Order of Saint Joachim

Last updated

The Equestrian, Secular and Chapterial Order of Saint Joachim
Arms of the Order of Saint Joachim (Lesser Version).png
Arms of the order
Type Order of chivalry
Established1755;268 years ago (1755)
Country
Motto Latin: Junxit Amicus Amor (Love hath united friends)
CriteriaCharity and Religious Tolerance
StatusCurrently constituted
Founder See list
Grand MasterHE Chevalier Stephen Lautens GCJ of Lindsell
Classes
  • Knight Grand Commander (GCJ)
  • Knight Commander / Dame Commander (KCJ/DCJ)
  • Knight / Dame (KJ/DJ)
  • Knight Expectant / Dame Expectant
  • Postulant
Website stjoachimorder.org
Ribbon of the Order of Saint Joachim.png
Ribbon bar

Lord Nelson Nelsonportrait.jpg
Lord Nelson
Lord Nelson's star Nelsonkcjcloseup foto van voor 1900.jpg
Lord Nelson's star
Knight Perrocross.jpg
Knight

The Order of Saint Joachim (The Equestrian, Secular and Chapterial Order of Saint Joachim) is an order of chivalry founded in 1755 to promote religious tolerance in Europe, and continues to exist today. [1] Admiral Horatio Nelson accepted the Grand Cross of the Order in 1802.

Contents

18th century

The "Equestrian, Secular and Chapterial Order of Saint Joachim" was established in 1755 by a group of German nobles. Prince Christian Franz von Sachsen-Coburg Saalfeld  [ de ] was installed as its first Grand Master on June 20, 1756, a position he held until 1773. [2]

The Order had fourteen founding members who were nobles and military leaders of the Holy Roman Empire:

Having seen the consequences of ongoing religious wars in Europe, the Order's founders dedicated themselves to "worship the Supreme Being, show tolerance towards all religions, loyalty towards their princes, support the needs of their military, the poor, widows and orphans." [Perrot: 1821]. The Order was uniquely composed of both Protestant and Catholic nobles and leaders at a time when religion violently divided Europe and the German states within the Holy Roman Empire, and other knightly orders allied themselves exclusively with one faith or the other. [ citation needed ]

When the Order was founded in 1755, it was originally with the name "The Knights of the Order of Jonathan, Defenders of the Honour of Divine Providence". In 1767 the reference to Jonathan was removed from the name. Finally, in 1785 a further change was made, and the Order's constitution was revised by the General Chapter to rename it "The Equestrian, Secular and Chapterial Order of Saint Joachim". [3]

Albert Pike, prominent American Mason and American Civil War general, associated the Order of Saint Joachim with Illuminati-related Enlightenment societies. In his 1883 work, "A Historical Inquiry In Regard To The Grand Constitutions Of 1786", he stated that the disbanded Illuminati continued on through the various branches of the Rosicrucian Order, including the later versions of the Orden des Gold- und Rosenkreutz (or Order of the Golden and Rosy Cross in English), namely, the Order of Perfect Initiates of Asia, or the Asiatic Brethren, and the various Orders of Light, specifically mentioning "The Order of Saint Joachim (St. Jonathan)". However, having been founded in 1755, The Order of Saint Joachim pre-existed the Illuminati. Records show that a few Illuminati were members of the early Order of Saint Joachim, specifically Count von Kollowrat-Krakowsky, as well as Freemasons and Rosicrucians. The Order of Saint Joachim had direct connection to the Gold- und Rosenkreutz, founded in 1777, which also had Illuminati and Masonic roots. The Gold- und Rosenkreutz was Hermetic in character, drawing heavily on Eastern and Islamic mysticism. The Gold- und Rosenkreutz was headed by Johann Karl Baron von Ecker und Eckhoffen, who in 1787 was Chancellor of The Order of Saint Joachim. Baron von Ecker und Eckhoffen is named as a member of several other mystic societies, including the Christian Masonry of Bohemia in 1756, and the Asiatic Brethren. [4]

The Order of Saint Joachim was recognized in the late 18th and early 19th centuries by several contemporary sovereigns and states. Leopold II, King of Hungary and Bohemia (later Holy Roman Emperor) formally acknowledged and sanctioned the wearing of the insignia of the Order on May 23, 1790 with a document of Royal Concession. He appointed the Comte Christian von Leiningen, a knight of The Order of Saint Joachim and relative of the Grand Master, to be Chamberlain of the Imperial Palace. [5] On 27 April 1791 King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia issued a similar Royal Grant recognizing the legitimacy of the Order and permitting the wearing of the insignia of The Order of Saint Joachim on Prussian officers' military uniforms. [2]

