JAMES, St. of the Sword (San Jago del Espada), a military order in Spain, instituted in 1170, under the reign of Ferdinand II. king of Leon and Galicia. Its object was to put a stop to the incursions of the Moors, these knights obliging themselves by a vow to secure the roads. An union was proposed and agreed to in 1170, between these and the canons of St. Eloy; and the order was confirmed by the pope in 1175. The highest dignity in that order is that of grand-master, which has been united to the crown of Spain. The knights were obliged to give proof of their descent from families that had been noble for four generations on both sides; they also were required to make it appear that their ancestors were neither Jews, Saracens, nor heretics, nor had ever been called in question by the inquisition.