View source for Order of the Golden Fleece

{{Short description|Catholic order of chivalry}}
{{Distinguish|text=the [[Golden Fleece Award]]}}
{{For| the French attempt to unify both branches of the Order of the Golden Fleece|Order of the Three Golden Fleeces}}
{{For|a modern Georgian award|Order of the Golden Fleece (Georgia)}}
{{Infobox order
|title            = {{Plainlist|
* Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece
* ''Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro''
* ''Insigne Ordre de la Toison d'Or''
* ''Orden vom Goldenen Vlies''
* ''Insignes Ordo Velleris Aurei''
}}
|image           = Order_of_the_Golden_Fleece_AEA_Collections.jpg
|caption         = Full set of Insignia of a knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece of Spain
|awarded_by      = the [[Monarchy of Spain|King of Spain]] and<br />the Head of the [[House of Habsburg-Lorraine]]
|type            =
|established     = {{Start date and age|1430|1|10|df=y}}
|motto           = {{Plainlist|
* {{lang|la|Pretium Laborum Non Vile}}
* {{lang|la|Non Aliud}}
}}
|day             =
|eligibility     =
|for             = 
|status          = Currently constituted
|founder         = [[Philip III, Duke of Burgundy]]
|head_title      = Grand Masters
|head            = {{Plainlist|
* [[Felipe VI of Spain]]
* [[Karl von Habsburg|Archduke Karl of Austria]]
}}
|grades          = Knight
|former_grades   =
|first_induction =
|last_induction  =
|total           =
|recipients      =
|individual      =
|higher          = None
|lower           = {{Plainlist|
* [[Order of Charles III|Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III]]
* [[Order of St. George (Habsburg-Lorraine)|Imperial and Royal Order of Saint George]]
* [[Military Order of Maria Theresa]]
}}
|image2          = [[File:Order of the Golden Fleece ribbon bar.svg|96px]]
|caption2        = Ribbon of the order
}}
[[Image:Philip the good.jpg|thumb|[[Philip III, Duke of Burgundy]], with the collar of the order (portrait in c. 1450 by [[Rogier van der Weyden]])]]

The '''Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece''' ({{langx|es|Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro}},<ref>Vellus aureum Burgundo-Austriacum sive Augusti et ordinis torquatorum aurei velleris equitum ... relatio historiaca. Ed.I., Antonius Kaschutnig, Paulus-Antonius Gundl</ref> {{langx|de|Orden vom Goldenen Vlies}}) is a Catholic [[order of chivalry]] founded in 1430 in [[Brugge]] by [[Philip the Good]], Duke of Burgundy,<ref name=EB1911>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle= Knighthood and Chivalry | volume=15 | pages=851–867 | first=Cecil | last=Weatherly}}</ref> to celebrate his marriage to [[Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy|Isabella of Portugal]]. Today, two branches of the order exist, namely the Spanish Fleece and the Austrian Fleece; the current grand masters are [[Felipe VI|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 [[House of Habsburg | 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 continental conflict. On one hand, [[Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles]], brother of the Holy Roman Emperor [[Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor | Joseph I]], claimed the Spanish crown as an [[Agnatic seniority|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 V of Spain|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 [[Spanish Bourbons | Bourbons of Spain]] and the [[Habsburg Dynasty|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.<ref>
{{cite book
 |last1                = Boulton
 |first1               = D'Arcy Jonathan Dacre
 |author-link1         = D'Arcy Boulton (heraldist)
 |year                 = 2000
 |orig-date            = 1987
 |chapter              = The Order of the Golden Fleece: Burgundy and the Netherlands 1430/1–present
 |title                = The Knights of the Crown: The Monarchical Orders of Knighthood in Later Medieval Europe, 1325-1520
 |url                  = https://books.google.com/books?id=Pv1RUpw5ss4C
 |edition              = 2
 |publication-place    = Woodbridge, Suffolk
 |publisher            = Boydell Press
 |pages                = 395–396
 |isbn                 = 9780851157955
 |access-date          = 15 August 2024
 |quote                = 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, Holy Roman 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.
}} 
</ref><ref>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}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.xlsemanal.com/actualidad/20120219/collar-poderosos-2209.html| last= Méndez | first = Daniel|website= XLSemanal|date=18 February 2012 | title = Toisón de oro: el collar de los poderosos}}</ref> [[Jean-François de Bourgoing|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".<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Rt4LAAAAYAAJ&q=ancient+splendour&pg=PR3 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]</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cope.es/noticias/actualidad/que-toison-oro-quienes-han-merecido_169474 |title=Bandera, María: ¿Qué es el Toisón de Oro y quiénes lo han merecido? |website=[[Cadena COPE|COPE]] |date=30 January 2018 |access-date=13 May 2018 |archive-date=21 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621143723/http://www.cope.es/noticias/actualidad/que-toison-oro-quienes-han-merecido_169474 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Current knights of the Spanish order include [[Akihito|Emperor Akihito]] of Japan, [[Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha|former Tsar Simeon of Bulgaria]], and Princess [[Beatrix of the Netherlands]], amongst 13 others. Knights of the Austrian branch include [[Philippe of Belgium|King Philippe of Belgium]], his father [[Albert II of Belgium|King Albert II]], [[Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg|Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg]], [[John T. Dunlap|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.

