Order of Saint Elizabeth
Encyclopedia
The Order of Saint Elizabeth was an all-female chivalric and charitable order in the Kingdom of Bavaria
. The following excerpt is from The Orders of Knighthood, British and Foreign (1884):
Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Bavarian Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1806 as Maximilian I Joseph. The monarchy would remain held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom's dissolution in 1918...
. The following excerpt is from The Orders of Knighthood, British and Foreign (1884):
The first Consort of the Elector Charles TheodoreCharles Theodore, Elector of BavariaCharles Theodore, Prince-Elector, Count Palatine and Duke of Bavaria reigned as Prince-Elector and Count palatine from 1742, as Duke of Jülich and Berg from 1742 and also as Prince-Elector and Duke of Bavaria from 1777, until his death...
of the Palatinate, Elizabeth AugustaElizabeth Augusta of SulzbachElisabeth Auguste of Sulzbach was the eldest granddaughter of the Elector Palatine Charles III Philip, and by her marriage to Elector Palatine Charles IV Theodore, Electress Palatine and later Electress of Bavaria.- Biography :Elisabeth Auguste's parents were Joseph Charles of Sulzbach and...
, daughter of the Palatine Joseph Charles Emanuel of SchultzbachJoseph Karl Emanuel August, Pfalzgraf von SulzbachJoseph Charles, Count Palatine of Sulzbach was the eldest son of Theodore Eustace, Count Palatine of Sulzbach.-Life:...
, founded this Order for ladies in honor of her sainted patroness and namesake on the 18th October 1766, as a purely charitable institution for the poor. It was confirmed on the 31st of January 1767, by Pope Clement XIIPope Clement XIIPope Clement XII , born Lorenzo Corsini, was Pope from 12 July 1730 to 6 February 1740.Born in Florence, the son of Bartolomeo Corsini, Marquis of Casigliano and his wife Isabella Strozzi, sister of the Duke of Bagnuolo, Corsini had been an aristocratic lawyer and financial manager under preceding...
, and endowed with various indulgencies. The Catholic religion and the Seize Quartiers – the proof of noble descent running through sixteen generations of their own or their husband’s ancestors – are indispensable conditions for candidates. The Grand Mistress is, however, empowered to nominate and unlimited number of ladies, from Princely Houses and her own Court, as also six other married or widowed ladies of noble, but not ancient descent. The nomination takes place either on Easter or on Saint Elizabeth’s Day (19th November). The entrance fee is four ducats. The badge is a white enameled cross, representing on one side Saint Elizabeth dispensing charity to the poor, and on the other, the initials of the founder. It is worn on the left breast by a blue ribbon with a red boarder. No Member can appear in public without it, except by fine of one ducat. The King appoints the Grand Mistress.
Sources
- Tagore, Rajah Sir Sourindro Mohun. The Orders of Knighthood, British and Foreign. Calcutta, India: The Catholic Orphan Press, 1884