The Royal and Military Order of Saint Ferdinand ( es, Real y Militar Orden de San Fernando), is a Spanish military order whose decoration, known as Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand ( es, Cruz Laureada de San Fernando), is

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

's highest military decoration for gallantry. It is awarded in recognition of action, either individual or collective, to protect the nation, its citizens, or the peace and security of the international community in the face of immediate risk to the bearer. Those eligible are current and former members of the Spanish Armed Forces. The Sovereign of the Order of San Fernando is the monarch of Spain, who presides over the biennial chapter held in the Royal Monastery of El Escorial. The sovereign's representative in the Order is the Grand Master, who governs it and is aided by the Maestranza. Among the conditions laid out by the Royal Military Order of Saint Ferdinand for the granting of the award are: * that the sole purpose of the action taken wasn't the saving of one's life; * that the action was not motivated by improper ambition to honours unnecessarily disregarding one's (or that of one's subordinates) life; * that, as far as possible, the damage and number of own casualties caused by the action was minimized; * that the action was taken in the face of significantly adverse odds or other detrimental factors; * that the action taken made a crucial difference to the situation in which it occurred. The Royal Military Order of Saint Ferdinand was set up in 1811 by the

Cortes of Cádiz The Cortes of Cádiz was a revival of the traditional ''cortes'' (Spanish parliament), which as an institution had not functioned for many years, but it met as a single body, rather than divided into estates as with previous ones. The General ...

which served as a parliamentary Regency after

Ferdinand VII , house = Bourbon-Anjou , father = Charles IV of Spain , mother = Maria Luisa of Parma , birth_date = 14 October 1784 , birth_place = El Escorial, Spain , death_date = , death_place = Madrid, Spain , burial_plac ...

was deposedto honour heroic feats of arms. It was confirmed by King Ferdinand on his return to Madrid in 1815. Its awardees include

Marcelo Azcárraga Palmero Marcelo is a given name, the Spanish and Portuguese form of Marcellus. The Italian version of the name is Marcello, differing in having an additional "l". Marcelo may refer to: * Marcelo Costa de Andrade (born 1967), Brazilian serial killer, rapi ...

Juan Prim Juan Prim y Prats, 1st Count of Reus, 1st Marquis of los Castillejos, 1st Viscount of Bruch (; ca, Joan Prim i Prats ; 6 December 1814 – 30 December 1870) was a Spanish general and statesman who was briefly Prime Minister of Spain until h ...

, Juan de la Cruz Mourgeón, Francisco de Albear, José Enrique Varela Iglesias (twice awarded, in 1920, and 1921),

Francisco Serrano y Domínguez Francisco Serrano Domínguez Cuenca y Pérez de Vargas, 1st Duke of la Torre, Grandee of Spain, Count of San Antonio (17 December 1810 – 25 November 1885) was a Spanish marshal and statesman. He was Prime Minister of Spain in 1868–69 ...

Frederick Thomas Pelham Rear Admiral Frederick Thomas Pelham, (2 August 1808 – 21 June 1861) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Second Naval Lord. Career He was the son of Thomas Pelham, 2nd Earl of Chichester, and Lady Mary Henrietta Juliana Osborne ...

Henry Kelly (VC) Major Henry Kelly VC, MC & Bar (10 July 1887 – 18 July 1960) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth fo ...

, Martín Cerezo,

1898, Our Last Men in the Philippines ''1898, Our Last Men in the Philippines'' ( es, 1898, Los últimos de Filipinas) is a 2016 Spanish war drama film directed by Salvador Calvo. The film depicts the Siege of Baler from 1898 to 1899, where 54 Spanish soldiers defended themselves ...

, Lieutenant Martín Cerezo was the only member of the Belar garrison in 1898 so recognized.

Francisco Franco Bahamonde Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War and thereafter ruled over Spain from 193 ...

, and

Mohamed Meziane Mohammed ben Mizzian (born as Mohammed Ameziane; 1 February 1897 – 1 May 1975) was a Moroccan marshal from Beni Ansar. During the Spanish Civil War he commanded a section of the ''Regulares Indígenas'' troops, who formed the shock tro ...

References

;Attribution ''Loosely adapted from the Spanish Wikipedia article on the same topic.''

Sources

External links

Order of San Fernando
- Ministry of Defence website {{Authority control 1811 establishments in Spain Saint Ferdinand Saint Ferdinand Awards established in 1811

See also

References

Sources

External links