The statutes now in force date from the 12th January, 1804, as promulgated by King Charles IV.
The Order shared the fate of all other Spanish orders, which were abolished in 1808 by Joseph Bonaparte, but were restored in 1814. It is devoted 'to the pure Conception of the Virgin,' and destined to reward marked zeal displayed by the nobility for the interests of the Crown.
The King is Chief and Grand Master: he nominates the members and dignitaries, and has also the right to make alterations in the rules and statutes.
The members form two classes: Knights of the Grand Cross, and simple Knights. The first class is limited to sixty members (exclusive of the King and the royal Princes) among whom are four Prelates. Two hundred members of the second class enjoy a pension of 1000 reales (£10) each. Those who are without it, pass as supernumeraries, and form as it were a separate class of their own.
The candidates for the first or the second pensioned class, must not be less than twenty-five years, and those for the supernumerary class not less than fourteen years, of age. The rule does not, however, apply to the members of the royal family, or to foreign princes. The candidates must, in addition, prove their noble descent through four generations by both parents. The badge may be worn at the side of the Golden Fleece, but the Knights of the Grand Cross are not allowed to wear the ribbon of St. Januarius, or the Grand Cross of St. John, nor any foreign decoration, without special permission from the Grand Master. The simple Knights are forbidden to enter any of the four military orders, or the St. John, or any foreign order, though the members of all these orders may retain their previous decorations on receiving the Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III.
The Knights of the Grand Cross may possess or administer a
