The History of the Kingdom of Aragon

The History of the Kingdom of Aragon

The House of Aragon was started with the first ruler of note that ruled the Kingdom of Aragon in 809 AD. His name was Count Aznar Galindez. The next ruler of the crown was Ramiro the First and he was considered to be the first King. The history of the house is rich and detailed and shows just how the MOC formed and why they are still around. It is a very interesting story and one that you should know if you want to learn more about this section of Europe.

The Royal House of Aragon, Majorca and Sicily stems from various genealogical backgrounds as mentioned on the website of the Military Order of the Collar or MOC. They are Aragon, Cassano, Carcaci, Biscari, and Guttadauro. The House of Aragon starts in 1213 with King James the First, the House of Cassano begins with Peter of Aragon, Carcaci starts with Giacinto from 1594, Biscari starts with Giovanni the Elder and the House of Guttadauro goes back to Enrico.

This Order is now dynastic and there are ceremonies bestowed and looked after by the Grand Master, who is also the Head of the Royal House. It was something that people forgot about as time went on, and only due to the release of a publication in 1851 did the MOC receive attention again. In this book was detailed information about the Knights of the Order and even had mentions of their dress. This was discovered in the 16th century, but only released by the Duke of Carcaci 2 centuries later.

The Military Order of the Collar is the most important of the dynastic Orders that the House of Aragon, Majorca and Sicily has under its name along with various colleges and a coat of arms bearing its name and symbols on it. The Militare Ordine del Collare di Sant'Agata dei Paternò, as it is usually known, was considered to be a knightly association of the House of Aragon. Many of the noblemen and prominent members of the community were given ranks by the King and were asked to settle in the fortress of St. Agatha in Minorca. Here they also had to defend the country when necessary.

Today this Order has 4 active Grand Priories in Europe and the Grand Priory of Terra Nordica contains all the members in the Scandinavian countries plus the Baltic states. If you belong to the organization you can be ranked as follows: Knight or Dame, Knight or Dame with Grand Cross, Knight or Dame with Grand Cross with Collar and Knight or Dame with Grand Cross with Grand Collar.

If you want to learn more about the House of Aragon and the descendants to the crown in Aragon Majorca Sicily, then you should visit the official website of the Grand Priory of MOC Terra Nordica and the Militare Ordine del Collare. Here you will find all of the history behind the House of Aragon and the Kings and Queens of the time who once ruled over the Sicily regions as well as part of Italy, Greece and Aragon.

About the Author

Jan-Olov von Wowern is author of this article on MOC Terra Nordica. Find more information about Aragon Majorca Sicily here.