History of the Centenar of the Ploma


Abiding our own Furs, which are those who transmit of those first customs or laws promulgated by the own Conqueror, we know that with them the escort arose for the Senyera and it was for them how the own monarch swore them in 1.261 during the first Valencian Spanish Parliament and instituted or gave motive for its creation, the jurisdiction VI, of title Batlle e of the Cort made possible the formation of the first escort for his flag and there it establishes and says:

“los cavallers en així que sien tenguts de seguir la senyera, de la ciutat o del terme o de qualque loch que sien e si no ho fallen que no sien demanats en la dita electió”

And this way the militia is established… It is important to emphasize that there is lack of municipal documentation between the years 1.238 to 1.308 for a fire in the House of the City, and this limits us. Because of it, in the Municipal File appears news written from 1306.This normally is not mentioned and this circumstance has been taken advantage by some authors " mal nom" to make stupid conclusions. Certain it is that though some investigators have not wanted to admit that the creation of the Centenar come from the King Jaime, for lack of written tests, they say; the people from always has been transmitting orally his existence, in the shape of stories, fables or legends and certainly that was burning the municipal file of the City does not want to say that other files should not exist in the Crown of Aragon and even in the very same Castile.

I show my absolute discrepancy to the interpretations of Mr. Sevillano Colom, in his work - el Centenar de la Ploma de la Ciutat of Valencia-, published in 1.966, lacking in certain historical rigor, on having thought under a position of the most simplistic thing.

We have evidently documentation of institutions and of other authors who certainly plead, they believe and say, on the basis of conclusions of investigation historical, that the Centenar de la Ploma comes instituted by the King Jaime, between that we can mention, for his works and respective references:

  • Pere Antoni Beuter, Crónica general de España. 1.604 Valencia
  • Vicente Boix y Ricarte, Historia de la Ciudad y Reino de Valencia. 1.847 Valencia.
  • Carreres Zacares. Llibre de Memóries 1.308-1.644. Valencia 1.935. ç
  • El Marqués de Cruilles. Guía Urbana de Valencia, antigua y moderna. Valencia 1.876.
  • Fray Francisco Diago. Anales del Reino de Valencia. Valencia 1.613
  • Pascual Esclapes de Guillo. Resumen historial de Valencia. Valencia 1.738
  • FORI REGNI VALENTIAE. Valencia 1.547
  • Ambrosio Huici Miranda. Colección diplomática de Jaime I el Conquistador. Valencia 1.919.
  • Luis Querol y Roso. Las Milicias Valencianas desde el Siglo XIII al XV. Castellón de La Plana 1.935. Joseph Ortí y Mayor. Fiestas centenarias con que la insigne, noble, leal y coronada ciudad de Valencia celebró el 9 de octubre de 1.738, la quinta centuria de su cristiana conquista. Valencia 1.740.
  • Pere Hieroni Taraçona. Institucions dels furs e privilegis del Regne de Valencia. Valencia 1.580. .
  • Vicente Vives y Liern. Lo Rat Penat en escudo de armas de Valencia. Cronica de la conferencia celebrada el 13 de marzo de 1.900.
  • ARCHIVO DE LA CORONA DE ARAGON. Cartas Misivas.Real Patrimonio. Barcelona
  • ARCHIVO MUNICIPAL DE VALENCIA. Manuals de Consells. Libros de Actas Capitulares. Valencia. Francisco Molina y Pont. La Senyera y El Centenar de la Ploma. Valencia 1.981.
  • Antonio Ubieto Arteta. Orígenes del Reino de Valencia. Cuestiones cronológicas sobre su reconquista. Zaragoza, 1981 e Historia de Aragón. Literatura medieval, Zaragoza 1.982

 “Se puede afirmar sin posibilidad de error que los idiomas hablados en el Reino de Valencia actualmente, no son producto de un fenómeno de reconquista por parte de Jaime I.” (Antonio Ubieto. 1977)

