Imperial Order of Christ Imperial Ordem de Cristo | |
---|---|
Awarded by the Head of the Brazilian Imperial Family | |
Type | Dynastic Order |
Established | 7 December 1822 1822–1890 (National Order) 1890–present (House Order) |
Royal house | House of Orleans-Braganza |
Status | Cancelled as national order in 1890, since then claimed as house order |
Grand Master | Disputed: Prince Bertrand of Orléans-Braganza Prince Pedro of Bourbon of Orléans-Braganza |
Grades |
|
Precedence | |
Next (higher) | none (highest) |
Next (lower) | Imperial Order of Aviz |
Ribbon bar of the Order |
The Imperial Order of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Portuguese : Imperial Ordem de Nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo), simply named Order of Christ, is an order of chivalry instituted by emperor Pedro I of Brazil on 7 December 1822, on the basis of the Portuguese Order of Christ founded by King Dom Dinis and Pope John XXII in 1316–1319.
The order was used to award persons for exceptional services that resulted in notable and proven utility to religion (Roman Catholicism), to humanity and the state. Knights of the Order of Christ were part of the untitled nobility of the Empire of Brazil.
On 22 March 1890, the order was cancelled as national order by the interim government of United States of Brazil. However, since the deposition in 1889 of the last Brazilian monarch, Emperor Pedro II, the order is claimed as a house order, being awarded by the heads of the House of Orleans-Braganza, pretenders to the defunct throne of Brazil. The current Brazilian Imperial Family is split into two branches, Petrópolis and Vassouras, and the Grand Mastership of the Order is disputed between those two branches.
Part of a series on the |
Knights Templar |
---|
Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon |
Overview |
Councils |
Papal bulls |
|
Locations |
Successors |
Cultural references |
See also |
Catholic Churchportal |
After the Independence of Brazil Emperor Dom Pedro I continued his inherent authority as the “Fount of Honour” transmitted by his father King Dom João VI of Portugal. His right extended to conferring titles of nobility and also the three ancient Portuguese orders of chivalry: Order of Christ, Order of Aviz and the Order of Saint James of the Sword. [1] Dom Pedro I became the first Grand Master of the Brazilian branch of the Order of Christ. According to historian Roderick J. Barman, Dom Pedro I stated in a decree that his right originated in: “Sovereign Kings my Predecessors, … and especially by my August and Sovereign Father D. João VI.” [1] After the death of his father, Dom Pedro I also became the Grand Master of the Portuguese Order of Christ as King Pedro IV of Portugal.
Description of the Order of Christ in the Almanak Laemmert, court almanac published in 1889:
Created by King Dom Dinis, in 1316. Preserved as a Brazilian order by the law of October 20, 1823. Regulated by decree n. 321 of September 9, 1843. Also decree n. 2853 of December 7, 1861. This order has 12 Grand crosses (treatment of Excellency), not included in these numbers the members of the Imperial family and the princes and foreign citizens; Commanders and Knights are without a set number. The Emperor is the Grand Master; the heir of the Crown is the Major-Commander. [2]
In 1834 the Portuguese Order of Christ was reformed by the Liberal government of Portugal and Queen Maria II (sister of Emperor Dom Pedro II). The order lost its military prerogatives with the reform and became a national order. As such the Brazilian branch of the Order of Christ was the only branch that maintained its military status. In 1843 the Brazilian branch was also reformed by Emperor Dom Pedro II and became a national order with decree N. 2853. [3] As such the Order of Christ ended its existence as a military order both in Portugal and Brazil; however the order remained highly regarded by the nobility of Brazil and Portugal as a result of its importance to history and the prestige that it provided to knights. Members of all Brazilian orders of knighthood were part of the untitled nobility regardless of grade, [4] depending on the knight's grade they also received military honors, salutes and honorific styles. [5]
It was considered relevant and extraordinary services for admittance into all imperial orders after 1861 the following services:
Basically all services that resulted in notable and proven utility to religion, to humanity and the state, that were provided during public, ecclesiastical or military functions; be it in science, letters, arts or industry. [6]
There were two ways to be admitted to the Order of Christ after the reform of 1861, they were:
If filing a petition, the following requirements had to be completed: [6]
Membership into the order was given for life, however, members could be expelled from the order if: a member lost his Brazilian citizenship for breaking articles 2, 3 or 7 of the Imperial constitution; if guilty of a criminal offence; if the individual lost his post in the Guarda Nacional as a result of a criminal offence; and if the individual committed a political crime that resulted in the loss of political rights. [7]
The Order of Christ was issued in three grades: [8]
The order had a limit of 12 Grand Crosses, not included in this numbers the members of the Brazilian Imperial Family (grand crosses) and the princes and foreign citizens. There was no maximum numbers set for Commanders and Knights. [8]
The insignia were basically the same as the Portuguese Order of the same name, with the addition of a stylized Imperial Crown of Brazil to the badge and a different ribbon to distinguish it from the Portuguese Order.
