It was founded by Count Henry of Burgundy as a military and religious order, in the year 1093, in Beira Alta, Portugal, near the river Côa with the initial name of «Ordem de São Julião do Pereiro» ~ Order of Saint Julian of Pereiro.
In the year 1214, the defense of the city of Alcantara after its conquest was entrusted to the Order of Calatrava, but in 1218 the Calatravans relinquished it due to Alcantara being far from Calatrava.
To defend Alcantara, King Alfonso IX of León entrusted it to the new Order of the Knights of Saint Julian of Pereiro, requesting in return a certain level of dependency on the Order of Calatrava, which led the Knights of Saint Julian to adopt the Cistercian rule.
Once established in Alcantara, their original name referring to Saint Julian fell into disuse, and by 1253 there were already references to the «masters of the Order of Alcantara», with Saint Julian of Pereiro becoming the foundational center and a secondary commandery of the order.
[Avilés, J.; 1780b; treatise IV, chapter V, page 339] describes it as follows: «The Military Order, which we now call of Alcantara, was formerly that of Saint Julian of Pereiro, so named after the place where it was based, along the banks of the river Côa, in the Bishopric of Ciudad-Rodrigo, established in the year 1176 by King Ferdinand II of León, and confirmed in 1177 by Pope Alexander III. And the reason for changing its first name to the second, was because after the Knights of Calatrava had taken the City of Alcantara from the Moors and defended it bravely thereafter, they found it would be difficult to keep it, as their main house was very distant, from which the other Knights and reinforcements could not come whenever needed.».
[Avilés, J.; 1780b; treatise IV, chapter V, page 340] continues by telling us «They discussed this inconvenience with others they had at the time with the King of León, Don Alfonso IX, and it was resolved that the Master of Calatrava would give that town to the Knights of Pereiro so that they might defend it, as they did, under certain conditions in the year 1218, later performing marvels in its defense, earning through their fame and distinguished feats new graces from the Kings; and seeing how essential their residence was, the Knights of Pereiro moved to the town of Alcantara, establishing their Convent there, and thus transformed into Knights of Alcantara, who were previously Knights of Saint Julian of Pereiro».
Categories: Institution, Interpreted, Religious, Military, Illuminated, Outlined in sable, Freehand, Emblem, Cross of Alcantara, Cross couped and Cross.
Kingdom of Sweden.
Gules, a grenade Or.
Escudo de gules, una bomba de oro.
Illuminated with lights and shadows and with a iridescent and metallic finish.
Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Gules, One, Grenade and Or.
Style keywords: Metal beaten, Iridescent (nacar), Outlined in sable, Illuminated and Pointed.
Classification: Interpreted, Military and Kingdom of Sweden.
Bearer: Artillery Combat School of the Swedish Army.
Or, a chief Gules.
Blazon keywords: Or, Chief and Gules.
Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Semi-circular, Tricking, Hatching and Plain tincture.
Classification: Religious, Military, Knights Templar, Interpreted, Coat of arms and Schema.
Bearer: Tremelay, Bernard de.
Barry of four per pale counterchanged Or and Gules.
Blazon keywords: Barry per pale counterchanged, Four, Or and Gules.
Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Semi-circular, Tricking, Hatching and Plain tincture.
Classification: Religious, Military, Knights Templar, Interpreted, Coat of arms and Schema.
Bearer: Blanchefort, Bertrand de.
Parachute Light Infantry Unit.
Argent, three bendlets sinister Azure. Motto: «BPAC. Roger de Lauria II».
Escudo de plata, tres barras de azur. Divisa: «BPAC. Roger de Lauria II».
For this interpretation, I have used: a shield with a pointed shape; the angle of the main diagonal of a rectangle with a 5x6 proportion, which is 50.2o; a recreation of the division that I deduce seems to be used by the Spanish Army for this coat of arms; and for the whole, a rough finish.
Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Argent, Azure, Bend sinister and Motto (identification).
Style keywords: Semi-circular, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Rough.
Classification: Interpreted, Military and Army and Navy.
Bearer: BPAC II.
Grand Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand.