We must refer to the Templars who were tutors of our King Don Jaime; they influence very much our history, myths. The Templars are the result of the first crusade, they took the name of the building that there grants to them Balduino II, king of Jerusalem, as country house of the Order close to the Temple of Solomon , their aim is to protect the pilgrims to Holy Land and for it they were established and structured along Europa's different ways, exercised the assistance to the pilgrim, the aid in many cases, turned into the guardians of the way, with which they acquired great renown and they received many donations , They turned into the bankers and collaborators of the pilgrimage to Holy Land, with them it begins the riverbed of the finance, leaving his fingerprint for the whole Europe; They constructed churches, temples strength with his symbolisms. San Bernardo de Claraval was who granted them the rule of monks and gentlemen. The Order is founded on France and immediately afterwards they happen to Navarre and Aragón, also they are established in the Catalonia (synonymous Iberian of Castile), frontier line of the Carolingian Empire, they fought in the Navas of Tolosa, in the reconquest of Lerida and Tortosa, in Majorca and certainly in Valencia and we can assure that in the conquest of this kingdom they were the authentic sponsors. The Order of the Temperature, always, was the guide mas discreetly and generous collaborator of the King Don Jaime, the king does not forget them ever and across his Chronicle it is mentioning them in his infancy, in his first youth, in his incidents, in his frustrations and his crises of authority, etc …, Jaime trusts in them, in the Templars and always he looks for cover in properties of The Temple. They gave to him human and military, spiritual and scientific formation, they educate him as victor, and hereby he leaves formed from his years in Monsoon …… and the Conqueror swears (Furs) “sien tenguts tots los cavallers de seguir la senyera”. . The freires-warriors when they come to the combat form bodies of army, in centuries (Roman and Carolingian Empire) or in " Centenar or Companies (Centuries) " and this way the Conqueror structures his troops.

Jurisdiction:

“…Valencia disfrutaba de un régimen especial, que era compartido por todas las demás villas y ciudades libres, aunque con organismo más sencillo –y que, como hermanas más pequeñas del Cap i Casal- gozaban conjuntamente de todos los privilegios que ésta conseguía, pues aquéllas conquistando al propio tiempo que la Ciudad los adquiría”.

“..Tenía ésta plenas atribuciones para crear milicias y el mero hecho de acaudillar huestes, la autorizaba automáticamente, y en el aspecto heráldico a crear sus propias enseñas y timbre en sus blasones”.

“…El alistamiento en Valencia correspondía al Consejo General verdadero Senado, y en las cabezas de partido a los respectivos jurados”.

“…Los poseedores de caballo y arma propios venían obligados a concurrir al ejército y cabalgada, teniendo que asistir al alarde que se hacía cada año el día de la Natividad del Señor ante el Baile general del Reyno de Valencia”.

“…Como guardadora de la Bandera de la ciudad de Valencia, -Cap i Casal- y del Rey, la Compañía del Centenar debía asistir a todas las guerras y actos bélicos a donde fuese la gloriosa Senyera…”.

Capítulo núm. 229 de las Cortes de Felipe III, celebradas en esta Ciudad en el año del Señor de 1.604:

“item per cuant la Companya del Centenar de la Ploma ab sos macips y patees es antiquísima del temps de la conquista del presente Regne…”

Capítulo núm. 18 de las Cortes de Monzón de 1.626:

“La Compañía del centenar de la ploma, instituida per la magestad del Senyor Rey en Jaume lo Conquistador…”

From the times of Jaime I and as is gathered the AUREUM OPUS VALENTIAE we find jurisdictions and privileges relating to the military and specially qualified aspect it is DE LES BATALLES DE LES FORTALEES, that indicates in a concise way that it will have come necessarily to the Crida Real, these jurisdictions were confirmed by Pedro III the Big of Aragon and I of Valencia in 1.283, by Alfonso Liberal in 1.286, by Jaime II in 1.309 and this way until Pedro IV and the II of Valencia that also confirmed them. And the latter the king Pedro II of Valencia, went on to the history as " Pere el del Punyalet ", He was an energetic and hard monarch that there reorganized the court, the administration and the army, directing his activities to increase the royal power inside his kingdom and to increase his domains in the sea Mediterranean sews that it managed with the expedition of the almogávares when these conquered the duchies of Athens and Neopatria. He defeated to the union of the nobles in Épila, supported Enrique de Trastamara opposite to Pedro I of Castile, wrested from his brother-in-law Jaime III of Majorca the Roussillon and incorporated Sicília into the Crown of Aragon.

