Royal Order of Saint George for the Defense of the Immaculate Conception
Encyclopedia
The Royal Military Order of Saint George for the Defense of the Faith and the Immaculate Conception was founded by Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
in 1726 to provide for a means of honouring the nobility
and recognizing distinguished civil and military service. Its status as a Catholic Order was confirmed in a Papal Bull
of 15 March 1728 specifically comparing the Order with the Teutonic Order, which had likewise been transformed from a Crusading Order to an exclusive chivalric religious institution for the Nobility.
s to acquire the Grand Magistery of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
, which by decision of the Holy See
in 1701 was recognized as pertaining to the Italian Farnese dynasty.
The tradition of loyalty to the patron saint of chivalry, Saint George, was long established in Germany
, and various Bavarian Princes who in the fifteenth century had made pilgrimages to the Holy Sepulcher and were there invested as knights had each made a promise to Saint George. Maximilian's son, the Elector Karl-Albrecht
, gave the new Order its title of Order of the Holy Knight and Martyr Saint George and the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Virgin Mary and established its statutes on March 28, 1729 as a Military Order of Chivalry for Roman Catholic noblemen.
By a reform of 1741, a clerical class was introduced, also limited to noblemen, including a Bishop
, Provost
s, four Dean
s, and Chaplain
s. The statute
s in forty articles dedicate the members to an ardent Christian devotion unparalleled among institutions founded in the eighteenth century, the age of the Enlightenment. They require that the knights "must honour God above all else; You must be strong in faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ, honor your Sovereign Lord, love and respect him and his royal prerogatives" and replicate promises made at the Tomb.
while the latter's wife, Maria Theresa of Austria
, inherited the Bohemian and Hungarians Crowns. This branch of the Wittelsbach
family became extinct in 1777 and the Bavarian Electorate passed to Karl-Theodor
, the senior Prince of the House of Bavaria, he assumed the Grand Magistery of the Order in 1778.
With Karl-Theodor's death in 1799, both Electorates passed collaterally to the next senior Prince (because of the exclusion of morganatic lines), the Elector Maximilian IV Joseph (Duke of Zweibrücken) who in 1806 was elevated to the title of King, following substantial alterations in his territories. The new King now found himself ruling a very different state to that ruled by his ancestors. By the time Maximilian I of Bavaria died he was ruling a larger and richer state than any previous individual Wittelsbach Prince.
declared that the King was always to be Grand Master, the Crown Prince
the first Grand Prior and other Princes of the Bavarian Royal House second Grand Priors. These statutes, which have remained largely in force, established six Grand Commanders, twelve hereditary commanders, and knights.
The requirements have always been formidable as originally members had to prove thirty two quarterings with thirty-four noble German ancestors, but since the 1871 reforms the requirement has been revised to proof of four hundred years of nobility in each of the four quarters and proof that all thirty-two great-great-great grandparents were noble, still rigidly enforced. The statutes were again revised on 11 December 1999 (approved by the present Head of the House, Duke Franz, on 11 January 2000), suppressing the separate clerical class (priests may join the Order as regular members, provided they have the necessary nobiliary qualifications) and simplified the regulations. They have to be at least twenty-one years of age and before admission, are examined by a committee of knights. There was originally a special "zungen" (langue or tongue) of foreign knights, who could comprise up to one third of the total membership, and did not have to prove German ancestry, but this no longer exists. The last King of Bavaria
continued to maintain the Order after abdicating his throne and was succeeded by his son, Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria
.
The present Grand Master of the Order is Franz Herzog von Bayern
who succeeded his father, Duke Albrecht
in 1996. Unlike all the other noble Orders the rules requiring noble proofs are strictly enforced and there is no category of "honorary" or "grace" knights. The Order is dedicated to the practice of works of charity, and the establishment of hospitals and until recently maintained a hundred-bed hospital. There are about ninety members and the Order celebrates its feast days on Saint George's Day (24 April) and the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (8 December). The coadjutor Grand Master and first Grand Prior is Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria
, and Rasso, Wolfgang, Eugen, and Joseph-Clemens Prinz von Bayern are Grand Priors.
with white enamelled borders with small gold balls on the points and blue diagonal lozenges between the arms also with white enamelled borders. Each of these lozenges bears a gold letter, V. I. B. I., representing the words Virgini Immaculatae Bavaria Immaculata ("Immaculate Bavaria for the Immaculate Virgin"). The round gold medallion in the center has the image of the Virgin Mary within a white enamelled border. The reverse of the badge has the same design except that the arms of the cross are enamelled red, the blue lozenges bear the letters I. V. P. F., representing the words Justis Vt Palma Fiorebit ("Distinguished for Justice and Glory") and the center gold medallion is of Saint George
slaying the Dragon within a green enamelled laurel wreath. The badge hangs from a light blue silk moire ribbon with white stripes near its border with narrow dark blue stripes on the inside of these white stripes by means of a suspension link in the form of a gold lion's head holding in its mouth a blue reverse crescent shaped handle of the gold and enamel strapwork
supporting the badge proper.