19th century

Sir Levett Hanson of the Order of St Joachim and General Richard Wilford in portrait by artist Nathaniel Hone, R.A., 1777 Levett Wilford NathanielHone.jpg
Sir Levett Hanson of the Order of St Joachim and General Richard Wilford in portrait by artist Nathaniel Hone, R.A., 1777

In 1801, 'Sir' Levett Hanson [6] wrote to Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson offering him membership of the order to recognize his victory at the Battle of the Nile. Following the review and approval of the English College of Arms, the King's Warrant approving the acceptance and wear of the insignia of the Order of Saint Joachim was granted. [7] Nelson was wearing the breast cross of the Order of Saint Joachim at the Battle of Trafalgar and is still seen on the famous "Trafalgar coat" in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, UK. Several other Englishmen later received the King's Warrant to accept the Order of Saint Joachim, including Nelson's brother, Viscount Merton, General Sir Charles Imhoff, [8] and Philippe d'Auvergne, Prince de Boullion, Rear Admiral of the Blue. [9] In 1802, Hanson published An Accurate Historical Account of all the Orders of Knighthood at present existing in Europe casting the Order of Saint Joachim as equal to existing chivalric orders and dedicating the work to Nelson. [10]

Knighthoods granted by The Order of Saint Joachim to British subjects and confirmed by the King's Warrant also entitled to holder to assume the title of 'Sir' as in the case of Sir Charles Imhoff where "King George the Third not only permitted Imhoff... to accept the insignia and rank of a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Joachim, but granted him at the same time leave to assume, in virtue of that foreign decoration, the titular distinction of a Knight of England." [11]

In 1834 one critic George Frederick Beltz, Lancaster Herald claimed that the Order seemed to be domiciled wherever Hanson found himself, and that 'Knighthoods' were available to anyone with sufficient funds. "It was long understood," he wrote, "that moyennant a certain not inconsiderable deposit at a banking house at Pall-mall, the distinction was at the service of any one who might have a fancy for it; and that letters-missive were soon forthcoming from 'Sir' Levett, containing due notification of election by the 'equestrian, secular and chapteral Order,' at its last sitting at Bamberg, Hamburgh, Lubeck or wherever that personage happened, at the time, to be domiciliated." [12]

Napoleon's brother-in-law, Joachim Murat (March 25, 1767 October 13, 1815), a Marshal of France, usurped the grand mastership of the Order of Saint Joachim in 1806 when he was made the Grand Duke of the newly created "Duchy of Berg and Cleves". During his term as Grand Duke of Berg and Cleves (March 15, 1806 to August 1, 1808 when he left to become King of Naples) Joachim Murat declared himself the Grand Master of The Order of Saint Joachim, and expanded the Order to include members of the French Legion of Honour. His authority was never recognized by the rest of the Order in exile.[ citation needed ]

Following the Treaty of Vienna, The Order of Saint Joachim continued to be associated with the House of Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha. Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (2 January 1784 29 January 1844) continued to award the Order of Saint Joachim. A letter from 1821 exists from a Dr. Joseph Romain Louis de Kirckhoff (also de Kerckhov) thanking Ernst I, Herzog von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha for awarding him the Order of Saint Joachim. [13] His son, Ernest II, (21 June 1818 – 22 August 1893) is known to have included the Order's post-nominals "K.J." among his awards and honours. Bulgarian Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria (26 February 1861 – 10 September 1948) a prince of the Koháry branch of the ducal family of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, was popularly pictured with the insignia of The Order of St Joachim in 1888, although the connection between the two is unknown.

1888 cigarette card published by Kinney Bros. Tobacco Co. from the series "International Cards" - N238 in Burdick 's American Card Catalogue. Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria and The Order of St. Joachim.JPG
1888 cigarette card published by Kinney Bros. Tobacco Co. from the series “International Cards” - N238 in Burdick ’s American Card Catalogue.

