Order of the Eagle of Georgia
The Order of the Eagle of Georgia and the Seamless Tunic of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Georgian: საქართველოს არწივისა და უფლისა ჩვენისა იესო ქრისტეს უკერველი კვართის)[1] commonly known as the Order of the Eagle of Georgia (OEG), is the highest order of chivalry awarded by Crown Prince David Bagration of Mukhrani, the order's Grand Master and a claimant to the throne of Georgia.[2][3][4] Prince David became the disputed head of the Royal House of Bagrationi and Grand Master of the order when his father, Prince Giorgi (Jorge) Bagrationi, died.[5][6]
| Order of the Eagle of Georgia and the Seamless Tunic of Our Lord Jesus Christ | |
|---|---|
Grand Cross and Grand Collar Star of the Order of the Eagle of Georgia | |
| Type | Dynastic Order |
| Awarded for | Support of Georgia and the cause of the monarchy. |
| Presented by | Bagrationi dynasty |
| Status | Currently constituted |
| Established | Claimed to be between 1184 and 1213; re-established in Italy in 1939 |
Ribbon of the Order | |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | None |
| Next (lower) | Order of Saint Queen Tamar |
History of the Order Edit
The Order claims to have been founded by Queen Tamar of Georgia, and its modern history dates from when it was restored in Italy by Prince Irakli Bagration of Mukhrani in 1939 as the highest of the House Orders of the Bagrationi dynasty.[3]
The name of the Order refers to the Sacred Tunic that Jesus Christ wore at his death. According to legend, the relic was raffled off by Roman soldiers and it was then taken to Georgia, preserved, and buried in the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, alongside the insignias of former Kings of Georgia.[7]
In 1942, Prince Irakli Bagration of Mukhrani[8] was elected President of the Union of Traditionalist Georgians, who were dedicated to restoring a free Georgia under a constitutional monarchy.[citation needed]
Upon his death in 1977, Prince Irakli was succeeded in his claims by his first-born son, Prince Jorge de Bagration, who only awarded the Order within his family until 2001, when he decided to give concessions for excellence, merit and/or service to the Royal House and people of Georgia.[9]: 59, 61–62, 64–65, 67–68 After 2003, Prince Jorge gave the Order a new constitution, establishing its current terms and conditions.[10]
During the Grand Mastership of Prince Jorge, significant figures from nobility and royalty entered the Order.[11]
In 1991, it was reported that the Georgian Parliament acknowledged Prince Jorge Bagration of Mukhrani as the head of the Royal house of Bagrationi, but others dispute his claims.[12] In 1995, Prince Jorge, traveled to Georgia with and met with Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze, who declared to Prince Jorge: "My Lord, you are in your homeland which needs the Royal Family to maintain its unity."[8]
Due to the Mukhrani's long exile in Spain, many of the Order's members are Spanish.[13] The order is highlighted in a list of notable Orders on the Blasones Hispanos, Ordenes Dinasticas website.[14]
Prince Jorge's son, Prince David repatriated to Georgia in 2008, one year after the Patriarch of Georgia, Ilia II, who is a holder of the Grand Collar of the Order of the Eagle of Georgia, had called for the restoration of the Georgian monarchy.[7] David was granted citizenship, and a year later, married Princess Anna, daughter of the genealogically junior Grazinsky Bragration branch who were rivals to the defunct Georgian throne.[9]: 56–67 [15][16][17][18] Princess Anna was, herself, a Dame of the Order.[13] The marriage sparked widespread interest in the revival of a constitutional monarchy.[19] The royal couple divorced in 2013,[20][21] and their son Prince Giorgi, has been a Knight Grand Collar of the Order from birth.[22]
In 2017, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester "received the Grand Collar of the Order of the Eagle of Georgia on behalf of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in honor of her 90th birthday."[6][23]
The Order is recognized as a Dynastic (Non-Regnant) Order of Chivalry. In Burke's Peerage, it is listed as an Order "founded by royal claimants in exile". The International Commission on Orders of Chivalry describes it as a "new chivalric institution founded by the head of a formerly reigning dynasty". The Augustan Society notes it as a non-ruling dynastic honor.[24]
Grand Masters of the Order Edit
- Irakli Bagration of Mukhrani (1939–1977)
- Jorge Bagration of Mukhrani (1977–2008)
- David Bagration of Mukhrani (2008–present)
Grades of the Order Edit
The Order of the Eagle of Georgia is composed of the following grades:
- Knight Grand Cross with Collar
- Knight/Dame Grand Cross
- Knight Grand Officer
- Knight/Dame Commander
- Knight Officer
- Knight/Dame
-
Order of wear of insignia for men at each grade.
-
Order of wear of insignia for women at each grade.
-
Heraldic displays of order insignia for each grade.
