The Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: Real Orden de Isabel la Católica) is a Spanish civil order of chivalry and honour granted to persons and institutions in recognition of extraordinary services to the homeland or the promotion of international relations and cooperation with other nations. By law, its Grand Master is the King of Spain, and its Grand Chancellor is the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Order is open to both Spaniards and foreigners. The Order was created 1815 by King Ferdinand VII in honor of Queen Isabella I as the Real y Americana Orden de Isabel la Católica ("Royal and American Order of Isabella the Catholic") with the intent of "rewarding the firm allegiance to Spain and the merits of Spanish citizens and foreigners in good standing with the Nation and especially in those exceptional services provided in pursuit of territories in America and overseas." The Order was reorganized by royal decree on 26 July 1847, with the name "Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic", reflecting the secession of the mainland possessions in the Americas after the Spanish American wars of independence. In the realm of services to the homeland, the Order of Isabella the Catholic is the de facto highest civil honour granted by the Kingdom of Spain, since the Order of the Golden Fleece is a dynastic award (not under the control of the State), and the Order of Charles III is primarily reserved to heads of State and high-ranking government officials (typically national Ministers and Presidents of the national government). In the realm of foreign affairs, the Order of Isabella the Catholic is Spain's highest honour. The great prestige that the Order of Isabella the Catholic enjoys in Spain and abroad is due to several reasons. First, it has become a powerful instrument of international relations, with awardees inducted from all over the world. Second, it is a higly selective and rare honour: Since its creation in 1815, only 72,398 people have received the Order of Isabella the Catholic (in comparison, the also prestigious French Legion of Honour has been awarded to over 1,000,000 people over the same period of time, and the Order of the British Empire has over 100,000 living members). Third, it is the only Spanish civil honour that confers personal nobility, with the right to an individual coat of arms (with heraldic mantle and pavilion), an official style of address (Excellency), and full membership in nobiliary corporations (e.g., the Real Asociación de Hidalgos). Source: Wikipedia (en)