The Centenar of the Ploma initially formed as a company of 100 archers entrusted of escorting and protecting the Senyera of the City and kingdom of Valencia, this militia is a body of assault and of shock against enemy hosts to our Kingdom of Valencia; they were expert and trained well archers, authentic drawers of elite. Capture bases of the civil militia constituted by Jaime I and for it let's do a retrospective tour, as publishes the Bulletin of the Royal Academy of the History in 1.909, I take the LV, pages 353 and 363, precedents exist in the 11th century of the existence of these companies; in the same code of the Usatges of Barcelona in 1.064, this type of militias are contemplated and in the jurisdictions of Pony of 1.062 one speaks about the " Archers' Company of Calahorra…for history and for the custom and specially for the respect and consideration that the King Don Jaime, founder of our Christian Kingdom of Valencia, has to these military traditions and his permanent worry as the defense of his domains, translated in many jurisdictions and privileges granted to the Valencianos, it would be stupid to think that Jaime I had not regulated a militia as the Centenar of the Ploma. Escolano, Ortí and Consells's Manual, they inform us widely about the military worries of the Don Jaime and that of the existence of an archers company called Company of the Centenar of the Ploma and to which they attribute an antiquity similar to the fact of the Kingdom of Valencia, though we do not have sufficient direct, but indirect documentary evidences if, the establishment of this militia comes from those other hundred armed gentlemen who in the glorious entry of Jaime I accompanied to the Royal Standard with the sacred images of Christ and the Holiest Virgin to every side and it is the precedent of our Centenar of the Ploma.

“per rahó de la meció que ha feta en los sobresenyals e una senyera de cendal blanch ab creus bermelles, que feu fer en la ciutat de València, en los mes de Març del any deius scrit” ARCHIVO CORONA DE ARAGON, Real Patrimonio, Reg. 858, folio 211 del año 1.348.

The signs of San Jorge, boss of Aragon, appear in Valencia in 1.237, says Beuter in his Chronicle it was in the battle of the Puig, certainly there battles that King Don Jaime did not attend, when for the first time there was present one of these flags of the Mr. Sent Jordi inside the new kingdom.

The military group of combat as today we know it, it perfects its formation with Don Pedro II of Valencia and the IV of Aragon, in 1.365 and it re-names Centenar of the Glorious San Jorge for being under the dedication of this saint, but already it was known popularly as Centenar of the Ploma (pen), and this way it continues calling. The militia already was constituted, Pedro did not form its, and though there is a documentary modal of 1503 that indicates that on June 3 of 1.365, during Morvedre's siege in full war with Castile, Pere II of the Punyalet grants a concession and title of permanent militia for a compensation of the services given by the host or urban militia of Valencia in this war, militia that already had been constituted, at first Jaime I, had not granted him all the prerogatives of that he was arranging the Centenar and that he was acquiring along the history; the certain thing is that the Valencian people and the city was doing time they were asking for the creation of a fixed militia that could meet with more rapidity, against the slowness that supposes the civil summons of hosts, in fact man happens from fixed hundred to two hundred with the company of musketeers , Besides the assigned cavalry, or 100 gentlemen, a center of billeting being established, the barrack of the archery located in what today is the Principal theatre of Valencia. Let's look, to the manuscript of the Father Teixidor who refers to the agreement of the General Advice of 1.342, since we observe since before 1.365 one refers to the militia and to the civil escort.

Record of the Consell de la Ciutat of Valencia, of November 25 of 1.364, by that a "crida" is effected to go out with the Senyera in help of his King in his particular war with Pedro of Castile, in which there is contemplated that between the civil militias they appear escorting the Senyera the Cent Ballesters de la Ploma, since for the own text of the "crida" it admits that already it existed in the city of Valencia and giving his classic services of escort and guard of the Senyera Real of City.

“Com es pot veure per la data apuntada, en el documents que abans hem analizat, va ésser durante el setge de Morvedre quan el rei, per recompensar la valentia i el coratge dels ballesters valencians que acompayaben la Senyera, els va atorgar el privilegi reial de formar una milicia permanent, ja ho era quan va eixir a lluitar pel rei. Des d’aleshores aquells ballesters van ser el Centenar de la Ploma” 

From this instant the Centenar of the Ploma is a permanent militia and protocolize of the company with the appellative Centenar of Glorious San Jorge. Let's not confuse, this June 3 of 1.365, which it is an act of gratefulness and as such, of concession of privileges, with the creation or foundation of the Centenar.

