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History of Orders of Knighthood

Under the general title of orders are usually included monastic orders, orders of chivalry, and orders of merit. There is a certain connection between the first two, as the members of the earliest orders of knights took monastic vows. Again, there is a connection between the last two, as formerly persons distinguished by meritorious service were sometimes, even when not noble, admitted to an order of knights, and gradually membership in these orders became wholly an honorary distinction. Thus, in spite of the vast difference between an ancient monastic order and the present 'Legion of Honor,' it is possible to see the evolutionary process which included under a common designation such widely different organizations.

Monastic orders were the earliest and became very important in the Middle Ages. Under the general term 'monastic' may be included the various orders of canons, such as the Premonstratensians, as well as of monks and nuns. Of these orders many are no longer in existence, but the total number, of those extant and extinct, is over five hundred ; of these about one hundred and seventy-five adopted the Rule of Saint Augustine ; about one hundred and twenty- five the Rule of Saint Benedict; and about seventy-five the Rule of Saint Francis ; the others adopted various special rules. For a fuller discussion of monastic orders, see Monasticism; Canon; and the names of the several orders.

Orders of knighthood are comparatively modern in their origin, although some have attempted to ascribe to certain ones great antiquity. In the ancient societies there was nothing of a similar nature. The 'equestrian order' or the 'order of decurions' in Rome was entirely different. It was believed formerly that Clovis had founded in the fifth century an Order of the Holy Grail, but this is purely legendary. Equally mistaken is the attempt to attribute the beginnings of the orders of chivalry to Charles Martel, who is said to have established the Order of the Genette in 726. The romances of chivalry usually attributed the creation of knightly orders to Charles the Great or King Arthur; but the 'twelve peers of Charlemagne' and the 'Knights of the Table Round' are equally mythical.

The mediaeval orders, in reality, had their beginning in the Holy Land during the time of the Crusades. The Knights of the Hospital and the Knights of the Temple were the earliest orders, and were alike in requiring their members to be of noble birth, and also to take the three monastic vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. These religious military orders became very renowned and gained enormous wealth. Their example led to the foundation of other similar orders for the protection of the Holy Land. In all there were about twenty which originated in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Later some transferred their sphere of action to crusades against the heathen in the West, or to service in the Papal armies. As their members were bound by no national ties, they were of great service to the Church in its wars. The destruction of the Templars and the temporal weakness of the popes in the fourteenth century led to a decline in the importance of these religious orders. Those which still exist, as the Hospitalers do under the name of the Knights of Malta, are merely honorary orders of nobility.

On the other hand, the rise of strong monarchy in the period of the Renaissance led to the creation of royal and noble orders whose members were selected by the kings. By this means the rulers were enabled to confer honorary distinction upon their favorites, and to bind closely to their own fortunes members of the nobility. Since the age of the Renaissance many orders have been created by monarchs to reward services or merit.

These orders may be classified as royal orders, noble or family orders, and orders of merit; but the last two are scarcely distinguishable in some respects. The royal orders, such as the Garter, the Golden Fleece, or the Black Eagle, are sometimes known as the 'Prime Orders of Christendom.' Membership is usually reserved for persons of royal stock and those who are of the most eminent rank in the European kingdoms. Noble orders, such as Calatrava or Montesa, are few in number, and their members are usually selected from the higher nobility. Family orders, such as the Royal Victorian or the Hohenzollern, are composed of those who have in some way rendered especial service to the reigning family from which the order takes its name. Orders of merit, such as the Bath, Pour le Mérite (in Prussia), or the Legion of Honor, are intended to recompense especially meritorious service of any kind.

By the late 19th Century there had been an enormous increase in the number of orders which are now purely honorary. The custom spread from European countries to Asia, Africa, and the Pacific islands. Probably a majority of the civilized or semi-civilized countries of the world had one or more orders intended to confer distinction upon their own citizens, but also awarded at times to foreigners who were favorites of the sovereign, or had performed some especial service to the country, or are noted for their conspicuous scientific ability. The Almanach de Gotha at one time enumerated more than three hundred and fifty in the different countries of the world ; but this list contained some agencies established for the recognition of merit which are not, properly speaking, orders.

Thus the Medal of Honor established by the United States in 1862 does not confer upon its possessor membership in an order. In fact, in the United States there were no real orders, with the possible exception of the Cincinnati. The patriotic societies and the many organizations which have taken the name of orders could not included among orders as usually defined; they are all, even the Cincinnati, omitted from the list in the Almanack de Gotha. Neither is the Victoria Cross, awarded in Great Britain for conspicuous bravery, the insignia of an order. In comparatively recent times several orders, including the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert and the Imperial Order of the Crown of India, have been created especially for women.