In a country divided by an eternal internal war, an order of knights called "the Knights of Santiago" rise up to build a nation. The Order of Santiago is a religious and military order that emerged in the 12th century in the kingdom of León. Its initial objective was to protect pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago and expel Muslims from the Iberian Peninsula. Over the centuries, the order became an important religious institution with great power and influence in Spanish society. The film develops a small plot of a girl and an old man in the Royal Hospital of Santiago in Cuenca in 2012, all based on questions asked by the little actress, Martina Herrero, and answered by the elderly man played by Eloy Arenas. The film gives an acceptable recollection of the famous Order through its historical trajectory up to modern times. It begins with the siege of Caceres by the Moors, in which it is defended by the Knights, but they are defeated and executed. Then it shows how they took the city of Cuenca, managing to conquer it thanks to the fact that they managed to sneak in with a flock of sheep. Meanwhile they create the "encomiendas" and protect the pilgrims along the Camino de Santiago. It also details the participation in Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212, the battle with the main kings of the peninsula: Alfonso VIII, Sancho El Fuerte (Sancho VII de Navarra), Pedro II of Aragon against the invading Almoads. The Order becomes a great territorial power of the crown of Castile and Portugal, in order to balance both empires. Intervening in the wars that take place between the supporters of Isabel de Castilla and Juana la Beltraneja. The conquest of Granada and the fall of Boabdil are also detailed. And even the conquistadors Hernan Cortes and Francisco Pizarro carried the banners of the Order of Santiago for their conquests against the Aztecs and the Incas. And later the appointment of great personalities to the order such as Quevedo or the very painter Velazquez, thanks to King Philip IV. And there is a special remembrance of the Master of the Order Pedro Menéndez de Avilés (Avilés, 1519 - Santander, 1574), he was a Spanish military and sailor and ruler of the Indies. In 1565 he reconquered Florida, after destroying Fort Caroline and other settlements of French Huguenots that occupied it, and founded the city of San Agustín. He governed this province with the title of perpetual adelantado mayor, and was also governor of the island of Cuba between 1567 and 1574.
Describing its worst years with the confiscation of church property by Mendizabal and with the First Republic in 1874, but then in 1875, with the arrival of Alfonso XII and later with Queen Isabel II and the signing of the Concordats, they managed to overcome some fateful years. Finally, it details the incorporation of the Grand Master Queen Isabel II and even the Princess of Asturias , Princess Leonor, who will be the second Woman Master in the Order of Santiago. The wives and children of knights who fell in combat were cared for by the Order of Santiago, giving rise to the Knighthoods and the Mothers Commanders. The Order protected the Camino de Santiago and made its enclaves and hospitals available to pilgrims, making its expansion possible, which continues to this day. This story is dedicated to all those lives given in the effort to save yours, so that they are not lost in time.
The film written by Maite Capín, Javier Esparza, Marta García was professionally producted/directed by Ana L. Martin who also made a similar experiment with her subsequent and better flick: ¨El Crucigrama de Jacob¨, a semi-fictional and useful documentary about the creation of the Jacob's Original Way route from Oviedo to Santiago de Compostela called The Camino de Santiago (Latin: Peregrinatio Compostellana, "Pilgrimage of Compostela". In ¨Los Caballeros de Santiago¨(2023) adds explanations from qualified experts such as José Javier Esparza or Darío Español.