==Origin==
[[File:Rogier van der Weyden (workshop of) - Portrait of Isabella of Portugal.jpg|thumb|left|upright|The order was founded by [[Philip the Good]] to celebrate his marriage to Portuguese princess [[Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy|Isabella of Avis]].]]
The Order of the Golden Fleece was established on 10 January 1430, by [[Philip the Good]], [[Duke of Burgundy]] (on the occasion of his wedding to [[Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy|Isabella of Portugal]]), in celebration of the prosperous and wealthy domains [[Personal union|united in his person]] that ran from [[Flanders]] to [[Switzerland]].<ref name="Gibbons2013">{{cite book|last=Gibbons|first=Rachel|title=Exploring history 1400–1900: An anthology of primary sources |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m_rHCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT65 |access-date=2018-07-30 |year=2013|publisher=Manchester University Press |isbn=9781847792587 |page=65 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> The jester and dwarf [[Madame d'Or]] performed at the creation of the order of the Golden Fleece in Bruges.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Anglo American|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DCw6AQAAMAAJ|year=1844|page=610}}</ref> It is restricted to a limited number of [[knight]]s, initially 24 but increased to 30 in 1433, and 50 in 1516, plus the sovereign.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.antiquesatoz.com/sgfleece/origins.htm |title=Origins of the Golden Fleece |publisher=Antiquesatoz.com |date=September 8, 1953 |access-date=May 3, 2012}}</ref> The order's first [[Toison d'Or King of Arms|king of arms]] was [[Jean Le Fèvre de Saint-Remy]].<ref name="JAB1">{{Cite book|title=Choix de chroniques et mémoires sur l'histoire de France: avec notices|trans-title=Selection of chronicles and memoirs on the history of France: with notices|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z4IgxfpoaE4C|first=Jean Alexandre|last=Buchon|author-link=Jean Alexandre Buchon|publisher=Auguste Desrez|location=Paris|volume=2|year=1838|language=fr|pages=xi–xvi (11–16)}}</ref> It received further privileges unusual to any order of knighthood: the sovereign undertook to consult the order before going to war; all disputes between the knights were to be settled by the order; at each [[Chapter (religion)|chapter]] the deeds of each knight were held in review, and punishments and admonitions were dealt out to offenders, and to this the sovereign was expressly subject; the knights could claim as of right to be tried by their fellows on charges of rebellion, heresy and treason, and Charles V conferred on the order exclusive jurisdiction over all crimes committed by the knights; the arrest of the offender had to be by warrant signed by at least six knights, and during the process of charge and trial he remained not in prison but in the gentle custody of his fellow knights.<ref name=EB1911/>  The order, conceived in an ecclesiastical spirit in which [[Mass (liturgy)|mass]] and [[obsequies]] were prominent and the knights were seated in choirstalls like [[Canon (priest)|canon]]s,<ref>[[Johan Huizinga]], ''[[The Autumn of the Middle Ages|The Waning of the Middle Ages]]'' (1919) 1924:75.</ref> was explicitly denied to [[heretics]], and so became an exclusively [[Catholic]] honour during the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]].  The officers of the order were the chancellor, the treasurer, the registrar, and the [[Toison d'Or King of Arms|king of arms]] (herald, {{lang|fr|[[Toison d'Or King of Arms|toison d'or]]}}).
[[File:Jan van Eyck - Portrait of Baudouin de Lannoy - WGA7607.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Baudouin de Lannoy]], c. 1435, one of the first knights of the Golden Fleece, inducted in 1430]]
[[File:Pompa funebris Albert Ardux - Trazegnies.jpg|thumb|The Marquis of Trazengnies with the Insignia, funeral of [[Albert VII, Archduke of Austria|Albert VII of Austria]]]]

The Duke's stated reason for founding this institution had been given in a proclamation issued following his marriage, in which he wrote that he had done so "for the reverence of God and the maintenance of our Christian Faith, and to honor and exalt the noble order of knighthood, and also&nbsp;... to do honor to old knights; ...&nbsp;so that those who are at present still capable and strong of body and do each day the deeds pertaining to chivalry shall have cause to continue from good to better; and&nbsp;... so that those knights and gentlemen who shall see worn the order&nbsp;... should honor those who wear it, and be encouraged to employ themselves in noble deeds&nbsp;...".<ref>Doulton, op. cit., pp. 360–361</ref>

The Order of the Golden Fleece was defended from possible accusations of prideful pomp by the Burgundian court poet Michault Taillevent, who asserted that it was instituted:

{{blockquote|<poem>{{lang|frm|Non point pour jeu ne pour esbatement,
Mais à la fin que soit attribuée
Loenge à Dieu trestout premièrement
Et aux bons gloire et haulte renommée.}}</poem>}}

Translated into [[English language|English]]:<ref>[[Johan Huizinga]], ''[[The Autumn of the Middle Ages|The Waning of the Middle Ages]]'' (1924 [1919]), p. 75).</ref>

{{poemquote|Not for amusement nor for recreation,
But for the purpose that praise shall be given 
To God, in the very first place,
And to the good, glory and high renown.}}

The choice of the [[Golden Fleece]] of [[Colchis]] as the symbol of a Christian order caused some controversy, not so much because of its pagan context, which could be incorporated in chivalric ideals, as in the [[Nine Worthies]], but because the feats of [[Argonautica|Jason]], familiar to all, were not without causes of reproach, expressed in anti-Burgundian terms by [[Alain Chartier]] in his ''Ballade de Fougères'' referring to Jason as "Who, to carry off the fleece of Colchis, was willing to commit perjury."<ref>"''qui pour emportrer la toison De Colcos se veult parjurer.''"</ref> The bishop of Châlons, chancellor of the order, identified it instead with the fleece of [[Gideon]] that received the dew of Heaven ({{bibleverse|Judges|6:37}}).<ref>Huizinga 1924:77.</ref>

The badge of the order, in the form of a sheepskin, was suspended from a jewelled [[Livery collar|collar]] of firesteels in the shape of the letter B, for Burgundy, linked by flints; with the motto {{lang|la|Pretium Laborum Non Vile}} ('No Mean Reward for Labours')<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_details.aspx?objectid=83357&partid=1&output=People%2F!!%2FOR%2F!!%2F96219%2F!%2F96219-1-7%2F!%2FRepresentation+of+Jason%2F!%2F%2F!!%2F%2F!!!%2F&orig=%2Fresearch%2Fsearch_the_collection_database%2Fadvanced_search.aspx&currentPage=6&numpages=10 |title=Search object details |publisher=British Museum |date=February 22, 1994 |access-date=May 3, 2012}}</ref> engraved on the front of the central link, and Philip's motto {{lang|la|Non Aliud}} ('I will have no other') on the back (non-royal knights of the Golden Fleece were forbidden to belong to any other order of knighthood).

