ORDERS OF KNIGHTHOOD OR CHIVALRY 



631 



DENMARK. The Order of the Elephant claims to be as 

 old as the First Crusade, but Christian V. in 1693 altered 

 its statutes and gave it its present title. It is rarely 

 given, and is valued in consequence, and has only one 

 class of thirty knights, exclusive of princes of the blood. 

 Badge, a white elephant with golden tusks, &c. Ribbon, 

 watered, light blue. Order of the Dannebroij was said 

 to have been instituted by Walderaar II. in 1219, to com- 

 memorate a miraculous intervention in a battle, but also 

 renovated by Christian V. in 1693, and altered from a 

 court honour to an order of merit by Frederick VI. in 

 1*<)8. It has five classes. Badge, an oblong Danish 

 cross, enamelled white with red border. Ribbon, white 

 with two red edges. 



FRANCE has allowed all its old chivalric orders to lapse, 

 and has now only the Legion of Honour ( q.v.), which has 

 the advantage of being adapted to any form of govern- 

 ment. 



GERMANY. See the sections on Prussia, Bavaria, 

 Saxony, and Wiirtemberg. Many of the minor Ger- 

 man states also have orders, the principal of which 

 are the following: Anhnlt, Albert the Rear (1807, but 

 claiming to date from about 1382). Baden, Order of 

 Loyalty (1715), for princes and 'excellencies;' Charlei 

 Frederick, military ( 1807 ); Lion of Zahriwien (1812). 

 Brunswick, Henry the Lion (1834), military, civil, and 

 science and art. Hesse, Louit (1807), civil and military; 

 Hotue of Philippe le Bon ( 1840), merit ; Military Merit, 

 ( l870);'Gotden Lin (1770, revived 1870) ; Military Sani- 

 tary Cnut(18rO), for those, irrespective of rank or sex, 

 who succour sick or wounded soldiers. Mecklenburg, 

 Crovtn of the Wendet ( 1864 ) it has five classes, the highest 

 open to ladies of exalted rank, ninety-sit members being 

 apportioned to Schwerin and thirty-two to Strclitz ; Crou 

 of Military Merit ( 1814 ). Oldenburg, Order of Merit and 

 of the Ducal House of Peter Frederick Louis ( 1838 ), open 

 to all distinguished in science, art, and domestic virtues. 

 Saxe-Gutha and Altenburg, Order of S<t int Ernest ( 1825 ), 

 ennobles its holders. Saxe-\Veimar Eisenach, White 

 Falcon ( 1732, remodelled 1815), for ' twenty-four exalted 

 personages in the civil or military service,' ic, 



GREAT BRITAIN. - The Most ffoble Onler of the Garter, 

 which stands pre-eminent amongst the orders of knight- 

 hood, will be found described at GAKTER. Orders of 

 the Thit'le (Scotland), St Patrick (Ireland), Bath, 

 and St Mieh'iel and St George are all described under 

 their respective titles. For the Orders of the Star of 

 India, Indian Empire, and Grown of India, see INDIAN 

 ORDERS. Order of Victoria and Alhert, instituted in 

 1862 by Queen Victoria for ladies. Badge, the heads of 

 the Empress-Queen ami Prince Consort, surmounted by 

 the imperial crown. Military Onlcr, ami Order of Merit 

 of British India, instituted in 1837 to reward meritorious 

 services in the native army of India, by native and 

 European officers. Badge, gold star of ei/ht clusters of 

 rays, surmounted by the imperial crown. Order of Merit, 

 also for India, instituted in 1837 to reward personal 

 bravery irrespective of rank. Badge, eight pointed star, 

 in centre two cross swords, on a wreath ' Kcward of 

 Valour.' The Distinguished Service Oi-der (1886), 'for 

 rewarding individual instances of meritorious and dis- 

 tinguished services in war.' 



GREECE. Order of the Redeemer, founded by King Otho 

 in 1833 to commemorate the deliverance of Greece. 

 Conferred for distinction of all kinds. 



iTA'.T. Order of the Annunziata, the third in rank of 

 all orders, claims to have been founded in 1362 by 

 Amadeus VI., Count of Savoy. It was revived by 

 Charles III. in 1518, and was finally modified by Victor 

 Emmanuel II. in 1869, who restricted the knights to 

 twenty, exclusive of the sovereign, foreign princes, and 

 certain others. Badge, gold medallion representing the 

 holy annunciation, surrounded by interlaced love-knots. 

 - .SV Maurice and St Lazarus, formed by the union of 

 two distinct orders, the first dating from the l.'ith cen- 

 tury, and the latter claiming to have been in existence in 

 Jerusalem in 1000. After many changes it was decreed 

 new statutes by Victor Emmanuel II., who made the 

 number of knights unlimited. Military Order of Sara//, 

 instituted by Victor Emmanuel I. in 1815, altered by 

 Victor Emmanuel II. in 1855. It has four classes. Civil 

 Order of Saroy, instituted by King Charles Albert in 

 1831, limited to sixty knights 'who have contributed to 

 the service of the king and the welfare of the state.' 

