The Spanish Military Orders of Calatrava, Santiago, Alcántara, and Montesa were created for the Crusade in Spain to drive the Moors out of the country. The knights belonging to each of these Orders were highly disciplined, and always put the Church before anything else. Such devotion was unparalleled by combating forces, which was one of the reasons that the Orders were so successful in driving out the Moors. After their success, however, the four Orders lost their independence from political authority and were put under “perpetual administration” under the rulers of Spain (Sainty).
Sainty, Guy Stair. “Spanish Military Orders.” Great Orders of Chivalry. 25 Feb. 2007. <http://www.chivalricorders.org/orders/spanish/fourspan.htm>