In medieval Iberia, an ''alférez'' (, ) or ''alferes'' (, ) was a high-ranking official in the

household A household consists of one or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is im ...

of a king or magnate. The term is derived from the

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

('' al-fāris''), meaning "knight" or "cavalier", and it was commonly Latinised as ''alferiz'' or ''alferis'', although it was also translated into Latin as ''armiger'' or ''armentarius'', meaning " armour-bearer". The connection with arms-bearing is visible in several Latin synonyms: ''fertorarius'', ''inferartis'', and ''offertor''. The office was sometimes the same as that of the

standard-bearer A standard-bearer, also known as a colour-bearer or flag-bearer, is a person who bears an emblem known as a standard or military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used (and often honoured) as ...

or ''signifer''.Simon Barton, ''The Aristocracy in Twelfth-century León and Castile'' (Cambridge, 1997), 142–44. The ''alférez'' was generally the next highest-ranking official after the

majordomo A majordomo () is a person who speaks, makes arrangements, or takes charge for another. Typically, this is the highest (''major'') person of a household (''domūs'' or ''domicile'') staff, a head servant who acts on behalf of the owner of a larg ...

.Simon Barton, ''The Aristocracy in Twelfth-century León and Castile'' (Cambridge, 1997), 59. He was generally in charge of the king or magnate's ''mesnada'' (

private army A private army (or private military) is a military force under the command of a private person or organization, rather than a nation or state. History Private armies may form when landowners arm household retainers for the protection of self and ...

), his personal retinue of

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

s, and perhaps also of his

armoury An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

and his guard. He generally followed his lord on campaign and into battle. The office of ''alférez'' originated in the tenth century. In the

Kingdom of Navarre The Kingdom of Navarre ( ), originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, occupied lands on both sides of the western Pyrenees, with its northernmost areas originally reaching the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay), between present-day Spain and France. The me ...

in the tenth and eleventh centuries, the office of ''alférez'' changed hands with higher frequency than others, and there is also evidence of rotation. It is the only courtly office for which two officers are cited at the same time: Fortún Jiménez and Ortí Ortiz were both ''inferartes'' in a charter of 1043. In the kingdoms of Castile and León in the eleventh and twelfth centuries the office was generally bestowed on young noble members of the court, often as a prelude to promotion to the rank of

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

. It is known that

Alfonso VIII of Castile Alfonso VIII (11 November 11555 October 1214), called the Noble (El Noble) or the one of Las Navas (el de 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 Alarc ...

rewarded his ''alférez'' Álvaro Núñez de Lara with the grant of a village for carrying his standard in the

Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa 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 Spain in the Middle Ages, medieval history of Spain. The Christian ...

.The date of the grant was 31 October 1212; the village was

Castroverde Castroverde is a municipality in the province of Lugo, in the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. It belongs to the comarca of Lugo. Castroverde is very rural area. The main economic activity is milk and meat production. There are also a ...

; and the surviving charter reads: "for the many services which you have done me in the field of battle, carrying my standard as a brave man" (''pro seruitio plurimum comendando quod michi in campestri prelio fecistis, cum uexillum meum sicut uir strenuus tenuistis, cum Almiralmomeninum regem Cartaginis deuici''). Cited in Simon Barton, ''The Aristocracy in Twelfth-century León and Castile'' (Cambridge, 1997), 142 n217.

List of ''alféreces''

Navarre in the tenth and eleventh centuries

León and Castile under Alfonso VII

;Sources *Simon Barton, ''The Aristocracy in Twelfth-century León and Castile'' (Cambridge, 1997), 144.

''Alféreces'' in aristocratic households

References

;Notes ;Further reading * Fletcher, Richard A. (1989). ''The Quest for El Cid''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. {{DEFAULTSORT:Alferez Reconquista