HISTORIC ORDERS: AND THEIR INSIGNIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2983, 17 May 1911, Page 94

HISTORIC ORDERS: AND THEIR INSIGNIA.

[Copyright.] The age of chivalry may be dead, but tome of the high ideals which formed at once its strongest motives and its truest inspiration will endure 40 long as there is any vestige of nobility left in man. Some of the finest legacies which have been handed down from the Middle Ages to these modern days are the many distinguished orders cf knighthood. Our ideas a.s to the value of these decorations may have changed. To the mediaeval mind they represented much more than the mere honour and insignia- But however we view these orders and decorations, they are generally valued in proportion to their antiquity, and there is something particularly inspiring in the traditions of these historic knighthoods "sans peur et sans rep roc he." THE SWORD SANCTIFIED. The times of the Crusades were _ times when spiritual ecstasy often found its expression in physical strife, when the use of the sword was sanctified by its defence of the Holy Places of Christianity against the invading Saracens. No fewer than three military religious orders of knighthood sprang into being in these stirring times —viz., the Hospitallers, the Templars, and the Teutonic Knights. The order of Knights cf St. John of Jerusalem, also called the Knights of Rhodes or Malta, originated in the year 1048 in a hospital for the care of pilgrims to Jerusalem, dedicated to St. John. After the conquest of the city by Godfrey of Bouillon in 1099 the founders and attendants were joined by many other good men, and they formed themselves into a knighthood, taking the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. The order received the sanction of Pope Pascal II in 1113. Raymond du Puy organised the Hospitallers on a military basis and pledged them to protect pilgrims to the Holy Land. After the capture of Jerusalem by Saladin in 1191 they establisehed themselves, after a dispute with the Templars, at Acre. About this time Frederick arbarossa took the Knights of St. John under the protection of the Empire. They then consisted of three closses —knights, chaplains, and serving brothers or squires. In 1310 they captured Rhodes and kept the Turks at bay for a couple of centuries. At the zenith of their power the Hospitallers owned 19,000 manors in Europe plus 9000 taken from the Templars in 1312. Charles V ceded Malta to them in 1530. After the Reformation the order appears to have deteriorated, and by the end of the eighteenth century their lands were confiscated in most of the countries of Europe. THE TEMPLARS' COURAGE AND DEVOTION.

The story of the Knights Templars is shorter, more meteoric, but none the lees interesting. About the year 1119, Hugues de Paygen and Geoffroi de St. Ademhar. followers of Godfrey of Bouillon, pledged .themselves along with seven other knights to defend pilgrims to the Holy Places from attacking Saracens. They took the triple vows before the Patriarch of Jerusalem. Baldwin II housed them in part of his palace, -which stood on the site of Solomon's Temple- (hence the name of the order). • At the 'Council of Troves, Bernard of Clairvaux drew up its rule. The Knights Templars at first consisted of knights only, but later included chaplains and men-at-arms as -well. Only the knights wore the white linen, mantle with the eight-pointed red tress on~ the left shoulder. The discipline of the order was austere. All needless luxury in dress or food was forbidden. The Templars, at once knights and monks, realised the two highest ideals of the Middle Ages, and men of the finest courage and purest devotion flocked to their ranks. By 1260 they numbered ,20,000 knights. Never in the history of the world did men fling their lives away more gloriously for a hopeless cause. After the bloody fall of Acre the last remnant sailed for Cyprus in 1291. They had failed, but failed splendidly. But their fall was as rapid as their rise. They, were accused of impious practices, and Pope Clement V placed the Order under a perpetual inhibition, and most of their property was transferred to the Hcspitallers. The Teutonic Knights as an order were originated by some German merchants in the Holy Land, who founded a hospital and sent attendants to succour the wounded at Acre in 1190. Eight years later these attendants were formed into a knightly order pledged to tend the -wounded and fight, the heathen. The Teutonic Knights wore a white mantle with a black cross. Under the patronage of the Emperor Henry VI they acquired great influence in Northern Europe. They set themselves to convert the Livonians anS other tribes to Christianity at the point of the sword, and, acquiring great possessions, degenerated into a mere secular and political body. A MUCH-PRIZED DECORATION. While not precisely an order of chivalry or knighthood the Golden Rose is a decoration "bestowed by the Popes on those whom they wish to honour. It is formed of wrought gold, and is blessed by the Pope en the fourth Sunday in. Lent. The Rose is anointed with balsam, fumed with incense, and sprinkled with musk, and is placed on altar during mass. • The Golden Rose is usually presented to a Catholic prince or princess as a token of papal esteem, with an appropriate form of words. The custom of bestowing this decoration appears to havo originated about the thirteenth century. Among the recipients havo been Henry VIII (who received it three times), Mary of England, Maria Teresa, Napoleon 111, and Isabella llof Spain. The Golden Rose is one of the most ancient of existing decorations, and is much valued by ita recipients.

