An order of chivalry , order of knighthood , chivalric order , or equestrian order is an order of knights , typically founded during or inspired by the original Catholic military orders of the Crusades ( c. 1099–1291) and paired with medieval concepts of ideals of chivalry .
33-505: The Order of Saint Lucia is an order of chivalry established in 1986 by Elizabeth II , Queen of Saint Lucia . The order is bestowed by the governor-general on behalf of the sovereign . The governor-general has the right to exercise all powers and authorities of the sovereign in respect of the Order. In February 2016, for the first time in the order's history, the Queen approved the awarding of
66-426: A ribbon . Typically these insignia are worn from a sash in the case of the senior ranks, around the neck for the middle ranks (see also neck decorations ), and on the left chest for the lower grades. Many orders use insignia in the form of a cross, but there may also be stars, and military awards may have crossed swords added onto the insignias. Ladies may wear the badge on a bow on the left chest. In orders following
99-606: A Star, and a Collar to which is affixed the badge of the order. Upon retirement from office of governor-general, the recipient is only entitled to wear the Star with and the badge of the order suspended from the riband of the order and worn round the neck. The Cross of the order is awarded in gold and is worn from the riband of the order round the neck. The Medal of Merit and the Medal of Honour can be awarded in gold or silver. The Les Pitons Medal can be awarded in gold, silver or bronze. All of
132-713: A consequence of being not an order of chivalry but orders of merit or decorations , some republican honours have thus avoided the traditional structure found in medieval orders of chivalry and created new ones instead, e.g. the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany , the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria , or the Legion of Merit of the United States . Following
165-457: A modern-day order is the Order of the British Empire . The French Legion of Honour democratised the honour systems of orders of chivalry and merit in the sense of formally omitting both the expectations of nobility on admittees while also no further implying the same status on previously non-noble conferees. Yet some orders may still expect noble ancestry on the part of recipients, such as
198-549: A state or a reigning monarch. The answer to the question of whether an order is legitimate or not varies from nation to nation, François Velde wrote an "order of knighthood is legitimate if it is defined as legal, recognized and acknowledged as such by a sovereign authority. Within its borders, a sovereign state does as it pleases. Most, if not all, modern states have honorific orders and decorations of some kind, and those are sometimes called orders of knighthood." Exactly what makes one order legitimate and another self-styled or false
231-515: Is a Baronial Order and the Ordre de la Pomme d'Or was founded by 14 knights in Auvergne in 1394. Order of merit An order of merit is an honorific order that is conferred by a state , government , royal family , or other sovereign entity to an individual in recognition of military or civil merit. The historical background of the modern honours system of orders of merit may be traced to
264-435: Is a matter of debate with some arguing that any monarch (reigning or not) or even the descendants of such can create an order while others assert that only a government with actual internationally recognized authority has such power (regardless of whether that government is republican or monarchical in nature). Historically, nobility and knights have also formed Orders of Knighthood. The Noble Order of Saint George of Rougemont
297-471: Is appointed by the governor-general. The Order of Saint Lucia may only be awarded to citizens of Saint Lucia. Honorary awards may be made to persons other than citizens of Saint Lucia and are made with the approval of the sovereign on the advice of the prime minister. For Knight/Dame Commanders, appointments may only be awarded to no more than three persons every two years, and the number of living Knights/Dames shall not exceed 20 at any one time. The riband of
330-524: Is granted only to a person holding the office of governor-general. The number of persons holding the Cross can not exceed 25 at any one time and no more than three people can be awarded the rank in any one year. All honorary appointments are supernumerary. Order of chivalry Since the 15th century, orders of chivalry, often as dynastic orders , began to be established in a more courtly fashion that could be created ad hoc . These orders would often retain
363-653: Is into: Confraternal orders are orders of chivalry with the presidency attached to a nobleman: Fraternal orders are orders of chivalry that were formed off a vow & for a certain enterprise: Votive orders are orders of chivalry, temporarily formed on the basis of a vow . These were courtly chivalric games rather than actual pledges as in the case of the fraternal orders. Three are known from their statutes: Cliental pseudo-orders are not orders of chivalry and were princes' retinues fashionably termed orders. They are without statutes or restricted memberships: Honorific orders were honorific insignia consisting of nothing but
