Order of Saint Michael (Bavaria)

This article is about the Bavarian order. For other uses, see Order of Saint Michael (disambiguation).

Order of Merit of Saint Michael
Verdienstorden vom Heiligen Michael

Awarded by Kingdom of Bavaria
Type| before 1837: Military Order
after 1837: Order of merit
Established| Military Order: 29 September 1693
Order of Merit: 16 February 1837
Royal house| House of Wittelsbach
Religious affiliation| Roman Catholicism
Motto| QUIS UT DEUS
("Who [is] like God")
Status| No longer awarded
Founder| Archbishop Joseph Clemens, Archbishop-Elector of Cologne
Grades| Military Order:
Knight Commander
Knight Officer
Knight
Order of Merit:
1st class with Grand Cross
1st class
2nd class with star
2nd class
Cross of Honour
3rd class
4th class
Cross of Merit
Medal of Merit
Precedence
Next (higher)| Order of Merit of the Bavarian Crown
Next (lower)| Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art

Ribbon of the order

The Order of Saint Michael (German: Orden zum Heiligen Michael), later Order of Merit of Saint Michael (German: Verdienstorden vom Heiligen Michael), was founded on September 29, 1693 [1] by Joseph Clemens of Bavaria, then Archbishop-Elector of Cologne, as a military order. Its full name was Most Illustrious Military Order of Defenders of Divine Glory under the Protection of the Holy Archangel Michael.[2] Initially, this order was only open to the Catholic nobility. Upon its institution, the order consisted of the Grand Master and three classes: Knight Commander, Knight Officer and Knight, divided in two divisions, spiritual and secular. The Grand Master and Knight Commanders were bestowed with a breast star. The Knight Commanders or Knights Grand Cross, officially limited to nine of the spiritual and the secular division each, constituted the chapter. The order has had four spiritual Knights Officers: chancellor, honorary chaplain, almoner, and sacristan, and the same amount of secular Knights Officers: marshal, treasurer, equerry, and chamberlain. The third class of Knights was limited to 18 spiritual and secular knights each, so the order ideally should have had 63 members, representing the age of the queen of angels.[3]

The first headquarter on the order was located in the Godesburg in the Electorate of Cologne, from the 1750s in the Electoral Palace. Its Bavarian main church was St. Michael in Berg am Laim, Munich.

In 1808, the order was recognized by Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria as an order of chivalry in the Kingdom of Bavaria, and the grade of Knights of Honour, limited to twelve recipients, mostly Protestants and literary commoners, was added to the third class. In 1813, the order received the official title of the Knightly House Order of St. Michael.

On 16 February 1837, Ludwig I of Bavaria transformed the military order into an order of merit, called Order of Merit of St. Michael, divided into three classes: Knight Grand Cross, Knight Commander, and Knight. The physical appearance of the decorations also changed at this time. In 1855, the classes of Knight Grand Commander and Knight 2nd class were introduced. In 1887, according to a proposal of Crailsheim, the order got reformed and divided into Knights 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th class; a cross of merit and a silver medal were affiliated with the order.[4]

## List of grandmasters

[edit]

1. 1693–1723: Joseph Clemens of Bavaria, Archbishop-Elector of Cologne
2. 1723–1761: Clemens August of Bavaria, Archbishop-Elector of Cologne and Grand Master of the Teutonic Order
3. 1761–1763: Johann Theodor of Bavaria, Prince-Bishop of Regensburg, Prince-Bishop of Freising, and Prince-Bishop of Liège.
4. 1763–1770: Duke Clement Francis of Bavaria
5. 1770–1777: Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria
6. 1778–1795: Charles II August, Duke of Zweibrücken
7. 1795–1799: Maximilian Joseph, Duke of Zweibrücken
8. 1799–1837: Duke Wilhelm in Bavaria

After the death of Duke Wilhelm and the transformation into an order of merit, the King of Bavaria as the fount of honor was de facto Grand Master.