DomPedro II, nicknamed the Magnanimous, was the second and last monarch of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. He was born in Rio de Janeiro, the seventh child of Emperor Dom Pedro I of Brazil and Empress Dona Maria Leopoldina and thus a member of the Brazilian branch of the House of Braganza. His father's abrupt abdication and departure to Europe in 1831 left the five-year-old as emperor and led to a grim and lonely childhood and adolescence, obliged to spend his time studying in preparation for rule. His experiences with court intrigues and political disputes during this period greatly affected his later character; he grew into a man with a strong sense of duty and devotion toward his country and his people, yet increasingly resentful of his role as monarch.
DomPedro I was the founder and first ruler of the Empire of Brazil, where he was known as "the Liberator". As King Dom Pedro IV, he reigned briefly over Portugal, where he also became known as "the Liberator" as well as "the Soldier King". Born in Lisbon, Pedro I was the fourth child of King Dom John VI of Portugal and Queen Carlota Joaquina, and thus a member of the House of Braganza. When the country was invaded by French troops in 1807, he and his family fled to Portugal's largest and wealthiest colony, Brazil.
The Military Order of Christ is the former order of Knights Templar as it was reconstituted in Portugal. Before 1910, it was known as the Royal Military Order of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Order of the Knights of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It was founded in 1319, with the protection of King Denis of Portugal, after the Templars were abolished on 22 March 1312 by the papal bull, Vox in excelso, issued by Pope Clement V. King Denis refused to pursue and persecute the former knights as had occurred in most of the other sovereign states under the political influence of the Catholic Church.
The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav.
DonaIsabel, nicknamed "the Redemptress", was the Princess Imperial of the Empire of Brazil and the Empire's regent on three occasions. Born in Rio de Janeiro as the eldest daughter of Emperor Pedro II of Brazil and Empress Teresa Cristina, she was a member of the Brazilian branch of the House of Braganza. After the deaths of her two brothers in infancy, she was recognized as her father's heir presumptive. She married a French prince, Gaston, Count of Eu, in an arranged marriage and they had three sons.
Prince Gaston of Orleans, Count of Eu was a French prince and military commander who fought in the Spanish-Moroccan War and the Paraguayan War. He was the first son of Louis, Duke of Nemours and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and was married to Princess Isabel, daughter of Pedro II of Brazil and heiress to the Brazilian throne.
DonaFrancisca was a princess of the Empire of Brazil, who became Princess of Joinville upon marrying François d’Orléans, son of the French king Louis Philippe I. The couple had three children. Through their oldest daughter, Francisca and François are the ancestors of Jean, Count of Paris, the present Orléanist pretender to the French throne.
The Military Order of Saint James of the Sword is a Portuguese order of chivalry. Its full name is the Ancient, Most Noble and Enlightened Military Order of Saint James of the Sword, of the Scientific, Literary and Artistic Merit.