[[File:Gothic Quarter, Barcelona, Spain - panoramio (35).jpg|thumb|300px|Choir at the [[Cathedral of Barcelona]] with the arms of the knights of the order in the 1519 chapter. From left to right, [[Fadrique Enríquez de Velasco]], the dukes of [[Fernando Ramon Folch, 2nd Duke of Cardona|Cardona]], [[Duke of Béjar|Béjar]], [[Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, 3rd Duke of the Infantado|Infantado]] and [[Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo, 2nd Duke of Alba|Alba]] followed by others<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/33308633/_Joan_de_Borgonya_pintor_del_XIXo_cap%C3%ADtulo_de_la_orden_del_Toisón_de_Oro_Actas_congreso_Carlos_V_Barcelona_2000_Madrid_2001_v._III_p._121-180.pdf Ernest Berenguer Cebriá, ''De la Unión de Coronas al Imperio de Carlos V'', Sociedad Estatal para la Conmemoración de los Centenarios de Felipe II y Carlos V, Universitat de Barcelona, Congreso Internacional (Madrid, 2001), p. 128]</ref>]]

During this time, the Burgundian court was culturally leading in Europe and so the new order, with its festivals, ceremonies, rituals and constitution, was seen by many as a role model in the sense of a princely order based on the ideals of Christian chivalry. Aid to the Byzantine Empire or the pushing back of the Ottomans was repeatedly promoted by the Burgundian dukes in connection with their order. The Burgundian fleet actually crossed Rhodes and the Black Sea, but all of the ideas came from an extended planning phase that was not yet complete.<ref>Hermann Kamp „Burgund – Geschichte und Kultur“ (2011), p. 82.</ref><ref>Johannes Fried „Das Mittelalter. Geschichte und Kultur.“ (2011), pp. 460, 512.</ref>
After the death of [[Charles the Bold]] in an attempt to conquer the Duchy of Lorraine caused the extinction of the House of Burgundy in 1477, the order passed to the House of Habsburg.<ref>Johannes Fried „Das Mittelalter. Geschichte und Kultur“ (The middle age. History and culture. - German), 2011, p. 524.</ref> A few months after his marriage to the heiress [[Mary of Burgundy]], [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Maximilian of Habsburg]] was knighted in Bruges on April 30, 1478, and then appointed sovereign (grand master) of the order. All renegade or disloyal knights of the order in the course of the subsequent [[War of the Burgundian Succession]] were expelled from the order by Maximilian. The memory of the dead was erased and their coats of arms were broken.<ref>Manfred Hollegger "Maximilian I." (2005), p. 59.</ref>

[[File:Archive-ugent-be-E9966662-A46F-11E7-97F2-678719B1B84C DS-3 (cropped).jpg|left|thumb|444x444px|Roll of arms of the knights of the Golden Fleece. Made in the first half of the 16th century.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Wapenrol van de ridders van het Gulden Vlies (fragment)|url=https://lib.ugent.be/viewer/archive.ugent.be:E9966662-A46F-11E7-97F2-678719B1B84C#?c=&m=&s=&cv=&xywh=-59,-849,8113,3173|access-date=2020-08-27|website=lib.ugent.be}}</ref>]]
From Emperor [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] or King [[Philip II of Spain]], the sovereign was on the one hand the head of the Spanish line of the Habsburgs and on the other hand also king of Spain. Charles V was appointed head of the order at the age of 9 and identified himself strongly with this community throughout his life. The ideal of chivalrous and brave living was brought to him by [[William de Croÿ]].<ref>Luise Schorn-Schütte "Karl V." (2006), p. 12.</ref> When in 1700 Charles II of Spain died childless, both the Habsburgs from the Habsburg lands and the Bourbons, as the new kings of Spain, claimed sovereignty of the order. Both noble houses basically invoked their claims regarding the Spanish crown. The House of Habsburg's claim relied on Article 65 of the Statutes.<ref>Vgl. Leopold Auer „Der Übergang des Ordens an die österreichischen Habsburger“ in „Das Haus Habsburg und der Orden vom Goldenen Vlies“ (2007), S. 53ff.</ref> [[Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI]] was able to claim sovereignty of the Netherlands, the Burgundian heartland, during the War of the Spanish Succession and thus he could celebrate the order's festival in Vienna in 1713. As with Maximilian I or Charles V, the order was again closely associated with the [[Holy Roman Empire]].
Regardless of this, the order was divided into two lines. The Habsburg order owns the archive and the old insignia and adheres more to the original statutes.<ref>Manfred Leithe-Jasper, Rudolf Distelberger „Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien: die Schatzkammer“ (1998 - 1), p. 60.</ref>

==Spanish order==
{{anchor|Spanish Order|reason=Old, over-capitalised heading, probably has incoming links.}}
[[File:Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, KG GCB - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Duke of Wellington]] wearing the Spanish Fleece in 1820]]
[[File:Prince Albert - Franz Xaver Winterhalter 1842.jpg|thumb|[[Albert, Prince Consort|Prince Albert]] wearing the Spanish Fleece in 1842 (portrait by [[Franz Xaver Winterhalter]])]]
With the absorption of the Burgundian lands into the [[Spanish Empire|Spanish Habsburg]] empire, the sovereignty of the order passed to the Habsburg kings of [[Spain]], where it remained until the death of the last of the Spanish Habsburgs, [[Charles II of Spain|Charles II]], in 1700. He was succeeded as king by [[Philip V of Spain|Philip V]], a [[House of Bourbon|Bourbon]]. The dispute between Philip and the Habsburg pretender to the Spanish throne, the [[Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Archduke Charles]], led to the [[War of the Spanish Succession]], and also resulted in the division of the order into Spanish and [[Austria]]n branches. In either case the sovereign, as [[Duke of Burgundy]], writes the letter of appointment in French.

The controversial conferral of the Fleece on [[Napoleon]] and his brother [[Joseph Bonaparte|Joseph]], while Spain was occupied by French troops, angered the exiled king of [[France]], [[Louis XVIII of France|Louis XVIII]], and caused him to return his collar in protest. These, and other awards by Joseph, were revoked by King [[Ferdinand VII of Spain|Ferdinand]] on the restoration of Bourbon rule in 1813. [[Napoleon]] created by Order of 15 August 1809 the Order of the Three Golden Fleeces, in view of his sovereignty over Austria, Spain and Burgundy. This was opposed by [[Joseph Bonaparte|Joseph I of Spain]] and appointments to the new order were never made.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.adghn.org/confe/2006/desc_jose_bonaparte.pdf |title=Rey y Cabieses, Amadeo-Martín – La descendencia de José Bonaparte, rey de España y de las Indias, slide 22 |access-date=2017-01-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329045758/http://www.adghn.org/confe/2006/desc_jose_bonaparte.pdf |archive-date=2017-03-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1812, the acting government of Spain conferred the Fleece upon the [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Duke of Wellington]], an act confirmed by Ferdinand on his resumption of power, with the approval of [[Pope Pius VII]]. Wellington therefore became the first [[Protestant]] to be honoured with the Golden Fleece. It has subsequently also been conferred upon non-Christians, such as [[Bhumibol Adulyadej|Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand]].