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#1733116302943396-491: The Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary , established in 1764), others would confer a title upon appointment (such as the Military Order of Max Joseph , established in 1806) while in yet other orders only the top classes were considered knights (such as in the Order of St Michael and St George , established in 1818). Orders of merit which still confer privileges of knighthood are sometimes referred to as orders of knighthood. As
429-524: The Order of the British Empire in the 21st century. In Central Europe, for example, the Order of St. George , whose roots also go back to the so-called "last knight" Emperor Maximilian I , was reactivated by the House of Habsburg after its dissolution by Nazi Germany. Meanwhile, to this day, deserved personalities in republican France are highlighted by being awarded the Knight of the Legion of Honour . In contrast,
462-707: The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George ), the " Order of Malta " (derived from the Sovereign Military Order of Malta ), and the " Order of the Temple " (derived from the historical Knights Templar ), the latter two featuring prominently in the York Rite . Most orders created since the late 17th century were no longer societies and fellowships of knights who followed a common mission but were established by monarchs or governments with
495-608: The Sovereign Military Order of Malta and those of the Alliance of the Orders of Saint John of Jerusalem . Others may continue to imply conferral of nobility on any admittee, whether hereditary or personal, such as in some of the cases of dynastic orders conferred by the House of Bavaria or the House of Imperial Russia . Some organisations claim to be chivalric orders but are actually private membership organisations that have not been created by
528-570: The Burgundian court culture was leading and so the Order of the Golden Fleece , founded there in 1430, was for many a model in the sense of a princely order based on the ideals of Christian chivalry. In the course of time, many orders of knights have been dissolved due to a lack of people or the field of activity has changed. So in many areas the charitable aspect and nursing came to the fore. There were also dissolutions for political reasons, such as
561-473: The Knight or Dame Grand Cross. Knight/Dame Commanders are entitled to the prefix "Sir" (for knights) or "Dame" to their first names and use the post-nominal "KCSL" or "DCSL". Saint Lucia Crosses are entitled to the style "The Honourable" and use the post-nominal "SLC". Other ranks use the post-nominals "SLMH" (Saint Lucia Medal of Honour), "SLMM" (Saint Lucia Medal of Merit), "SLPM" (Les Pitons Medal) and "NSC" (National Service Cross). The rank of Grand Cross
594-626: The Knights Templar in 1312 or many orders of knights as opposition by Nazi Germany. While the Knights Templar was not re-established, some orders were reactivated after the end of World War II and the fall of the Iron Curtain. There are repeated attempts to revive or restore old orders of knights. Often, old knight orders are used today to honor personalities. For example, the British Queen Elizabeth II regularly appointed new members to
627-696: The above division became no longer sufficient, and heraldic science distinguished orders into: hereditary, military, religious and fees. In a more generous distribution proposed in The Knights in the Crown: The Monarchical Orders of Knighthood in Late Medieval Europe (1987), the Canadian heraldist D'Arcy Boulton classifies chivalric orders as follows: Based on Boulton, this article distinguishes: Another occurrent chronological categorisation
660-430: The badge: Together with the monarchical chivalric orders (see above) these honorific orders are the prime ancestors of the modern-day orders of knighthood (see below) which are orders of merit in character. The distinction between these orders and decorations is somewhat vague, except that these honorific orders still implied membership in a group. Decorations have no such limitations and are awarded purely to recognize
693-531: The example set by the French Legion of Honour , founded by Napoleon , most multi-level European orders comprise five ranks or classes. The highest is usually called the Grand Cross , then descending with varying titles. Alternatively, the ranks are referred to by number (for example "1st class" instead of "Grand Cross"). Typical rankings are: Each of these ranks wear insignia, usually badge (often enamelled) on
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#1733116302943726-533: The example set by the French Legion of Honour, the two highest classes also wear a star (or plaque ) on the chest. In special cases the senior class may wear the badge on a collar , which is an elaborate chain around the neck. In certain countries with feudal heritage the higher ranks (usually at least the Grand Cross) may have vestments proper to them, including a robe or mantle and a hat . An example of such