THE STORY OE THE GARTER, The oldest of Eng Ssh orders of knighthood is that known as the Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded by Edward HI, about. 1344, on the occasion of the proposed invasion of France. The precise form which the insignia- of the order took is supposed to have been suggested by an incident at a State ball, when the Countess of Salisbury, having dropped her garter, the King laughingly detained it until (so the story goes) he was impelled by the angry glances cf his Consort to hand the Countess her belonging with the remark, "Honi soit qui mal y pense." That aphorism, which may be translated, "Evil be to him who evil thinks," was adopted as the motto of the order. The insignia and robes of the Order of the Garter are most ornate and gorgeous. The full oostume consists of the surcoat,_ mantle and hood, collar and George (a jewelled pendant) star, and under habit. The Garter itself consists of a dark blue velvet ribbon with the device of the order in letters of gold. It is worn on the left leg just below the knee, or in the rare case of a lady of the order, on the arm. Many European sovereigns have been invested as Knights of the Garter. The order has its own prelate, chancellor, registrar, and king of arms. THE ORDERS OF THE GOLDEN FLEECE. The history of the Order of the Golden Fleece, which is conferred by the monarchs of both Spain and Austria-, is an unusually interesting one. It was founded by Philip 111. Duke of Burgundy, and the Netherlands, on January 10, 1429, at Bruges, on the occasion of his marriage to Isabella, daughter of John lof Portugal. It was instituted nominally for the protection of the Church, but the classical form which the decoration took was a graceful compliment to the burghers of Bruges, then the wool market of the world. The original number of knights invested was 31. On the death of the last Hapsburg King of Spain in 1700 the Emperor Charles VI claimed the headship of the order. Philip V of Spain, however, contested his right to invest, and as a result both countries adopted the Order of the Golden Fleece. The insignia consists of a fleece or sheepskin in gold, suspended from a gold and blue enamelled flintstone emitting flames, and borne in its turn by a fiery ray. The ribbon, which now replaces the ancient ornamental collar of gold and flintstones, is of pad silk. The fall costume worn with the Spanish Order of the Golden Fleece is a gorgeous affair. It consists of a long robe of deep red velvet lined with taffetas, and a long mantle of purple velvet lined with white satin and richly trimmed. A cap of purple velvet and: red slices and stockings complete the outfit. THE ORDER OF THE HATH. The Meet Honourable Order of the Bath is one of the best-known of English distinctions. It had its origin in the ceremonial bathing anciently required as symbolic "of purity at the inauguration of a knight. This Order of Knighthood was instituted by Henry IV at his coronation, when he mad© 56 esquires into knights. The order was at first purely a military one, and the distinction was conferred by the sovereign from time to time at great ceremonials. Charles II invested 68 Knights of the Bath at his coronation. After that the custom seemed to fall into desuetude. In the- year 1725 George I revived the Order of the Bath as a military body with the monarch as sovereign, a prince of the blood-royal as Grand Master, and 36 knights. The order was extended in 1847 to embrace civilians on whom it was desired to confer distinction. The insignia, of tho order (first class) includes a gold collar and badge, a crimson silk ribbon and star, also a. mantle surcoat, under-habit, and cap. The motto runs: "Tria juncta in uno" (Three joined in one). The present Grand Master and Principal Knight Grand Gross is H.R.11. the Duke of Connaught. There are three grades in the Order of the Bath—viz., Military and Civil Knights Grand Cross (G.C.8.): 2nd class, Military and Civil Knights Commanders (K.C.8.); and 3rd class, Military and Civil Companions (C. 8.). IRISH AND SCOTTISH ORDERS.

Two other well-known orders of the United Kingdom are those of the Thistle and' of St. Patrick respectively. The Most Ancient and Most Noble' Order of the Thistle is, eb its name implies, of Scottish origin. It dates from the year 1540, but was reconstituted in 1687. The Ribbon of the Thistle is green, the motto of the order, 'Nemo me impune lacessit" (No one annoys me with impunity). The decoration is usually conferred on Scottish peers, and as in the case of the Garter the number is limited, a new knight only being invested after the death of a former holder leaves a vacancy. The Most Illustrious Order of St. Patrick was founded in 1788. The Viceroy of Ireland represents the King as head of the order, and the Chief Secretary is usually its Chancellor, while the Ulster King of Arms is its heraldic representative. The colour of the ribbon of the order is sky blue, and the motto to be found on its jewelled insignia is "Quis separabit,?" which may be translated as " Who shall separate?" THE, LEGION OF HONOUR. The French Order of the Legion of Honour was instituted by Napoleon in 1802 as a recompense and reward for military and civil services. The constitution of the order has varied from time to time under the different forms of government. During the redgn of Napoleon 111 the number of decorations awarded seems to have been excessive. Since 1870, however, the numbers have been limited. The insignia is a five-rayed white enamelled cross, on the obverse of which is a female head and the inscription, 11. F., 1870, and on the reverse two flags crossed, and the motto, " Honneur ct patrie."' Tho scarlet ribbon of tho Legion of Honour is a familiar touch of colour among Frenchmen on ceremonial occasions. Tho order is divided into five classes —via., tho Grand Crocscs, of which

there are 70; Grand Officers, 200; Commanders, 1000 ; Officers, 4000; and Chevaliers or Knights, with no fewer than 25,000. Three-fifths of the number of each class are awarded to eoldiers or sailors, and carry a pension with them. Foreigners are eligible as members of the Legion of Honour. There arc many other orders and insignia of interest on which we might enlarge did space permit.