20th and 21st centuries

In the early 19th century the order was said to have "enjoyed considerable recognition in the early 19th century, including support from the English College of Arms". However in the late 19th the Order had reportedly 'drifted into obscurity'. [14]

A manuscript dated November, 1892 is a translation by F.G. Irwin of a document in the Paris Arsenal Library of a French Masonic ceremony from the “Rite of Adoption Ritual of 35º Chevalieres of St Joachim." [15] The ritual described is almost identical to the Order of Saint Joachim’s Ceremony of Investiture from the early 1800s. The French 35th Degree also has added Masonic-style floor work, wands for the officers, signs and a “secret” handshake which do not appear in the Order’s published ceremony. Because the French ceremony includes both men and women performing the ritual, it likely belongs to the French Grand Orient de France branch of Masonry. Of interest is the opening of the “Court” where it is stated that the reason for the gathering is for “the purpose of studying the Ritual and practices of Freemasonry and tracing its connection with the chivalric orders and the Rite of Adoption, and especially with the Order of Saint Joachim.”

The Order of Saint Joachim was reorganized in 1929 as “politically neutral” and specifically rejecting any connection to Freemasonry or the earlier requirement and division of the Order into noble and non-noble classes. According to the official history of the Order published in 1948, The Order of Saint Joachim was forced to “go quiet” during the Nazi period in Germany, but its members maintained informal connections to one another. [16] From 1948 the Order was led by a "Reorganization Council" and in 1988 the Order was led by Helmut von Bräundle-Falkensee as Grand Master, [17] until his death on 14 October 2007. Bräundle-Falkensee was an Austrian who was also founder and Secretary General of the Austrian Albert Schweitzer Society. [17] After his death, a Canadian barrister named Stephen Lautens (b. 1959) was elected the new Grand Master. [18]

The Order has its Chapterhouse in England and additional Commanderies in the United States, Canada and Austria. It is registered as a charity in the UK (Registered Charity No. 1047873) and supports numerous causes including care for the homeless, ex-servicemen, hospitals and children's charities. In Canada, the Order is organized as a federal not-for-profit corporation, where its general charitable purpose is to promote religious tolerance, support the widows and orphans of war, refugees and indigent servicemen and women. [19] In Canada it also operates a charitable arm, The Noble Hearts Foundation (Charitable Registration Number: 83471 3000 RR0001). [20]

An exhibition displaying the heraldry of Admiral Nelson at the College of Arms in 2005 featured a replica of Nelson's uniform with its honorary blazons. Among the orders of merit worn by Nelson was the Order of St Joachim. The star, said the College of Arms incorrectly in its newsletter, was "the bogus Order of St. Joachim created and hawked around the Courts of Europe by 'Sir' Levett Hanson." [21] In a subsequent newsletter several months later, the editors issued a retraction: "The Order of St. Joachim referred to in the last issue," said the College-of-Arms, "was not (as there stated) created by Levett Hanson, but dated back to an order founded in 1755 by a group of mostly German princes." [22]

In the British Broadcasting Corporation 2010 project "A History of the World in 100 Objects", one of the objects chosen was the insignia of the Order of St. Joachim awarded to Philippe d'Auvergne, Vice Admiral of the Blue, in 1803. [23]

Status and legitimacy

The Order of Saint Joachim did not owe its existence to a royal or noble house, or "fons honorum". Its founder and first Grand Master, Prince Christian Franz von Saxen-Coburg-Saalfeld, was the son of a sovereign duke, but never himself a ruler. The next three Grand Masters were sovereign rulers (Duke de Monfort followed by successive counts of Leinigen), and would technically qualify as a "fons" of royal patron or protector of a confraternity and noble company, like those found in Spain. Instead of being a hereditary position, the grand mastership was elected by its members. Writing in 1828, English College of Arms Windsor Herald, Francis Townsend, Esq., FSA, stated: "This Order owes its foundation to no crowned head, but has been recognized both in Great Britain and abroad, as an Order of Knighthood." [24]

The post-nominals of a Knight of the Order of Saint Joachim ("K.J.") were listed in "Debrett's Baronetage of England" between 1815, [25] and around 1840, [26] and were similarly published in the 1832 "A Key to Both Houses of Parliament". [27]

In May 2023, the Augustan Society recognized and lists the Order as a noble company and chivalric confraternity of knights and dames. [28]