“Cuando se ponía en marcha la maquinaria bélica del Reino se procedía protocolariamente a la colocación de la Real Señera en las Torres de Serranos; acción que significaba la declaración de guerra "a sang y foc" y convocatoria de huestes, durante esos días en que la bandera estaba expuesta en las Torres de Serrans y a medida que las fuerzas del Reino iban organizándose-, jamás permanecía sin custodia: "la guardaren de dia y de nit , vint homens del Centenar de la Ploma". 

In the course of six years of Don Pedro had granted those special prerogatives to the Centenar of the Glorious San Jorge (of the Ploma), some of its already former members requested the creation of a Confraternity Pedro Ceremonious under the dedication of San Jorge, which was granted by privilege on July 10, 1371. Between the functions of the confraternity it was of guarded patients, accompaniment of deceased and mortuary chamber. There was realized an annual meeting of the confraternity, which supposed different type of feasts and banquets for San Jorge. The confraternity at first was formed with a maximum of 100 men and 150 women and in 1.391 they asked the King Juan I and the Queen that they should become confreres, and the king extended the number of confreres to 500 men and 600 women, granting some exactions to them. 

It was a July 23, 1376, when the militia was extended by 100 men astride, different from that of the archers, but also by the function to protect the royal standard, and that it was created in the General Spanish Parliament of Monsoon, for the same Pedro Ceremonious, in spite of the fact that the arrangements were not elaborating even 1.391 during Juan's reign the Hunter, this new body of combat de100 men was distributed by 70 men astride armed and 30 riders with light weapon. The Centenar remains structured in 3 bodies of army, 100 gentlemen, 100 archers .The archers' company is in the habit of producing always the maximum honors, this Company will introduce also 50 riders with light cross-bow and will remain definitively formed by 50 gentlemen - archers and 50 archers of afoot, with cross-bows more heavy. The initial structure of the military principal company of the Centenar of the Ploma was formed by 100 archers, divided in dehenes (10), o. The captain of the company was, officially, the Criminal Justice of Valencia, which was the municipal post, entrusted to take the Senyera in the battle and in the parades. 

The social composition of the Centenar was plural and there was established in 10 hòmens of paratge (nobles), 30 of the mà major (high social stratum), 30 of the mà mitjana (social average stratum) and 30 of the minor mà (social low stratum), according to the social urban division established by Monk Francesc Eiximenis, Franciscan born friar in Gerona, In 1340 and he died in Perpiñán, in 1409, Catalan that wrote in the beautiful Valencian language, he practiced in the Franciscans' convent of his natal city (1352) and studied theology in Valencia, Cologne, Paris and Oxford; he returned to Catalonia (1371) and resided in Valencia more than 20 years. He took part in the resolution of the social and religious problems of his epoch. Since well the provision of individuals to form this militia will be supervised by the Jurors and of the General Advice of the City, whose members, before receiving the appointment, they will surrender to a "proof" before the Governor. Once admitted, they will come to the House of the Archery and in presence of “the caps of dehena " will receive the emblems of San Jorge. Forthwith and already undressed, as it parts with the royal privilege, they will hear the Holy Mass and before the reading of the Gospel they will realize the oath under which public inspectors promise to remain publicly the King, his service and to that of the city. His uniform will be the Dalmatian one of white linen, with the red cross of San Jorge to the chest and back, and a hull with a pen of heron, detail this one wherefrom him there comes the name of " the ploma ". The militia will have his house in the city, which will be constructed near that it is called a street of the Boats. 

Though the documentation that we have is not very explicit, the company was renewing every 2 or 3 years to the half of his members, being obtained so always there was 50 % of new archers, and other one 50 % with experience., it wants to say that in a cycle of approximately 60 years it could have spent 3.000 for the Valencian citizens. Also troops of cavalry existed between the citizens who had own goods and obligation to have horse. 

The flag of San Jorge is the own sign of the Company. For emblem a cross-bow on a cross of San Jorge, and below the motto of the company: " «In te, Domine, Speravi, non confundar». And the uniform, since I have mentioned, it was consisting of a piece of linen or white taffeta with cross of San Jorge ahead and behind, over his clothes, to that they would add a level of mesh. In the hull they were taking a pen of heron that was giving name to the company.

The King Juan II in 1470, extended the privilege granted to the Centenar of the Ploma granting a salary to its members and the faculty to be able to carry all kinds of weapon, and at all time, though the weapon typical of the Centenar is the cross-bow, also they were in the habit of being equipped with sword, dagger, lance. The practices of shot were in the habit of doing them in Quart's Wall close to the towers.

