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The Order of the Dragon (lat. Societas Draconistrarum, ger. der Drachenorden, hun. Sárkány Lovagrend, cro. Zmajev red, rom. Ordinul Dragonului, ser. Ред Змаја) was an elite Chivalric order for selected royalty and nobility of Europe.1 Founded in 1408 by Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia, the Order primarily flourished in Germany and Italy. The members of the Order were known as Draconists.2 According to a surviving copy of its statute, the Order required its initiates to defend the Cross and fight the enemies of Christianity. 3

Contents

History

The Order of the Dragon was first created on December 12, 1408 by Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary-Croatia Sigismund, and his queen, Barbara of Celje, following the battle for possession of Bosnia.4 5 From 1408-1437, the Order of the Dragon was the most important noble political association in Hungary and Croatia. Many kings founded their own orders of knights to support their thrones. Members of the order were mostly his political allies and supporters. 6 The Order of the Dragon Or from the beginning the Order of the Defeated Dragon6 was inspired from the Order of St. George (Socitas Militae Sancti Georgii), created by King Charles I of Hungary in 1318. Its statute from 1326 required protection of the King from any plot against him, principles also upheld in Sigismund's Order. 5 The sigils of the order were an ouroborus and the flaming cross.6 The Order of the Dragon had two degrees. The first one had 24 members which were allowed to wear as the Order's emblem both the dragon and the cross. The second degree had a waste amount of members, and its symbol was only the dragon. 6 The Order of the Dragon was quickly recognized internationally, and in 1409, it inspired the Spanish Order of Calatrava. 5 There was an initial group of inductees for Sigismund's Order, from 1408-1418, 24 in number. In 1431, Sigismund chose to expand the ranks of the Order. 6 A second group of inductees were initiated between 1431-1437.5 Following Sigismund's death, the Order lost prominence. However, the prestigious Order's emblem was retained on the coat of arms of several Hungarian noble families, including Báthory, Bocskai, Bethlen, Szathmáry and Rákóczi. 7

Selected list of inductees from 1408:


Selected list of inductees from after 1431:

Symbol of the Order

Reconstruction of the order patch (I) based on existing Austrian museum artifacts.

For its symbol, the Order designed an insignia of a dragon with its tail coiled around its neck; on the back of the dragon, from the base of the neck to the tail, is the Red Cross of Saint George, with the entire image on an argent field. A University of Bucharest annotation to the original edict, which established the Order, reads O Quam Misericors est Deus, Pius et Justus, which may been officially part of the emblem.4

Reconstruction of the emblem (II) based on the sketches in Austrian Museum custody; the original badge is missing.

The various classes of the order had a slight variation of the dragon symbol. Common changes included the addition of inscriptions like O Quam Misericors est Deus ("Oh, how merciful God is") and Justus et Paciens ("Justifiably and peacefully"). One of the highest classes may have worn a necklace with a seal, 4 while a period painting of Otto von Wolkenstein depicts another type of class variation.9

Artifacts

Few historical artifacts of the Order remain, although the Order's dragon emblem has been referenced on coins, art, and in writing. A copy, dating to 1707, of the edict forming the Order is the oldest known literary artifact of the society. Today, known materials are archived within the University of Budapest and the University of Bucharest. The Order was also one of Bram Stoker's inspirations for his 1897 novel Dracula. 4 Interest in this mysterious knighthood and its members continue on today through scholarly research, entertainment, and popular culture and subcultures.

Reference

  1. ^ Florescu, Radu, Dracula: Prince of Many Faces. Boston: Little Brown, 1989, pp 40-42
  2. ^ Florescu, pp 40-42
  3. ^ http://www.rodoslovlje.com/medieval_serbia/eng/history-dragon.htm
  4. ^ a b c d e f Rodoslovlje
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i From The Order Of The Dragon To Dracula
  6. ^ a b c d e The International and Royal Council for European Orders of Chivalry and Honours
  7. ^ Florescu pp40-42, Rodoslovlje
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Rodoslovlje
  9. ^ a b http://aeiou.iicm.tugraz.at/aeiou.encyclop.data.image.o/o874125a.jpg
  10. ^ Dracula, Prince of Many Faces: His Life and His Times (ISBN-10: 0316286567)

9 .^ a b c John V.A. Fine, The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest, University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, 1987. p. 483.

Primary sources

  • Statutes of the society, promulgated on 13 December 1408, ed. György Fejér, Codex diplomaticus Hungariae X.4. No. CCCXVII. Buda, 1841. 682-94; earlier edition by J.F Miller, "Monumenta diplomatica nunc primum ex autographis edita". In Acta Literaria Musei Nationalis Hungarici 1. Buda, 1818. 167-90.

Further reading

  • Boulton, D'A.J.D. The Knights of the Crown: The Monarchical Orders of Knighthood in Later Medieval Europe, 1325-1520. Boydell Press, 2000. 348 ff.
  • Timon, Akos. Ungarische Verfassung- und Rechtsgeschichte. Berlin, 1904.

External links
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