Order of Saint Ferdinand and Laureate Cross: original pieces

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Award for gallantry · since 1811

The Order of Saint Ferdinand

The Royal and Military Order of Saint Ferdinand (Real y Militar Orden de San Fernando) is Spain's highest military award for gallantry. Born during the Peninsular War, its laureate cross, the "Laureada", has rewarded heroic acts in combat for more than two centuries.

  1. 1811 The Cortes of Cádiz create the National Order of Saint Ferdinand on 31 August, during the Peninsular War.
  2. 1815 Ferdinand VII reorganises it as the Royal and Military Order of Saint Ferdinand.
  3. 1920 New statutes redefine its awards and models.
  4. Today The Order remains in force as Spain's highest military award.

Plain crosses, laureate crosses and breast stars

From its first statutes the Order distinguished between distinguished acts, rewarded with plain crosses, and heroic acts, which earned the laureate cross, surrounded by a laurel wreath. The higher classes, with breast stars and grand crosses, belonged to the highest ranks. Nineteenth-century officers' crosses were made in gold and enamels, with the image of Saint Ferdinand in the central medallion. The Order also awards the Laureada to whole units, the "collective laureate", displayed on their colours.

Our catalogue has included gold crosses awarded to foreign officers, such as those of French officers with inverted laurels or the group of the British officer Swynfen Thomas Carnegie, rewarded for his service in command of HMS Castor during the First Carlist War, as well as first-class breast stars in faceted silver.

How to identify an original piece

  • Materials. Early officers' crosses are gold and breast stars silver: check hallmarks, weight and the quality of the fired enamels.
  • Consistency of the model. Legends, medallion and the shape of the laurels must match the period and the class, as the design changed with the statutes.
  • Reproductions. The Laureada is one of the most copied pieces in Spanish phaleristics: be wary of cast crosses, cold enamel or resin, laurels without detail and recent gilding.
  • Fittings. Pin, hinge, ribbon and case; repairs, such as a replaced pin, should be declared, as we do in our listings.

What is a Saint Ferdinand cross worth?

Value depends on the class (plain cross, laureate cross or breast star), the period, the material, the condition of the enamels, the quality of the workshop and, decisively, provenance. A piece with a documented history, identified with its recipient or with a known auction record, is worth far more than a loose cross. Sold items remain visible as a reference.

More awards in Spain and Military and Civil Orders; period pieces in Peninsular War and Carlist Wars. Read our FAQ: every piece carries an authenticity guarantee and is shipped insured.