The Request of the confreres before the King Juan II: 

  1. Petition of the confirmation and exhibition of the services given by the Centenar of the Ploma. The privilege to confirming was saying: “Primerament, Senyor, attenent que,per priviliegi otorgat al dit Centenar, per l’alt rei En Pere, sots kalendari de tres de juny any Mil CCC LXV, són atorgades al dit Centenar certes gracies, indults e prerrogativas segons per la tenor d’aquell appar”. 
  2. Request of fine against the one that was doing opposition to the privileges of the Hundred. 
  3. Request of a salary, of three salaries and six moneys, Valencian currency. 
  4. Faculty to take all kinds your arm at all time and place. 

The King Juan II passed and confirmed on July 18 of 1.470 above mentioned privileges, tidy to respect it, under the threat of 2.000 florins of gold. On October 28 of 1.479, Fernando Catholic confirmed also, again the mentioned privilege. 

The welded one that those of the "Ploma" were perceiving was depending on if it was treating itself of host (it fights inside the Kingdom) or of cavalcada (out of the limits of the Kingdom):

"Ballesters de peu", in cavalcada, 3 salaries; the "escuders" who were accompanying 18 diners; "mancips or pateges (comanyons)", he was paying them ballester; "the lancers" 12 diners; "cavallers de cavall armat " 8 daily salaries and "cavallers of cavall alforrat" 4 daily salaries. The certain thing is that the militia when it was structured for the combat they could manage to be perfectly 500 men between gentlemen, archers, pages and "mancips".

With the Senyera, the Valencian troops had other flags, some of local character, and other labor unions. The first flags were fabrics where they were painting the shield of the feudal gentleman or of the Kingdom, the cairo or crowned rhombus; the second, they were taking the badges of the union in question, being specially valued the flag of the Gremi de Blanquers, which was taking represented the Custody stolen by Moslem pirates in Torreblanca, and for them later rescued. Also interpretations of the Senyera were done, for example replacing the crown for a Rat Penat, which was showing that our flag was alive well, having also present that The King Pedro II of Valencia returned to introduce " drac allat " substituting the Rat Penat, until it was returned again by Alfonso Magnanimous, in end that we have to bear in mind that there has been certain evolution in our symbolism. Another anecdotal information is that Alfonso Liberal was not faithful to four bars of Aragon, since in his shield anything mas had two red bars and two yellow. 

The Centenar of the Ploma, as other glorious institutions of the peculiar life of the Kingdom and of the City of Valencia, suffered a hard blow with the abolition of the jurisdictions and privileges for the Decree of New Plant, after Almansa's battle, fact that gives place to which there remains abolished the military statutory force, going on to the stealthiness; as the Senyera that would have to go on to the oblivion, but immediately it was recovered by the people as the festive flag i religious. But we will never consent that the Senyera disappears and of being the flag of war, I happen to be a social emblem, presiding at processions, before the repudiation or the nonchalance, when not the fear, of them Bourbon authorities. 

This took form of the V Centenarian of the Conquest, celebrated of 1738, when the Senyera was escorted by a reconstructed and ephemeral Centenar of the Ploma, gone out of the stealthiness, between the enthusiasms of the population. Also the elevation against Napoleon, May 23, 1808, was presided by the Senyera, which had to be rapidly hidden by the authorities 

Copy of the summons, presided by the popular cartel announcer of the Regional Valencian Exhibition of 1909, when the president of the Valencia House finished a summer of the sixties in Barcelona and Cavaller in Cap de la Dehena of the Centenar of the Ploma, Vicente Sena Bisbal, dealed to the members of the above mentioned group, and that begins this way: "En la antología dels records histórics del Rei Don Jaume, está en lloc principal la página del Centenar de la Ploma, selecció admirable que nosaltres devem tindre present". 

And it is that the Centenar always has existed, exists and it will exist, from the creation of the Christian Kingdom of Valencia up to today with L’Insigne Capitul de l’Almoina de Sant Jordi del Cavallers del Centenar de la Ploma , and not ephemeral but perfectly constituted, being an honor to form a part of so worthy and ancient institution. 

Vixca Lo Regne de Valéncia

Vixca el Gloriós Centenar de la Ploma

Mossen Federic Bisquert i Lafuente 
CAVALLER CAPITULAR NÚM. 79