Don García (b. ?
Navarre
Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...
– d. ?) was the first
grand master of the
Order of Calatrava
The Order of Calatrava (, ) was one of the Spanish military orders, four Spanish military orders and the first Military order (society), military order founded in Kingdom of Castile, Castile, but the second to receive papal approval. The papal bu ...
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
Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...
. 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
A papal bull is a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden Seal (emblem), seal (''bulla (seal), bulla'') traditionally appended to authenticate it.
History
Papal ...
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 (1,932 ft) above sea level. Almadén is approx ...
.
Papal bull of 1164
Under his grandmastership, the order obtained its formal charter from the
papacy
The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...
with its customs being modeled around the
Cistercian Order
The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, 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 Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...
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 ( , , , ) 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 la Mancha and the e ...
. In 1217, his remains were transferred to the
Capilla de los Mártires de Calatrava la Nueva.
See also
*
Order of Calatrava
The Order of Calatrava (, ) was one of the Spanish military orders, four Spanish military orders and the first Military order (society), military order founded in Kingdom of Castile, Castile, but the second to receive papal approval. The papal bu ...
*
List of grand masters of the Order of Calatrava
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 unknown
Year of death unknown
Spanish untitled nobility
Grand masters of the Order of Calatrava
12th-century people from the Kingdom of Navarre