Order of Isabella the Catholic

The Insignia, Grand Cross and Star of the Order

The Order of Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: Orden de Isabel la Católica) is a Spanish civil order granted in recognition of services that benefit the country. The Order is not exclusive to Spaniards, and many foreigners have been awarded it.

The Order was created on March 14, 1815 by King Ferdinand VII of Spain in honor of Queen Isabella I of Castile with the name of "Royal and American Order of Isabella the Catholic"^[1] with the intent of "rewarding the firm allegiance to Spain and the merits of Spanish citizens and foreigners in good standing with the Nation and especially in those exceptional services provided in pursuit of territories in America and overseas."^[2] The Order was reorganized by royal decree on July 26, 1847, as the modern "Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic" with a broader focus than the Americas.

Officials and grades

The order as awarded to Roald Amundsen for his South Pole Expedition

The Star of the Order in the late 19th Century.

Collar of the order.

The King of Spain (currently Juan Carlos I) is Grand Master of the Order. The Chancellor of the Order is the Minister of Foreign Affairs. All deeds granting decorations of the Order must bear the signatures of both. Beneath these two officials of the Order, there are currently several grades:

• First Class

• Knight of the Collar (Caballeros del Collar) (limited to 25 people)
• Knight Grand Cross (Caballeros Gran Cruz) (limited to 500 people)

• Second Class

• Commander by Number (Encomienda de Número) (limited to 800 people)
• Commander (Encomienda)

• Third Class

• Officer's Cross (Cruz de Oficial)

• Fourth Class

• Knight's Cross (Cruz de Caballeros)

• Fifth Class

• Silver Cross (Cruz de Plata)

• Sixth Class

• Silver Medal (Medalla de Plata)
• Bronze Medal (Medalla de Bronce)^[3]

The original statues of the order of 24 March 1815 established the order in three classes. The structure of the order has varied several times since then. The following is a summary of the history of the various grades and medals of the order:

• Knights of the Collar (Caballeros del Collar) – Established 22 June 1927.
• Knights Grand Cross (Caballeros Gran Cruz) – Established 24 March 1815.
• Knight First Class (Caballeros de Primera Clase) – Established 24 March 1815, retitled Commander (Comdador) on 24 July 1815.
• Officer (Oficial) – Established 10 October 1931, abolished 15 June 1938 and restored 5 June 1971.
• Knight Second Class (Caballeros de Segunda Clase) – Established 24 March 1815, retiled Knight (Caballeros) on 24 July 1815.
• Silver Cross (Cruz de Palata) – Established 16 March 1903 to reward civil and palace officials.
• Gold Medal with Laureate (Medal de Oro pero Laureada) – Established on 24 July 1815 for award to European sergeants and enlisted men. Subsequently abolished.
• Gold Medal (Medal de Oro) – Established on 24 July 1815 for award to non-European 'natives'. Subsequently abolished.
• Silver Medal (Medal de Palata) – Established 15 April 1907 to reward non-commissioned officers and junior civil officials.
• Bronze Medal (Medal de Bronce) – Established 15 April 1907 to reward non-commissioned officers and junior civil officials.^[4]

Women appointed to an applicable grade are not called Knights (Caballeros). Women are instead appointed as Ladies of the Collar (Damas del Collar), Dames Grand Cross (Damas Gran Cruz) or Dame's Cross (Cruz de Damas).^[3]

Order Decoration

The decoration is a red-enameled cross, with a golden frame. The outer peaks are fitted with small gold balls. The center of the medallion contains the inscription "A La Lealtad Acrisolada" (To Proven Loyalty) and "Por Isabel la Católica" (For Isabella the Catholic) on white enamel. Above the cross is a green enameled laurel wreath with the band ring.

The ribbon is yellow with a white central stripe.^[5]

Notable members

Luis Hernández-Pinzón Álvarez, Spanish admiral Fernando Toledo Domingo de Monteverde, Spanish governor of Venezuela Amando Llorente Juan Luis Alborg Xavier Cortés Rocha Nicolás Ferrer Julve Antonio Gallego Valcárcel (1848) Joseph W. Revere (1851), American Brigadier General Jacob Aaron Westervelt (1859), American shipbuilder Monseñor José Sebastián de Goyeneche Santiago de Cruïlles de Peratallada Bosch, baron of Cruïlles Saúl Juárez[6] Pedro Duro, Spanish industrialist Samuel Morse (1859), American inventor and painter Ignacio Mariscal, Mexican diplomat Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said of Oman John Owen Dominis, Hawaiian prince consort[7] Juan Machicote, Marqués de Machicote (1870) Emilio Arrieta (1871) João Henrique Ulrich Junior (1880) Fredrik Pacius (1882) Lydia Sada de González Fernando Serrano Migallón Francisco Agustín Silvela, marqués de Santa María de Silvela Antonio Tavares Festas (1906) Primitivo González del Alba (1906) Ludovic Lazarus Zamenhof (1909) Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma[citation needed] Encarnación López Júlvez (La Argentinita), Argentinian dancer Eva Duarte de Perón (1947), First Lady of Argentina[8] Gaspar Rivera Cestero (1959)

Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart (1964), Duchess of Alba[9] Peter Rafael Bloch (1969), art historian and writer[10] Ramón Xirau (1979), Spanish poet and philosopher[11] Joseph Perez, French historian of Spain[12] Sila María Calderón (1987), 7th Governor of Puerto Rico Dulce María Loynaz (1993), Cuban poet[13] Alicia Alonso (1993), Cuban dancer[14] Gustavo Cisneros, Venezuelan businessman[15] John Griffiths (musician) (1993), Australian vihuelist and musicologist Fidel V. Ramos (1995), President of the Philippines[16] Juan Carlos Aparicio (1996), Spanish politician[17] Celin Romero (2000), Spanish/American classical guitarist Pepe Romero (2000), Spanish/American classical guitarist Ángel Romero (2000), Spanish/American classical guitarist Chavela Vargas (2000), Mexican singer[18] Jan G.F. Veldhuis (2001), Dutch University President Francisco Vázquez Vázquez (2003), Spanish diplomat[19] Estanislao Rodríguez-Ponga (2004), Spanish economist[20] Juan Soriano (2006), Mexican painter[21] Ferenc Gyurcsány (2007), Prime Minister of Hungary[22] Traian Băsescu and Maria Băsescu (2007), President and First Lady of Romania[23][24] Fernando Botero (2007), Colombian artist[25] Rafael Arráiz Lucca (2007), Venezuelan writer[26] Les Luthiers (2007), Argentine comedians/musicians[27] David T. Gies es:David T. Gies(2007), US Hispanist, Spanish Professor at the University of Virginia[28] Felipe Calderón (2008), President of Mexico[29] Carlos Fuentes (2008), Mexican author[30][31] Enrique Krauze (2008), Mexican historian[31][30] José Woldenberg (2008), Mexican political scientist[30][31] Mario Molina (2008), Mexican chemist[30][31] Luis Fortuño (2009), Governor of Puerto Rico[32] Diego Forlán (2011), Uruguayan football player[33]

References and links

• Condecoraciones: Las órdenes dependientes del Ministerio , Order rules and brief history from the Foreign Ministry of Spain.

1. ^ Real y Americana Orden de Isabel la Católica
2. ^ "premiar la lealtad acrisolada a España y los méritos de ciudadanos españoles y extranjeros en bien de la Nación y muy especialmente en aquellos servicios excepcionales prestados en favor de la prosperidad de los territorios americanos y ultramarinos"
3. ^ ^{a b} "Real Decreto 2395/1998, por el que se aprueba el Reglamento de la Orden de Isabel la Católica" (in Spanish). Minesterio de Asuntos Exteriores y de Cooperacion website. Government of Spain. 1998-11-06. http://www.boe.es/boe/dias/1998/11/21/pdfs/A38362-38371.pdf. Retrieved 2005-09-05. 1998 Statutes of the Order of Isabella the Catholic.
4. ^ De Ceballos-Escalera y Gila, Alfonso; Almudena de Arteaga y del Alcázar, Fernando Fernández-Miranda y Lozana (1997). "The Royal (American) Order of Isabella the Catholic" (in Spanish). Great Orders of Chivalry, Royalty and Nobility website. Madrid, Spain. http://www.chivalricorders.org/orders/spanish/isabcatl.htm. Retrieved 2010-09-05.  Essay on the history of the Order of Isabella the Catholic.
5. ^ Spain: Order of Isabella the Catholic
6. ^ http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2006/10/25/a05n1cul.php
7. ^ Liliuokalani. Hawaii's Story By Hawaii's Queen
8. ^ "ARGENTINA: A Medal for Eva". Time. May 5, 1947. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,793651,00.html. Retrieved May 20, 2010. 
9. ^ http://search.boe.es/datos/imagenes/BOE/1964/102/A05391.tif
10. ^ Fallece hispanista alemán Peter Bloch
11. ^ El Colegio Nacional: Miembros
12. ^ [1]
13. ^ Dulce María Loynaz: Cronología
14. ^ Biografía Alicia Alonso
15. ^ Entrevista Exclusiva con Gustavo Cisneros: El Rey del Entretenimiento
16. ^ Boletín Oficial del Estado, April 1, 1995.
17. ^ Boletín Oficial del Estado
18. ^ Queering the Popular Pitch. By Whiteley, Sheila and Rycenga, Jennifer.
19. ^ Francisco Vázquez, condecorado con la Gran Cruz de la Orden del Mérito Civil
20. ^ Boletín Oficial del Estado, May 7, 2004
21. ^ Recibirá Soriano Orden Isabel la Católica de España
22. ^ Referencia del Consejo de Ministros, April 25, 2007.
23. ^ Boletín Oficial del Estado, November 16, 2007 (Traian).
24. ^ Boletín Oficial del Estado, November 16, 2007 (Maria).
25. ^ Boletín Oficial del Estado, November 16, 2007.
26. ^ [2]
27. ^ [3], November 28, 2007
28. ^ [4]
29. ^ Boletín Oficial del Estado
30. ^ ^{a b c d} Boletín Oficial del Estado, August 1, 2008.
31. ^ ^{a b c d} Mexicanos reciben la Gran Cruz de Isabel La Católica
32. ^ Medalla para Fortuño, El Vocero de Puerto Rico
33. ^ [5]