There was another crisis in 1833 when [[Isabella II of Spain|Isabella II]] became Queen of Spain in defiance of [[Salic Law]] that did not allow women to become heads of state. Her right to confer the Fleece was challenged by Spanish [[Carlism|Carlists]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}}

Sovereignty remained with the head of the Spanish House of Bourbon during the republican (1931–1939) and Francoist (1939–1975) periods, and is held today by the present king of Spain, [[Felipe VI of Spain|Felipe VI]]. There is confusion towards the conferral of the Fleece on [[Francisco Franco]] in 1972. The order was illegally offered by [[Infante Jaime, Duke of Segovia|Infante Jaime]] to him on the occasion of [[Alfonso, Duke of Anjou and Cádiz|his son's]] wedding to the dictator's granddaughter, [[Carmen Martínez-Bordiú|Carmen]]. Franco kindly refused the order on the basis of legitimacy and primogeniture, stating that the Golden Fleece could only be granted by the reigning king of Spain. Moreover, the right of conferral was in any case a prerogative of Jaime's younger brother, [[Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona|Infante Juan]], as designated heir to the throne of Spain by his father [[Alfonso XIII of Spain|Alfonso XIII]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=mgDWLYcTYIAC&dq=order+of+the+golden+fleece+franco&pg=PA582 Stanley G. Payne, ''The Franco Regime, 1936-1975'', The University of Wisconsin Press (London, 1987), p. 582]</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=1hK_DAAAQBAJ&dq=order+of+the+golden+fleece+franco&pg=PA56 Charles Powell, ''Juan Carlos of Spain: Self-Made Monarch'', St Antony's College, Oxford, Palgrave Macmillan (London, 1996), p. 56]</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1972/03/09/archives/wedding-of-francos-granddaughter-attended-by-2000.html Richard Eder, "Wedding of Franco's Granddaughter Attended by 2.000" in ''The New York Times'', March 9, 1972]</ref>

Knights of the order are entitled to be addressed with the style ''[[Excellency|His/Her Excellency]]'' in front of their name.<ref>Satow, Ernest Mason; [https://archive.org/details/guidetodiplomati00satouoft ''A Guide to Diplomatic Practice''], p. 249.</ref>

[[File:RetratodompedroIIcrianca.JPG|thumb|Emperor [[Pedro II of Brazil]] wearing the Spanish Fleece in 1838]]

===Grand Masters of the Order===
*[[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles I]] (1516–1556)
*[[Philip II of Spain|Philip II]] (1556–1598)
*[[Philip III of Spain|Philip III]] (1598–1621)
*[[Philip IV of Spain|Philip IV]] (1621–1665)
*[[Charles II of Spain|Charles II]] (1665–1700)
*[[Philip V of Spain|Philip V]] (1700–1724)
*[[Louis I of Spain|Louis I]] (1724–1724)
*[[Philip V of Spain|Philip V]] (1724–1746)
*[[Ferdinand VI of Spain|Ferdinand VI]] (1746–1759)
*[[Charles III of Spain|Charles III]] (1759–1788)
*[[Charles IV of Spain|Charles IV]] (1788–1808)
*[[Ferdinand VII of Spain|Ferdinand VII]] (1808–1833)
*[[Isabella II of Spain|Isabella II]] (1833–1870)
*[[Amadeo I of Spain|Amadeo I]] (1870–1873)
*[[Alfonso XII of Spain|Alfonso XII]] (1874–1885)
*[[Alfonso XIII of Spain|Alfonso XIII]] (1886–1941)
*[[Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona|Juan, Count of Barcelona]] (1941–1977)
*[[Juan Carlos I of Spain|Juan Carlos I]] (1977–2014)
*[[Felipe VI of Spain|Felipe VI]] (2014–present)

[[File:François-Hubert Drouais - Louis XV - 1773.jpg|thumb|[[Louis XV]] wearing the Spanish Fleece in 1773]]

===Living members===
Below a list of the names of the living knights and ladies, in chronologic order and, within parentheses, the year when they were inducted into the order:

