Los hijos de Marta, las Órdenes Militares y las tierras de La Mancha en el siglo XII

Abstract

The title of this article is derived from the words of St. Bernards, who in his «De Laude Novae Militiae» reminds us of a Biblical passage describing Martha and Mary, and compares their bravery in the defence of Jesus with that of the Knights Templar and the Cistercians respectively. This image, unknown to historians today, enjoyed wide circulation at the time, as witnessed by the fact that it was noted in a bull delivered by Pope Honorius III in 1221 to the Order of Calatrava. The foundation of the Iberian military orders and the creation of their respective domains in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries were closely connected to the conquest of Extremaduras and the first repopulation of those lands. This article focuses on the region of La Mancha, and correspondingly with the history of the military orders of Calatrava, Santiago and San Juan a well as to their respective Castilian bases, namely Calatrava, Uclés and Consuegra. The study of documents concerning the orders, together with consideration of the evolution of landscapes and preliminary archaeological data, allow us to approach the process of repopulation in a new light, and to specify and quantify its progress. This can be summarised thus: occupation of a territory of about 30.000 square kilometres, a network of 40 castles, peopled by approximately 1.600 men-at-arms, and over one hundred towns, inhabited by an indeterminate number of knights, squires, labourers and shepherds.