DomPedro de Alcântara of Orléans-Braganza, Prince of Grão Pará was the first-born son of Dona Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil and Prince Gaston of Orléans, Count of Eu, and as such, was born second-in-line to the imperial throne of Brazil, during the reign of his grandfather, Emperor Dom Pedro II, until the empire's abolition. He went into exile in Europe with his mother when his grandfather was deposed in 1889, and grew up largely in France, at a family apartment in Boulogne-sur-Seine, and at his father's castle, the Château d'Eu in Normandy.
Dona Teresa Cristina, nicknamed "the Mother of the Brazilians", was Empress of Brazil as the consort of Emperor Dom Pedro II from their marriage on 30 May 1843 until 15 November 1889, when the monarchy was abolished. Born a princess of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in present-day southern Italy, Teresa Cristina was the daughter of King Don Francesco I (Francis I) of the Italian branch of the House of Bourbon and his wife Maria Isabel. It was long believed by historians that the Princess was raised in an ultra-conservative, intolerant atmosphere which resulted in a timid and unassertive character in public and an ability to be contented with very little materially or emotionally. Recent studies revealed a more complex character, who despite having respected the social norms of the era, was able to assert a limited independence due to her strongly opinionated personality as well as her interest in learning, sciences and culture.
Captain Prince Antônio Gastão of Orléans-Braganza MC was a Brazilian prince who served in the forces of the British Empire during World War I.
John Pascoe Grenfell was a British officer of the Empire of Brazil. He spent most of his service in South America campaigns, initially under the leadership of Lord Cochrane and then Commodore Norton. He was the nephew of British politician Pascoe Grenfell and grandfather to General Sir John Grenfell Maxwell. In Brazil, he rose to the rank of admiral and for his achievements was made a knight grand cross of the Imperial Order of the Rose and a knight of the Imperial Order of the Southern Cross.
Dona Maria Amélia was a princess of the Empire of Brazil and a member of the Brazilian branch of the House of Braganza. Her parents were Emperor Dom Pedro I, the first ruler of Brazil, and Amélie of Leuchtenberg. The only child of her father's second marriage, Maria Amélia was born in France after Pedro I abdicated the Brazilian throne in favor of his son Dom Pedro II. Before Maria Amélia was a month old, Pedro I went to Portugal to restore the crown of the eldest daughter of his first marriage, Dona Maria II. He fought a successful war against his brother Miguel I, who had usurped Maria II's throne.
The Imperial Order of Dom Pedro I is a Brazilian order of chivalry instituted by Emperor Pedro I of Brazil on 16 April 1826. It is considered by many numismatists as the rarest of the Brazilian imperial orders.
Dom Afonso was the Prince Imperial and heir apparent to the throne of the Empire of Brazil. Born in Rio de Janeiro, he was the eldest child of Emperor Dom Pedro II and Dona Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies, and thus a member of the Brazilian branch of the House of Braganza.
The Order of the Colonial Empire was a Portuguese Order (decoration), established on 13 April 1932 as a colonial order of knighthood, to reward services by soldiers and civilians in the Portuguese colonies in Asia and Africa.
Rodrigo Augusto da Silva, nicknamed "the diplomat", was a politician, diplomat, lawyer, monarchist and journalist of the Empire of Brazil. He is best known as the minister that authored and countersigned with Princess Isabel, then Princess Imperial Regent the law that ended slavery in Brazil. Rodrigo was born in São Paulo into a family of wealthy financiers. His father, the Baron of Tietê, was also a politician and leader of the conservative party in São Paulo.
Dom Pedro Afonso was the Prince Imperial and heir apparent to the throne of the Empire of Brazil. Born at the Palace of São Cristóvão in Rio de Janeiro, he was the second son and youngest child of Emperor Dom Pedro II and Dona Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies, and thus a member of the Brazilian branch of the House of Braganza. Pedro Afonso was seen as vital to the future viability of the monarchy, which had been put in jeopardy by the death of his older brother Dom Afonso almost three years earlier.
Prince Luiz Gastão of Orléans-Braganza was the eldest son of Prince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza and Princess Maria Elisabeth of Bavaria, and head of the Vassouras branch of the Imperial House of Brazil and pretender to the title of Emperor of Brazil from 1981 until his death in 2022.