- Time Period: Interwars Period
- Institution: 1926
- Country: Spain
The Order of Civil Merit (or Orden del Mérito Civil) was established by King Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1926 to recognize “the civic virtue of officers in the service of the Nation, as well as extraordinary service by Spanish and foreign citizens for the benefit of Spain.”
At the origin, it consisted of four categories: Grand Cross, Commander by Number, Commander, Knight, and Silver Cross (lower rank).
The Provisional Government of the Republic, by decree of 24 July 1931, abolished this order and other orders of the State, except that of Isabel the Catholic, and wanted to replace them with the creation of the Order of the Republic. Saved this interregnum, by Decree of 7 November 1942 restores the Order of Civil Merit, with his previous features, privileges and seniority, with the following categories: Grand Cross, Cordon (designation of the Grand Cross when given to women), Commander of Number, Commander, Officer, Knight, Knot (name of degree Knight when given to women) and Silver Cross, approving its rules by decree of 3 February 1945.
By Royal Decree 2396/1998 of 6 November 1998, published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado 279 of 21 November 1998 (and subsequent correction published in the BOE 40 of 16 February 1999), the approval of the new regulations proceeded, bringing together in one legal text all regulations which were scattered. The current regulation makes a detailed discussion of the merits to be considered for grant, of formal requirements to be met by proposals for entry and promotion within the Order, stating the legitimate authorities to do them, and reporting procedures that can be instructed in order to determine the suitability of granting.
The Order of Civil Merit Design
The Order of Civil Merit comes in seven classes as follows:
- Collar (Collar) – Order’s Collar.
- Grand Cross (Gran Cruz) – Sash and Plaque (Golden Order’s Star).
- Commander by Number (Encomienda de Número) – Plaque (Silver Order’s Star).
- Commander (Encomienda) – Golden order’s star on a necklet.
- Officer’s Cross (Cruz de Oficial) – Golden order’s cross hanging from a ribbon.
- Knight’s Cross (Cruz) – Silver order’s cross hanging from a ribbon.
- Silver Cross (Cruz de Plata) – Simpler silver cross hanging from a ribbon.
