Order of Queen Maria Luisa

History

The Order was defined as a strictly female reward system, ruled by the Queen and composed of thirty members reserved for the Spanish high nobility. The first secretary of the Order was Don Miguel de Bañuelos y Fuentes, retired Knight of the Order of Charles III, and General Stewart of the Army.

In 1796 the King raised the Order to a nobiliary dignity, granting their holders and their spouses the protocolar treatment of excellence, equating to Grandee of Spain and Knights Grand Crosses of the Order of Charles III. Later, during the short reign of Joseph Bonaparte (Joseph I of Spain), a decree was signed on September 18, 1809, dissolving all military orders, including the female one of Maria Luisa, excepting only the order of the Golden Fleece, but this measure was reversed after Bonaparte's expulsion from Spain and the Bourbon restoration. Successive queens in turn inherited the prerogatives of the founding queen of the Order and the custom was established that the current queen of Spain would exercise the governorship of the Order.

In a Royal Decree of October 28, 1851, a payment of 3,000 reales was required of members of the Order, to be paid within three months; non-payers would cease to be members. Also included in the protocol for granting the authorization of the Council of Ministers and published in the Gaceta de Madrid (now Boletín Oficial del Estado). In 1869, after the dismissal of Queen Isabella II, the ruler, General Francisco Serrano, 1st Duke of la Torre changed the name of the Order to Order of the Nobles Ladies of Spain.

King Alfonso XII, by Royal Decree of November 28, 1878, declared that the Noble Ladies could wear the cross of the Order in a less formal way on the left side of the chest, except on occasions important enough to require its use in the form prescribed by the Order's statutes.

A Republican decree of July 24, 1931, without expressly referring to this Order, abolished in fact as an official institution. But both King Alfonso XIII, until January 1941, and his son Juan de Borbón, Count of Barcelona gave some bands of this Order to some princesses of his family; the latest to his daughters, Infantas Infanta Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz and Infanta Margarita, Duchess of Soria, to commemorate their eighteenth birthday. It was also granted to Princess Sophia of Greece when she became Princess of Spain by her marriage to the future King Juan Carlos I in 1962; she wore the Dame's version at his proclamation ceremony on November 22, 1975.

Currently, and according to the statutes, there is a single category of Noble Lady, limited to 30 members except on the express will of the monarch. Since the resignation of Don Juan de Borbón, Count of Barcelona to his dynastic rights on May 14, 1977, during the reign of Juan Carlos I, there have been no new appointments so that, although it formally remains in effect, it can be considered that this order is de facto extinct.

Insignia

Su insignia se describe en el segundo artículo de sus estatutos, y consiste en una banda realizada en tela de moaré, de seda y algodón, compuesta por tres franjas verticales: la central blanca y las dos laterales moradas; su anchura es la mitad que la de las bandas de las órdenes masculinas.

Se coloca terciada desde el hombro derecho hasta el costado izquierdo, y de ella pende una cruz de ocho puntas de oro, en cuyo centro se localiza dentro de un óvalo la imagen de San Fernando esmaltada y visto de cuerpo entero, armado, coronado y con el manto propio de su regia condición, portando en su mano derecha una espada, mientras que en la izquierda sostiene el globo u orbe real; toda la figura del Monarca Santo aparece con sus colores naturales y nimbado de rayos de oro.

El exergo del óvalo central y los bordes de los brazos de la cruz están decorados con esmalte morado, y el interior de los dichos brazos de esmalte blanco. En los espacios entre los brazos de la cruz, aparecen dos leones y dos castillos contrapuestos, unidos entre sí por una pequeña cadena. El conjunto de la cruz pende de una corona de laurel, dorada o verde, según los casos. En el reverso, la cifra de María Luisa y, rodeándola, la leyenda «Real Orden de la Reyna María Luisa».

Al principio se imponía la obligación de ostentar cotidianamente esta banda con su venera, como pública muestra del gran honor que les ha sido concedido por la reina. Sin embargo, don Alfonso XII, por su Real Decreto de 28 de noviembre de 1878, declaró que las Damas Nobles podrían usar sobre el lado izquierdo del pecho, la Cruz de la Orden pendiente de un lazo de cinta igual a la Banda, con traje alto y aun con otro de mayor etiqueta, siempre que el acto no requiera por su importancia el uso de la banda en la forma prescrita en los estatutos de la Orden.

Tanto las insignias como la banda eran propiedad de la Orden, que las otorgaba en usufructo y las recuperaba al fallecimiento de la agraciada, aunque hay constancia de que después del destronamiento de Isabel II en 1868 las familias de las Damas Nobles se negaron a devolver las insignias a las nuevas autoridades por lealtad a la monarquía.

Patronage and feast days

The patronage of the Order was entrusted to Saint Ferdinand, king of Castile and León and Saint Louis, king of France and during their feast days, May 30 and August 25 respectively, the Queen received protocolarly the Ladies in chapter. As well, the Noble Ladies of the Order were statutorily recommended special devotion to their patron saints and had to visit once a month a charity establishment, such as the Hospital de la Inclusa or some women's hospitals such as the Hospital de la Pasión.

Investiture

Women rewarded by this distinction normally receive it in a formal investiture ceremony described in the statute, in the private rooms of the Queen at the Royal Palace, except in cases of serious illness or disability.

Many women from many countries have received this distinction, one of the major honors that the Spanish monarchy can award to women in recognition of their "services, actions and qualities."

Current members

• HRH The Duchess of Soria – 1192nd Dame
• HM Queen Sofía of Spain – 1193rd Dame. Last dame inducted.

Notes and sources

• La Real Orden de Damas Nobles de la Reina María Luisa , published by Palafox y Pezue, Madrid, 1998, 512 pages
• Dames of the Royal Order of Queen María Luisa of Spain

References

1. There has been no new appointments so that, although it formally remains in effect, it can be considered that this order is de facto extinct. {{in lang. es [http://www.blasoneshispanos.com/ROrdenesCiviles/03-Damas_Reina_Maria_Luisa/DamasReinMLuisa.htm ''Royal Order of Queen Maria. Blasones hispanos'']. Retrieved April 15, 2015
2. [http://www.chivalricorders.org/orders/spanish/marilus2.htm'' Royal Order of Nobles Damas de María Luisa. Chivalric Orders'']. Retrieved April 15, 2013