Order of Isabella the Catholic

Order of Isabella the Catholic
Grand Cross Sash and Star of the Order
Awarded by The Spanish Monarch
Type	State Order
Royal house	House of Bourbon-Spain
Motto	"'A La LEALTAD ACRISOlADA ("To Proven Loyalty") and "POR ISABEL La CATÓLICA ("For Isabella the Catholic")
Awarded for	Actions in benefit to Spain and the Crown
Status	Currently Constituted
Sovereign	King Felipe VI
Chancellor	José García-Margallo y Marfil, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Grades (w/ post-nominals)	Knight Grand Cross with Collar Knight/Dame Grand Cross Knight/Dame Grand Officer Knight/Dame Commander Knight/Dame Officer Knight/Dame Cross Medal Silver Medal Bronze Medal
Established	14 March 1815
Precedence
Next (higher)	Order of Queen Maria Luisa
Next (lower)	Order of Civil Merit
The Ribbons of the Order

Collar granted to Czech President Václav Havel.

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 it has been awarded to many foreigners.

The Order was created on 14 March 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 26 July 1847, as the modern "Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic" with a broader focus than the Americas.

Officials and grades

The King of Spain (currently Felipe VI) 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. Members of the order at the grade of Commander and above enjoy personal nobility and have the privilege of adding a golden heraldic mantle to their coat of arms. Knights at the rank of Grand Cross and Knight of the Collar receive the official style of "His or Her most Excellent Lord". Knights at the rank of commander and commander by number receive the style of "His or Her Most Illustrious Lord". 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 Plata) – 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 Plata) – 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 Dames 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] except the "Collar" for which the wearing of the collar can be replaced by a gold-yellow sash with white stripes on the edges.

Insignia
Collar	Collar Grade Star	Grand Cross Star	Commander by Number	Commander
Dame-Commander Bow (Optional)	Officer's Cross	Dame-Officer's Bow (Optional)	Knight's Cross	Dame Bow (Optional)
Silver Cross	Dame's Silver Cross Bow (Optional)	Silver Medal	Dame's Silver Medal Bow (Optional)	Bronze Medal
Dame's Bronze Medal Bow (Optional)

Notable members

Domingo de Monteverde, Spanish governor of Venezuela Xavier Cortés Rocha Joseph W. Revere (1851), American Brigadier General Jacob Aaron Westervelt (1859), American shipbuilder Pedro Duro, Spanish industrialist Samuel Morse (1859), American inventor and painter Ignacio Mariscal, Mexican diplomat John Owen Dominis, Hawaiian prince consort[6] Carlos Luis de Ribera y Fieve (1870), Spanish painter Emilio Arrieta (1871) Henry Wikoff (1871), American writer, reporter and diplomatic agent[7] João Henrique Ulrich Junior (1880) Fredrik Pacius (1882) Pedro Paterno (1893), Filipino politician[8]^:412 Jan Szczepanik, Polish inventor of ballistic vest[9] Primitivo González del Alba (1906) Alexander Kircher (1909), Austro-German marine and landscape painter, illustrator [10] Ludovic Lazarus Zamenhof (1909) Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma[11] Encarnación López Júlvez (La Argentinita), Argentinian dancer Esteban de Bilbao Eguía, Cortes speaker 1943-1965[12] Eva Duarte de Perón (1947), First Lady of Argentina[13] Gaspar Rivera Cestero (1959), Puerto Rican politician[14] Antonio Iturmendi Bañales, Cortes speaker 1965-1969[15] Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart (1964), Duchess of Alba[16] Alejandro Roces (1965), Filipino historian, writer, and journalist [17] Peter Rafael Bloch (1969), art historian and writer[18] Farah Pahlavi (1969), Empress of Iran[19] Saddam Hussein (1974), Vice President of Iraq (later President)[20][21] Imelda Marcos (1974), First Lady of Philippines[22] Basma bint Talal (1977), Princess of Jordan[23][24] José López Portillo (1977), President of Mexico[25] Alfredo Pareja Diezcanseco (1979), Ecuadorian diplomat[26] Ramón Xirau (1979), Spanish poet and philosopher[27]

