Order of Saint George (Kingdom of Hungary)
The Order of St. George Hungarian: Szent György Vitézei Lovagrend, was the first secular chivalric order in the world established by King Charles I of Hungary in 1326.
Contents |
[edit] History of the Order
The Order, being the earliest known secular chivalric order in Europe was founded by King Charles I of Hungary as the Fraternal Society of Knighthood of St. George. The precise date of its foundation is not known, however, based on the text written in its Statutes, it was certainly in existence on St. George's Day on the 23rd of April, 1326. The order flourished during the reign of Charles and achieved greater success under the reign of his son Louis I of Hungary. After the death of Louis, the Hungarian throne became the subject of a violent dispute between his relations and the Hungarian kingdom dissolved into civil war destroying the original Society.[1] All that is known about the Order in terms of its mission, composition, obligations and activities were sourced from the only surviving artifact which describe the Society in its statutes records.
Based on the Statutes, although the Society of St. George was a political and honorable body, Charles had infused the ideals of chivalry into the Society promoting the ideals among the lesser nobles of his kingdom and implementing the classic symbol of chivalry, the knights tournament in Hungarian festivals of chivalry. Unlike the ecclesiastical Orders of the period, members of the Society wore black, knee-length, hooded mantle bearing not a device (shield) but rather a peculiar inscription bearing the words "IN VERITATE IUSTUS SUM HUIC FRATERNALI SOCIETATE"[2] which is translated to "In truth I will do justice to this fraternal society"[3].
The Statutes were written in Latin, which was the normal language for written expression in Hungary before the nineteenth century, contains text composed of approximately 1,700 words in the form of a letters patent. Suspended from the statutes was the great seal of the Society depicting the classic iconic representation of St. George mounted on a horse slaying the dragon under the horse's hooves as depicted on the right. The document currently reside in Országos Levéltar (National Archives of Hungary), DL. 40 483. There are a number of transcriptions and translations of the Statutes allowing for careful study of the characteristics of the originating Society.[4][5][6][7][8]
The Order existed only for a short period. The private association of same name is self-styled order, established 2001.
[edit] Insignia
In general, the insignia symbolizing the particular instance of the Order of St. George, regardless of when the Order appeared in history, depicts the classic iconic symbol of St. George mounted on horseback, slaying the dragon under the hooves of the horse with a long lance.
[edit] References
- ^ D'Arcy J.D. Boulton. The Knights of the Crown - The Monarchical Orders of Knighthood in Later Medieval Europe 1325-1520. The Boydell Press, Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK. 1987. ISBN 0 85115 417 4.
- ^ Boulton. 44.
- ^ Ariella Elema. English Translation of the Statutes of the Fraternal Society of St. George. Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Toronto. March 04, 2011.
- ^ György Fejér (1766–1851). "Codex diplomaticus Hungariae ecclesiasticus ac civilis" (Budae, 1832), VIII/3, no. L., pp. 163-170.
- ^ Antal Pör. in "Az Anjou Ház örösei (1301-1439)", vol III of "A magyar nemzet története" (The History of the Hungarian Nation), ed. Sandor Szilagyi (10 vfols, Budapest, 1895), between pp. 138-139.
- ^ Veszprémy László. "Az Anjou-Kori Lovagság Kérdései. A Szent György-lovagrend alapítása". Hadtörténelmi Közlemények (Military History Journal), 107. évfolyam. 1994. 1.szám, 3-11. p.
- ^ Rácz György. "A Szent György Lovagrend alapszabályai 1326. április 24. - Latin átirat" Budapest, 2008. (Magyar Történelmi Archivum) Archív Kiadó.
- ^ Ariella Elema. English Translation of the Statutes of the Fraternal Society of St. George. Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Toronto. March 04, 2011.
[edit] Further reading
- Fügedi, Erik: Ispánok, bárók, kiskirályok (Counts, Barons and Petty Kings); Magvető Könyvkiadó, 1986, Budapest; ISBN 963 14 0582 6.
- Kristó, Gyula (editor): Korai Magyar Történeti Lexikon - 9-14. század (Encyclopedia of Early Hungarian History - 9-14th centuries); Akadémiai Kiadó, 1994, Budapest; ISBN 963 05 6722 9.
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Order of Saint George (Hungary) |
