ALCANTARA, the ancient Norba Coesarea, a town of Spain, in the province of Caceres, on a rocky height on the left bank of the Tagus. Alcantara (in Arabic, the bridge) derived its name from the magnificent Roman bridge which spanned the Tagus at this point, and which was erected, according to the inscription, a.d. 104, in honour of the emperor Trajan, who was a native of Spain. This remarkable structure is built entirely of blocks of granite without cement, and consisted, until its partial destruction, of six arches of various span, with a total length of 670 feet and a height of 210 feet. The second arch on the right bank was blown up by the English in 1809, and, although temporarily reconstructed, was again destroyed in 1836 to prevent the passage of the Carlist troops. The bridge has never since been repaired; and it is a striking illustration of the want of public spirit in Spain that the river is crossed by means of a ferry-boat in the neighbourhood of this grand engineering work, which it is a national duty to preserve. The population of the town is 4200.
ALCANTARA, a seaport of Brazil, in the province of Maranhao, on the bay of San Marcos. It has a tolerable harbour; and excellent cotton is grown in the vicinity, forming the chief article of commerce. Rice and salt, obtained from the neighbouring lagoons, are also exported. Population, 10,000....
ALCANTARA, Knights of(la Caballeria de Alcantara), an order of knights of Spain, instituted about 1156 a.d. by the brothers Don Suarez and Don Gomez de Barrientos for protection against the Moors. In 1177 they were confirmed as a religious order of knighthood under Benedictine rule by Pope Alexander III. Until about 1213 they were known as the Knights of San Julian del Pereyro; but when the defence of Alcantara, newly wrested from the Moors by Alphonso IX. of Castile, was entrusted to them, they took their name from that city. For a considerable time they were in some degree subject to the grand master of the kindred order of Calatrava. Ultimately, however, they asserted their independence by electing a grand master of their own, the first holder of the office being Don Diego Sanche. During the rule of thirty-seven successive grand masters, similarly chosen, the influence and wealth of the order gradually increased until the Knights of Alcantara were almost as powerful as the sovereign. In 1494-5 Juan de Zuniga was prevailed upon to resign the grand mastership to Ferdinand, who thereupon vested it, as he had already done that of two other orders, in his own person as king; and this arrangement was ratified by a bull of Pope Alexander VI., and was declared permanent by Pope Adrian VI. in 1523. The yearly income of Zuniga at the time of his resignation amounted to 150,000 ducats. In 1540 Pope Paul III. released the knights from the strictness of Benedictine rule by giving them permission to marry, though second marriage was forbidden. The three vows were henceforth obedientia, castitas conjugalis, and conversio morum. In modern times the history of the order has been somewhat chequered. When Joseph Bonaparte became king of Spain in 1808, he deprived the knights of their revenues, which were only partially recovered on the restoration of Ferdinand VII. in 1814. The order ceased to exist as a spiritual body in 1835, though it is still recognised in its civil capacity.
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