The Order of St. George was founded by King Ernest Augustus I of Hanover

Ernest Augustus I of Hanover

Ernest Augustus I was King of Hanover from 20 June 1837 until his death. He was the fifth son and eighth child of George III, who reigned in both the United Kingdom and Hanover...

, on 23 April 1839. In the statutes establishing the order it was designated as the House Order of the Crown of Hanover

Kingdom of Hanover

The Kingdom of Hanover was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg , and joined with 38 other sovereign states in the German...

. The order is of a single grade and limited to 16 members, excluding members of the royal family.

Insignia

The badge is an eight-pointed Maltese Cross, surmounted by a gold crown. The arms are covered in blue enamel with gold trim and balls on the tips of the cross. Between the arms are golden lions. A round medallion in the center and depicts St. George on horseback in a duel with a green dragon. The back has the cypher of the founder of the order EAR (Ernst August Rex).

The star of the order is of brilliant silver with eight arms. In the center is the scene of St. George and the dragon, surrounded by a red enamel ring with the motto of the order "Nunquam retrorsum" in gold.

The ribbon of the order is dark crimson.