Royal order of the lion full#
Royal order of the lion free#

įrom the coronation of Henry IV in 1399 the full ceremonies were restricted to major royal occasions such as coronations, investitures of the Prince of Wales or royal dukes, and royal weddings, and the knights so created became known as Knights of the Bath. In the early medieval period the difference seems to have been that the full ceremonies were used for men from more prominent families. It was this accolade which was the essential act in creating a knight, and a simpler ceremony developed, conferring knighthood merely by striking or touching the knight-to-be on the shoulder with a sword, or 'dubbing' him, as is still done today. He was then brought before the King, who after instructing two senior knights to buckle the spurs to the knight-elect's heels, fastened a belt around his waist, then struck him on the neck (with either a hand or a sword), thus making him a knight.

At dawn he made confession and attended Mass, then retired to his bed to sleep until it was fully daylight.

Clothed in a special robe, he was led with music to the chapel where he spent the night in a vigil. These usually involved the knight-to-be taking a bath (possibly symbolic of spiritual purification) during which he was instructed in the duties of knighthood by more senior knights. In the Middle Ages, knighthood was often conferred with elaborate ceremonies. Mildmay Fane, 2nd Earl of Westmorland, KB, with sash, c. The Order of the Bath is the fourth-most senior of the British Orders of Chivalry, after The Most Noble Order of the Garter, The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, and The Most Illustrious Order of St Patrick (dormant). Commonwealth citizens who are not subjects of the Queen and foreign nationals may be made Honorary Members. Recipients of the Order are now usually senior military officers or senior civil servants. Prior to 1815, the order had only a single class-Knight Companion (KB)-which no longer exists. Members belong to either the Civil or the Military Division.

Knight Commander ( KCB) or Dame Commander ( DCB).

Knight Grand Cross ( GCB) or Dame Grand Cross ( GCB).

The Order consists of the Sovereign (currently Queen Elizabeth II), the Great Master (currently Prince Charles) and three Classes of members: He did not (as is commonly believed) revive the Order of the Bath, since it had never previously existed as an Order, in the sense of a body of knights who were governed by a set of statutes and whose numbers were replenished when vacancies occurred. George I 'erected the Knights of the Bath into a regular Military Order'. The knights so created were known as 'Knights of the Bath'. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as one of its elements. The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on. Both versions feature the royal cypher of Leopold II on the reverse.Coat of arms of the British monarch as sovereign of the Order of the Bath The inscription of both versions translates to “Labour and Progress,” but appears on the first version in French and on the second version in French and Dutch. There are two versions of the Commander which differ in obverse inscription. The Order was conferred in recognition service rendered to the Congo, or to African civilisation in general, that did not merit the Order of the African Star.Ī number of different clasps were awarded with the Order: a palm branch with the cypher of Albert I was awarded for war merit during the First World War, a palm branch with the cypher of Leopold III was awarded for war merit in the Second World War or the Korean War, a palm branch (without royal monogram) was awarded for war merit in the Second World War or the Korean War, and a gold star was awarded to civilians for mention in official dispatches. The Order was discontinued in 1962 following the declaration of Congolese independence in 1960.

Royal order of the lion free#

It was originally created as an Order of the Congo Free State, but it was later integrated into the national hierarchy of decorations in Belgium after the Congo Free State ceased to exist as a private domain of King Leopold II in 1908. The Royal Order of the Lion was established by King Leopold II on April 9th, 1891 as a celebration of his own 56th birthday.