# [[Juan Carlos I of Spain]] (1941)&nbsp;– former sovereign of the order as king of Spain from 1975 to 2014.
# [[Felipe VI of Spain]] (1981)&nbsp;– as reigning king of Spain, sovereign of the order since 2014 after [[Juan Carlos I of Spain|his father]] abdicated his rights to him.
# [[Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden]] (1983)<ref>''[http://boe.es/boe/dias/1983/04/20/pdfs/A10953-10953.pdf Boletín Oficial del Estado]'' {{in lang|es}}, 20 April 1983 (accessed on October 23, 2016)</ref>
# [[Akihito]] (1985),<ref>''[http://boe.es/boe/dias/1985/02/28/pdfs/A05055-05055.pdf Boletín Oficial del Estado]'' {{in lang|es}}, 28 February 1985 (accessed on October 23, 2016)</ref> as Crown Prince, later Emperor (1989–2019), and since 2019 Emperor Emeritus of Japan
# [[Beatrix of the Netherlands|Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands]] (1985),<ref>''[http://boe.es/boe/dias/1985/10/08/pdfs/A31635-31635.pdf Boletín Oficial del Estado]'' {{in lang|es}}, 8 October 1985 (accessed on October 23, 2016)</ref> as Queen of the Netherlands (1980–2013)
# [[Margrethe II of Denmark]] (1985),<ref>''[http://boe.es/boe/dias/1985/10/24/pdfs/A33619-33619.pdf Boletín Oficial del Estado]'' {{in lang|es}}, 24 October 1985 (accessed on October 23, 2016)</ref> former Queen of Denmark (1972–2024)
# [[Albert II of Belgium]] (1994),<ref>''[http://boe.es/boe/dias/1994/09/17/pdfs/A28673-28673.pdf Boletín Oficial del Estado]'' {{in lang|es}}, 17 September 1994 (accessed on October 23, 2016)</ref> former King of the Belgians (1993–2013)
# [[Harald V of Norway]] (1995)<ref>''[http://boe.es/boe/dias/1995/04/25/pdfs/A12158-12158.pdf Boletín Oficial del Estado]'' {{in lang|es}}, 25 April 1995 (accessed on October 23, 2016)</ref>
# [[Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha]] (2004), former Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria, 1943–1946, and former [[Prime Minister of Bulgaria|prime minister of the Republic of Bulgaria]], 2001–2005 <ref>''[http://boe.es/boe/dias/2004/10/02/pdfs/A33224-33224.pdf Boletín Oficial del Estado]'' {{in lang|es}}, 2 October 2004 (accessed on October 23, 2016)</ref>
# [[Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg]] (2007)<ref>''[http://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2007/04/14/pdfs/A16516-16516.pdf Boletín Oficial del Estado]'' {{in lang|es}}, 14 April 2007 (accessed on June 9, 2007)</ref>
# [[Javier Solana]] (2010)<ref>''[http://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2010/01/23/pdfs/BOE-A-2010-1055.pdf Boletín Oficial del Estado]'' {{in lang|es}}, 23 January 2010 (accessed on January 23, 2010)</ref>
# [[Víctor García de la Concha]] (2010)<ref>''[http://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2010/01/23/pdfs/BOE-A-2010-1056.pdf Boletín Oficial del Estado]'' {{in lang|es}}, 23 January 2010 (accessed on January 23, 2010)</ref>
# [[Nicolas Sarkozy]], former [[President of France|president of the French Republic]] and [[Co-Prince of Andorra]], 2007–2012 (2011)<ref>''[http://boe.es/boe/dias/2011/11/26/pdfs/BOE-A-2011-18623.pdf Boletín Oficial del Estado]'' {{in lang|es}}, 26 noviembre 2011 (accessed on October 23, 2016)</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.iafrica.com/worldnews/765826.html |title=iafrica.com &#124; news &#124; world news &#124; Sarkozy to get Golden Fleece |publisher=News.iafrica.com |date=November 25, 2011 |access-date=May 3, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212185632/http://news.iafrica.com/worldnews/765826.html |archive-date=February 12, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
# [[Enrique V. Iglesias]] (2014)<ref>''[http://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2014/03/29/pdfs/BOE-A-2014-3401.pdf Boletín Oficial del Estado]'' {{in lang|es}}, 29 March 2014 (accessed on March 30, 2014)</ref>
# [[Leonor, Princess of Asturias]] (2015,<ref>''[https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2015/10/31/pdfs/BOE-A-2015-11718.pdf Boletín Oficial del Estado]'' {{in lang|es}}, 31 October 2010 (accessed on October 31, 2015)</ref> presented 2018<ref>''[https://www.euroweeklynews.com/2018/01/30/king-of-spain-celebrates-birthday-by-knighting-daughter/ Euro Weekly News]'', 30 January 2018 (accessed 19 March 2020)</ref>)
# [[Queen Sofía of Spain]] (2024)<ref>{{Cite web |last=RTVE.es |date=2025-01-10 |title=Felipe VI concede a la reina Sofía el Toisón de Oro por su entrega y dedicación a España |url=https://www.rtve.es/noticias/20250110/felipe-vi-reina-sofia-toison-oro-entrega-dedicacion-espana/16401371.shtml |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=RTVE.es |language=es}}</ref>
{{clear}}

===Armorial of the Spanish Golden Fleece===
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed"  style="width: 100%; margin: auto;"
|-
! style="background:#ccf;"|Coats of arms of current Knights of the Spanish Golden Fleece
|-
| 
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto; text-align: center; table-layout: fixed;"
|-
| [[File:Coat of Arms of Spanish Monarch.svg|175px]]
| [[File:Coat of Arms of Leonor, Princess of Asturias.svg|175px]]
| [[File:Coat of Arms of Juan Carlos I of Spain.svg|195px]]
|-
| [[Felipe VI of Spain|The King of Spain]]
| [[Leonor, Princess of Asturias|The Princess of Asturias]]
| [[Juan Carlos I of Spain|King Juan Carlos of Spain]]
|-
| [[File:Coat of arms of Sofia, Queen of Spain (Golden Fleece).svg|175px]]
| [[File:Coat of arms of Javier Solana.svg|185px]]
| [[File:Coat of Arms of Víctor García de la Concha.svg|185px]]
|-
| [[Queen Sofía of Spain]]
| [[Javier Solana]]
| [[Víctor García de la Concha]]
|-
| [[File:Coat of Arms of Enrique Valentín Iglesias.svg|185px]]
|-
| [[Enrique V. Iglesias]]
|}
|}

==Austrian (Habsburg) order==
{{anchor|Austrian Order|reason=Old, over-capitalised heading, probably has incoming links.}}

[[File:Imperial Coat of Arms of the Empire of Austria.svg|thumb|left|Imperial Coat of Arms of the [[Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian Empire]] with the Golden Fleece]]
[[Image:Leopold Kupelwieser - Kaiser Ferdinand I.jpg|thumb|[[Ferdinand I of Austria|Ferdinand I]], Emperor of Austria, as grand master of the Austrian branch]]
[[File:Galauniform von Kaiser Franz Joseph I.jpg|thumb|Gala uniform of Emperor [[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Franz Joseph]], with the insigna around the neck]]
[[Image:Golden Fleece dsc02935.jpg|thumb|Potence or neck collar of the [[Toison d'Or King of Arms|king of arms to the order]]]]

The Austrian order did not suffer from the political difficulties of the Spanish, remaining (with the exception of the British prince regent, later George IV) an honour solely for Catholic royalty and nobility. The problem of female inheritance was avoided on the accession of [[Maria Theresa of Austria|Maria Theresa]] in 1740, as sovereignty of the order passed not to herself but to her husband, [[Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor|Francis]].

The entire treasure of the order, which also includes the "Ainkhürn sword" of the last duke of Burgundy and the centuries-old oath cross, which contains a cross splinter of the [[True Cross]], is located in the [[Imperial Treasury, Vienna|Vienna Treasury]] and, like the archive and the old insignia, is the property of the Habsburg branch.<ref>Manfred Leithe-Jasper, Rudolf Distelberger „Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien: die Schatzkammer“ (German), 1998 - 1.</ref>

Upon the collapse of the Austrian monarchy after the [[World War I|First World War]], King [[Albert I of Belgium]] requested that the sovereignty and treasure of the order be transferred to him as the ruler of the former Habsburg lands of Burgundy. This claim was seriously considered by the victorious [[Allies of World War I|Allies]] at [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919|Versailles]] but was eventually rejected due to the intervention of King [[Alfonso XIII of Spain]], who took possession of the property of the order on behalf of the dethroned emperor, [[Charles I of Austria]].