Argent, a cross of Alcantara. Crest: A closed royal crown Or, with eight arches, visible five. Behind the shield the Laureate Grand Cross of Saint Ferdinand. Motto: «Hoec nubila tollunt obstantia sicut sol».
Escudo de plata, una cruz de Alcántara. Timbrado de una corona real cerrada. Acolada detrás del escudo la gran cruz laureada de San Fernando. Lema: «Hoec nubila tollunt obstantia sicut sol».
Coat of arms interpreted in the following manner: the shape of the shield is of a semicircular arch; the field is illuminated in metal Argent; the cross of Alcantara, the 4 swords and the 2 laurel branches are outlined in Sable and illuminated in Vert and Gules; the royal crown is closed, outlined in Sable and illuminated with the metal Or, Argent for the pearls, Azure and Or for the orb, Gules and Vert for the gems, Gules for the inner cloth, and Sable for the visible hollow at its base; and the whole has a iridescent finish.
The Alcantara Regiment executed nine successive cavalry charges to protect the infantry's retreat, nine charges until they broke the enemy lines, outnumbering them. The last charge was on foot because all their horses were dead or exhausted. These heroic riders of Alcantara had fulfilled their duty of protecting the wounded infantry in their retreat to El Batel, but the price was appalling: of 691 riders, only 67 survived, and three months were necessary to recover hundreds of corpses.
For this reason, in 2012, the Alcántara Regiment was collectively awarded the Grand Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand.
Since 1987, the coat of arms of the cavalry regiments of the Spanish Army must carry two crossed lances accolade behind the shield. And indeed, this coat of arms of the Alcántara Cavalry Regiment has two lances behind the shield, but in my artistic heraldic interpretation, I did not paint them to avoid detracting from the prominence of the Laureate Cross.
Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Argent, Cross of Alcantara, Cross couped, Cross, Crest, Closed royal crown, Crown, Behind the shield, Four, Sword, Crosswise, Gules, Two, Branch, Laurel, Vert and Motto.
Style keywords: Semi-circular, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Iridescent.
Classification: Interpreted, Military, Army and Navy and Coat of arms.
Bearer: Alcantara, Cavalry Regiment.
Party per pale: 1 Gules, a castle triple-towered Or, port and windows Azure, and masoned Sable; 2 Argent, a lion rampant Gules, crowned Or.
Coat of arms (1984-1997 and 1997-2002) of the former Central Military Region, where I serve. I interpreted now this coat of arms with a pointed shape. This kind of shape for this coat of arms are not usual.
Blazon keywords: Party per pale, Gules, One, Castle, Or, Port and windows, Azure, Masoned, Sable, Argent, Lion, Rampant and Crowned.
Style keywords: Pointed, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Metal beaten.
Classification: Interpreted, Military, Army and Navy, Coat of arms and Kingdom of Castile and Leon.
Bearer: Central Military Region.
Lozengy Or and Gules.
Escudo losanjado oro y gules.
Coat of arms emblazoned by me with a semi-circular shape, illuminated, and with a freehand finishing.
Blazon keywords: Lozengy, Or and Gules.
Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Semi-circular and Freehand.
Classification: Religious, Military, Knights Templar, Interpreted and Coat of arms.
Bearer: Craon, Robert de.
Party per pale: 1 Gules, in base a castle triple-towered Or, port and windows Azure, and masoned Sable; 2 Argent, in base a lion rampant Gules, crowned Or; overall a psi letter sable; a diminished bordure Or.
Escudo partido: 1o de gules, en punta un castillo de oro, aclarado de azur y mazonado de sable; 2o de plata, en punta un león rampante de gules, coronado de oro; brochante sobre la partición una letra psi de gules; una filiera de oro.
Arms depicted by me, illuminated with lights and shadows, contoured in Sable, with a semi-circular outer contour and with a iridescent finishing.
Coat of arms of Crepsi, military psychology, former Central Military Region, Kingdom of Spain, where I was stationed during my military service. These arms were designed by my lieutenant colonel and friend Miguel Angel Nuñez Amador, and in this image, they have been emblazoned by me. The Crepsi was a pioneer in its functions: a) the identification of soldiers at psychological risk, among tens of thousands of soldiers, using advanced information systems, including Artificial Intelligence (an area where I contributed during my service in 1989), and b) the evaluation and individualized attention of soldiers at risk through mobile units. The Crepsi has provided trained personnel and methods that are being used for the psychological care of troops deployed to conflict zones and for the psychological care of civilians in massive humanitarian disasters such as terrorist attacks or plane crashes with hundreds of affected people.
