Order of the Golden Fleece

Philip established the Order of the Golden Fleece at Bruges in 1430 to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal. Its knights initially numbered 24, rising to 30 in 1433 and 50 in 1516, apart from the sovereign.

After the War of the Spanish Succession ended in 1714, the Spanish Bourbons and Austrian Habsburgs each maintained a branch of the order. The order's treasure and archives passed to the Austrian Netherlands.