 The Croic'n of Italy, instituted by Victor Emmanuel II. in 



1868 to commemorate the annexation of Venetia. The 

 number of knights is practically unlimited. Order of the 

 Chivalry of San Marino wns instituted by the grand 

 council of the Republic in 1859. 



JAPAN possesses two orders The Eastern Sun, for 

 civil and military merit, instituted in 1874; and the Order 

 of the Chrysanthemum (1876), which the Mikado himself 

 wears. It is mostly conferred on princes of the blood 

 and foreign sovereigns, the first foreigner to receive it 

 being Czar Alexander II. of Russia. Badge, a yellow 

 enamel chrysanthemum variously ornamented. 



LuXEMBOURB has one order, the Oaken Crown, in- 

 stituted for all classes by William II. of the Netherlands 

 in 1841. 



MONACO has the Order of St Charles (1858). 

 MONTKNEGRO has two orders Danilo the First (1852). 

 for civil merit ; and St Peter (1852), for members of the 

 reigning house exclusively. 



NETHERLANDS. The Order of William, founded by 

 William I. in 1815, is to reward conspicuous military 

 gallantry ; and the Order of the Netherlands Lion ( 1815 ) 

 rewards civil merit. There is also the Order of the 

 Golden Lion (1858) as a family order of the House of 

 Nassau. 



PERSIA. The Order of the Sun and Lion, instituted 

 in 1808 ; and the Order of the Sun ( 1873), for ladies. 



PONTIFICAL. The Order of St Gregory the Great was 

 established by Pope Gregory XVL in 1831 as a reward 

 for zeal in the cause of the Roman Catholic religion. 

 The Order of Christ, dating from 1319, is similar to the 

 Portuguese order of the same name, except that noble 

 birth is not indispensable to admission. The Order of 

 St Sylvester claims a very early foundation, but seems to 

 have really originated in 1559. Gregory XVI. in 1841 

 restricted its application to zeal in the cause of the 

 church and civil virtues. The Order of Pius was founded 

 in 1847 by Pius IX., and confers nobility. The Order of 

 the Holy Sepulchre claims to date from 1099, and was 

 confirmed by Benedict XIV. in 1746. Pius IX. added 

 new statutes in 1868. The Order ofSt Cecilia was founded 

 in 1847 by Pius IX. For the Order of St John of Jeru- 

 salem, see HOSPITALLERS. 



PORTUGAL. The military Order of St Benedict of Ariz 

 originated in 1143 in a society of noble Portuguese for 

 the purpose of opposing the Moors. It remained a mili- 

 tary order until 1789, when Donna Maria converted it 

 into an order of merit of three classes. Badge, a lily 

 cross, enamelled green with gold edges. St James of the 

 Swonl, originated in Spain in 1175, but separated from 

 that country shortly afterwards. It was converted into 

 a merit order by Donna Maria. The military Order of 

 Christ was founded on the abolition of the Order of the 

 Temple (see TEMPLARS), and is another branch of the 

 Pontifical order of the same name. It is only open to 

 Roman Catholics of noble birth. Badge, red enamelled 

 cross, charged with a plain white cross. Order of the 

 Tower and Sword, for merit, was originated in 1808, but 

 remodelled under it* present name in 1832. Order of 

 Isabella, for ladies, was founded in 1801. The Order of 

 Our Lady of the Conception of Villa- Viciosa was founded 

 by John VL in 1818 for both sexes. 



PRUSSIA has no very ancient orders, although the Order 

 of tlte Black Eugle is held in the highest estimation. It 

 was founded in 1701 by the Elector of Brandenburg to 

 commemorate his coronation as king of Prussia ( Frede- 

 rick I.). It is limited to thirty knights (exclusive of 

 princes of the royal blood), who must prove a noble 

 descent for four generations. Badge, a blue enamelled 

 Maltese cross, with a black eagle di.-played in each angle ; 

 in the centre the royal cipher F.R. with the motto 

 Suum eui'gue. The Order of the Red Eaijle was originated 

 in 1705, and was raised to the second rank by Frederick 

 William II. Only those having it can receive the Black 

 Eagle. The badge is similar to the Black Eagle, except 

 that the cross is white and the eagle red. Order 

 of the Crown was instituted in 1861 by William I. to 

 commemorate his coronation as king of Prussia. Badge, 

 white enamelled gold cross with gold edges, having in 

 the centre the royal crown on a gold field. The order 

 Pour le Merits was a reconstitution in 1740 by Frederick 

 the Great of an older order. It has a military and a 

 civil division; and in 1842 William IV. constituted a 

 special class for science and art, to include thirty Ger- 

 mans and a not larger number of foreigners. A new 

 Order of St John of Jerusalem was founded in 1812 by 



