The Order of St Januarius

Following on from my previous post about St Januarius here is something about the chivalric order under his patronage from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies - the Illustrious Royal Order of St Januarius

There is an illustrated online account of the Order at Order of Saint Januarius and an another detailed article by that learned commentator on all such matters chivalric and dynastic Guy Stair Sainty at The Royal Illustrious Order of Saint Januarius. ( I do not know why he translates the prefix as Royal Illustrious rather than Illustrious Royal).

Founded by King Charles VII  - later King Charles III of Spain - in 1738 and designated as the most senior of the Orders of the realm it was designed to be on a par with the other Bourbon Orders of the Golden Fleece in Spain and the Holy Spirit in France - indeed the design of the insignia shows its affinity, indeed derivation, from the latter.

The Order of St Januarius
Badge, Star, Collar, Riband, Miniature Collar, Miniature, Rosette and Bar Ribbon

Image:chivalricorders.org



The Badge and Riband


Image: realecasediborbone.it

 
The Badge and Star of the Order
Dated to circa 1870 in an Italian auction catalogue. If that is correct these pieces were made after the occupation and annexation of the Kingdom in 1860 and during the exile of King Francis II




Image:sangiorgioaste.com

The Order has continued to be bestowed by the successors of King Francis II, and these days by rival claimants, the Duke of Calabria and the Duke of Castro.


 

King Charles III of Spain

Today is the 225th anniversary of the death of King Charles III of Spain, who had previously been Duke of Parma and then the first Bourbon King of Naples and Sicily. There is a good online life of the King here.

 

King Charles III of Spain

Image:s1.zetaboards.com

As that biography makes clear as a ruler he embodied many of the best ideals of late eighteenth century European monarchy. Often described as the Enlightened Despots I would favour a term something more like pragmatic reforming monarchs - only perhaps the Empress Catherine II was an actual despot and she was, coincidentally, probably the one who most completeely took on the ideals of the Enlightenment - and was one of the less succesful in terms of actual a chievements in that field.

King Charles was perhaps unlucky in that theevents in Spain under his son King Charles IV and the French invasion led to the country slipping further out of the European mainstream and to the loss of virtually all of its overseas Empire before the death of his grandson King Ferdinand VII in 1833. Nonetheless he is still remembered as a conscientous ruler who sought pratical improvements in this capital - he was nicknamed the Mayor of Madrid - and his country.