Notes and sources

Notes
  1. "Home". stjoachimorder.org.
  2. 1 2 Hanson 1802, pp. 33.
  3. Hanson 1802, pp. 38–39.
  4. "Loge carl zum felsen Hamburg entstehung". www.loge-carl-zum-felsen.de. Archived from the original on 13 April 2008.
  5. Hanson 1802, pp. 42–43.
  6. "Hanson, Levett"  . Dictionary of National Biography . London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
  7. The Memoirs of The Life of Vice-Admiral Viscount Nelson, K.B., Thomas Joseph Pettigrew, London, 1849, pp. 665-6
  8. The Gentleman's Magazine . 1853. May Issue - Obituaries p. 543.
  9. Balleine, G.R. (1973). The Tragedy of Philippe d'Auvergne. Phillimore & Co: London. ISBN   0-85033-124-2. pp. 107-8.
  10. Levett Hanson, Calendar of Knights; Containing Lists of Knights Bachelor, British Knights of Foreign Orders, Francis Townsend, Pursuivant of Arms, London, 1828
  11. Lawson, Sir Charles (1 January 1895). The Private Life of Warren Hastings: First Governor-General of India. S.Sonnenschein. pp.  65.
  12. Review of the Chandos Peerage Case: Adjudicated 1803, and of the Pretensions of Sir Samuel-Egerton Brydges, Baronet, to Designate Himself Per Legem Terrae Baron Chandos of Sudeley, George Frederick Beltz, Lancaster Herald, Richard Bentley, London, 1834
  13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. "Exploring Legitimacy: The Controversial Case of the Order of St. Lazarus" (PDF). Journal of Alternative Perspectives in the Social Sciences. 2015.
  15. "The Order of Saint Joachim".
  16. "The Order of Saint Joachim".
  17. 1 2 "Helmut von Bräundle-Falkensee". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. 14 December 2007.
  18. "Grand Master & Grand Chapter Officers". stjoachimorder.org. 2012. Archived from the original on 5 February 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  19. "Our Mission and Work". www.stjoachimorder.org. Archived from the original on 18 September 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  20. "The Order of Saint Joachim".
  21. College of Arms Newsletter, December 2005, college-of-arms.gov.uk
  22. College of Arms Newsletter, March 2006, college-of-arms.gov.uk
  23. "BBC - A History of the World - Object : The Order of Saint Joachim".
  24. Townsend, Francis (1828). Calendar of Knights, Containing Lists of Knights Bachelors, British Knights of Foreign Orders, Also Knights of the Garter, Thistle Bath, St. Patrick and the Guelphic and Ionian Orders; from 1760 to the Present Time. p. XXV.
  25. Debrett, John (1815). Baronetage of England, 3d Edition. Vol. 1.
  26. Debrett, John (1840). The baronetage of England. revised, corrected and continued by G.W. Collen. London. pp. xxvii.
  27. A Key to Both Houses of Parliament. Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green & Longman. 1832. p. viii. Retrieved 4 April 2013. A Key to Both Houses of Parliament.
  28. "Augustan Society: Nobiliary Bodies, Noble Corporations, and Chivalric Confraternities of Knights".
Sources

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knight</span> Honorary title awarded for service to a church or state

A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Ancient Greek hippeis (ἱππεῖς) and Roman equites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Order of the British Empire</span> British order of chivalry

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established on 4 June 1917 by King George V and comprises five classes across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two of which make the recipient either a knight if male or dame if female. There is also the related British Empire Medal, whose recipients are affiliated with, but not members of, the order.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Order of St Patrick</span> Dormant British order of chivalry associated with Ireland

The Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick is a dormant British order of chivalry associated with Ireland. The Order was created in 1783 by King George III at the request of the then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, The 3rd Earl Temple. The regular creation of knights of the Order lasted until 1922, when most of Ireland gained independence as the Irish Free State, a dominion within what was then known as the British Commonwealth of Nations. While the Order technically still exists, no knight of St Patrick has been created since 1936, and the last surviving knight, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, died in 1974. Charles III, however, remains the Sovereign of the Order, and one officer, the Ulster King of Arms, also survives. St Patrick is patron of the order; its motto is Quis separabit?, Latin for "Who will separate [us]?": an allusion to the Vulgate translation of Romans 8:35, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?"

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Order of St Michael and St George</span> British order of chivalry established 1818

The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales, the future George IV, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Order of the Star of India</span> British order of chivalry established 1861

The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:

  1. Knight Grand Commander (GCSI)
  2. Knight Commander (KCSI)
  3. Companion (CSI)
<span class="mw-page-title-main">Order of the Golden Fleece</span> Catholic order of chivalry

The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal. Today, two branches of the order exist, namely the Spanish and the Austrian Fleece; the current grand masters are King Felipe VI of Spain and Karl von Habsburg, head of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, respectively. The Grand Chaplain of the Austrian branch is Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Order of the Dannebrog</span> Danish order of chivalry