Joseph Perez, French historian of Spain[28] Hugo Gutiérrez Vega (1983), Mexican poet and diplomat[29] Fidel Villarroel (1985), Spanish historian and theologian[30] Qaboos bin Said al Said (1985), Sultan of Oman[31] Sila María Calderón (1987), 7th Governor of Puerto Rico Gyanendra of Nepal (1987), King of Nepal Dulce María Loynaz (1993), Cuban poet[32] Alicia Alonso (1993), Cuban dancer[33] Gustavo Cisneros, Venezuelan businessman[34] John Griffiths (musician) (1993), Australian vihuelist and musicologist Fidel V. Ramos (1995), President of the Philippines[35] Celin, Pepe, and Ángel Romero (2000), Spanish/American classical guitarists[36] Chavela Vargas (2000), Mexican singer[37] Jan G.F. Veldhuis (2001), Dutch University President Estanislao Rodríguez-Ponga (2004), Spanish economist[38] Juan Soriano (2006), Mexican painter[39] Ferenc Gyurcsány (2007), Prime Minister of Hungary[40] Traian Băsescu and Maria Băsescu (2007), President and First Lady of Romania[41][42] Fernando Botero (2007), Colombian artist[43] Rafael Arráiz Lucca (2007), Venezuelan writer[44] Les Luthiers (2007), Argentine comedians/musicians[45] María Luisa Elío Bernal (2007), Spanish writer and actress, exiled in Mexico[46] Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (2007), President of the Philippines [47] Felipe Calderón (2008), President of Mexico[48] Carlos Fuentes (2008), Mexican author[49][50] Enrique Krauze (2008), Mexican historian[49][50] Brad Owen (2008), Lieutenant Governor of Washington State, USA[51] José Woldenberg (2008), Mexican political scientist[49][50] Mario Molina (2008), Mexican chemist[49][50] Luis Fortuño (2009), Governor of Puerto Rico[52] Ashok Seth (2010), Indian cardiologist[53] Jorge Drexler (2010), Uruguayan singer-songwriter.[54] Diego Forlán (2011), Uruguayan football player[55]

References and links

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. "Real Decreto 2395/1998, por el que se aprueba el Reglamento de la Orden de Isabel la Católica" (PDF). Minesterio de Asuntos Exteriores y de Cooperacion website (in Spanish). Government of Spain. 11 June 1998. Retrieved 5 September 2005.1998 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". Great Orders of Chivalry, Royalty and Nobility website (in Spanish). Madrid, Spain. Retrieved 5 September 2010. Cite uses deprecated parameter |coauthors= (help) Essay on the history of the Order of Isabella the Catholic.
5. Spain: Order of Isabella the Catholic
6. Liliuokalani. Hawaii's Story By Hawaii's Queen
7. Caleb Grain (2006) American Literary History 18 (4): pp. 659-94 The Courtship of Henry Wikoff
8. Foreman, J., 1906, The Philippine Islands, A Political, Geographical, Ethnographical, Social and Commercial History of the Philippine Archipelago, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons
9. Jan Szczepanik - "Polish Edison"
10. Handover document of Isabella Order; Spanish Embassy in Berlin in February 1909
11. Fox-Davies, Arthur C. (1929). Armorial Families, Vol. 2, Seventh Ed., London: Hurst & Blackett, Ltd., p. 90.
12. La Vanguardia 24 September 1970
13. "ARGENTINA: A Medal for Eva". Time. 5 May 1947. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
14. Concesión de motivo leí Día de la Victoria' Informacion Nacional. 1 April 1959. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
15. La Vanguardia 5 March 1976
16. Imágenes
17. Boletín Oficial del Estado, 5 April 1965
18. Fallece hispanista alemán Peter Bloch
19. Boletín Oficial del Estado, 13 November 1969
20. Sadam Husein y la medalla de la que nunca se habló
21. Boletín Oficial del Estado, 10 December 1974
22. Boletín Oficial del Estado
23. Awards and Honours of Basma bint Talal
24. Boletín Oficial del Estado, 9 May 1977
25. Boletín Oficial del Estado
26. Baldomera: Las pequeñas estaturas, About the Author section.
27. El Colegio Nacional: Miembros
28. Joseph Pérez biography
29. Vargas, Ángel (2015-09-26). "Muere el poeta Hugo Gutiérrez Vega". La Jornada. Retrieved 2015-10-25.
30. The Varsitarian Website. UST Historian named Master of Theology 1 May 2012.
31. Boletín Oficial del Estado, 16 December 1985
32. Dulce María Loynaz: Cronología
33. Biografía Alicia Alonso
34. Entrevista Exclusiva con Gustavo Cisneros: El Rey del Entretenimiento
35. Boletín Oficial del Estado, 1 April 1995.
36. Los Romero Conciertos Daniel. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
37. Queering the Popular Pitch. By Whiteley, Sheila and Rycenga, Jennifer.
38. Boletín Oficial del Estado, 7 May 2004
39. Recibirá Soriano Orden Isabel la Católica de España
40. Referencia del Consejo de Ministros, 25 April 2007.
41. Boletín Oficial del Estado, 16 November 2007 (Traian).
42. Boletín Oficial del Estado, 16 November 2007 (Maria).
43. Boletín Oficial del Estado, 16 November 2007.
44. Condecoraciones embajada de Espana April 2008. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
45. Nacion, 28 November 2007
46. "DOF: 13/07/2007" (in Spanish). Diaro Oficial de la Federación. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
48. Boletín Oficial del Estado
49. Boletín Oficial del Estado, 1 August 2008.
50. Mexicanos reciben la Gran Cruz de Isabel La Católica
51. King of Spain to bestow Spanish knighthood on Lt. Governor Owen
52. Medalla para Fortuño, El Vocero de Puerto Rico Archived 18 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
53. "Fortis". Fortis. 2015. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
54. "Jorge Drexler, nominado a los Grammy y premiado por la corona española". Ciudad (in Spanish). Argentina: Ciudad. September 11, 2010. Retrieved April 16, 2015.

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