The psi letter of psychology and the arms of the Central Military Region: Party per pale: 1 Gules, a castle triple-towered Or, port and windows Azure, and masoned Sable; 2 Argent, a lion rampant Gules, crowned Or. These two fields, in turn, Gules and Argent, charged with a castle triple-towered and a crowned lion, originate from the Kingdom of Castile and León. The diminished bordure is for difference.
Blazon keywords: Gules, Argent, Or, Azure, Sable, Party per pale, In base, Castle, Triple-towered, Port and windows, Masoned, Lion, Rampant, Crowned, Overall, Letter and Diminished bordure.
Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Semi-circular and Iridescent.
Classification: Military, Interpreted, Boa and Coat of arms.
Bearer: Crepsi.
Argent, a cross Azure. Behind the shield a cross patty Gules.
Blazon keywords: Argent, One, Cross, Azure, Behind the shield, Cross patty, Cross couped and Gules.
Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Semi-circular and Freehand.
Classification: Religious, Military, Knights Templar, Interpreted and Coat of arms.
Bearer: Hérail, Gilbert.
Within military heraldry, I classify the arms of individuals, institutions, orders, military corps, and entities.
Although the military is an institution of the state, I dedicate a separate category to it in recognition of its special characteristics and history, as well as its particular functions of cohesion and identification, which are rooted in heraldry for the battlefield. The coat of arms of the Central Military Region and the Artillery Combat School of the Swedish Army are examples of military heraldry.
[Cadenas y Vicent, V. de; 1975; page 88] includes military heraldry within his «institutional heraldry».
Categories: Criterion and Military.
Azure, a bend Or.
Escudo de azur, una banda de oro.
Coat of arms emblazoned by me with a semi-circular shape, illuminated, and with a freehand finishing.
Blazon keywords: Azure, One, Bend and Or.
Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Semi-circular and Freehand.
Classification: Religious, Military, Knights Templar, Interpreted and Coat of arms.
Bearer: Molay, Jacques de.
Coat of arms of the Armored Cavalry Regiment Montesa No. 3, RCAC-3, in 2016.
Or, a cross of Montesa.
Escudo de oro, una cruz de Montesa.
Coat of arms interpreted as follows: the shape of the shield is a semi-circular arch; the field has been illuminated in metal Or; the cross of Montesa is outlined in Sable and illuminated in Gules and Sable; and the whole has a raised line finish.
Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Or, Cross of Montesa, Cross couped and Cross.
Style keywords: Semi-circular, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Freehand.
Classification: Interpreted, Military, Army and Navy and Coat of arms.
Bearer: Montesa, Cavalry Regiment.
Order of Chivalry of Calatrava
A cross of Calatrava.
Una cruz de Calatrava.
Interpretation of the emblem of the order with: its cross outlined in Sable, illuminated in Gules; and a heavily beaten metal finish.
The Royal Council of the Orders of Chivalry of Santiago, Calatrava, Alcantara, and Montesa, in its historical review of the foundation of the Order of Calatrava, states that it was founded during the reign of Sancho III of Castile in the 12th century.
After the Templars withdrew from the defense of the town, King Sancho III proposed in Toledo and later confirmed in Almazán, in January 1158, the perpetual donation of the town of Calatrava to Raymond, then Abbot of the Cistercian monastery of Fitero, who, together with the former soldier Diego Velázquez, committed to defending it from attacks by the Almohads. For this mission, they received financial support from the Archbishop of Toledo, Juan, and from Toledo itself, thus managing to form an army of more than 20,000 men.
Regarding the emblem of the Order of Chivalry of Calatrava [Avilés, J.; 1780b; treatise IV, chapter IV, page 338, figure 102] it states «the Seal was always a red cross with blue straps, and the Banner originally bore a black Cross; but today they use the red cross florety, bordered with eight circles, placed side by side, and joined at the center, formed by a cord that emerges from the leaves of the flower, which Benedict XIII gave (while recognized in Spain) and which is the Commandery that the Knights of this Order wear on their chest today, or hanging from a red ribbon on a gold medal; that is, on a field of Or a cross of Gules».
