Order of the Hatchet

The Order of the Hatchet (Sp. Orden del Hacha) is a military order of knighthood founded in 1149, bestowed upon the women of the town of Tortosa, in Catalonia, near Barcelona, Spain in recognition of their defense of the town against a Moorish siege.

Arms of Tortosa, Spain

Origin

The city of Tortosa, in northeastern Spain, was held by Islamic Moors until the Second Crusade. In 1148, Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona 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 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, thus making them knights.

Rights and Privileges

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:

"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.",^[1]

Those in the Order were exempt from all taxes, and received precedence ahead of men in the public assemblies of the town.^[2] 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."^[3]

Status of the Order

No other members were admitted to the order, and it is presumed that the order went defunct when the last member died.

Modern-day Tortosa

Sources

Toton, Sir Edward III. Modern Chivalry (2013) "The Order of the Hatchet". Retrieved December 14, 2013.

Velde, Francois. "Women Knights of the Middle Ages". Retrieved December 14, 2013.

Zoltack, Nicole. "Female Knights and the Order of the Hatchet". Retrieved December 14, 2013.

Notes