The Order of the Ermine (L'Ordre de l'Hermine) was a chivalric order of the 14th and 15th centuries in the Duchy of Brittany. The ermine is the emblem of Brittany. In the 20th century, it was revived by the Cultural Institute of Brittany as an honor for those contributing to Breton culture.
Medieval
During his last period of exile at the court of England (1377–1379), John V, Duke of Brittany, observed the functioning of the Order of the Garter. Back in Brittany, in 1381, he created his own order. The little we know of this order comes from Guillaume de St-André. In 1448, it became the Order of the Ermine and the Ear of Grain (Ordre de l'Hermine et de l'Épi). The ermine was a natural choice for the badge of his order, since the heraldic representation of its fur is the coat of arms of the Dukes of Brittany. In medieval times the ermine was believed to risk capture or death rather than sully the purity of its white fur and thus a symbol of concern for the uncompromising integrity of one's personal honor.
The Order admitted men and women of any social rank who had wrought exceptional service to the sovereign Duchy of Brittany. Other than the Order of the Hatchet of Tortosa, which was founded in 1149, this Breton order of chivalry has the only-known medieval instance of a woman, Katherine Potier, serving as an Officer of Arms; she bore the title of "Espy Herault". She was appointed to the office after the death of her husband, Yves, by Duchess Anne of Brittany.
Ackermann mentions this chivalric order as historical order of France. And that is because, notionally, it could have been said to have been in the gift of Duchess Anne de Bretagne as Queen of France [to Charles VIII from 1492–98], while Brittany had been annexed to allegiance to the Valois Monarchy.
After the death of Anne's daughter Claude of France in 1524, the order was allowed to fall into disuse, since her son, Francis III, Duke of Brittany, had been brought up at the French court, and did not consider himself a Breton.
The collar of a member of the order was composed of plaited ears of wheat, with a running ermine hanging from a small chain, all in gold.
A modern honor by the same name was created in 1972 to honor those who contribute to Breton culture and development. At its head is a Chancellor (Yves Lainé) and two vice-chancellors: Riwanon Kervella and André Lavanant. The siege is at the Institut Culturel de Bretagne, the castle of the Ermine, Vannes.
Sources
Gustav Adolph Ackermann, Ordensbuch, Sämtlicher in Europa blühender und erloschener Orden und Ehrenzeichen. Annaberg, 1855, p 207 n° 73. "Orden des Hermelins in der Bretagne". (Former orders of France : p. 205–214)
January 06, 2023
order, ermine, france, modern, order, order, ermine, modern, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, order, . For the modern order see Order of the Ermine modern This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Order of the Ermine France news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2009 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Order of the Ermine L Ordre de l Hermine was a chivalric order of the 14th and 15th centuries in the Duchy of Brittany The ermine is the emblem of Brittany In the 20th century it was revived by the Cultural Institute of Brittany as an honor for those contributing to Breton culture Medieval EditDuring his last period of exile at the court of England 1377 1379 John V Duke of Brittany observed the functioning of the Order of the Garter Back in Brittany in 1381 he created his own order The little we know of this order comes from Guillaume de St Andre In 1448 it became the Order of the Ermine and the Ear of Grain Ordre de l Hermine et de l Epi The ermine was a natural choice for the badge of his order since the heraldic representation of its fur is the coat of arms of the Dukes of Brittany In medieval times the ermine was believed to risk capture or death rather than sully the purity of its white fur and thus a symbol of concern for the uncompromising integrity of one s personal honor The Order admitted men and women of any social rank who had wrought exceptional service to the sovereign Duchy of Brittany Other than the Order of the Hatchet of Tortosa which was founded in 1149 this Breton order of chivalry has the only known medieval instance of a woman Katherine Potier serving as an Officer of Arms she bore the title of Espy Herault She was appointed to the office after the death of her husband Yves by Duchess Anne of Brittany Ackermann mentions this chivalric order as historical order of France And that is because notionally it could have been said to have been in the gift of Duchess Anne de Bretagne as Queen of France to Charles VIII from 1492 98 while Brittany had been annexed to allegiance to the Valois Monarchy After the death of Anne s daughter Claude of France in 1524 the order was allowed to fall into disuse since her son Francis III Duke of Brittany had been brought up at the French court and did not consider himself a Breton The collar of a member of the order was composed of plaited ears of wheat with a running ermine hanging from a small chain all in gold Modern EditMain article Order of the Ermine modern A modern honor by the same name was created in 1972 to honor those who contribute to Breton culture and development At its head is a Chancellor Yves Laine and two vice chancellors Riwanon Kervella and Andre Lavanant The siege is at the Institut Culturel de Bretagne the castle of the Ermine Vannes Sources EditGustav Adolph Ackermann Ordensbuch Samtlicher in Europa bluhender und erloschener Orden und Ehrenzeichen Annaberg 1855 p 207 n 73 Orden des Hermelins in der Bretagne Former orders of France p 205 214 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Order of the Ermine France amp oldid 1128495467, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