Blazon keywords: Cross of Calatrava, Cross couped and Cross.
Style keywords: Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Soft metal.
Classification: Interpreted, Religious, Military and Emblem.
Bearer: Calatrava, Order of.
Order of Chivalry of Saint Mary of Montesa and Saint George of Alfama.
A cross of Montesa.
Una cruz de Montesa.
Interpretation of the emblem of the order with: its cross outlined in Sable, illuminated in Gules; and a highly hammered metal finish.
The Royal Council of the Orders of Chivalry of Santiago, Calatrava, Alcantara, and Montesa, in its historical review of the founding of the Order of Montesa, states that it was created in 1317, at the request of James II, King of Aragon, through a bull issued by Pope John XXII.
About the emblem of the Order of Chivalry of Montesa [Avilés, J.; 1780b; treatise IV, chapter VI, page 342, figure 103], it states that «the Ensign of the Knights of Montesa is a plain red Cross», gules, «plain, which they wear on their Capitular Mantles, or hanging from a red ribbon on the chest over a gold oval; that is, on a field of gold a plain cross of gules (different from how the Masters wore it)» and, therefore, it describes the first emblem of the Order of Montesa and not the one they wear now, which is that same plain cross of gules charged on a cross like that of the Order of Calatrava or like that of the Order of Alcantara, but in Sable instead of Gules or Vert.
Blazon keywords: Cross of Montesa, Cross couped and Cross.
Style keywords: Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Soft metal.
Classification: Interpreted, Religious, Military and Emblem.
Bearer: Montesa, Order of.
Order of Chivalry of Santiago
A cross of Saint James.
Una cruz de Santiago.
Interpretation of the emblem of the order with: its cross outlined in Sable, illuminated in Gules; and a heavily hammered metal finish.
The Royal Council of the Orders of Chivalry of Santiago, Calatrava, Alcantara, and Montesa, in its historical account of the foundation of the Order of Santiago, describes three different points of view:
Regarding the emblem of the Order of Chivalry of Santiago, [Avilés, J.; 1780b; treatise IV, chapter II, page 328, plate 25, figure 100] states «the Commandery of this Order was always a red Sword» (gules ~ red), «in the form of a Cross, just as the guards of the ancient Swords that its Knights and Commanders carried on their white Mantles, and today also on the chest in the same manner, hanging from a red ribbon on a gold medal; that is, in a field of Or, a Cross of Gules».
Blazon keywords: Cross of Saint James, Cross couped and Cross.
Style keywords: Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Soft metal.
Classification: Interpreted, Religious, Military and Emblem.
Bearer: Santiago, Order of.
Quarterly: 1 and 4 Argent, a cross patty Gules; 2 and 3 Azure, two barbels addorsed Argent
Escudo cuartelado: 1o y 4o de plata, una cruz patada de gules; 2o y 3o de de azur, dos barbos adosados de plata.
Blazon keywords: Azure, Two, Barbel, Addorsed, Argent, Quarterly, One, Cross patty, Cross couped and Gules.
Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Semi-circular, Illuminated and Freehand.
Classification: Religious, Military, Knights Templar, Interpreted and Coat of arms.
Bearer: Montbard, André de.
Quarterly: 1 and 4 Argent, a cross patty Gules; 2 and 3 Vair
Escudo cuartelado: 1o y 4o de plata, una cruz patada de gules; 2o y 3o de de veros.
Blazon keywords: Vair, Quarterly, Argent, One, Cross patty, Cross couped and Gules.
Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Semi-circular and Freehand.
Classification: Religious, Military, Knights Templar, Interpreted and Coat of arms.
Bearer: Vichiers, Renaud de.
Or, six annulets Gules, 3, 2, and 1.
Escudo de oro, seis anilletes de gules, ordenados 3, 2 y 1.
Blazon keywords: Or, Six, Annulet, Gules, Ordered, Three, Two and One.
Style keywords: Outlined in sable and Semi-circular.
Classification: Religious, Military, Knights Templar, Interpreted and Coat of arms.