The Order of the Dannebrog is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known as White Knights to distinguish them from the Blue Knights who were members of the Order of the Elephant. In 1808, the Order was reformed and divided into four classes. The statute of the Order was amended in 1951 by a Royal Ordinance so that both men and women could be members of the Order. Today, the Order of the Dannebrog is a means of honouring and rewarding the faithful servants of the modern Danish state for meritorious civil or military service, for a particular contribution to the arts, sciences or business life, or for working for Danish interests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Order of the Holy Sepulchre</span> Catholic order of knighthood

The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, also called Order of the Holy Sepulchre or Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, is a Catholic order of knighthood under the protection of the Holy See. The pope is the sovereign of the order. The order creates "canons" as well as knights, with the primary mission to "support the Christian presence in the Holy Land". It is an internationally recognized order of chivalry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Order of Saint George for the Defense of the Immaculate Conception</span>

The Royal Military Order of Saint George for the Defense of the Faith and the Immaculate Conception, also known as the Royal Bavarian House Equestrian Order of Saint George, was founded by Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria in 1729 to provide for a means of honouring the nobility and recognizing distinguished civil and military service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Accolade</span> Central act in the rite of passage ceremonies conferring knighthood

The accolade was the central act in the rite of passage ceremonies conferring knighthood in the Middle Ages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Order of chivalry</span> Order, confraternity or society of knights

An order of chivalry, order of knighthood, chivalric order, or equestrian order is an order of knights, typically founded during or inspired by the original Catholic military orders of the Crusades and paired with medieval concepts of ideals of chivalry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dame</span> Title in British Commonwealth honours systems

Dame is an honorific title and the feminine form of address for the honour of damehood in many Christian chivalric orders, as well as the British honours system and those of several other Commonwealth realms, such as Australia and New Zealand, with the masculine form of address being Sir. It is the female equivalent of a knighthood, which is traditionally granted to males. Dame is also a style used by baronetesses in their own right.

Commander, or Knight Commander, is a title of honor prevalent in chivalric orders and fraternal orders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus</span> Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood

The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the world, tracing its lineage to AD 1098, and it is one of the rare orders of knighthood recognized by papal bull, in this case by Pope Gregory XIII. In that bull, Pope Gregory XIII bestowed upon Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy and his Savoy successors, the right to confer this knighthood in perpetuity. The Grand Master is, Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples, also known as the Duke of Savoy, the eldest son of the last King of Italy, Umberto II of Italy. However Vittorio Emanuele's cousin once removed Prince Aimone, Duke of Aosta claims to be grand master as his father claimed to be head of the house of Savoy.

The Noble Order of Saint George of Rougemont was a baronial order of chivalry established around 1440 in the Free County of Burgundy. From the 15th through the late 18th centuries it enjoyed the protection of the Dukes of Burgundy and later the French kings. It was abolished in the wake of the French Revolution and became extinct after the death of the last knight in 1869.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary</span>

The Order of Saint Stephen was an order of chivalry founded in 1764 by Maria Theresa. In 1938, Miklós Horthy took the rights and activities of Grand Master as Regent of Hungary. The name of the Order changed to the Royal Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen. The Order was terminated at the time of the proclamation of the Second Hungarian Republic in 1946. It was recreated in 2011 as the Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen, and to this day remains the highest order in Hungary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Order of the Rose</span>

The Imperial Order of the Rose was a Brazilian order of chivalry, instituted by Emperor Pedro I of Brazil on 17 October 1829 to commemorate his marriage to Amélie of Leuchtenberg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Levett Hanson</span>

Levett Hanson (1754–1814), who styled himself as 'Sir' Levett Hanson, was an English-born author and courtier who was active at a number of European courts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Commission for Orders of Chivalry</span> Organization

The International Commission for Orders of Chivalry is a privately run, privately funded organisation composed of scholars on chivalric matters and systems of awards. Founded in 1960, its stated purpose is to examine orders of chivalry to determine their legitimacy. Its president since 1999 is Pier Felice degli Uberti, and its seat is situated in Milan, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Order of Saint Lazarus (statuted 1910)</span>

The Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem is a Christian self-styled order that was statuted in 1910 by a council of Catholics in Paris, France, initially under the protection of Patriarch Cyril VIII Geha of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. During the 1920s, it expanded its jurisdiction and enrolled members from other countries in Europe and in the Americas. It re-established the office of grand master in 1935, linking the office to members of the Spanish branch of the House of Bourbon. It assumed an ecumenical dimension during the 1950s to expand its membership to individuals of other Trinitarian Christian denominations in British Commonwealth countries.