Caballerizo mayor

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Court dress of the Caballerizo mayor in 1900 Caballerizo mayor from Casa Real (Uniformes de la) (cropped).jpg
Court dress of the Caballerizo mayor in 1900

The Caballerizo mayor (Great Equerry) was an officer of the Royal Household and Heritage of the Crown of Spain. The position was responsible for overseeing royal journeys, the mews, and the king's hunts.

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Regime during the 16th to 18th centuries

The office of Caballerizo mayor was one of the principal positions within the Royal Household, responsible for the royal stables and all matters related to the monarch's transportation. When the king departed from the royal palace, the Caballerizo mayor occupied the foremost position behind him and held higher rank than other court officials. The role also included oversight of the stables, carriages, and horses, with assistance from the Primeros Caballerizos (First Equerries), who were appointed by the Caballerizo mayor.

In addition, the Caballerizo mayor was in charge of the royal hunt in his capacity as Montero mayor (Great Hunter). In many cases, he also held the alcaldías (majorships) of the Spanish royal sites.

Regime during the 19th and 20th centuries

During the reigns of Alfonso XII and Alfonso XIII, the Caballerizo mayor, who also assumed the functions of Montero mayor (Great Hunter)—an office created during the reign of Isabella II—was the second-ranking official after the Mayordomo mayor, holding sole authority once the monarch left the royal palace. Only a peer with the rank of Grandee of Spain could be appointed to this office. The annual salary was 15,000 pesetas, the same as that of the Mayordomo mayor, and the Caballerizo mayor was also entitled to a private office at the Royal Palace of Madrid.

Reporting to the Caballerizo mayor were the Primer Caballerizo (First Equerry) and the Primer Montero (First Hunter), each with an annual salary of 7,500 pesetas. Below them were the Caballerizos de campo (Equerries), who were typically army officers.

The Caballerizo mayor accompanied the king on all journeys, referred to as "days," and sat beside him in carriages, automobiles, trains, or ships both within Spain and abroad. Together with the Primer Caballerizo, he was head of the royal mews and also chief of the Armory of the Royal Palace of Madrid.

In his capacity as Montero mayor, and with the assistance of the Primer Montero, he managed the hunting lodges of the Crown's heritage and organised royal hunts in the hunting grounds of the Crown, such as the Royal forests of El Pardo, the Royal Hunting Lodge of La Encomienda de Mudela, and the royal forests of Valsaín. At hunts organised by others but attended by the king, the Montero mayor was also present in his official role. The uniform of the Montero mayor consisted of very dark green cloth decorated with oak-branch embroidery.

At public chapels and official ceremonies, the Caballerizo mayor normally stood directly behind the Mayordomo mayor. He was styled Excelentísimo señor Caballerizo y Montero mayor de Su Majestad.

The office was suppressed after the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic in 1931 and was not reinstated following the restoration of the monarchy in 1975.

List of Caballerizos mayores (Great Equerries) to the King of Spain, 1515–1931

Caballerizos mayores under Emperor Charles V (1515–1556)

Caballerizos mayores under King Philip II (1556–1598)

Caballerizos mayores under King Philip III (1598–1621)

Caballerizos mayores under King Philip IV (1621–1665)

Caballerizos mayores under King Charles II (1665–1701)

Caballerizos mayores under King Philip V (1701–1724)

Caballerizo mayor under King Louis I (1724)

Caballerizos mayores under King Philip V (1724–1746)

Caballerizos mayores under King Ferdinand VI (1746–1759)

Caballerizos mayores under King Charles III (1759–1788)

Caballerizos mayores under King Charles IV (1788–1808)

Caballerizos mayores under King Ferdinand VII (1808; 1814–1833)

Caballerizos mayores under Queen Isabella II (1833–1868)

Caballerizo mayor under King Amadeo I (1871–1873)

Caballerizo mayor under King Alfonso XII (1875–1885)

Caballerizos mayores under King Alfonso XIII (1885–1931)

(1) From 1871 to 1873 the office was suppressed. From 1900 to 1903 the office remained vacant.

List of Primeros Caballerizos (First Equerries) to the King of Spain, 1875–1931

Primeros Caballerizos under King Alfonso XII (1875–1885)

Primeros Caballerizos under King Alfonso XIII (1885–1931)

List of Primeros Monteros (First Hunters) to the King of Spain, 1875–1931

Primer Montero under King Alfonso XII (1875–1885)

Primeros Monteros under King Alfonso XIII (1885–1931)

See also

Bibliography

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