a military order in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, instituted by

Alfonso XI Alfonso XI (13 August 131126 March 1350), called the Avenger (''el Justiciero''), was King of Castile and León. He was the son of Ferdinand IV of Castile and his wife Constance of Portugal. Upon his father's death in 1312, several disputes en ...

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

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 The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

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.

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Members of the Order of the Band

Band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

Orders of chivalry of Spain 14th-century establishments in Castile History of Catholicism in Spain Catholic orders of chivalry 1332 establishments in Europe {{Orders-medals-stub

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