Nazi Germany classified the order as hostile to the state and tried to confiscate the entire treasure of the order including the archive. Hitler categorically rejected the centuries-old Habsburg principles of "live and let live" in relation to ethnic groups, peoples, minorities, religions, cultures and languages, and also wanted to seize significant works of art that are unique worldwide. Hitler intended to decide on the use of the assets after they had been confiscated.<ref>Birgit Schwarz „Hitlers Sonderauftrag Ostmark: Kunstraub und Museumspolitik im Nationalsozialismus“ (2018), p 129.</ref><ref>Theodor Brückler „Kunstraub, Kunstbergung und Restitution in Österreich 1938 bis heute.“ (1999), p 61.</ref><ref>Timothy Snyder "The Red Prince: The Secret Lives of a Habsburg Archduke" (2008); James Longo "Hitler and the Habsburgs: The Fuhrer's Vendetta Against the Austrian Royals" (2018); Bob Carruthers "Hitler's Violent Youth: How Trench Warfare and Street Fighting Moulded Hitler" (2015).</ref> After the [[Anschluss|annexation of Austria]] in 1938, [[Maximilian, Duke of Hohenberg|Max von Hohenberg]], Habsburg representative in the affairs of the order, was immediately sent to a concentration camp.<ref>Les manuscrits du C.E.D.R.E. – Dictionnaire Historique et Généalogique, vol. II. L’Empire d'Autriche. Cercle d'Études des Dynasties Royales Européennes (president, Jean-Fred Tourtchine), Paris- 1991, pp. 190–195.</ref>

After the Second World War in 1953, the Republic of Austria continued to confirm to the House of Habsburg the right to the Order on its territory, in particular that the Order has its own legal personality. As a result, the order itself remains the owner of the treasure and the archive.<ref>Peter Diem „Die Symbole Österreichs (German - The symbols of Austria)“ (1995), p 214.</ref> The historically and artistically extremely valuable treasure from the early days of the order includes the oath cross from 1401/02, the golden collar of office for the herald (1517), collars of the order (approx. 1560), vestments and historical relics.<ref>[https://www.kaiserliche-schatzkammer.at/fr/besuchen/sammlungen/weltliche-schatzkammer/ausgesuchte-meisterwerke/ Imperial Treasury Vienna]</ref>

Sovereignty of the Austrian branch remains with the head of the [[House of Habsburg]], which was handed over on 20 November 2000 by [[Otto von Habsburg]] to his elder son, [[Karl von Habsburg]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wiener-schatzkammer.at/goldenes-vlies.html |title=Schatz des Ordens vom Goldenen Vlies |website=Die Wiener Schatzkammer |access-date=September 11, 2016}}</ref>

November 30 (feast day of St. [[Andrew the Apostle]], patron saint of Burgundy) is the day of the order, when new members are accepted into the order. The extremely valuable treasures are in the Vienna Treasury and in the Austrian State Archives. To date, the new knights and officers take the oath in front of the so-called "oath cross", which is kept in the treasury in Vienna. It is a simply designed golden cross set with precious stones (sapphires, rubies and pearls). In the central part of the cross there is a splinter of the Holy Cross, which makes it a [[True Cross|relic cross]].<ref>[https://www.wienerzeitung.at/startseite/archiv/108061_Verteidiger-des-Glaubens-und-der-Kirche.html Symposium on the history of the Order of the Golden Fleece (German), Wiener Zeitung, 7 December 2006.]</ref>

===Grand Masters of the Order===
* [[Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Charles VI]] (1711–1740)
* [[Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Francis I]] (1740–1765)
* [[Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Joseph II]] (1765–1790)
* [[Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Leopold II]] (1790–1792)
* [[Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Francis II]] (1792–1835)
* [[Ferdinand I of Austria|Emperor Ferdinand I]] (1835–1848)
* [[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Emperor Franz Joseph I]] (1848–1916)
* [[Charles I of Austria|Emperor Charles I]] (1916–1922)
* [[Otto von Habsburg|Archduke Otto von Habsburg]] (1922–2011)
* [[Karl von Habsburg|Archduke Karl von Habsburg]] (2011–present)

===Living members===
Below a list of the names of the known living knights, followed in parentheses by the date, when known, of their induction into the order:

