The Royal Order of Spain is a state award of Spain during the reign of King Joseph ( Joseph Bonaparte ).
| Royal Order of Spain. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Real Orden de España | |||
| |||
| A country |  Spain | ||
| Type of | Order | ||
| Who is handed | King Joseph | ||
| Status | Not being awarded. | ||
| Statistics | |||
| Established | October 20, 1808 | ||
The Order was established on October 20, 1808, shortly after King Joseph ascended the Spanish throne as a protege of his brother, Napoleon . Joseph had experience in establishing orders - when he was King of Naples (whose throne, on the orders of his brother, he gave way to Marshal Murat ), he already established the Royal Order of the Two Sicilies , which in turn was guided by the French Order of the Legion of Honor .
The Royal Order of Spain was called to replace all the old orders that existed before this, except for the Order of the Golden Fleece , which under Joseph continued to be awarded ( King Ferdinad subsequently canceled these awards).
The order was divided into three classes:
- Great officers (no more than 50 at a time),
- Commanders (no more than 200)
- knights (no more than 2000).
To two lower degrees relied cash pensions.
The badge of the order was in the form of a red five-pointed star, with rays covered in ruby enamel. The ribbon of the order is red. In the center of the star is a round gold medallion. On the obverse is a lion symbolizing the province of Leon and the inscription in Latin “Virtute et fide”, on the reverse is a tower, a symbol of the province of Castile , and the inscription “JOSEPH NAP. REX HISP. ET IND. " The chain of the order, which relied on the first class gentlemen, was framed very magnificent.
Among the knights of the order (third class) was the court painter Francisco Goya .
After the flight of King Joseph from Spain as a result of the defeat of the French army at Vitoria , and the return of King Ferdinand, the order was canceled, the awards were canceled, and the previous Spanish orders were restored. Nevertheless, Joseph Bonaparte, according to some reports, continued to distribute the order until his death.
Gallery
Badge and ribbon of the first degree of the order.
King Joseph with chains of the Order of the Golden Fleece (upper) and the Royal Order of Spain.
Portrait of a close Joseph, General Guillet , the work of Francisco Goya , with signs of the order of various degrees.
Progressive priest Juan Llorente with the sign of the Order. Portrait of the work of Francisco Goya .