The Order of Mountjoy ( es, Orden de Monte Gaudio, also known as the Order of Trufac) was a military order during the crusades. The order of Montjoie is mentioned in the 13th century as having been founded for the purpose of protecting Christian pilgrims in

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...

. Established c. 1180, it was merged with the

Order of Calatrava The Order of Calatrava ( es, Orden de Calatrava, pt, Ordem de Calatrava) was one of the four Spanish military orders and the first military order founded in Castile, but the second to receive papal approval. The papal bull confirming the Orde ...

in 1221. The order was founded by Galician count

Rodrigo Álvarez Rodrigo Álvarez ( la, Rudericus Aluari) (died 1187) was a Galician nobleman and crusader from the Kingdom of León. He founded the military Order of Mountjoy in 1174 and affiliated it with the Cistercian Order that he had long patronised. Rodr ...

in the kingdom of Aragon, specifically in the castle of

Alfambra Alfambra is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. , the municipality has a population of 676 inhabitants. This locality is famous for the Battle of Alfambra fought in 1938 during the Spanish Civil War Historical Ori ...

in 1174, and then established in the Holy Land at the time of the

Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt by three European monarchs of Western Christianity (Philip II of France, Richard I of England and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor) to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by ...

. "a society of gentlemen, who devoted themselves to the protection of Monte Gioia, or Mont Joie ..According to some writers, the badge was a red cross, like that of the Knights Templars; others, that it was a red star of five points placed on a white mantle; but ''Palliott'' is positive that it was a white cross of five rays, and that their mantle was red." William Berry, ''Encyclopædia Heraldica: Or, Complete Dictionary of Heraldry'' (1828). Rodrigo was from the order of Santiago, and had already established the order in Castile and Aragon before establishing it in the

kingdom of Jerusalem The Kingdom of Jerusalem ( la, Regnum Hierosolymitanum; fro, Roiaume de Jherusalem), officially known as the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem or the Frankish Kingdom of Palestine,Example (title of works): was a Crusader state that was establish ...

in the tower of Ascalon. The headquarters of the order in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

was situated on Montjoie, the hill where the original crusaders had first seen Jerusalem, hence its name ("mountain of joy", ''mons gaudii'' in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, ''Mont de joie'' in French, contracted in ''Montjoie''). The rule of the order was adapted from the Cistercian rule, and was entirely a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

order. The emblem of the order was a red and white cross. A number of knights from the order fought at the Battle of Hattin in 1187, but none of them survived. Discontentment with the leadership of the master Fralmo in 1196 led to the establishment of a new Order of Monfragüe in Castile while the Aragonese element of the order was merged with Templars. In 1221

Ferdinand III of Castile Ferdinand III ( es, Fernando, link=no; 1199/120130 May 1252), called the Saint (''el Santo''), was King of Castile from 1217 and King of León from 1230 as well as King of Galicia from 1231. He was the son of Alfonso IX of León and Berenguel ...

joined the order of Monfragüe to the

. The

Order of Montesa The Order of Montesa ( va, Ordre de Montesa, Aragonese and es, Orden de Montesa) is a Christian military order, territorially limited to the old Crown of Aragon. It was named after the castle of Montesa, its headquarters. Templar background ...

, established 1317, was inspired partly by the suggestion to re-establish Montjoie after the suppression of the Templars.

Bibliography

*Blázquez, A. (1917). "Bosquejo histórico de la Orden de Monte Gaudio". ''Boletín de la Real Academia de la Historia'', 71:138–72. *Canal Sánchez-Pagín, José María (1983). "El conde don Rodrigo Álvarez de Sarria, fundador de la orden militar de Monte Gaudio". ''Compostellanum'', 28:373–97. *Delaville Le Roulx, J. (1893). "L'Ordre de Monjoye". ''Revue de l'Orient Latin'', 1:42–57. *Forey, Alan J. (1971). "The Order of Mountjoy". '' Speculum'', 46(2):250–66. *O'Callaghan, Joseph F. (1969). "Hermandades between the Military Orders of Calatrava and Santiago during the Castilian Reconquest, 1158–1252". '' Speculum'', 44(4):609–18.

Notes and references

{{Authority control Montjoie, Order of Montjoie, Order of Military orders (monastic society) tr:Montjoieli Annemizin Şövalyeleri