Imperial Order of the Yoke and the Arrows
The Imperial Order of the yoke and the arrows (Spanish: Orden Imperial del Yugo y las Flechas ) was incorporated on October 1, 1937 under the name Grand Imperial Order of the Red Arrows (Spanish: Gran Orden Imperial de las Flechas Rojas ) by General Francisco Franco donated , on January 27, 1943 with new statutes as well as the current designation and awarded until the end of the dictatorship in 1975 as the highest award in Spain for excellent service to the nation to residents and foreigners.
Order classes
The order consists of five classes, all persons awarded it, including the medal holders, were awarded knights .
- Large chain (limited to 15 carriers)
- Grand Cross (limited to 200 carriers)
- Grand Officer (limited to 500 porters)
- Commander (no lending limit)
- Gold medal (no award limit)
Incidentally, the entrusted to the large chain and the grand cross were to be addressed after the award with the title Highest Distinguished Men (Excelentísimo Señores), the bearers of the Commander's Cross with the star still with the most honorable gentlemen (Ilustrísimo Señores).
Grand Masters, religious chapters, religious councils, religious offices
The order was not only awarded as a decoration, it was organized cooperatively , i.e. H. the appointment of the knights, who by the way had to be at least 18 years old, was always made by a grand master. A criminal already appointed knight could not lose his right to carry the order through a judicial judgment, but only through a corresponding order from the order chancellor, who had previously received a notification from the judge. However, the Chancellor of the Order was ultimately responsible for deciding whether or not to withdraw the Order, as he was not bound by the judge's recommendations. The administration of the order was based not only on the order's chancellor, but also on the order's chancellery, which was set up in-house and was housed with the government presidency. In addition to the two instances mentioned, there was also a so-called Grand Master, to whom a chapter and a council were attached.
The chapter of the order consisted of all knights, with the grand master presiding. It only met when specially convened. The Council of the Order mentioned here also only met when the Grand Master considered it necessary. Under the chairmanship of the Grand Master, the Order Council consisted of all the Knights of the Great Chain and 24 Spanish nationals, whom the Grand Master convened from six Grand Crosses, twelve Commander's Crosses and six Medal Knights. The actual task of the Order Council consisted primarily in having the dignity of the Order monitored in its communal manifestations, as well as in the observation and guidance of its members, whose exclusion it could propose in the event of proven unworthiness.
The actual offices of the order existed at the order chancellery. Its chairman, the Order Chancellor, also appointed and dismissed the Grand Master, but also his treasurer and personal secretary. The last two people mentioned did not necessarily have to be knights. Communication between the knights of the order and the order's government took place through the order's chancellor himself. The medals to be awarded were also only presented by the order's chancellery. Even after the death of the borrower, the medals remained as souvenirs of their heirs and were only reclaimed in the event of withdrawal.
Order decoration
The basic emblem of the medal with a size of 58 mm consists of five arrows in an open bundle and a pierced yoke placed on their cross point , all of which are held in red enamel and in the form of a golden black enameled Maltese cross . Between the cross arms there is a ring with a diameter of 33 mm. This ancient sign symbolizes the liberation of Spain from Moorish oppression and was the symbol of the Falange during the reign of Franco . In the intersection of the arrows there is a ribbon that bears the inscription CÆSARIS CÆSARI DEI DEO (give to the emperor what is the emperor's and to God what is God). There are two versions: 1. Form up to the reform of the religious order in 1943, in this version the black cross arms are lined with onyx stones. In the second version, black enamel was used instead of the onyx stones.
medal
The medal for the order has a diameter of 42 mm and is made of gold-plated metal, while the lapel was kept smooth until 1943, from 1943 both this and the obverse were adorned with the reduced order cross with the yoke and arrows. The medal was fastened to the left breast in the usual way in Spain, namely by means of a 34 mm wide band that was pulled through a buckle made of gold-plated metal. The ribbon itself was red here too and had a black central stripe.
Carrying method
The large chain is a Collane where a Spanish right-looking eagle hanging in his talons the emblem bears from the Order sign. It consists of 46 links, which alternate with the yoke and arrow symbols and a red enameled mill wing of the House of Burgundy .
The grand cross was carried on a sash from the right to the left shoulder and with a breast star corresponding to the sign of the order . The grand officer and the commander decorated the award around their necks, while the grand officers also had a smaller breast star. The medal was worn on a ribbon with a strap on the left side of the chest.
The ribbon is red with a wide black central stripe.
literature
- Paul Ohm Hieronymussen: Handbook of European orders in colors. Universitas Verlag, Berlin 1966, DNB 456582703 , p. 182. (1975, ISBN 3-8004-0948-8 )
- Arnhard Graf Klenau: European Order from 1700. Klenau, Rosenheim 1978, ISBN 3-921566-05-3 , p. 197.