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The Military Order of the Tower & of the Sword
The Military Order of the Tower and the Sword, of Valour, Loyalty and Merit is said to trace back its origins to the ancient Order of the Sword, an order of chivalry which is believed by some authors to have been created by King D. Afonso V, in 1459, on the occasion of the conquests in North Africa.
However, reputable authors, considering the lack of solid historical evidence, have defended that the Military Order of the Sword was nothing but a project of the King, or that, at the very best, it did not live beyond the King's life.
The Order was "renewed" in 1808, in the reign of Queen Mary I, by the Prince Regent D. João the future King John VI, by royal decree given at Rio de Janeiro, in commemoration of the safe arrival of the Royal Family Brazil, after the invasion of Portugal by Napoleon's troops.
The renewed Order was given statutes by Letters Patent, at Rio de Janeiro, on the 29th November 1808, being called "Order of the Tower and Sword", to reward relevant services to the Crown by both Portuguese and foreigners, in military, political or civilian activities.
In the legal texts by which the Order was reestablished it was stated that it was the Prince Regent's wish to reward subjects of H.M. the King of Great Britain who escorted him to Brazil and who could not receive any of the Portuguese Military Orders, because of their religion. Furthermore, it was also expressly stated in the Royal Charts that the Order of the Tower and of the Sword was considered as the only Portuguese Order of Knighthood without a religious origin, being primarily an Order of Knighthood.
In 1832 during the civil war, the Prince Regent D. Pedro Duke of Bragança, and former Emperor of Brazil and King of Portugal, reformed the Order under the name "Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Tower and of the Sword, of Valour, Loyalty and Merit".
The Order, thus reformed, besides the High Officers, had four classes: GrandCross, Commanders, Officers and Knights. Its members preceded in equal class the members of the other Military Orders of Portugal (ie. a Knight Commander of the Order of the Tower had precedence over Knight Commanders of the other orders).
In 1896, a fifth class was added that of GrandOfficer which preceded that of Commander, as a result of the reform of the Order of Aviz .
The Order under the Republic
On October 15th, 1910, the Provisional Government of the Republic abolished all the Military Orders, with the exception of the Order of the Tower and of the Sword. Nevertheless, on the 26th September 1917, the Order was revised under the name "Order of the Tower and of the Sword, of Valour, Loyalty and Merit", with four classes, the first and highest class belonging, by right, to the President of the Republic. Thus, the first President of the Republic to wear it was Dr. Bernardino Machado.
The Order, as an Order of Merit, was conferred to reward heroic deeds in the battlefields, acts of self-sacrifice and of civic courage or outstanding service to humanity, to the Country and the Republic.
In 1918, the Order was given five classes: GrandCross, Grand Officer, Commander, Officer and Knight. The President of the Republic was the GrandMaster of the Order and as such was a GrandCross, by virtue of his office.
The GrandCollar of the Order was created in 1939 to be awarded only to Heads of State with notable military deeds, and it was first conferred on Generalíssimo Francisco Franco, Head of the Spanish State.
The Order's Statutes of 196263, reserved the conferment of the GrandCollar on those who had held the highoffice of President of the Republic.
The 1986 Statutes, kept the former rule and determined that the former elected Presidents of the Republic, once they departed office, would automatically become GrandCollars of the Order.
The Order in present days
The GrandMaster of the Order is the President of the Republic.
The Military Order of the Tower and of the Sword is therefore the highest Portuguese Order andit is awarded for exceptional and outstanding merits in the highest offices in Parliament, Government, courts of justice or in the presidency of the Republic or in the command of troops in campaign; for military or civic deeds of heroism and to reward outstanding acts of abnegation and sacrifice for Portugal or mankind.
The Order can be conferred on Portuguese and foreigners, both civilians and military.
The Ancient Military Orders, in which is included the Order of the Tower and of the Sword, have a Chancellor and a Council of eight members, appointed by the President of the Republic to assist him as GrandMaster in all matters concerning the administration of the Order.
The Order ranks before the Military Order of Christ.
The Order has a GrandCollar and five classes: GrandCross; Grand Officer; Commander; Officer; Knight/Dame. The GrandCollar is today reserved, as it was said, to former elected presidents of the Portuguese Republic, with the exceptions stated below.
The GrandCollar of the Order was only conferred, under the 1962 Statutes, exceptionally, and by special law, on the President of Brazil Emílio Garastazu Médici, in 1973, and lately, under the 1986 Statutes, on Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, on the occasion of the former President of the Republic, Dr. Mário Soares' state visit to the United Kingdom, on February, 1993.
Insignia
The Ribbon is light blue.
The Badge of the Order is a 5pointed silver enamelled Cross edged gold, encircled by an oak wreath enamelled green, edged and fruited gold; the Cross is charged in the centre, upon a field of gold, by a sword encircled by a garlanded wreath of oak of green and gold, surrounded by a circle of blue,having thereon the motto "Valor Lealdade e Mérito in letters of gold; the Cross is surmounted by a tower of gold and blue. The reverse of the badge bears the Portuguese State coat of arms on a field enamelled blue surrounded by the legend "República Portuguesa" in letters of gold.
The Star of the Order is a fivepointed chipped star of gold (silver for the Commander Class), having in the centre the Badge of the Order, without the oak wreath.
The GrandCollar of gold formed alternately of towers in gold and blue, (28mm. x 23 mm. wide) and swords enamelled blue (42mm.) placed on oak wreaths (25mm. x 25mm.) green enamelled,edged and fruited gold, linked together with double chains in gold, having in the centre a tower enamelled gold and blue (42mm. x 30mm.), over crossed two swords blue enamelled (65mm.) and supported on either side by two dragons rampant respectant in gold, and having pendant therefrom the Badge of the Order enamelled gold, with a tower (80mm. wide).
The Collar of the Order of gold, (in silver for the Knight Class) formed alternately, of towers of gold and blue enamel (23mm. x 20mm. wide) and swords enamelled blue (25mm. wide) resting upon a garlanded oak wreath green enamelled edged and fruited gold, and having pendant therefrom the Badge of the Order, enamelled gold (in Silver for the Knight Class), with the tower 70mm. wide;
Rules for wearing the insignia
GrandCollar: wears the GrandCollar together with insignia of the GrandCross the Badge of the Order, but larger, pendant from a Sash and the Star of the Order in gold;
GrandCross: wears the Badge of the Order, but larger (78mm. x 68mm.), on a Sash and the Star of the Order in gold, as in the GrandOfficer Class;
Grand Officer: wears the Badge of the Order, pendant from a necklace and the Star of the Order (68mm. x 82mm.) in gold;
Commander: wears the Badge of the Order, pendant from a necklace and the Star of the Order (68mm. x 82mm.), in silver;
Officer: wears the Badge as in the Knight Class, pendant from a chest riband, with rosette (10mm. wide);
Knight: wears the Badge of the Order (44mm. wide) on a chest riband (30mm. wide).
On ceremonial occasions, all classes will wear the Collar in silver for the Knight Class and in gold for all other Classes.
Foreigners awarded with the Order become Honorary Members having the right to wear its insignia. In the event of a promotion to a higher class within the Order, and this is the only case, the bearer has the right to wear the insignia of the former and lower class of the Order.
© José Vicente de Bragança (English text kindly revised by Stewart LeForte, Esq
Updated: 12 February 1998
