The Medal of Extremadura () is the highest institutional distinction of the Autonomous Community of

Extremadura Extremadura ( ; ; ; ; Fala language, Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is a landlocked autonomous communities in Spain, autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, Spain, Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central- ...

, Spain. It was established in 1986, following Decree 27/1986, of 29 April. It is an annual award, whose number may vary, without exceeding ten medals in the same year, except those granted by courtesy or reciprocity. Such was the case in 2008, in which ten medals were handed out on an ordinary basis, but two were granted in an extraordinary manner to

Queen Sofía Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

and the former President of the

Government of Extremadura A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a mea ...

Juan Carlos Rodríguez Ibarra Juan Carlos Rodríguez Ibarra (born 19 January 1948) is a Spanish politician of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). He was President of the Regional Government of Extremadura for 24 years (1983–2007). Biography He gained a degree i ...

. The delivery of the Medal falls to the

President of the Regional Government of Extremadura The president of the Autonoumous Government of Extremadura () is the head of government of the Spanish autonomous community of Extremadura Extremadura ( ; ; ; ; Fala language, Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is a landlocked autonomous communities in ...

, who by decree awards it, listing the merits for which the prize is obtained. However, any citizen of Extremadura or entity can submit a candidature before the regional administration, which can then be taken into consideration by a commission and subsequently approved by the Governing Council. In this case, up to five medals are reserved, leaving the rest in the judgment of the Chief Executive of Extremadura. In the case of medals for courtesy or reciprocity, the proposal is exclusive of the President. The winners can be individuals, entities, corporations, or associations that have been outstanding in or out of Extremadura due to their merits or for the services rendered to the region. Thus, the medal has gone to people in the world of arts and sports, political personalities, local corporations, financial institutions, associations, religious congregations, and monasteries, among others. The Medal of Extremadura is normally presented at an event held on the eve of 8 September, , at the Roman Theatre of Mérida, capital city of the Autonomous Community.

Description

The Medal of Extremadura has an oval shape, with an axis greater than 60 millimeters and another smaller than 46 millimeters. The obverse has a perimeter fringe of 5 mm, divided into two parts joined by tongues. The upper part is enameled in

azure Azure may refer to: Color * Azure (color), a hue of blue ** Azure (heraldry) ** Shades of azure, shades and variations Arts and media * ''Azure'' (Art Farmer and Fritz Pauer album), 1987 * Azure (Gary Peacock and Marilyn Crispell album), 2013 * ...

, while the lower part is in gold with the inscription "Extremadura". The enameled

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

is housed in the interior oval. On the back, engraved in gold, is an oak leaf with the legend "Junta de Extremadura". In addition, it bears the award date of the medal and the winner's name. The Medal is worn from a braided silk cord in green, black, and white, the colors of the

Flag of Extremadura The flag of Extremadura, according to Article 4-1 of the Statute of Autonomy, consists of three horizontal stripes of green, white, and black. The state flag, used by Extremadura's government and administration, must use the variant with the coat ...

. The winners are also given an engraved silver plate, where the reason for the concession is explained, as well as a miniature reproduction of the Medal as a badge or lapel pin. The winners, in turn, are enrolled in a Book of Honor created for this purpose.

History

The first person awarded with the Medal of Extremadura was the then King of Spain,

Juan Carlos I Juan Carlos I (; Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 November 1975 until Abdication of Juan Carlos I, his abdic ...

, according to the Additional Provision of the decree by which the medal was created in 1986. Since then, with the exception of 1987, medals have been awarded annually, to over 100 recipients in total. On each occasion, more than one Medal has been given, except in 1988, where it was only granted to the poet Jesús Delgado Valhondo. In 2008, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the approval of the , the Government granted two Medals of an extraordinary nature in a Government Council held in the

Monastery of Yuste The Monastery of Yuste is a monastery in the small village now called Cuacos de Yuste (in older works ''San Yuste'' or ''San Just'') in the province of Cáceres in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. The monastery was founded by t ...

. One of them was delivered to

at an official reception at the

Palace of Zarzuela The Zarzuela Palace ( ) is the residence and working offices of the reigning monarch of Spain (King Felipe VI), although the official residence of the Spanish royal family is the Royal Palace of Madrid. The Zarzuela Palace is on the outskirts of ...

on 23 June. The other was awarded to

, first democratic President of the Government of Extremadura, who retired in 2007 after 24 years in office. The award ceremony was held on 21 May 2008 at the

Assembly of Extremadura Assembly may refer to: Organisations and meetings * Deliberative assembly, a gathering of members who use parliamentary procedure for making decisions * General assembly, an official meeting of the members of an organization or of their represent ...

. In 2010, the year in which the definitive approval of the reform of the Statute of Autonomy of Extremadura was foreseen, the Government of Extremadura granted the Medal to the

Prince of Asturias Prince or Princess of Asturias () is the main substantive title used by the heir apparent, or heir presumptive to the monarchy of Spain, Spanish Crown. According to the Spanish Constitution of 1978: The title originated in 1388, when King J ...

at that time, Felipe de Borbón y Grecia, in an extraordinary manner as Heir to the Crown. The award ceremony took place in Trujillo on 29 April, on the occasion of an official visit by the Prince and Princess of Asturias, Felipe and

Letizia Letizia () is a predominantly Italian feminine given name. People bearing the name Letizia include: *Queen Letizia of Spain (born 1972), wife of King Felipe VI *Letizia Battaglia (born 1935), Italian photographer and photojournalist * Letizia Ber ...

, to the town's National Cheese Fair. In 2014, after the death of

Adolfo Suárez Adolfo Suárez González, 1st Duke of Suárez (; 25 September 1932 – 23 March 2014) was a Spanish lawyer and politician. Suárez was Spain's first democratically elected Prime Minister of Spain, prime minister since the Second Spanish Republi ...

on 23 March, the regional government granted him the Medal posthumously for being the country's first democratic

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

after

Francoist Spain Francoist Spain (), also known as the Francoist dictatorship (), or Nationalist Spain () was the period of Spanish history between 1936 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death i ...

, driving the

Spanish Transition to Democracy The Spanish transition to democracy, known in Spain as (; ) or (), is a period of History of Spain, modern Spanish history encompassing the regime change that moved from the Francoist dictatorship to the consolidation of a parliamentary system ...

. There have been no cases of resignation by the winners to date. The only withdrawal of the Extremadura Medal was proposed in 2014, specifically that awarded to the Paralympic swimmer Enrique Tornero in 1996, due to his judicial conviction for prevarication and fraud in his time as a councilor in the City of

Plasencia Plasencia () is a municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cáceres, Extremadura. , it has a population of 41,047. Plasencia is located in the Western-Central Iberian Peninsula, to the south of the Sistema Central. Housing primarily ...

Recipients

1986

References

External links