Issue date: 20 Feb, 2019
ANNIVERSARIES. 250th Anniversary of the creation of the Royal Ordinances of Charles III
On 22 October 1768, Royal Ordinances approved by Charles III were published under the title “Ordinances of His Majesty for the regime, discipline, subordination and service of his armies”. Grouped into eight treatises, they constituted a set of standards covering a wide range of aspects of military life, including uniforms, titles, military events and honours, and the recruitment and organisation of military units. Originally intended for the land army, they were later adapted for the regulations of the Navy and of the Air Force when the latter was created in the 20th century.
They were drafted based on a series of meetings held over several years under the chairmanship of the Conde de Aranda, while Lieutenant General Antonio Oliver Sacasa, acting as secretary, is considered to be the real author of the Ordinances, especially the second Treatise, which summarises what has been called the “Spanish style of command” and was to have a lasting influence on Spain’s armed forces.
The spirit of the Enlightenment can also be discerned in the Royal Ordinances in two aspects which were innovative at that time: personal merit rather than inherited rank became the key to promotion, and military units were expected to be professional and effective rather than champions of the Catholic faith.
Of the eight treatises, the second had the most influence on the armed forces over the centuries, as it constitutes a code of ethics, reflecting the main moral principles which should govern military conduct. Thanks to its continued validity, some of its articles are reproduced almost verbatim in the Royal Ordinances of 1978 and the current Ordinances approved in 2009.
The stamp depicts Charles III in dress armour against the typical sepia colour of ancient documents and the text of the first page of the Royal Ordinances.
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