The star is similar to the cross of the badge but silver instead of white, with four blue and white alternating lozenges between each of the arms; in the centre medallion is the red cross of Saint George on a white background.
On formal occasions the badge is worn by the members of the first class of the order (i.e., Grand Master, Grand Priors and Grand Commanders) from a gold collar formed of links in the form of a gold rectangle bearing letters of the motto of the order, IN FIDE JUSTITIA ET FORTITUDINE ("In faith, justice and fortitude"), between two red enamelled flames on the upper and lower sides of the rectangle alternating with links
in the form of the gold lions holding swords facing each other on either side of a center gold pillar supporting a gold orb and cross. Separating these alternating links are oval links in the form of two sets of four blue and white lozenges joined together by small scrolls.
tunic embroidered down the front and around the bottom hem in silver thread with a design of conjoined pairs of oak
and olive
wreaths, alternating with olive branches, with similar embroidery on the sleeves and the star of the order embroidered on the left breast. Over this was worn a steel blue
velvet
mantle with the same design of conjoined wreaths and olive branches embroidered in silver thread on the hem and collar of the mantle as on the tunic and the star of the order embroidered on the left breast, over which they wore the collar of the order. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/LodewijkIIIBeieren.jpg At present, the first class wear the collar of the order over a steel blue velvet calf length mantle without any embroidery except for the star of the order on the left breast on such occasions.
Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria
Maximilian II , also known as Max Emanuel or Maximilian Emanuel, was a Wittelsbach ruler of Bavaria and an elector of the Holy Roman Empire. He was also the last Governor of the Spanish Netherlands and duke of Luxembourg...
in 1726 to provide for a means of honouring the nobility
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
and recognizing distinguished civil and military service. Its status as a Catholic Order was confirmed in a Papal Bull
Papal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
of 15 March 1728 specifically comparing the Order with the Teutonic Order, which had likewise been transformed from a Crusading Order to an exclusive chivalric religious institution for the Nobility.
Establishment
The decision to found it may have been in part the consequence of the failed attempt by the WittelsbachWittelsbach
The Wittelsbach family is a European royal family and a German dynasty from Bavaria.Members of the family served as Dukes, Electors and Kings of Bavaria , Counts Palatine of the Rhine , Margraves of Brandenburg , Counts of Holland, Hainaut and Zeeland , Elector-Archbishops of Cologne , Dukes of...
s to acquire the Grand Magistery of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George is a Roman Catholic order of chivalry. It was fictively established by Constantine the Great, though in reality it was founded between 1520 and 1545 by two brothers of the Angeli Comneni family. Members of the Angeli Comneni family remained...
, which by decision of the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
in 1701 was recognized as pertaining to the Italian Farnese dynasty.
The tradition of loyalty to the patron saint of chivalry, Saint George, was long established in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and various Bavarian Princes who in the fifteenth century had made pilgrimages to the Holy Sepulcher and were there invested as knights had each made a promise to Saint George. Maximilian's son, the Elector Karl-Albrecht
Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VII Albert a member of the Wittelsbach family, was Prince-elector of Bavaria from 1726 and Holy Roman Emperor from 24 January 1742 until his death in 1745...
, gave the new Order its title of Order of the Holy Knight and Martyr Saint George and the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Virgin Mary and established its statutes on March 28, 1729 as a Military Order of Chivalry for Roman Catholic noblemen.
By a reform of 1741, a clerical class was introduced, also limited to noblemen, including a Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
, Provost
Provost (religion)
A provost is a senior official in a number of Christian churches.-Historical Development:The word praepositus was originally applied to any ecclesiastical ruler or dignitary...
s, four Dean
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
s, and Chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
s. The statute
Statute
A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs a state, city, or county. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. The word is often used to distinguish law made by legislative bodies from case law, decided by courts, and regulations...
s in forty articles dedicate the members to an ardent Christian devotion unparalleled among institutions founded in the eighteenth century, the age of the Enlightenment. They require that the knights "must honour God above all else; You must be strong in faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ, honor your Sovereign Lord, love and respect him and his royal prerogatives" and replicate promises made at the Tomb.
