Order of the Saint Queen Tamar
Encyclopedia
The Order of the Saint Queen Tamar is a dynastic order of knighthood of the Royal House of Georgia
, originally founded in 1915 by Georgians while in exile.
.
The Legion was put together to fight against the Russian forces in favor of Georgian independence and the originally was named "Insignia of the Saint Queen Tamar". It used to be awarded only to Georgians with exceptional service to the cause of Georginan independence.
It was awarded personnel who distinguished themselves on behalf of the independence of Georgia in World War I
and its immediate aftermath. Only about 3,000 officers and soldiers of the Georgian Legion
(a Georgian volunteer unit within the German
army) and the German Caucasus Expedition
which remained in Georgia until October 1918. The Order was a de facto decoration awarded by the independence movement of Georgia
, then part of Imperial Russia, but was made official by the independent Democratic Republic of Georgia
on 13 December 1918 and recognised as an order of merit.
However, Prince Irakli Bagration of Mukhrani
recreated it as a dynastic order of his Royal House with himself as the Grand Master, with the consent of his father, Prince George Bagration of Mukhrani
who was the Head of the Royal House at the time.
The Order is named after one of the Saint Queen Tamar of Georgia
who was a major force in Georgian history and help grow the influence of her kingdom during the later 12th/early 13th centuries. The period of her reign has come to be known as the Golden age of Georgia.
The insignia is designed as a ribbon in the colours of Georgia, red and black, and a "badge" consisting of an eight-pointed rayed star worn on the left breast. The central medallion depicts the head of Queen Tamar within a circle inscribed, in Georgian letters
, ქართული ლეგიონი 1915 (Georgian Legion 1915). The ribbon has to be worn without a medal on it, with the star on the breast.
House of Mukhrani
The house of Mukhrani is a Georgian princely family, a collateral branch of the former royal dynasty of Bagrationi of which it sprung early in the 16th century, and received in appanage the domain of Mukhrani located in Kartli, central Georgia...
, originally founded in 1915 by Georgians while in exile.
History
The Order traces itself to a Georgian Legion created in 1915 under the same leadership that would later go on to found the Union of Georgian TraditionalistsUnion of Georgian Traditionalists
Union of Georgian Traditionalists was a national political organization of the Georgian Political Emigration in 1930s.The Union was established in 1942, in Berlin...
.
The Legion was put together to fight against the Russian forces in favor of Georgian independence and the originally was named "Insignia of the Saint Queen Tamar". It used to be awarded only to Georgians with exceptional service to the cause of Georginan independence.
It was awarded personnel who distinguished themselves on behalf of the independence of Georgia in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and its immediate aftermath. Only about 3,000 officers and soldiers of the Georgian Legion
Georgian Legion
The Georgian Legion was a name of a Georgian military formation within the German army during World War II. Their established aim was the restoration of Georgia’s independence from the Soviet Union.- History :...
(a Georgian volunteer unit within the German
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
army) and the German Caucasus Expedition
German Caucasus Expedition
The German Caucasus Expedition was a military expedition sent by the German Empire to the formerly Russian Transcaucasia during the Caucasus Campaign of the World War I...
which remained in Georgia until October 1918. The Order was a de facto decoration awarded by the independence movement of Georgia
Committee of Independent Georgia
The Committee of Independent Georgia also known as the Georgian Committee was a political organization formed in 1914 by Georgian émigrés and students in Germany during World War I. It aimed at ousting the Imperial Russian rule in Georgia and reasserting the country’s independence under the German...
, then part of Imperial Russia, but was made official by the independent Democratic Republic of Georgia
Democratic Republic of Georgia
The Democratic Republic of Georgia , 1918–1921, was the first modern establishment of a Republic of Georgia.The DRG was created after the collapse of the Russian Empire that began with the Russian Revolution of 1917...
on 13 December 1918 and recognised as an order of merit.
However, Prince Irakli Bagration of Mukhrani
Irakli Bagration of Mukhrani
Irakli Bagration-Mukhraneli was a Georgian prince of the Mukhrani branch of the former royal dynasty of Bagrationi....
recreated it as a dynastic order of his Royal House with himself as the Grand Master, with the consent of his father, Prince George Bagration of Mukhrani
George Bagration of Mukhrani
George Bragration of Mukhrani or Giorgi Bagration-Mukhraneli was a Georgian nobleman, and a titular head of the House of Mukhrani, a collateral branch of the former royal dynasty of Bagrationi....
who was the Head of the Royal House at the time.
Name of the Order
Tamar of Georgia
Tamar , of the Bagrationi dynasty, was Queen Regnant of Georgia from 1184 to 1213. Tamar presided over the "Golden age" of the medieval Georgian monarchy...
who was a major force in Georgian history and help grow the influence of her kingdom during the later 12th/early 13th centuries. The period of her reign has come to be known as the Golden age of Georgia.
Membership
Membership is open to candidates of any ethnicity or religion and broken into two grades:- Senator of the Grand Badge
- Knight/Lady of the Grand Badge
The insignia is designed as a ribbon in the colours of Georgia, red and black, and a "badge" consisting of an eight-pointed rayed star worn on the left breast. The central medallion depicts the head of Queen Tamar within a circle inscribed, in Georgian letters
Georgian alphabet
The Georgian alphabet is the writing system used to write the Georgian language and other Kartvelian languages , and occasionally other languages of the Caucasus such as Ossetic and Abkhaz during the 1940s...
, ქართული ლეგიონი 1915 (Georgian Legion 1915). The ribbon has to be worn without a medal on it, with the star on the breast.
See also
- Order of the Eagle of Georgia and the Seamless Tunic of Our Lord Jesus ChristOrder of the Eagle of Georgia and the Seamless Tunic of Our Lord Jesus ChristThe Order of the Eagle of Georgia and the Seamless Tunic of Our Lord Jesus Christ or Order of the Eagle of Georgia. is one of the dynastic orders of knighthood of the Royal House of Georgia, originally founded by the Saint Queen Tamar of Georgia and later revived by HRH Prince Irakli Bagration of...
- Order of the Crown of GeorgiaOrder of the Crown of GeorgiaThe Order of the Crown of Georgia is the premier dynastic order of knighthood of the Royal House of Georgia.The Order was created to recognize the supporters of the Georgian monarcy and the Royal House...