Orders of Knighthood or Chivalry. with their respective statutes and insignia, seem to have been the result of the desire to institute a superior class among those who devoted themselves to arms, and may be said to have originated between the age of Charlemagne and that of the Crusades; though the Romans, in their equestrian order going back to the 6th century B.C., and many other of the ancient nations, had similar distinctions. Their nature, and their connection with the religious orders will be found explained in the article KNIGHTHOOD; here we need only give a brief list of the existing orders which either have survived the invention of gunpowder, to become, generally, marks of favour from the sovereign, who in almost all the orders is grand master, or which have been instituted since, to reward military or civil service or mark personal favour.
AUSTRO-HUNGARY.—The Order of the Golden Fleece (1429), second only in rank to the 'Garter,' will be found described at GOLDEN FLEECE.—St Stephen, instituted by Empress Maria Theresa in 1764, originally as the national order of Hungary. It consists of the grand master (the sovereign of Hungary), twenty grand-cross knights, thirty commanders, and fifty knights. Badge, cross pattée with gold edges. Ribbon, crimson with two green stripes.—Leopold, founded by Francis I., 1808, for 'personal' merit.—Elizabeth-Theresa, the second military order of the empire, founded by Empress Elizabeth Christina, 1750.—Maria-Theresa, founded by Empress Maria Theresa in 1757 for 'officers distinguished in war.'—Iron Crown, originally founded to commemorate the crowning of Napoleon I. as king of Italy in 1805, but revived by Francis I. in 1816, and then named the Austrian Order of the Iron Crown. It is given for personal merit only. The present badge is the Austrian eagle in gold, &c., rising from the iron crown and pendant from the imperial crown.—Order of the Community of Noble Ladies of the Starry Cross, an order for ladies instituted by the Empress Eleanor in 1668 to commemorate the miraculous preservation of a portion of the true cross. It is restricted to high-born ladies.—The Teutonic Order, of very ancient but uncertain origin, conferred on Roman Catholic noblemen and ladies who contribute to its ambulance fund.—Francis Joseph, instituted by that emperor in 1849 for distinguished merit in all classes.
BAVARIA has several ancient orders. St Hubert was founded by Gerhard V., Count of Ravensberg, to commemorate his victory over Arnold, Count of Egmont, in 1444. It is the highest in the kingdom, and is confined to members of the Bavarian Royal House and foreign sovereigns, princes, and barons. Badge, a gold Maltese cross, guttée, &c., surmounted by the Bavarian crown; ribbon, red, watered, with narrow green borders.—St George, originally introduced from the Holy Land in the 12th century, revived by Maximilian I. in 1494, but recognised as instituted by the Elector Charles Albert in 1729. It is only given to Roman Catholics and those having no other order.—Maximilian Joseph, a military order founded by the Elector Charles Theodore (1794), was raised to be a royal order in 1806 by Maximilian Joseph. It has three classes, and the commoner becomes ennobled by entering it.—Bavarian Crown, for civil merit, instituted by Maximilian Joseph in 1808; also confers nobility.—St Michael, an order for civil merit without distinction of rank or religion, founded by Joseph Clemens, Duke of Bavaria, in 1693.—The Maximilian Order, for art and science, founded in 1853 by Maximilian II. for Germans only.—Order of Military Merit (1866).—Royal Louis Order (1827).—Order of Elizabeth, for ladies of Roman Catholic religion, founded by Elizabeth Augusta (1766).—St Anne (1783), for ladies of the nobility, all of its members receiving pensions.—Theresa (1827), for unmarried noble ladies.
BELGIUM.—Order of Leopold, civil and military, founded by Leopold I. (1832). It has five classes, of which the three inferior have pensions.—Iron Cross, for civil merit, founded by Leopold II. (1867).
BULGARIA.—The Military Order, instituted by Prince Alexander I. in 1879.
CHINA.—The Order of the Imperial Dragon was instituted in 1862 to reward foreigners who had done service to the empire, founded partly on the model of the British order of the Bath. The first foreigner decorated was Colonel (General) Gordon. It was put on a more permanent footing in 1882, and called the Order of the Double Dragon. It has five subdivided grades, most carefully specified, ranging from 'sovereigns' to 'commercial classes,' which are distinguished by different kinds of 'pearls' or hemispherical stones. It is this peculiar method of Chinese distinction which is irreverently termed 'buttons' by foreigners.
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 Danebrog was said to have been instituted by Waldemar II. in 1219, to commemorate 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 1808. 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 government.
GERMANY. See the sections on Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, and Württemberg.—Many of the minor German states also have orders, the principal of which are the following: Anhalt, Albert the Bear (1807, but claiming to date from about 1382).—Baden, Order of Loyalty (1715), for princes and 'excellencies'; Charles Frederick, military (1807); Lion of Zähringen (1812).—Brunswick, Henry the Lion (1834), military, civil, and science and art.—Hesse, Louis (1807), civil and military; House of Philippe le Bon (1840), merit; Military Merit, (1870); Golden Lion (1770, revived 1870); Military Sanitary Cross (1870), for those, irrespective of rank or sex, who succour sick or wounded soldiers.—Mecklenburg, Crown of the Wendes (1864)—it has five classes, the highest open to ladies of exalted rank, ninety-six members being apportioned to Schwerin and thirty-two to Strelitz; Cross 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-Gotha and Altenburg, Order of Saint Ernest (1825), ennobles its holders.—Saxe-Weimar Eisenach, White Falcon (1732, remodelled 1815), for 'twenty-four exalted personages in the civil or military service,' &c.
GREAT BRITAIN.—The Most Noble Order of the Garter, which stands pre-eminent amongst the orders of knighthood, will be found described at GARTER.—Orders of the Thistle (Scotland), St Patrick (Ireland), Bath, and St Michael and St George are all described under their respective titles. For the Orders of the Star of India, Indian Empire, and Crown of India, see INDIAN ORDERS.—Order of Victoria and Albert, instituted in 1862 by Queen Victoria for ladies. Badge, the heads of the Empress-Queen and Prince Consort, surmounted by the imperial crown.—Military Order, and 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 eight 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 'Reward of Valour.'—The Distinguished Service Order (1886), 'for rewarding individual instances of meritorious and distinguished services in war.'
GREECE.—Order of the Redeemer, founded by King Otho in 1833 to commemorate the deliverance of Greece. Confferred for distinction of all kinds.
ITALY.—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, a gold medallion representing the holy annunciation, surrounded by interlaced love-knots.—St Maurice and St Lazarus, formed by the union of two distinct orders, the first dating from the 15th century, 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 Savoy, instituted by Victor Emmanuel I. in 1815, altered by Victor Emmanuel II. in 1855. It has four classes.—Civil Order of Savoy, 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 Crown 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 was instituted by the grand council of the Republic in 1859.
JAPAN possesses two orders—The Rising 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.
LUXEMBOURG has one order, the Oaken Crown, instituted for all classes by William II. of the Netherlands in 1841.