Order in 18th century
In the same year Karl-Albrecht acquired the Crown of Bohemia and, on January 24, 1742 he was elected Emperor as Charles VII, but his rule was short and when he died three years later he was succeeded as Emperor by Francis of LorraineFrancis I, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis I was Holy Roman Emperor and Grand Duke of Tuscany, though his wife effectively executed the real power of those positions. With his wife, Maria Theresa, he was the founder of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty...
while the latter's wife, Maria Theresa of Austria
Maria Theresa of Austria
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands and Parma...
, inherited the Bohemian and Hungarians Crowns. This branch of the Wittelsbach
Wittelsbach
The Wittelsbach family is a European royal family and a German dynasty from Bavaria.Members of the family served as Dukes, Electors and Kings of Bavaria , Counts Palatine of the Rhine , Margraves of Brandenburg , Counts of Holland, Hainaut and Zeeland , Elector-Archbishops of Cologne , Dukes of...
family became extinct in 1777 and the Bavarian Electorate passed to Karl-Theodor
Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria
Charles 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...
, the senior Prince of the House of Bavaria, he assumed the Grand Magistery of the Order in 1778.
With Karl-Theodor's death in 1799, both Electorates passed collaterally to the next senior Prince (because of the exclusion of morganatic lines), the Elector Maximilian IV Joseph (Duke of Zweibrücken) who in 1806 was elevated to the title of King, following substantial alterations in his territories. The new King now found himself ruling a very different state to that ruled by his ancestors. By the time Maximilian I of Bavaria died he was ruling a larger and richer state than any previous individual Wittelsbach Prince.
Order in 19th and 20th centuries
In reforming the various military and noble Orders, he confirmed the privileges already enjoyed by the knights of Saint George, giving them precedence after the knights of Saint Hubert. By a new Constitution of 25 February 1827, Maximilian's son and successor, Ludwig ILudwig I of Bavaria
Ludwig I was a German king of Bavaria from 1825 until the 1848 revolutions in the German states.-Crown prince:...
declared that the King was always to be Grand Master, the Crown Prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
the first Grand Prior and other Princes of the Bavarian Royal House second Grand Priors. These statutes, which have remained largely in force, established six Grand Commanders, twelve hereditary commanders, and knights.
The requirements have always been formidable as originally members had to prove thirty two quarterings with thirty-four noble German ancestors, but since the 1871 reforms the requirement has been revised to proof of four hundred years of nobility in each of the four quarters and proof that all thirty-two great-great-great grandparents were noble, still rigidly enforced. The statutes were again revised on 11 December 1999 (approved by the present Head of the House, Duke Franz, on 11 January 2000), suppressing the separate clerical class (priests may join the Order as regular members, provided they have the necessary nobiliary qualifications) and simplified the regulations. They have to be at least twenty-one years of age and before admission, are examined by a committee of knights. There was originally a special "zungen" (langue or tongue) of foreign knights, who could comprise up to one third of the total membership, and did not have to prove German ancestry, but this no longer exists. The last King of Bavaria
King of Bavaria
King of Bavaria was a title held by the hereditary Wittelsbach rulers of Bavaria in the state known as the Kingdom of Bavaria from 1805 until 1918, when the kingdom was abolished...
continued to maintain the Order after abdicating his throne and was succeeded by his son, Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria
Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria
Rupprecht or Rupert, Crown Prince of Bavaria was the last Bavarian Crown Prince.His full title was His Royal Highness Rupprecht Maria Luitpold Ferdinand, Crown Prince of Bavaria, Duke of Bavaria, of Franconia and in Swabia, Count Palatine of the Rhine...
.
The present Grand Master of the Order is Franz Herzog von Bayern
Franz, Duke of Bavaria
Franz Bonaventura Adalbert Maria Herzog von Bayern , styled as His Royal Highness The Duke of Bavaria, is head of the Wittelsbach family, the former ruling family of the Kingdom of Bavaria...
who succeeded his father, Duke Albrecht
Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria
Albrecht Luitpold Ferdinand Michael, Duke of Bavaria, of Franconia and in Swabia, Count Palatine of the Rhine , was the son of Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria and his first wife, Duchess Marie Gabrielle in Bavaria. He was the one surviving child from that marriage...
in 1996. Unlike all the other noble Orders the rules requiring noble proofs are strictly enforced and there is no category of "honorary" or "grace" knights. The Order is dedicated to the practice of works of charity, and the establishment of hospitals and until recently maintained a hundred-bed hospital. There are about ninety members and the Order celebrates its feast days on Saint George's Day (24 April) and the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (8 December). The coadjutor Grand Master and first Grand Prior is Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria
Prince Max, Duke in Bavaria
Max-Emanuel Ludwig Maria Herzog in Bayern, sometimes styled Prince Max of Bavaria, Duke in Bavaria, born 21 January 1937 as son of Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria, is the heir presumptive to both the headship of the former Bavarian Royal House and the Jacobite Succession...
