 When the Emperor Alfonso VII confirmed the charter of the confraternity, he specified that it existed "for the defence of Christians and the oppression of Saracens".A Christian organisation dedicated to a holy war against Muslims ("reconquista"), its impetus and development coincide with that of the international military orders and it introduced the concept of an indulgence proportional to length of service.In 1117 Alfonso the Battler conquered the town of Belchite, about twenty-two miles southeast of his main target, the city of Zaragoza, which surrendered on 18 December 1118.