## See also

[edit]

* List of ecclesiastical decorations

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Robertsom, Megan C. (30 September 2007). "Kingdom of Bavaria: Royal Merit Order of St Michael". Medals of the World. Retrieved 2011-08-22.
2. ^ Michael, Verdienstorden vom Heiligen (1769). Nouveau calendrier du Très Illustre Ordre Equestre de Bavière sous le Titre de Défenseurs de la Gloire de Dieu sous la Protection de Saint-Michel Archange: 1769 (in French).
3. ^ Trost, Ludwig (1888). Die Geschichte des St.-Michaels-Ordens in Bayern und der St.-Michaels-Bruderschaft seit dem Jahre 1693 bis auf die Gegenwart (in German). Oldenbourg. ISBN 978-3-486-72592-6. `{{cite book}}`: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
4. ^ Trost, Ludwig (1888). Die Geschichte des St.-Michaels-Ordens in Bayern und der St.-Michaels-Bruderschaft seit dem Jahre 1693 bis auf die Gegenwart (in German). Oldenbourg. ISBN 978-3-486-72592-6. `{{cite book}}`: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)

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Orders, decorations, and medals of the German Empire

Kingdom of Prussia|

* Order of the Black Eagle
* Order of Merit of the Prussian Crown
* Order of the Red Eagle
* Order of the Crown
* House Order of Hohenzollern
* Pour le Mérite
* Order of Saint John (Bailiwick of Brandenburg)
* Order of Louise
* Wilhelm-Orden

Kingdom of Bavaria|

* Order of Saint Hubert
* Military Order of Max Joseph
* Military Merit Order (Bavaria)
* Order of Theresa
* Order of Saint Elizabeth
* Royal Order of Saint George
* Order of Merit of the Bavarian Crown
* Order of Saint Michael (Bavaria)
* Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art
* Order of Louis (Bavaria)
* Medical military Order

Kingdom of Saxony|

* Order of the Rue Crown
* Military Order of St. Henry
* Albert Order
* Civil Order of Saxony
* Order of Sidonia
* Order of Maria Anna

Kingdom of Württemberg|

* Order of the Crown (Württemberg)
* Military Merit Order (Württemberg)
* Friedrich Order
* Order of Olga

Kingdom of Hanover|

* Order of St. George
* Royal Guelphic Order
* Order of Ernst August

Grand Duchy of Baden|

* Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order
* Order of Berthold the First
* Order of the Zähringer Lion
* House Order of Fidelity

Grand Duchy of Hesse|

* House Order of the Golden Lion
* Ludwig Order
* Order of Philip the Magnanimous
* Order of the Star of Brabant
* General Honor Decoration

Landgraviate of
Hesse-Kassel|

* House Order of the Golden Lion
* Wilhelm Order
* Order of the Iron Helmet

Landgraviate of
Hesse-Darmstadt|

* Order of Philip the Magnanimous

Grand Duchy of
Mecklenburg-Schwerin|

* Order of the Griffon (Mecklenburg)
* House Order of the Wendish Crown

Grand Duchy of
Mecklenburg-Strelitz|

* Order of the Griffon (Mecklenburg)
* House Order of the Wendish Crown

Grand Duchy of Oldenburg|

* House and Merit Order of Peter Frederick Louis
* Friedrich-August Cross

Duchy of Saxe-Weimar|

* Order of the White Falcon

Duchy of Brunswick|

* Order of Henry the Lion

Duchy of Nassau|

* Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau
* Order of Adolphe of Nassau

Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg|

* Saxe-Ernestine House Order

Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha|

* Saxe-Ernestine House Order (2006: Saxe-Coburg-Gotha House Order)

Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen|

* Saxe-Ernestine House Order

Duchy of Anhalt|

* Order of Albert the Bear
* Order of Merit for Science and Art

Principality of
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen|

* House Order of Hohenzollern

Principality of
Hohenzollern-Hechingen|

* House Order of Hohenzollern

Principality of Lippe-Detmold|

* Order of the Cross of Honour (Lippe)
* Order of Leopold (Lippe)
* Order of Berta
* Order of the Rose of Lippe

Principality of
Schaumburg-Lippe|

* Order of the Cross of Honour (Lippe)

Principality of Reuss|

* Princely Reuss Honour Cross

Principality of
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt|

* Princely Schwarzburg Honor Cross

Principality of
Schwarzburg-Sondershausen|

* Princely Schwarzburg Honor Cross

Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont|

* Order of Merit (Waldeck and Pyrmont)

Free cities|

* Hanseatic Cross

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