Santarém: ponto de encontro das Ordens Militares e território de transição no seu horizonte senhorial (1147-1320)

Abstract

The territory of Santarém, due to its strategic location and itseconomic wealth, represented, from an early stage, a center forconfluence of the interests of the Military Orders. Since 1147, whenthe king Afonso Henriques donated the spiritual to the Templars,other Military Orders were implanted there, namely Avis, Santiagoand the Hospitallers. Royal and private donations, land contracts andtithes' litigation are the privileged sources for this study. Thechronological beacon closes in 1320, the year of preparation of theCatalog of Churches, Monasteries and Commanderies, whichestablishes the values of contribution to the Crusade, and whichregisters values for nine churches of the Military Orders in Santarém,precisely in the year following the creation of the Order of Christ. Thequalification of the commanders of this territory allowed to deepenthe study of the complexity of the history of this territory and to reachinteresting conclusions.