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After Henry's death, governorship of the Order remained in the hands of the royal family until João III converted the knights into monks and incorporated Mastership of the three Portuguese Orders (Christ, Avis and Santiago) into the crown. |
TGT |
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The governors and directors of the order immediately after Henry's death were:
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EPS
p.65,66 CdC |
Under ManuelAfter the death of D. Diogo in 1484, D. Manuel, Duke of Beja - later King Manuel I - became the governor of the Order. When Manuel came to the throne in 1495, he refused to follow João II's will in passing the mastership of the order to D. Jorge (João's illegitimate son, who already was master of Santiago and Avis). Instead Manuel sought the other two masterships for himself. He obtained in 1516 the patronage of the masterships of all three orders as soon as the masterships became vacant. |
Manuel I EPS p.66 |
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In 1492 the last Muslims were expelled from Granada, and the Iberian military orders began to be closed down, but in Portugal the Order of Christ remained rich and powerful. In 1500 it seemed that the Order's vocation still had a future in Africa or the Indies, although the rules were relaxed: in 1496 they were dispensed from celibacy, and in 1505 from poverty. |
MoW p.199-200 |
| In 1503 Manuel called a general chapter of the order to reform the order's rule. Manuel created 37 new commanderies for those living and serving in North Africa. In a series of bulls beginning in 1514 and ending in 1518, Pope Leo X granted permission to fund many more commanderies. In 1495, when Manuel became king, the order had about 80 commanderies. In 1503, 8 more were carved from the revenues of the atlantic islands, plus the 37 noted above. Leo's bulls allowed the formation of a further 331, bringing the total to 456. | EPS p.67 |
| The number of knights was also greatly augmented. This was prompted by the 1496 bull of Pope Alexander VI allowing knights and commanders to marry, and the many new commanderies needing commanders. During the latter part of Manuel's reign (from 1510 to 1521) there were an estimated 408 new members, or 34 per annum. | EPS p. 68 MOC p.233 |
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By the end of King Manuel's reign (1521) the order possessed 454 commanderies, in Portugal, Africa and the Indies. The wealth of the Order was reflected in the Order's headquarters in Tomar, which was extensively expanded under Manuel. |
Tomar MoW p.199-200 |
| Cardinale adds that in 1499 Alexander VI and later Julius II freed knights from the obligation of taking solemn vows, and thus the Order lost its monastic character. In 1515 the Portuguese branch of the Order was united with the Crown by Papal approval under King Manuel, becoming an honorary order. | Cardinale p. 27, p. 207 |
Under João IIIJoão III was the successor to King Manuel, both as king and governor of the Order of Christ. During Joao III's reign an estimated 991 persons became knights in the order, an average of 28 per annum. |
MOC p.233 |
| According to Cardinale, the Order was definitively divided into two branches in 1522 - one religious under the Pope, and one civil, under the king, as they remain today. | Cardinale p. 27 |
| However, another source disputes this: "There is no evidence of this in any known document or bull. It is true that Rome started - illegitimately - to 'award' the grade of knight of Christ sometime in the late 16th century, probably during the Spanish Dual Monarchy, and there are also instances of this in the 17th and 18th centuries, but this was never consented to or accepted by the Portuguese Crown as valid. Asked for details and proof of this 'right' the Vatican always replied evasively and produced no historically valid evidence. That is why in the beginning of this century the Pope created the 'Supreme Order of Christ' as the highest papal order, with vague references to old practices. " | More information on this from the Portuguese Military Orders web site. |
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In 1530 there was an extreme attempt to reform the Order. The Hieronimite priest Fra Antonio de Lisboa attempted to reimpose the original rule, and chaplains had to resume conventual life at Tomar, following the arduous Cistercian rule. When Prior Antonio began to observe the new constitutions in 1530, he had only twelve Thomaristas with him. The reform drove a wedge between knights and chaplain brethren, destroying any sense of vocation which remained to the knights. |
MoWp.200 |
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The governors and directors of the order after João's death in 1557 were the reigning monarchs:
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Kings
of Portugal MOC p.233 CdC |
From 1573, the three orders (Christ, Aviz, Santiago) included stringent
racial and religious requirements for membership, although these were sometimes
excepted:
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PSEp. 262 |
| In 1789 the Portuguese Order lost its religious character, being secularised by Queen Mary. The Papal Order became the Supreme Order of Christ, the highest of the five Pontifical Orders now in existance. Membership is reserved for momentous events for Christian heads of state. | Cardinalep. 27, p. 207 |
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The Order under Prince Henry |