Order of Saint-Michel

The Ordre of Saint-Michel is a Order of knighthood, founded with Amboise on August 1st 1469 by Louis XI.

Its festival is on September 29th, day of the Saint-Michel.

History

It was founded retorts of it with the foundation Burgundian order of the Golden Fleece. The king of France directed it and the knights, with the number of thirty-six, were to lend oath to him. The seat was the abbey of the Mount-Saint-Michel, then transferred to the Sainte Vault from Vincennes, then by Louis XIV with the Cordeliers of Paris. That made it possible to the king to create a network of fidelities which were not directly any more related to the feudal fidelities. The knights carried a made gold collar of small shells connected by nodes to which a medallion representing was suspended the archangel embanking the dragon.

Starting from 1560, in the disturbed context of the wars of religion the limit of 36 members is abandoned and the just order of many sometimes non-combatant courtiers and thus loses its prestige. The order was then, says one, quite deposed consideration of which he enjoyed until the medium the 16th century, by too easy nominations of Catherine de Médicis

With the foundation of the Order of the Holy Spirit in 1578 by Henri III, the statutes prescribed that its hundred knights were to beforehand be members of Saint-Michel, which passes then to the second rank. Starting from the payment of Louis XIV of July 14th, 1661 and new statutes of January 12th, 1665, the order is decreed more particularly with writers, artists and magistrates. The collar seldom is not any more but carried; one substitutes a black ribbon to him which is worth with the order its nickname of " cord noir". The medallion is replaced by an enamelled gold cross (image of left).

The order is removed in 1791. It is recreated on November 16th 1816 by a Ordonnance of Louis XVIII which transforms it into reward of the scientific merits, artistic and literary. Its manpower is limited to 100 members, without counting the knights of the Holy Spirit who continue to be automatically knight of Saint-Michel, and the knights honorary (foreign or French with the service of another State). It is managed by the ministry for the house of the king, then by the minister of state, intendant-general of the house of the roi.
It will be removed at the time of the revolution of July 1830.

In the inter-war period, the order reappears in the form of dynastic Ordre of the connects elder Bourbons.
Some nominations of knights took place in 1930, and in the years 1970 and 1980.

See too

  • List of the knights about Saint-Michel

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