Castilian Order of the Sash
From Barber (1978) pg 87-89.
Alfonso XI of Castile founded an Order in 1332 whose member wore white surcoats with a vermilion sash
as broad as a man's hand worn over cloaks from the left shoulder to the
waist [? diagonally]: and they were called the knights of the Sash (de la Banda)
and had statutes among themselves on many good matters, all of which were
knightly deeds. And when a knight
was given the sash, he was made to swear and promise to keep all the things that
were written in that book of statues. And
the king did this so that men wishing to have that sash would have reason to do
knightly deeds. And it happened
afterwards that if a knight or squire did such a feat of arms against the king's
enemies, or tried to perform such a feat, the king gave him a sash and did him
high honour, so that all the others wished to do good knightly deeds to gain
that honour and the goodwill of the king, like those who already had it.
Alfonso seems to have tried to
create a corps of gentlemen who would distinguish themselves by knightly
deeds and who would prepare for war by constant physical exercise: and to group
round himself and his successors an elite body whose members, bound by a special
oath of loyalty and entirely devoted to the sovereign's person, would be a solid
support for royal authority at a time when it was weak and ill-established.
They served in the same squadron in the royal army on campaign.