The Order of the Golden Fleece was established in 1430 by Philip the Good,
Duke of Burgundy in celebration of the properous and wealthy domaines united
in his person that ran from Flanders to Switzerland. Just as with the Danish
Order of the Elephant, it is not known why Phillip chose the golden fleece
as the sign and symbol of his order. Some point out the great wealth he obtained
from the wool trade in Flanders, others to the spread of humanism and classical
literature, and yet others point to the symbol of Jason for the archangel
Gideon. In his youth Philip always longed to go on crusade to the golden East,
and so the choice of Jason journying east to gain the golden reward may be
a rememberance of his desires. We must also remember that Jason chose a select
crew of the greatest of the Greek warriors, and Philip's "Compaignons" of
the Fleece are his crew of dedicated, Christian demi-saints.
The sovereignty of the order, in hereditary possession of the House of Burgundy,
was, in default of a male heir, destined for the husband of the heiress of
the Duchy until the majority of her son. In 1477, the Grand Mastership passed,
therefore, to the House of Habsburg following the marriage of Mary, daughter
of Charles the Bold, last Duke of Burgundy, to Archduke (later Emperor) Maximilian
of Austria. Following the marriage of Joan (Juana) the Mad of Castille and
Aragon with Archduke Phillip of Austria (son of Maximilian and Mary), control
of the order passed in 1516 to the Spanish branch ot the House of Habsburg.
At that time the Order was enlarged by 10 places for Spanish members, clearly
indicating the Habsburgs long-term plans for Spain in their patrimony. The
first Spanish investisure came in 1519, the year of Charles' accession. Charles
V (I), son of Phillip, willed the Grand Mastership of the order along with
the throne of Spain to his son, Phillip II, after having, in 1521, ceded his
Austrian possessions to his brother Ferdinand I. This last act was very important
years later when both Austria and Spain claimed the order.
In 1700, the last of the Spanish Habsburgs, Charles II, designated as his
heir his grand-nephew, Phillip of France, Duke of Anjou, grandson of Louis
XV, who became Phillip V (a designation that led to the War of the Spanish
Succession). The legitimate Sovereign Heads of the order, Phillip V and Ferdinand
VI, united the Golden Fleece to the Crown of Spain, the Duchy of Burgundy
existing only in theory, having been annexed by France in the reign of Louis
XI.
However, in 1712, the Head of the House of Austria reclaimed the order, together
with the Spanish crown, appropriated the treasury of the order, and proclaimed
himself Soverign Head. The treasury was later brought to Vienna from Bruges
when threatened by French revolutionaries (where it remains to this day).
Since 1712, therefore, there have been two Orders of the Golden Fleece, the
one being confered by the Austrian Monarch, the other by the Spanish Monarch,
and each contesting the legitimacy of the other.
Official language. French (originally
"Our noble Burgundian French"). Still used by the Archduke Otto, whereas Spanish
is the official language used by King Juan Carlos.
Austrian Order. It has preserved the original
statutes: ritual admission with dubbing by sword and solemn oath. Since the
end of the monarchy (1918), Emperor Charles I (1887-1922), then his son, Otto
von Habsburg, as Sovereign Heads, have continued to confer the order. It was
recognized as a Habsburg family order by the Austrian Republic by decree of
8 September, 1953.
Spanish Order. Originally recognized only
by France, it became a civil royal order by decrees of 1847 and 1851, and
has even been accorded to non-Catholics: Soverigns and Princes of: Russia,
Great-Britain (also to the Duke of Wellington), Germany, Japan, Turkey, as
well as to non-nobles, such as the President of the French Republic, Gaston
Doumergue (a Protestant). After the fall of the Spanish monarchy (1931), and
until his death, Alphonso XIII (1886-1941) did not make a single nomination.
Since 1951, his son, the Count of Barcelona, head of the Royal House of Spain,
confered it on six individuals of royal blood. After the Count renounced his
rights, King Juan Carlos named several Spaniards and several foreign soverigns.