King of
Arms is the senior rank of an officer of arms and every European kingdom had
one. In Spain the heraldic office dates back to the 16th century.
The
Chronicler King of Arms (Cronista Rey de Armas) in the Kingdoms of Spain was a
civil servant who had the authority to grant armorial bearings and had judicial
powers in matters of noble titles. They also served as a registration office
for pedigrees and grants of arms.
Appointments
to the Corps of King of Arms were made by the King and these appointments were
for life. In modern times the Corps of Chronicler King of Arms went through
several changes. Important changes were made in 1915, it was abolished in 1931
and restored after the end of the Civil War. The last Chronicler Kings of Arms
appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Justice, Don Vicente de Cadenas y Vicent,
died in 2005.
The
government of the autonomous community of Castile and León has appointed Don
Alfonso Ceballos-Escalera y Gil, Marques de la Floresta as Chronicler of Arms
for Castile and León, and he is the modern equivalent of the Spanish King of
Arms. Don Alfonso also serves as personal heraldic officer to the former King
of Spain Juan Carlos I and the current King Felipe VI of Spain.
