ABSTRACT
Fernando of Aragon and Isabel of Castile had taken over as administrators of the Order in 1487 and had also instituted the forced baptism of Muslims, thereby creating the problem. The military orders present in the Kingdom of Castile during the Middle Ages have been chosen as a case study. This chapter discusses a bigger project that aims to study the relationship between military orders and Muslims living in their Iberian lands during the Middle Ages. A significant number of the Muslims mentioned in association with military orders were slaves. Although undoubtedly many Muslim captives of the orders ended up as slaves and were appreciated for the potential role, they also held value in themselves as leverage for the liberation of Christians who had suffered the same fate. The interpretation of the partial exemption, and also the status of Muslims living under the rule of the Order, becomes even more muddled because of another contradictory account.
