- Time Period: Pre World War I
- Institution: 31 August 1811
- Country: Spain
The Royal and Military Order of Saint Ferdinand (or Real y Militar Orden de San Fernando), is a Spanish military order whose decoration, the Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand (or Cruz Laureada de San Fernando), is Spain’s highest military decoration for gallantry.
The order 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 Order of Saint Ferdinand Design
The badge of the Orderis a bronze gilt with red and green. It measures approximately 41.3 mm x 41.5 mm and is usually mounted to a bar with a swing locking clasp.
In the cross, the order is decorated with red enamel on the crossguards on the swords.