, and Rasso, Wolfgang, Eugen, and Joseph-Clemens Prinz von Bayern are Grand Priors.
Insignia
The badge of the Order is a blue enamelled gold Maltese crossMaltese cross
The Maltese cross, also known as the Amalfi cross, is identified as the symbol of an order of Christian warriors known as the Knights Hospitaller or Knights of Malta and through them came to be identified with the Mediterranean island of Malta and is one of the National symbols of Malta...
with white enamelled borders with small gold balls on the points and blue diagonal lozenges between the arms also with white enamelled borders. Each of these lozenges bears a gold letter, V. I. B. I., representing the words Virgini Immaculatae Bavaria Immaculata ("Immaculate Bavaria for the Immaculate Virgin"). The round gold medallion in the center has the image of the Virgin Mary within a white enamelled border. The reverse of the badge has the same design except that the arms of the cross are enamelled red, the blue lozenges bear the letters I. V. P. F., representing the words Justis Vt Palma Fiorebit ("Distinguished for Justice and Glory") and the center gold medallion is of Saint George
Saint George
Saint George was, according to tradition, a Roman soldier from Syria Palaestina and a priest in the Guard of Diocletian, who is venerated as a Christian martyr. In hagiography Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic , Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox...
slaying the Dragon within a green enamelled laurel wreath. The badge hangs from a light blue silk moire ribbon with white stripes near its border with narrow dark blue stripes on the inside of these white stripes by means of a suspension link in the form of a gold lion's head holding in its mouth a blue reverse crescent shaped handle of the gold and enamel strapwork
Strapwork
In the history of art and design, the term strapwork refers to a stylised representation in ornament of strips or bands of curling leather, parchment or metal cut into elaborate shapes, with piercings and often interwoven...
supporting the badge proper.
The star is similar to the cross of the badge but silver instead of white, with four blue and white alternating lozenges between each of the arms; in the centre medallion is the red cross of Saint George on a white background.
On formal occasions the badge is worn by the members of the first class of the order (i.e., Grand Master, Grand Priors and Grand Commanders) from a gold collar formed of links in the form of a gold rectangle bearing letters of the motto of the order, IN FIDE JUSTITIA ET FORTITUDINE ("In faith, justice and fortitude"), between two red enamelled flames on the upper and lower sides of the rectangle alternating with links
in the form of the gold lions holding swords facing each other on either side of a center gold pillar supporting a gold orb and cross. Separating these alternating links are oval links in the form of two sets of four blue and white lozenges joined together by small scrolls.
The Formal Habit of the First Class
In the ceremonies of the first class of the order used to wear a formal habit consisting of a white satinSatin
Satin is a weave that typically has a glossy surface and a dull back. It is a warp-dominated weaving technique that forms a minimum number of interlacings in a fabric. If a fabric is formed with a satin weave using filament fibres such as silk, nylon, or polyester, the corresponding fabric is...
tunic embroidered down the front and around the bottom hem in silver thread with a design of conjoined pairs of oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
and olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
wreaths, alternating with olive branches, with similar embroidery on the sleeves and the star of the order embroidered on the left breast. Over this was worn a steel blue
Steel blue
Steel blue is a shade of blue that resembles blue steel, i.e., steel which has been subjected to bluing in order to protect it from rust. It is one of the less vibrant shades of blue; usually identified as somewhat bluish-grey....
velvet
Velvet
Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed,with a short dense pile, giving it a distinctive feel.The word 'velvety' is used as an adjective to mean -"smooth like velvet".-Composition:...
mantle with the same design of conjoined wreaths and olive branches embroidered in silver thread on the hem and collar of the mantle as on the tunic and the star of the order embroidered on the left breast, over which they wore the collar of the order. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/LodewijkIIIBeieren.jpg At present, the first class wear the collar of the order over a steel blue velvet calf length mantle without any embroidery except for the star of the order on the left breast on such occasions.