. The Catholic encyclopedia; an international work of reference on the constitution, doctrine, discipline, and history of the Catholic Church . assert supreme authority over mission of the military orders in Portugalseemed to fail after the overthrow of Moslem domina-tion, but the Portuguese expeditions across the seaopened up a new field for them. The first landings ofEuropeans in Africa, the conquest of Ceuta bj KingJoiio I (1415), the attacks upon Tangier under Joaosson Duarte (1437), were also crusades, inspired by areligious spirit and sanctioned by similar papal Knight
. The Catholic encyclopedia; an international work of reference on the constitution, doctrine, discipline, and history of the Catholic Church . assert supreme authority over mission of the military orders in Portugalseemed to fail after the overthrow of Moslem domina-tion, but the Portuguese expeditions across the seaopened up a new field for them. The first landings ofEuropeans in Africa, the conquest of Ceuta bj KingJoiio I (1415), the attacks upon Tangier under Joaosson Duarte (1437), were also crusades, inspired by areligious spirit and sanctioned by similar papal Knights of Aviz and the Knights of Christ, scionsof the Knights Templars, achieved deeds of valour,the former under the Infante Fernando, the latterunder Henrique, brother of King Duarte, Fernandodisplayed a no less heroic forbearance during his sixyears of captivity among the Moslems, a long martyr-dom which after his death placed him among theBlessed (Acta SS., 5 June). This splendid enthusiasmdid not last. Soon the whole nation became affectedby the wealth that poured in, and the Crusade inAfrica degenerated into mere mercantile enterprise;. A Knight of St. the pontifical Bulls were made a vulgar means of rais-ing money, and after tlie grand mastership of the order(1551) had been vested in the king in perpetuity, heavailed himself of its income to reward any kind ofservice in the armj or the fleet. If the wealth of theKnights of Aviz was not as great as that of theKnights of Christ, it was still quite large, drawn as itwas from some forty-three commanderies. The reli-gious spirit of the knights vanished, and they with-drew from their clerical brothers who continuedalone the conventual life. Thej- were dispensed fromtheir vow of celibacy by Alexander VI (1492), whotolerated their marriage to prevent scandalousconcubinage; Julius III (1551) allowed them to dis-pose freel} of their personal properties. Nobilityof birth remained the chief requirement of as-pirants to the mantle, a req
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