| The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07. |
| |
| Knights of Calatrava |
| |
| |
| (käläträ´vä) (KEY) , Spain’s oldest military order, whose original seat was the now ruined fortress of Calatrava la Vieja in Ciudad Real prov., central Spain. Founded (1158) by the Cistercians as a defense against the Moors, the order was very powerful, holding large possessions until the 13th cent.; later it declined. In 1499 the title of grand master passed to the Castilian crown and thence to the Spanish crown. |
| |
| | | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright © 2007 Columbia University Press. |
|
|
