25:
175:
159:"The example is of the Noble Women of Tortosa in Aragon, and recorded by Josef Micheli Marquez, who plainly calls them Cavalleros or Knights, or may I not rather say Cavalleras, seeing I observe the words Equitissae and Militissae (formed from the Latin Equites and Milites) heretofore applied to Women, and sometimes used to express Madams or Ladies,though now these Titles are not known.",
73:
120:
anything else they could lay their hands on. They successfully repelled the attackers. Their participation was essential to the defense of
Tortosa. In appreciation of these facts, Count Ramon Berenguer instituted the order of the hatchet for women who participated in that defense, which brought them privileges and tax exemptions, among other things.
147:
led his forces to wrest control of the city. The crusading armies then moved on to attack other places. This left the city open to counter-attack in 1149. Moorish armies found the city well-defended, though, for the ladies of the town donned men's clothing and fought with whatever weapon was closest
119:
to honor women combatants in the site of
Tortosa against Muslims. During that year, amid heavy fighting between the two fronts, Muslims besieged Tortosa after a withdrawal of Berenguer. In the absence of men to defend the city, women joined the fight, dressing as men and attacking with hatchets and
162:
Those in the Order were exempt from all taxes, and received precedence ahead of men in the public assemblies of the town. Furthermore, it was granted "that all the
Apparel and Jewels, though of never so great value, left by their dead Husbands, should be their own."
310:
305:
148:
to hand, including hatchets. Berenguer was so impressed with the spirited defense that he created the Order of the
Hatchet and bestowed it upon the women soldiers.
315:
156:
They were styled thus, according to
Ashmole, The Institution, Laws, and Ceremony of the Most Noble Order of the Garter (1672), Ch. 3, sect. 3:
144:
325:
59:
44:
Please help improve this article by looking for better, more reliable sources. Unreliable citations may be challenged and removed.
330:
171:
No other members were admitted to the order, and it is presumed that the order went defunct when the last member died.
320:
38:
33:
76:
Emblem of the Order of the
Hatchet in the stone of the cloister of the Cathedral of Tortosa, (c. 14th century)
188:
24:
214:
100:) is a female honorific order supposedly founded in 1149, bestowed upon the women of the town of
93:
85:
260:
200:
140:
299:
237:
207:
174:
123:
This was not a military order, but it was one of the few female honorific orders.
116:
72:
105:
132:
101:
173:
136:
109:
71:
18:
261:"Hacha" dibujoheraldico.blogspot.com (in Spanish)
311:Military units and formations of the Reconquista
199:Toton, Sir Edward III. Modern Chivalry (2013)
215:"Female Knights and the Order of the Hatchet"
135:, in northeastern Spain, was held by Islamic
8:
60:Learn how and when to remove this message
306:Orders, decorations, and medals of Spain
226:
145:Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona
16:Defunct Spanish female honorific order
7:
232:
230:
289:Ashmole, as cited by Velde, para. 5
208:"Women Knights of the Middle Ages"
115:This order was founded during the
14:
23:
217:. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
210:. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
203:. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
1:
316:1149 establishments in Europe
347:
201:"The Order of the Hatchet"
326:History of women in Spain
189:Spanish military orders
32:Some of this article's
179:
97:
89:
77:
331:Women in war in Spain
177:
152:Rights and Privileges
75:
82:Order of the Hatchet
167:Status of the Order
321:Medieval Catalonia
180:
178:Modern-day Tortosa
78:
242:www.heraldica.org
213:Zoltack, Nicole.
206:Velde, Francois.
70:
69:
62:
338:
290:
287:
281:
280:Zoltack, para. 2
278:
272:
269:
263:
258:
252:
251:
249:
248:
234:
65:
58:
54:
51:
45:
27:
19:
346:
345:
341:
340:
339:
337:
336:
335:
296:
295:
294:
293:
288:
284:
279:
275:
270:
266:
259:
255:
246:
244:
238:"Women Knights"
236:
235:
228:
223:
197:
185:
169:
154:
129:
98:Orden del Hacha
66:
55:
49:
46:
43:
28:
17:
12:
11:
5:
344:
342:
334:
333:
328:
323:
318:
313:
308:
298:
297:
292:
291:
282:
273:
271:Velde, para. 3
264:
253:
225:
224:
222:
219:
196:
193:
192:
191:
184:
181:
168:
165:
153:
150:
141:Second Crusade
128:
125:
90:Orde de l'Atxa
68:
67:
34:listed sources
31:
29:
22:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
343:
332:
329:
327:
324:
322:
319:
317:
314:
312:
309:
307:
304:
303:
301:
286:
283:
277:
274:
268:
265:
262:
257:
254:
243:
239:
233:
231:
227:
220:
218:
216:
211:
209:
204:
202:
194:
190:
187:
186:
182:
176:
172:
166:
164:
160:
157:
151:
149:
146:
142:
138:
134:
126:
124:
121:
118:
113:
111:
107:
103:
99:
95:
91:
87:
83:
74:
64:
61:
53:
50:February 2017
41:
40:
35:
30:
26:
21:
20:
285:
276:
267:
256:
245:. Retrieved
241:
212:
205:
198:
170:
161:
158:
155:
131:The city of
130:
122:
114:
81:
79:
56:
47:
36:
143:. In 1148,
117:Reconquista
37:may not be
300:Categories
247:2016-04-08
139:until the
106:Catalonia
183:See also
39:reliable
195:Sources
133:Tortosa
102:Tortosa
94:Spanish
86:Catalan
127:Origin
221:Notes
137:Moors
110:Spain
104:, in
80:The
112:).
302::
240:.
229:^
96::
92:;
88::
250:.
108:(
84:(
63:)
57:(
52:)
48:(
42:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
