Editing Reconquista (section)

=== Other Motivations ===
[[File:Orders of knighthood Iberia.svg|thumb|260px|Territories of the [[Orders, decorations, and medals of Spain|military orders of the Iberian kingdoms]] towards the end of 15th century]]
[[Jim Bradbury]] (2004) noted that the Christian belligerents in the ''Reconquista'' were not all equally motivated by religion, and that a distinction should be made between 'secular rulers' on the one hand, and on the other hand Christian military orders which came from elsewhere (including the three main orders of [[Knights Templar]], [[Knights Hospitaller]] and [[Teutonic Knights]]), or were [[Orders, decorations, and medals of Spain|established inside Iberia]] (such as those of [[Order of Santiago|Santiago]], [[Order of Alcántara|Alcántara]] and [[Order of Calatrava|Calatrava]]).{{sfn|Bradbury|2004|p=314}} '[The Knights] were more committed to [[religious war]] than some of their secular counterparts, were opposed to treating with Muslims and carried out raids and even atrocities, such as decapitating Muslim prisoners.'{{sfn|Bradbury|2004|p=314}}

On the other hand, Christian armies sometimes forged temporary alliances with Islamic emirs, and Christian mercenaries were quite willing to fight for Arab and Berber rulers if the price was right.<ref name="Keefe">{{Cite book |last1=Keefe |first1=Eugene K. |date=1976 |title=Area Handbook for Spain |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6uSWE3EYvBkC&pg=PA105 |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |pages=105 |isbn=978-0160015670 |access-date=7 April 2022}}</ref> [[El Cid]] is a well-known example of a Christian mercenary leader who was in [[El Cid#Moorish service|paid military service of the Islamic kings of Zaragoza for years]].<ref name="Keefe"/> Mercenaries were an important factor, as many kings did not have enough soldiers available. [[Norsemen]], [[Flemings|Flemish]] spearmen, Frankish knights, Moorish mounted archers (archers who travelled on horseback), and Berber light cavalry were the main types of mercenaries available and used in the conflict.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}