Bearer: Richard, Richard.
Water, Eagle, Bald eagle, Eagle claw, Dorsal fin, Tail fin, Two hands clasped, Lark, Tree, Trunk, Rainbow, Atom, Barbel, Acorn, Arm, Owl, Horse, Head, Camellia, Thistle, Kapok tree, Stag, Doe, Crescent, Increscent, Tail, Tail addorsed, Ermine spot, Heart, Roe deer, Neck, Roe deers' attires, Raven, Dolphin, Diamond, Tooth, Elephant, Emerald, Starling, Mullet, Mullet of four points, Star of David, Estoile, Male figure, Fleur de lis, Lotus flower, Hop cone, Puffin, Ash, Rooster, Claw, Talon, Goose, Heron, Seagull, Pomegranate, Sunflower, Falcon, Leaf, Boar, Goldfinch, Laurel, Barn owl, Lion, Lioness, Lion passant, Leopard, Lion rampant guardant, Lynx, Lily, Flame, Wolf, She-wolf, Moon, Bluebonnet, Hand, Apple, Apple tree, Martlet, Wing, Two wings in vol, Covert, Mount, Trimount, Fly, Wrist, Olive tree, Orbital, Bear, Palm frond, Palm tree, Dove, Poplar leaf, Paw, Forepaw, Peacock, Chest, Pelican, Pelican in her piety, Dog, Brach hound, Fish, Hoof, Beak, Quill, Cinquefoil, Quetzal, Branch, Sprig, Shamrock, Caboshed, Oak, Holm oak, Rose, Double rose, Savage, Serpent, Sun in splendour, Ray of the sun, Stem, Badger, Tyger, Wheat, Wheat spike, Bull, Tulip, Udder, Escallop and Fox.
Halberd, Plough share, Ace of spades, Anchor, Cyclamor, Torch, Arch, Harp, Non-classic artifact, Winnowing fan, Crozier, Pair of scales, Ship, Beret, Grenade, Ecclesiastical cap, Arm vambraced, Chain, Covered cup, Bell tower, Cannon dismounted, Carbuncle, Castle, Clarion, Nail, Cord, Dagger, Key ward, Turret, With a turret, Sword, Sabre, Scroll, Arrow, Club, Garb, Gauntlet, Axe, Buckle, Polish winged hussar, Church, Oil lamp, Spear, Spear's head, Fleam, Letter, Book, Closed book, Open book, Bookmark, Page, Line, Key, Four crescents joined millsailwise, Hammer, Menorah, Mortar, Pestle, Number, Knot, Celtic Trinity knot, Water-bouget, Comb, Parchment, Piano, Millstone, Millrind, Millwheel, Clay pot, Bridge, Cuffed, Hourglass, Chess rooks, Compass rose, Rosette of acanthus leaves, Mullet of six points pierced, Broken, Portcullis, Wheel, Wagon-wheel, Symbol, Sackbut, Drum, Tower, Trident, Trumpet, Double vajra and Anvil.
Angel, Heart enflamed, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Paschal lamb, Dragon, Wyvern, Phoenix, Garuda, Griffin, Sea-griffin, Winged hand, Our Lady of Mercy, Pegasus, Saint George, Mermaid, Trinity, Triton, Golden fleece, Unicorn and Ouroboros.
Tricking, Port and windows, Behind the shield, Addorsed, Alcantara, Cavalry Regiment, Alcantara, Order of, Iridescent (nacar), Annulet, Pointed, Artillery Combat School of the Swedish Army, Azure, BPAC II, Castle, Crowned, Cross, Cross of Alcantara, Cross of Montesa, Cross patty, Cross couped, Quarterly, Four, Outlined in sable, Two, Army and Navy, Emblem, Coat of arms, Schema, Gules, Illuminated, Interpreted, Iridescent, Lion, Masoned, Semi-circular, Metal beaten, Soft metal, Military, Knights Templar, Or, Party per pale, Argent, Without divisions, Rampant, Hatching, Religious, Sable, Plain tincture, Freehand and One.
Dr. Antonio Salmerón y Cabañas,
,
Paseo de la Castellana 135,
7th floor,
28046 Madrid, Spain.