Royal Order of Francesco I
The Royal Order of Francesco I was instituted on 28 September 1829 by Francesco di Borbone (1777-1830), who as Francesco I ruled over the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies from 1825 to 1830, in order to reward civil merits.
The short reign of King Francesco I was a very prosperous period in Neapolitan-Sicilian history.
Francesco's pursuit of industrialization and prosperity prompted the establishment of an order of merit for those
The current head of the Royal House of Bourbon Two Sicilies, HRH Prince Carlo di Borbone delle Due Sicily, confers the Order on persons who, regardless of their nationality or religious beliefs, have excelled in administration, science, art, diplomacy or economics.
Well-known bearers of the Order were, for example, HE the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, HE the Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon and Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchú.
The Order of Francesco I also functions as an ecumenical sister order to the Constantinian Order, as the latter is awarded exclusively to Roman Catholics.
Against this background, the Order is also granted in recognition of interdenominational and interconfessional commitment. For example, HE the South African archbishop and human rights activist Desmond Tutu received the Order of Francesco I for his humanitarian work.
In 2024, three Dutch citizens were received in the Royal Order of Francesco I. Among them Jan van Zanen, mayor of The Hague, who received the Order for decades of unifying efforts in public administration.
Among their predecessors from the Low Countries were admiral count Lodewijk van Heiden (1773-1850)*, ambassador baron Nicolaas Mollerus (1787-1860), consul general Wilhelmus Hazeman (1820-1880) and entrepreneur-philantropist Jan de Flines (1879-1932).
* Louis Reichsgraaf of Heiden (1773-1850) managed to become admiral of the imperial Russian fleet. In that capacity, he fought in the naval battle of Navarino (1827), which was decisive in the Greek struggle for independence against the Ottomans. For his part in that battle, Louis of Heiden was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Francesco I.
For more information about the Royal House of Bourbon of the Two Sicilies, an extensive website is available.
* Hun enige bekende voorganger uit de Lage Landen is Lodewijk Rijksgraaf van Heiden (1773-1850). Geboren in Zuidlaren wist hij het te brengen tot admiraal van de keizerlijke Russische vloot. In die hoedanigheid vocht hij in de zeeslag van Navarino (1827), die de doorslag gaf in de Griekse onafhankelijkheidsstrijd tegen de Ottomanen. Voor zijn belangrijke aandeel in die strijd ontving Lodewijk van Heiden later het grootkruis van de Orde van Francesco I.
Voor meer informatie over het Koninklijk Huis Bourbon der Beide Siciliën is er een uitgebreide website beschikbaar.