Gentilhombres Grandes de España con ejercicio y servidumbre

The Gentilhombres Grandes de España con ejercicio y servidumbre (Gentlemen of the Bedchamber Grandee of Spain) was a palatial class of honorary royal servants of the Royal Household and Heritage of the Crown of Spain, who were entrusted with certain functions at the service of the Monarch which they exercised by rigorous seniority.

During the reigns of the last two monarchs before the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic, King Alfonso XII, and King Alfonso XIII, being symbolically considered as "relatives" to the King, they were always close to his chamber in all kinds of ceremonies and stayed with him inside and outside of the Palace, having lunch daily with him and being also with him at public spectacles such as the bullfights, the theatre, etc. They exercised their functions by strict daily shifts. Nevertheless, they were not employees of the Royal Household like the Mayordomos de semana and did not receive a regular salary for their service.

From the ceremonial point of view - in royal baptisms - seven of them were entrusted to deliver the sacred ornaments for the sacrament (saltcellar, water-jug, cottons, brush etc.). In the Public chapels, they always stayed at the procession that was celebrated right before the Mayordomos de semana. In official banquets and in the annual opening of the Cortes Generales (Spanish Parliament), the Gentilhombre Grande de España in service were always behind the King. With their status, they had free entrance to the Royal Palace of Madrid up to the Chamber after the Saleta and the Antechamber.

To be nominated for this class, it was necessary to not only to belong to the nobility but also to be a Grandee of Spain, and they had to be previously presented to the King in the so-called ceremony of the Cobertura (Coverage).

Their badge was a golden gilded key on a red velvet ribbon with golden bangs and the Royal Cypher of the King who nominated them embroidered also in gold. The key was placed horizontally in the waist to the right side in uniforms, dress-coat or frock coat.

They were styled Excelentísimos señores Gentilhombres Grandes de España con ejercicio y servidumbre.

This Office was suppressed after the Second Spanish Republic was declared on April 14, 1931, and it was never re-created after the restoration of Monarchy in November 1975.

At the moment of the suppression, there remained 213 Gentilhombres Grandes de España con ejercicio y servidumbre at service. Among them, the following ones were the most important:

See also

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Bibliography

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  • Guia Oficial de España. Sucesores de Ribadeneyra. Madrid. 1930