Monteros de Espinosa

The Monteros de Espinosa are the oldest

Bodyguard A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects a person or a group of people — usually witnesses, high-ranking public officials or officers, w ...

unit of

Royal Guard A royal guard is a group of military bodyguards, soldiers or armed retainers responsible for the protection of a royal person, such as the emperor or empress, king or queen, or prince or princess. They often are an elite unit of the regular arm ...

s in Europe. Founded by the

Counts of Castile This is a list of counts of Castile. The County of Castile had its origin in a fortified march on the eastern frontier of the Kingdom of Asturias. The earliest counts were not hereditary, being appointed as representatives of the Asturian king. Fr ...

around the year 1006 and kept in service by the Castilian Sovereigns and posterior Dynasties that inherited their Kingdoms and united with. It is still part of the Spanish Guardia Real. Originally a small tight unit of five to nine men who like their contemporary Houscarls or the

Somatophylakes ''Somatophylakes'' ( el, Σωματοφύλακες; singular: ''somatophylax'', σωματοφύλαξ) were the bodyguards of high-ranking people in ancient Greece. The most famous body of ''somatophylakes'' were those of Philip II of Macedon a ...

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...

accompanied the Counts and later Kings everywhere, it was raised successively to their highest number in times of the Emperor Charles who extended their number from 48 to 75 in order to take custody night and day of his Queen Mother Joan, ''the Mad''. They had no other officer than the King himself as its Captain and in his absence the King's Right Arm was its Lieutenant. It was a privilege reserved only for the local

Hidalgo Hidalgo may refer to: People * Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility * Hidalgo (surname) Places Mexico * Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico * Hidalgo, Coahuila, a town in the north Mexican state of Coahuila * Hidalgo, Nuevo Le� ...

s of the oldest mountainous districts of the

County of Castile The Kingdom of Castile (; es, Reino de Castilla, la, Regnum Castellae) was a large and powerful state on the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region. It began in the 9th centu ...

at the time of its foundation. In particular, membership was reserved to hidalgos born in or around Espinosa, the town in northern

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of t ...

that gave its name to the unit. These hidalgos could ask for or be asked by the Crown for its service at any time. With time, their service was limited only to night time and the most sensitive occasions, distinguished with the Honour of watching the Monarchs closest privy Chambers and doing direct custody of the Royal persons during sickness, as well as watching and carrying from the moment of death the Royal Corpses to burial. Birth, Baptism, Marriage and

Coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a coronation crown, crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the ...

. All the most intimate aspects of Guard duties. With time, their functions became less military and mostly like the

Gentlemen at Arms His Majesty's Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms is a bodyguard to the British Monarch. Until 17 March 1834, they were known as The Honourable Band of Gentlemen Pensioners. Formation The corps was formed as the Troop of G ...

and the

Yeomen of the Guard The King's Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard is a Sovereign's Bodyguard, bodyguard of the British monarch. The List of oldest military units and formations in continuous operation, oldest British military corps still in existence, it was ...

limited to Palace duty. The last time they were in campaign escorting their Monarch in the field was in the side of

Carlos VII ''Don'' Carlos de Borbón y Austria-Este (Spanish: ''Carlos María de los Dolores Juan Isidro José Francisco Quirico Antonio Miguel Gabriel Rafael''; French: ''Charles Marie des Douleurs Jean Isidore Joseph François Cyr Antoine Michel Gabriel R ...

during the

Carlist Wars The Carlist Wars () were a series of civil wars that took place in Spain during the 19th century. The contenders fought over claims to the throne, although some political differences also existed. Several times during the period from 1833 to 187 ...

. Monteros de Espinosa Spanish ceremonial units Spanish Army Royal guards Bodyguards {{spain-mil-stub