Recipients Edit
Notable recipients of the order since 1939 have partially included: [25]
- Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom[26][27]
- King Umberto II of Italy
- King Boris III of Bulgaria
- King George Tupou V of Tonga
- King Leka of Albania
- Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia
- Crown Prince Nicholas of Montenegro
- Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza[28]
- Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama of Japan[29]
- Prince Jaime de Borbón, Duke of Anjou and Segovia
- Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch[30]
- Necla Sultan, Princess of Egypt and Imperial Princess of Ottoman Empire[31]
- Princess Nilüfer Hanimsultan[31]
See also Edit
References Edit
- ^ "Order of the Eagle of Georgia" (in Georgian). Royal Family of Georgia. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
- ^ "Provisional list of orders: New chivalric institutions founded by the head of a formerly reigning dynasty", International Commission on Orders of Chivalry – 2006 Register, retrieved 14 February 2015
- ^ a b Sainty & Heydal-Mankoo 2006
- ^ "Orden Del Aguila De Georgia Y La Tunica Sin Costuras De Nuestro Señor Jesucristo". Blasoneshispanos.com. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
- ^ Warner, Gerald. (8 August 2008). "Demoralized Georgia may renew itself by restoring its monarchy"[dead link], The Telegraph; retrieved 3 May 2014.
- ^ a b R.A.U. Juchter van Bergen Quast, "The value of nobiliary titles, issued by HRH Prince David Bagration of Mukhrani", Nobiliary law – Adelsrecht – Droit nobiliaire 10 July 2020, accessed 4 April 2023
- ^ a b Serrano 2014
- ^ a b Rey y Cabieses, Amadeo-Martín (2005). Wittelsbach y Borbón: relaciones y enlaces entre las Casas Reales de Baviera y España, siglos XIX al XXI. Escuela "Marqués de Avilés".
- ^ a b Montgomery 1980
- ^ "Newspress - დავით მაღრაძეს და ნიკუშა შენგელაიას დავით ბაგრატიონი თავისუფლებისთვის ბრძოლაში გაწეული ღვაწლისთვის ორდენს გადასცემს". Newspress.ge. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
- ^ The Royal House of Georgia Distinguished Knights and Ladies of the Order of the Eagle of Georgia and the Seamless Tunic of Our Lord Jesus Christ 2015-07-01 at the Wayback Machine, Royalhouseofgeorgia.ge; accessed 6 November 2016.
- ^ "Prince George Bagration of Mukhrani, Claimant to the throne of Georgia who became well known in Spain as a fearless motor racing and rally driver", The Times (London), 2 February 2008.
- ^ a b Elenco 2015
- ^ Blasones hispanos 2015
- ^ . Interpressnews.ge. Archived from the original on 7 November 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
- ^ "Ceremonia de la Casa Real de Georgia en el Ateneo. Las Provincias". Lasprovincias.es. 14 July 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
- ^ "Georgia Times Wedding of the two royal dynasties members"; Georgian Journal; retrieved 10 February 2015
- ^ "Prince David, wearing the Grand Cross of the OEG" 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine, Royalhouseofgeorgia.ge; accessed 6 November 2016.
- ^ Kalatozishvili, Georgy. (11 November 2013). Will Georgia become a monarchy?, VestnikKavkaza.net; retrieved 11 February 2015.
- ^ "Descendant of Georgian kings announces his divorce". Vestnik Kavkaza. 24 December 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ "Georgian Royal Family Divorce". Georgianjournal.ge. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ Second birthday of HRH Giorgi Bagration Bagrationi 2014-02-02 at the Wayback Machine, Royalhouseofgeorgia.ge, 27 September 2013.
- ^ Court Circular, royal.uk, 8 March 2017; retrieved 27 March 2017.
- ^ Augustan Society (2014). Recognized Orders of Chivalry: Other Non-Ruling Dynastic Honors and Orders of Merit: Georgia: House of Bagrationi Order of the Eagle of Georgia and Seamless Tunic of Our Lord Jesus Christ; retrieved 15 May 2014.
- ^ ">Order Distinguished Members".
- ^ "Court Circular". The Royal Family.
- ^ ">NEWS".
- ^ ">NEWS".
- ^ ">NEWS".
- ^ ">NEWS".
- ^ a b "elenco de caballeros y damas de la orden del águila de georgia y la". studylib.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 March 2023.
Sources Edit
- Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh (1980), Burke's Royal Families of the World, vol. II Africa & the Middle East, ISBN 0-85011-029-7
- Martínez Larrañaga; Escudero y Díaz Madroñero; de Montells y Galán, Fernando; Alfredo; José María (2015), Armorial de la Orden del Águila de Georgia y la Túnica Inconsútil de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo, ISBN 978-84-943890-4-7
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
- "ORDEN DEL AGUILA DE GEORGIA Y LA TUNICA SIN COSTURAS DE NUESTRO SEÑOR JESUCRISTO". Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- Elenco de Caballeros y Damas De La Orden Del Aguila De Georgia y la tunica Sin Costuras De Nuestro Senor Jesuscristo (PDF), retrieved 14 February 2015
- Serrano, S. (2014). "The Georgian Church: Embodiment of National Unity or Opposition Force?". Russian Politics and Law. 52 (4): 74–92. doi:10.2753/RUP1061-1940520404. S2CID 142979772.
- Sainty, Guy Stair; Heydal-Mankoo, Rafal, eds. (2006), "Georgia", Burkes Peerage & Gentry: World Orders of Knighthood and Merit, pp. 1847–1849