The Order of Carol I is a chivalric order

Chivalric order

Chivalric orders are societies and fellowships of knights that have been created by European monarchs in imitation of the military orders of the Crusades...

 of the Kingdom of Romania

Kingdom of Romania

The Kingdom of Romania was the Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...

 instituted on the 10 May 1909 by King Carol I of Romania to celebrate his jubilee of 40 years of reign. Until the fall of the monarchy in 1947, the order was the highest ranking order of the kingdom. Currently it is awarded as a dynastic order by the head of the Romanian Royal Family

Romanian Royal Family

The current Romanian royal family , an integral part of the larger royal house of Romania, consists of the family of King Michael I of Romania who bear a royal title...

, King Michael I of Romania.

Classes

The order has only the superior classes, each of them with limited numbers:

• Grand Collar (limited to 10)
• Grand Cross (limited to 20)
• Grand Officer (limited to 30)
• Commander (limited to 40)