The statutes of the Order of Santiago in 1389

Abstract

Based upon the publication of the statues approved in 1389 by the General Chapter of the Portuguese branch of the Order of Saint James, the author analyzes the tensions that characterized the internal life of the militia from 1389 to 1434, when the only known copy of those statues were transcribed to the Cartulary of Sesimbra. Even though the statues of 1389 give a good glimpse of the disorders raised by the war with Castile, and especially by the troubled election of the master of the militia, their most interesting feature is the attempt to normalize the personal wealth of the brethren, long before similar rulings were adopted in Castile. It is unclear if they were fully complied by the following masters, as the new rulings were in contradiction with the wording of the Order’s rule and with the militia’s traditions. On troubling times, having a copy of those statues on the Cartulary of Sesimbra was perhaps a way of trying to safeguard the legitimacy of the acts that were done under its rulings.