Royal Order of Saint George for the Defense of the Immaculate Conception
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Royal Military Order of Saint George for the Defense of the Faith and the Immaculate Conception | |
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Knight Commander Knight | |
Precedence | |
Next (higher) | Order of Saint Hubert |
Next (lower) | Military Order of Max Joseph |
Equivalent | Order of Saint Elizabeth |
The Royal Military Order of Saint George for the Defense of the Faith and the Immaculate Conception (German: Königlicher Militärorden des Heiligen Georg zur Verteidigung des Glaubens und der Unbefleckten Empfängnis), also known as the Royal Bavarian House Equestrian Order of Saint George (German: Königlich Bayerischer Haus-Ritter-Orden vom Heiligen Georg),[1][2] was founded by Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria in 1729 to provide for a means of honouring the nobility and recognizing distinguished civil and military service.
Establishment
There are rumors that the order was founded as early as the twelfth century, or by
The Order was founded by Elector Charles Albert on April 24, 1729, who gave it its title of Order of the Holy Knight and Martyr Saint George and the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Virgin Mary and established its statutes on March 28, 1729, as a Military Order of Chivalry for Roman Catholic noblemen The Grand Master always was the elector, later the king of Bavaria.[3]
Its foundation as a Catholic Order was confirmed in the
It was originally divided in the German and the Foreign class or tongue, the latter including every member with non-German ancestors.
The order was divided in four classes:
- Three Grand Priors
- Six Knights Grand Commander
- Twelve Knights Commander
- Knights
The Order was organised in three Grand Priories: Upper Bavaria, Lower Bavaria and Upper Palatinate. The rank of the Grand Prior was limited to the princes of Bavaria.[4][5] Knights were promoted to Commanders and Commanders to Grand Commander alternating by the Grand Master (de grâce) and by seniority (de justice).
The
Due its statutes, the order was originally a dynastic (elector, later king as Grand Master, princes as Grand Priors), a religious (defense of the Immaculate Conception), and an order of merit (promotion of every second Grand Commander and Commander by the Grand Master; limitation of different grades) at the same time.
Order in 19th and 20th centuries
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In reforming the various military and noble Orders,
The requirements have always been formidable, as originally a member had to prove 32 quarters of nobility with 32 noble ancestors. Since the 1871 reforms, the requirement has been revised to proof of three hundred years of nobility in each of the four quarters and proof that all 32 great-great-great-grandparents were noble, still rigidly enforced. The statutes were again revised on 11 December 1999 (approved by the present Head of the House, Duke Franz, on 11 January 2000), suppressing the separate clerical class (priests may join the Order as regular members, provided they have the necessary nobiliary qualifications) and simplified the regulations.[citation needed] A candidate must be at least 21 years of age, and before admission, is examined by a committee of knights.[citation needed] The last King of Bavaria continued to maintain the Order after abdicating his throne and was succeeded by his son, Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria.[citation needed]
The present Grand Master of the Order is
Insignia
The badge of the Order is a blue enamelled gold
The star is a Maltese cross like the badge but in silver instead of gold, the arms being also blue with white borders, but with four blue and white alternating lozenges between each of the arms and with the red cross of Saint George on a white background as its centre medallion.
On formal occasions the badge is worn by the members of the first class of the order (i.e., Grand Master, Grand Priors and Grand Commanders) from a gold collar formed of links in 1. the form of a gold rectangle, each bearing two or three letters of the motto of the order, IN FIDE JUSTITIA ET FORTITUDINE ("In faith, justice and fortitude"), with gold Bavarian royal crowns on the either side of this rectangle, between red enameled flames emitting from blue enameled strapwork on both the upper and lower sides of this link, alternating with links in 2. the form of two gold lions rampart combatant standing on a gold scroll, each supporting with one forepaw a central white enameled column surmounted by a gold orb and cross, the lion on the left holding a torch in its right forepaw and the lion on the right holding a sword in its left forepaw. Separating these alternating links and alternating with each of them are links 3. in the form of two lozenges, one above the other, with each lozenge subdivided into four blue and white lozenges (from the arms of Bavaria); i.e., 1-3-2-3-1-3, etc.
The Formal Habit of the First Class
In the ceremonies of the first class of the order used to wear a formal habit consisting of a white satin tunic embroidered down the front and around the bottom hem in silver thread with a design of conjoined pairs of oak and olive wreaths, alternating with olive branches, with similar embroidery on the sleeves and the star of the order embroidered on the left breast. Over this was worn a steel blue velvet mantle with the same design of conjoined wreaths and olive branches embroidered in silver thread on the hem and collar of the mantle as on the tunic and the star of the order embroidered on the left breast, over which they wore the collar of the order.[6] At present, the first class wear the collar of the order over a steel blue velvet calf length mantle without any embroidery except for the star of the order on the left breast on such occasions.
Literature
- Statutes of the Royal Order of Saint George 1871 (Online)
References
- ^ "Order of Saint George". Universitätsbibliothek Augsburg. Retrieved 2017-11-26.
- ^ "Hausritterorden vom Heiligen Georg, 1929-1979". ZVAB. Retrieved 2017-11-26.
- ^ ISBN 1235685942. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
- ^ a b Ow, Max Freiherr von (1884). "Der Königlich Bayerische Haus-ritter-orden vom Heiligen Georg: Nach seinen gegenwärtig bestehenden vorschriften, einrichtungen und gebräuchen".
- ^ "Abbildung und Beschreibung Aller Hohen Ritter-Orden in Europa. / Gezeichnet von G. Eichler, Gestochen und im Verlag zu finden bey Iacob Andreas Fridrich Kupferstecher in Augspurg". 1756.
- ^ http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/LodewijkIIIBeieren.jpg [bare URL image file]