Back فرسان الصوف الذهبي Arabic Orde del Toisón d'Oru AST Qızıl Yun ordeni Azerbaijani Ордэн Залатога Руна Byelorussian Ордэн Залатога руна BE-X-OLD Орден на Златното руно Bulgarian Urzh ar Maoutken Aour Breton Orde del Toisó d'Or Catalan Řád zlatého rouna Czech Den gyldne Vlies Danish
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 Full set of Insignia of a knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece of Spain | |
| Awarded by the King of Spain and the Head of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine | |
| Established | 10 January 1430 |
| Motto |
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| Status | Currently constituted |
| Founder | Philip III, Duke of Burgundy |
| Grand Masters | |
| Grades | Knight |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | None |
| Next (lower) | |
 Ribbon of the order | |
The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece (Spanish: Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro,[1] German: Orden vom Goldenen Vlies) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 in Bruges by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy,[2] to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal. Today, two branches of the order exist, namely the Spanish Fleece and the Austrian Fleece; the current grand masters are King Felipe VI of Spain and Karl von Habsburg, head of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, respectively. The Grand Chaplain of the Austrian branch is Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna.
The separation of the two existing branches took place as a result of the War of the Spanish Succession of 1701–1714. The grand master of the order, Charles II of Spain (a Habsburg), had died childless in 1700, and so the right to succeed to the throne of Spain (and thus to become the Sovereign of the Order of the Golden Fleece) initiated a global conflict. On one hand, Charles, brother of the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I, claimed the Spanish crown as an agnatic member of the House of Habsburg, which had inherited the Burgundian titles and had held the Spanish throne for almost two centuries. However, the late king of Spain had named Philip of Bourbon, his sister's grandchild, as his successor in his will. After the conclusion of the war in 1714, the European powers recognized Philip of Bourbon as King of Spain, and the old Burgundian Habsburg territories became part of the Austrian Netherlands (1714–1797), together with the Treasure of the Order and its archive. Thus the two dynasties, namely the Bourbons of Spain and the Habsburgs of Austria, have ever since continued heading the separate orders of the Golden Fleece.
The Golden Fleece became one of the most prestigious and historic orders of chivalry in the world.[3][4][5] De Bourgoing wrote in 1789 that "the number of knights of the Golden Fleece is very limited in Spain, and this is the order, which of all those in Europe, has best preserved its ancient splendour".[6] This conclusion can be made reciprocally for both branches, as both adhere to the limitation set in the 17th century by the Order‘s sovereign. Each collar is solid gold and is estimated to be worth around €50,000 as of 2018, making it the most expensive chivalrous order.[7] Current knights of the Spanish order include Emperor Akihito of Japan, former Tsar Simeon of Bulgaria, and Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, amongst 13 others. Knights of the Austrian branch include King Philippe of Belgium, his father King Albert II, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, The Prince and Grandmaster of the Order of Malta John Dunlap in addition to several Archdukes, Princes of the Holy Roman Empire and few noblemen.
The Spanish order has become an order of merit of the state, while the Austrian order has remained a catholic chivalric order and is recognised even by the Republic of Austria as an international legal entity.
- ^ Vellus aureum Burgundo-Austriacum sive Augusti et ordinis torquatorum aurei velleris equitum ... relatio historiaca. Ed.I., Antonius Kaschutnig, Paulus-Antonius Gundl
- ^ Weatherly, Cecil (1911). . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 851–867.
- ^
Boulton, D'Arcy Jonathan Dacre (2000) [1987]. "The Order of the Golden Fleece: Burgundy and the Netherlands 1430/1–present". The Knights of the Crown: The Monarchical Orders of Knighthood in Later Medieval Europe, 1325-1520 (2 ed.). Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell Press. pp. 395–396. ISBN 9780851157955. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
The very limitation on membership [...] combined with the policy of promoting the election of counts, princes, and even kings [...] gave the Order an immense international prestige [...] membership of the Order of the Golden Fleece came to be coveted and sought after by many princes of middle rank, and far from despised even by kings and emperors. The succession of the Orders fifth sovereign, Duke Charles II, to the thrones of the Spains and the Sicilies in 1516 removed the difficulties that had inevitably arisen from the fact that the head of the Order was a mere duke, for thenceforth its Sovereigns were not only kings but kings of many rich kingdoms. That Charles even as Emperor Charles V continued to regard membership in the Order as one of the highest dignities within his disposal is surely an indication of the esteem in which the [...] Order had come to be held by the time of his accession, as well as a sign of the continuing usefulness of the Order as a political instrument.
- ^ D'Arcy Jonathan Dacre Boulton (2000) [February 1987]. The knights of the crown: the monarchical orders of knighthood in later medieval Europe. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell Press, Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 0-312-45842-8.
- ^ Méndez, Daniel (18 February 2012). "Toisón de oro: el collar de los poderosos". XLSemanal.
- ^ Jean-François de Bourgoing, Travels in Spain: Containing a New, Accurate, and Comprehensive View of the Present State of that Country, G.G.J. and J. Robinson (London, 1789), p. 110
- ^ "Bandera, María: ¿Qué es el Toisón de Oro y quiénes lo han merecido?". COPE. 30 January 2018. Archived from the original on 21 June 2018. Retrieved 13 May 2018.