759-405: The grades of Knight and Dame. The Order of Saint Lucia comprises seven classes. In decreasing order of seniority, these are: While the monarch is sovereign of the order and the governor-general is chancellor, there is also established an awards committee to decide on eligible members of the order. Members of the committee include a chairman appointed by the governor-general after consultation with
792-742: The knights of the ecclesiastical orders of knights such as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and the Order of St. John mainly devote themselves to social tasks, nursing and care. The Secretariat of the State of the Holy See – medieval pioneer of the original military orders – distinguishes orders in the following manner: In Dell'origine dei Cavalieri (1566), the Italian scholar Francesco Sansovino (1521–1586) distinguished knights and their respective societies in three main categories: Over time,
825-507: The main purpose of an ideal or charitable task. The original ideal lay in monachus et miles (monk and knight), who in the order – ordo (Latin for 'order' / 'status') – is dedicated to a Christian purpose. The first orders of knights were religious orders that were founded to protect and guide pilgrims to the Holy Land. The knightly orders were characterized by an order-like community life in poverty, obedience and chastity, which
858-633: The medals are worn as a pendant from the riband of the order from the left breast. When worn in Saint Lucia the Order takes precedence over all other decorations except the Victoria Cross and the George Cross . Knights or Dames Grand Cross are entitled to the style "His Excellency" or "Her Excellency", the prefix "Sir" (for knights) or "Dame" to their first names and use the post-nominal "GCSL". Only those persons appointed governor-general shall be awarded
891-423: The merit or accomplishments of the recipient. Both orders and decorations often come in multiple classes. The orders have influenced organizations which are completely separate and distinct from them. Since at least the 18th century, Freemasonry has incorporated symbols and rituals of several medieval military orders in a number of Masonic bodies , most notably, in the " Red Cross of Constantine " (derived from
924-429: The notion of being a confraternity , society or other association of members, but some of them were ultimately purely honorific and consisted of a medal decoration. In fact, these decorations themselves often came to be known informally as orders . These institutions in turn gave rise to the modern-day orders of merit of sovereign states. An order of knights is a community of knights composed by order rules with
957-524: The order is composed of vertical stripes of the colours blue, gold, black, and white. When worn with the insignia of the Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Lucia or the Saint Lucia Cross, the riband is a width of two inches; and when worn with the insignia of the other grades of the order, the riband is the width of one and a half inches. The Grand Cross is of gold and the recipient shall is invested with
990-550: The prime minister and the leader of the opposition, the chairman of the Public Service Commission, the chairman of the Teaching Service Commission, the commissioner of police, and three persons representative of the general public appointed by the governor-general of whom two shall are appointed on the advice of the prime minister and one on the advice of the leader of the opposition. The committee secretary
1023-479: The sense of canon law through papal recognition of their own binding rules of order and through the dissolution of ecclesiastical diocesan organizations. In addition to the religious orders of knights, courtly orders of knights emerged in many European royal houses from the middle of the 14th century. This enabled the monarchs and princes to create a reliable household power independent of the church and to combine their court life with knightly virtues. During this time,
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1056-417: The specific purpose of bestowing honours on deserving individuals. In most European monarchies, these new orders retained some outward forms from the medieval orders of chivalry (such as rituals and structure) but were in essence orders of merit, mainly distinguished from their republican counterparts by the fact that members were entitled to a title of nobility . While some orders required noble birth (such as
1089-513: Was linked with charitable tasks, armed pilgrimage protection and military action against external and occasionally internal enemies of Christianity. Examples are the Knights Templar , Knights of the Holy Sepulchre officially called The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, founded in 1090, the Order of St. John and the Order of Malta . These communities only became orders in
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