* [[Franz, Duke of Bavaria]] (1960)<ref name="antiquesatoz">{{cite web |url=http://www.antiquesatoz.com/sgfleece/knights7.htm |title=Chevaliers de la Toison d'Or, Toison Autrichienne |access-date=September 11, 2016}}</ref><ref>''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels'', Fürstliche Häuser XVIII (Limburg an der Lahn: C.A. Starke, 2007), 4.</ref>
* [[Karl von Habsburg|Archduke Karl of Austria]] (1961)<ref name="antiquesatoz" /> – sovereign ([[Grand Master (order)|grand master]]) of the order since 2000
* Archduke Andreas Salvator of Austria, Prince of Tuscany<ref name="antiquesatoz" /><ref>''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels'', Fürstliche Häuser XIV (Limburg an der Lahn: C.A. Starke, 1991), 111.</ref>
* Archduke Carl Salvator of Austria, Prince of Tuscany<ref name="antiquesatoz" /><ref>''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels'', Fürstliche Häuser XIV (Limburg an der Lahn: C.A. Starke, 1991), 113.</ref>
* [[Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este]]<ref name="antiquesatoz" /><ref>''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels'', Fürstliche Häuser XIV (Limburg an der Lahn: C.A. Starke, 1991), 95.</ref>
* Archduke Michael of Austria<ref name="antiquesatoz" /><ref>''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels'', Fürstliche Häuser XIV (Limburg an der Lahn: C.A. Starke, 1991), 119.</ref>
* Archduke Michael Salvator of Austria, Prince of Tuscany <ref name="antiquesatoz" /><ref>''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels'', Fürstliche Häuser XIV (Limburg an der Lahn: C.A. Starke, 1991), 112.</ref>
* [[Georg von Habsburg|Archduke Georg of Austria]]<ref name="antiquesatoz" /><ref>''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels'', Fürstliche Häuser XIV (Limburg an der Lahn: C.A. Starke, 1991), 94.</ref>
* [[Archduke Carl Christian of Austria]]<ref name="antiquesatoz" />
* [[King Albert II of Belgium]]<ref name="antiquesatoz" />
* [[Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein]]<ref name="antiquesatoz" /><ref>''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels'', Fürstliche Häuser XVIII (Limburg an der Lahn: C.A. Starke, 2007), 50.</ref>
* [[Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza]]<ref name="antiquesatoz" /><ref>''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels'', Fürstliche Häuser XIV (Limburg an der Lahn: C.A. Starke, 1991), 122.</ref>
* Archduke Joseph of Austria (born 1960)<ref name="antiquesatoz" />
* [[Alois-Konstantin, 9th Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg|The Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg]]<ref name="antiquesatoz" /><ref>''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels'', Fürstliche Häuser XIX (Limburg an der Lahn: C.A. Starke, 2011), 271.</ref>
* [[Mariano Hugo, Prince of Windisch-Graetz]]<ref name="antiquesatoz" /><ref>''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels'', Fürstliche Häuser XIX (Limburg an der Lahn: C.A. Starke, 2011), 436.</ref>
* Baron Johann Friedrich of Solemacher-Antweiler<ref name="antiquesatoz" />
* Kubrat, Prince of Panagyurishte (2002)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://hs.zrc-sazu.si/Portals/0/sp/hs7_n/7_Covert_HS7.pdf |title="The Habsburg Most Illustrious Order of the Golden Fleece: Its Potential Relevance on Modern Culture in the European Union" |access-date=2012-04-07 |archive-date=2017-03-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329045942/http://hs.zrc-sazu.si/Portals/0/sp/hs7_n/7_Covert_HS7.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Philippe of Belgium]] (2008)
* [[Michel, 14th Prince of Ligne|Michel, Prince of Ligne]] (2011)
* Prince Charles-Louis de [[House of Merode|Merode]] (2011)
* [[Ferdinand Zvonimir von Habsburg|Archduke Ferdinand Zvonimir of Austria]]<ref>[http://bilder.bild.de/fotos-skaliert/habsburg-lothringen-zvonimir-21976605-mfbh-20261988/2,h=493.bild.jpeg Bild.de]{{Dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
* [[Alexander, Margrave of Meissen]] (2012)<ref>[http://www.markgraf-von-meissen.de/en/markgraf_alexander.htm Prince Alexander of Saxony Duke of Saxony]</ref>
* [[Zsolt Semjén]] (2022)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Semjén Zsolt |url=https://kdnp.hu/kdnp/parlamenti-frakcio/semjen-zsolt |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=Kereszténydemokrata Néppárt - kdnp.hu |language=hu}}</ref>
* [[Eduard Habsburg-Lothringen|Archduke Eduard of Austria]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://x.com/eduardhabsburg/status/1790403878267048235?s=61|title=Eduard Habsburg on X: 'Thanks for getting me across the threshold of 💐80.000 followers💐! Thanks for enduring my oddball mix of 🇭🇺 Hungary and history (&Habsburgs), 🇻🇦 Vatican diplomacy and movies, family and novels. And the odd anime. It's a joy to interact with you all, you give me hope daily! / X}}</ref>
* [[House of Schwarzenberg| Prince Ferdinand zu Schwarzenberg]] (2024)<ref>{{Cite web |title= IDNES.cz – s námi víte víc|url=https://blog.idnes.cz/kolackovsky/ferdinand-schwarzenberg-jediny-nositel-radu-zlateho-rouna-u-nas.Bg24120482}}</ref>

===Officers===
* Chancellor: Count Alexander von Pachta-Reyhofen (since 2005) 
* Grand chaplain: [[Christoph Schönborn|Christoph Cardinal Schönborn]], [[Archbishop of Vienna]] (since 1992)
* Chaplain: {{ill|Count Gregor Henckel-Donnersmarck|de|Gregor Henckel-Donnersmarck}} (since 2007)
* Treasurer: Baron Wulf Gordian von Hauser (since 1992)
* Registrar: Count Karl-Philipp von Clam-Martinic (since 2007)
* King of Arms: Baron Georg von Frölichsthal (since 2022)

==Chapters of the order==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Number
! Date
! City
! Temple
! Sovereign/Grand Master
|-
|I||30 November 1431||[[Lille]]||Saint-Pierre's Collegiate Church||[[Philip III of Burgundy]]
|-
|II||30 November 1432||[[Bruges]]||[[St. Donatian's Cathedral]]||Philip III of Burgundy
|-
|III||30 November 1433||[[Dijon]]||Sainte-Chapelle||Philip III of Burgundy
|-
|IV||30 November 1435||[[Brussels]]||[[Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula]]||Philip III of Burgundy
|-
|V||30 November 1436||Lille||Saint-Pierre's Collegiate Church||Philip III of Burgundy
|-
|VI||30 November 1440||[[Saint-Omer]]||[[Abbey of Saint Bertin]]||Philip III of Burgundy
|-
|VII||30 November 1445||[[Ghent]]||[[Saint Bavo Cathedral]]||Philip III of Burgundy
|-
|VIII||2 May 1451||[[Mons, Belgium|Mons]]||Sainte-Waudru's Collegiate Church||Philip III of Burgundy
|-
|IX||2 May 1456||[[The Hague]]||[[Grote or Sint-Jacobskerk (The Hague)|Grote or Sint-Jacobskerk]]||Philip III of Burgundy
|-
|X||2 May 1461||Saint-Omer||Abbey of Saint Bertin||Philip III of Burgundy
|-
|XI||2 May 1468||Bruges||[[Church of Our Lady, Bruges|Church of Our Lady]]||[[Charles the Bold|Charles I of Burgundy]]
|-
|XII||2 May 1473||[[Valenciennes]]||St. Paul 's Church||Charles I of Burgundy
|-
|XIII||30 April 1478||Bruges||[[St. Salvator's Cathedral]]||[[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Maximilian of Austria]] (regent of the order)
|-
|XIV||6 May 1481||[['s-Hertogenbosch]]||[[St. John's Cathedral ('s-Hertogenbosch)|St. John's Cathedral]]||Maximilian of Austria
|-
|XV||24 May 1491||[[Mechelen]]||[[St. Rumbold's Cathedral]]||[[Philip I of Castile]]
|-
|XVI||17 January 1501||Brussels||Chapel of the Carmelite Convent||Philip I of Castile
|-
|XVII||17 December 1505||[[Middelburg, Zeeland|Middelburg]]||<!--Missing information. Do not put visible "?" in tables like this.-->||Philip I of Castile
|-
|XVIII||October 1516||Brussels||Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula||[[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles I of Spain]] (Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor)
|-
|XIX||5–8 March 1519||[[Barcelona]]||[[Barcelona Cathedral|Cathedral of the Holy Cross and St. Eulalia]]||Charles I of Spain
|-
|XX||3 December 1531||[[Tournai]]||[[Tournai Cathedral|Cathedral of Our Lady]]||Charles I of Spain
|-
|XXI||2 January 1546||[[Utrecht]]||[[St. Martin's Cathedral, Utrecht|St. Martin's Cathedral]]||Charles I of Spain
|-
|XXII||26 January 1555||[[Antwerp]]||[[Cathedral of Our Lady (Antwerp)|Cathedral of Our Lady]]||[[Philip II of Spain]]
|-
|XXIII||29 July 1559||Ghent||Saint Bavo Cathedral||Philip II of Spain
|}

