As the Knights Templar were being crushed all over Europe between 1307 and 1314, some monarchs on the Iberian Peninsula were wondering how they could protect the order. In Portugal, they simply rebranded it as the Order of Christ. In the Kingdom of Aragon – they merged the Templars and Hospitallers into the new Order of Montesa.
The Order of Montesa was established in 1317 by King James II of Aragon and Valencia, and approved by Pope John XXII in June the same year. It was territorially limited to the old Crown of Aragon. So, it had no connection to military orders outside of Aragon. In other words, the Templars in their new guise ceased to be part of a global organisation.
Officially, its full title was the Orde Militar de Santa Maria de Montesa – named after the castle where it was based. On July 22, 1319, the king presided over the ceremonial launch of the order at the royal palace in Barcelona.
The choice of Montesa as a location for the order’s HQ made a lot of sense as it was in the south of Aragon, bordering territory where the Moors still presented a threat. And the area had a large, remaining Muslim population – a legacy of centuries of Islamic rule.
The Templar properties that now came under the Order of Montesa included the castles at Peníscola, Benicarló and Vinaròs and commanderies at Alcalà de Xivert, Alcossebre, Polpís, Xivert and Castellnou. There were also houses in the Xerea area of the city of Valencia and other assets in Llíria and Dénia.
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