Rodrigo Álvarez facts for kids
Rodrigo Álvarez was a noble and a crusader from the Kingdom of León in Spain. He lived a long time ago and died in 1187. Rodrigo is famous for starting a special group of knights called the Order of Mountjoy in 1174. This order was connected to the Cistercian Order, a group of monks he had supported for many years.
Early Life and Important Roles
Rodrigo Álvarez was the son of Álvaro Rodríguez and Sancha Fernández. He first appeared in official records in 1161. Rodrigo owned a lot of land, showing he was a wealthy person. He and his brother Vermudo also owned land near the river Esla in the province of León.
The king gave Rodrigo control over different areas of land. In 1162, he was in charge of Allariz. By 1165, he also controlled Lemos, and in 1168, Monterroso. After his father passed away in 1167, Rodrigo received the important title of Count. This was the highest rank a person could have in the kingdom. He also became responsible for the area of Sarria until 1171. During these years, from 1168 to 1171, he often visited the court of King Ferdinand II.
Rodrigo married a woman named María. She was the daughter of Ponce de Minerva and Estefanía Ramírez. As a wedding gift, Rodrigo gave María a church. She later gave this church to a monastery called San Marcos de León in 1172.
Starting a New Order of Knights
At one point, Rodrigo made a big mistake and burned down a church. To make up for this, in 1171, he gave another church to the Cathedral of Lugo. Later that year, perhaps feeling guilty, he gave up his land controls and joined the Order of Santiago.
Rodrigo spent some time with the Order of Santiago. However, he soon felt that their rules were not strict enough. He especially didn't like that knights in that order were allowed to marry. So, he asked for permission to start a new group of knights. He wanted this new group to follow the strict rules of the Cistercian monks.
In 1172, the Pope's representative, Jacinth, gave him permission to create this new order. Pope Alexander III approved it the next year. However, the Pope said that Rodrigo's new order could not accept any former members of the Order of Santiago. They also couldn't take any land that the Order of Santiago might claim.
The Cistercian monks themselves had some concerns at first. They worried about Rodrigo's "inconstancy," meaning he seemed to change his mind a lot. But their leader eventually approved the new order. Late in 1173 or early in 1174, Rodrigo and a few friends officially founded the Order of Mountjoy. Around this time, his wife separated from him and later joined a convent.
Life as a Crusader
Rodrigo spent the rest of his life helping his new order grow. According to an official letter from Pope Innocent III, Rodrigo chose a special flag for his order. It was a cross that was half red and half white.
He received help from Alfonso II of Aragon, who gave the order a castle called Alfambra. This was in exchange for military help against the Muslims. Rodrigo also managed to get land in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. One of these places was called Mountjoy, which is how the order got its name.
In 1176–77, Rodrigo traveled to the Holy Land. He received land from Reginald of Châtillon. King Baldwin IV said Rodrigo could keep the land only if he and his knights promised to keep fighting the Muslims in the Holy Land.
In 1186, there was an attempt to join the Order of Mountjoy with the Knights Templar. Rodrigo likely passed away by the autumn of 1187. He was buried in the convent of Alfambra. Rodrigo was a strong supporter of the Cistercian monks throughout his life. Besides starting a military order with their guidance, he also gave money to their monasteries at Gradefes in 1173 and Meira in 1182.
See also
In Spanish: Rodrigo Álvarez de Sarria para niños