<small>Source: ''Livre du toison d'or'', [http://codicon.digitale-sammlungen.de/Blatt_bsb00001351,00001.html?prozent=1 online], fols. 4r-66r</small>

==Insignia==

<div style="margin: auto; text-align: center;">
<gallery mode="packed" heights="164" perrow="1">
File:Collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece.svg|Collar (Spanish and Austrian branches)
</gallery>

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto; width:60%; table-layout:fixed; text-align:center;"
|-
! colspan="2" | Spanish branch
! Austrian branch
|- 
| [[File:Sovereign's Neck Insignia of the Spanish Order of the Fleece.svg|155px|center]]
| [[File:Insignia of Knights and Dames of the Spanish Order of the Fleece.svg|145px|center]]
| [[File:Insignia of Knights of the Austrian Order of the Golden Fleece.svg|125px|center]]
|-
| <small>Sovereign's Neck Insignia </small>
| <small>Neck and Lapel Insignia</small>
| <small>Neck Insignia </small>
|}
</div>

==Privileges==
Knights of the order enjoy a variety of privileges. Some privileges are shared, while others differ due to split of the order in 1700 and they henceforth developed their own characteristics. The Spanish order has developed into a state order of merit, while the Austrian order has remained a Catholic order of knighthood with a strong bond of brotherhood.

===Heraldry=== 
[[Jean-Baptiste Christyn]] (1630–1690)  records and codifies the heraldic privilege of golden helmets during his time as [[Chancellor of Brabant]] (1687–1690). He was considered a leading authority on heraldic law in the Habsburg Netherlands by contemporaries, and discusses it in his work ''Jurisprudentia heroica'' (part 2, page 19).
The privilege of the golden helmets was based on the practices observed at the chapters of the order.

{{Gallery
|title=Coat of Arms with Golden Helmets
|width=160 | height=170
|align=center
|footer=Selection of CoAs at the Sint-Baafskathedraal, Gent, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium.
|File:PMa 001054 B Gent StB.jpg|Escutcheon of Philip III, Philip The Good
|File:Claude de Vergy 1495-~1560-Toison d'Or.png|Escutcheon of Claude de Vergy (1495-1560?)
|File:Gent, Sint-Baafskathedraal blazoen Fernandez Alvarez de Toledo B STB 433 194.jpg|Escutcheon of Fernando Alvarez de Toledo
|Gent, Sint-Baafskathedraal blazoen Duc de Medina de Ryo Seco B STB 433 219.jpg | Duc de Medina de Ryo Seco
}}

===Form of Address===
The bond of knights within the brotherhood was enforced with the privilege to address each other in writing and when greeting one and another in person with “Mon Cousin”.

===Holy Mass and Altar===
[[Pope Pius X]] reestablished in 1913 the privilege that Knights of the Austrian Order of the Golden Fleece have the right to deem a location as worthy for holding a Holy Mass. The celebration of a Holy Mass on non-sacred ground, e.g. at home, is usually only possible with the permission of the local bishop. Knights may do so without asking for permission.

A derivative privilege from the above mentioned right is the possibility to possess and use a personal, portable altar. This enables a knight to raise an altar wherever he deems it suitable in order to hold a Holy Mass.  This privilege stems from the medieval and annulled right to hold the Holy Mass at the sick-bed of a knight.

==See also==
*[[List of knights of the Golden Fleece]]
*[[Order of the Starry Cross]], female equivalent to the Austrian Fleece.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Literature==
* Weltliche und Geistliche Schatzkammer. Bildführer. Kunsthistorischen Museum, Vienna. 1987. {{ISBN|3-7017-0499-6}}
* Fillitz, Hermann. Die Schatzkammer in Wien: Symbole abendländischen Kaisertums. Vienna, 1986. {{ISBN|3-7017-0443-0}}
* Fillitz, Hermann. Der Schatz des Ordens vom Goldenen Vlies. Vienna, 1988. {{ISBN|3-7017-0541-0}}
* Boulton, D'Arcy Jonathan Dacre, 1987. The Knights of The Crown: The Monarchical Orders of Knighthood in Later Medieval Europe, 1325–1520, Woodbridge, Suffolk (Boydell Press), (revised edition 2000)

==External links==
{{commons|Order of the Golden Fleece}}
*[http://www.antiquesatoz.com/sgfleece/ The Society of the golden fleece], an association of people interested in the order
*[http://www.chivalricorders.org/orders/other/goldflee.htm The Most Illustrious Order of the Golden Fleece] at a reference site on chivalric orders.

{{Orders of the Austro-Hungarian Empire}}
{{Members of the Spanish Order of the Golden Fleece}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Order of the Golden Fleece| ]]
[[Category:1430 establishments in Europe]]
[[Category:1430s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Orders, decorations, and medals of the Austrian Empire| 1]]
[[Category:House of Habsburg]]
[[Category:Duchy of Burgundy]]
[[Category:History of Catholicism in Spain]]