In
medieval Iberia, an
alférez (, ) or
alferes (, ) was a high-ranking official in the
household of a king or magnate. The term is derived from the
Arabic الفارس (
al-fāris), meaning "horseman" or "cavalier", and it was commonly
Latinised as
alferiz or
alferis, although it was also translated into Latin as
armiger or
armentarius, meaning "
armour-bearer". The connexion with arms-bearing is visible in several Latin synonyms:
fertorarius,
inferartis, and
offertor. The office was sometimes the same as that of the
standard-bearer or
signifer. The
alférez was generally the next highest-ranking official after the
majordomo. He was generally in charge of the king or magnate's
mesnada (
private army), his personal retinue of
knights, and perhaps also of his
armoury and his guard. He generally followed his lord on campaign and into battle.