Order of Christ

Type Object Region Portugal Time 1319–1834

A military-religious order reorganized in 1319 by King Denis of Portugal on the former Knights Templar's properties, headquartered at the Convent of …

Timeline

1319–1320Tomar · PortugalPope John XXII approved King Denis's establishment of the Order of Christ, which took over the former Knights Templar's estates, castles, and church properties in Portugal, with headquarters at Tomar.
c. 1420–1460Sagres · AlgarveAs Grand Master, Prince Henry invested the order's resources in Atlantic exploration, issuing sailing charters, levying trade taxes, and funding shipbuilding, making the Order of Christ the financial and administrative hub of early Portuguese maritime expansion.
1481–1490Lisbon · PortugalKing John II strengthened royal authority, more closely integrating the order's African trade revenues and naval levies into the royal treasury; the order's properties continued to support the wars in Morocco and the slave and gold trades on the Guinea coast, preparing resources for the later route to India.
1834Lisbon · PortugalThe liberal government abolished by decree the military-religious orders including the Order of Christ, confiscating their properties and transferring them to state or church management; the order ended as a living organization, and the Convent of Christ at Tomar became a cultural heritage site.

Sources

Newitt, Malcolm. A History of Portuguese Overseas Expansion, 1400–1668 — Malcolm Newitt (2005)
Encyclopaedia Britannica: Order of Christ https://www.britannica.com/topic/Order-of-Christ