Plural of alcayde; multiple governors or commanders of fortresses or castles.
The plural form of 'alcayde,' maintaining the Arabic-derived root 'al-qaid' with English pluralization. See alcayde for full etymology.
When you see medieval Spanish documents listing 'alcaydes,' you're seeing the bureaucratic organization of frontier territories where military strength literally meant survival. These commanders were as important as generals in modern armies.
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