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Encyclopedia > Order of the Dragon

The Order of the Dragon (Latin Societas Draconistrarum, German Der Drachenorden, Hungarian Sárkány Lovagrend, Romanian Ordinul Dragonului, Serbian Витешки ред Змаја) was an order of selected nobles modeled on the Order of Saint George of Hungary. The order was founded in 1408 by Emperor Sigismund, King of Hungary, and his second wife Barbara Cilli. The defeated dragon is a symbol of the destruction of heresy. The Order flourished in Germany and Italy. Members of the Order were known as draconists.[1] But if Stoyanov and Clements are accepted, the Order was reconstituted from a much earlier one, and if Urban is accepted, the military history indicates that a version of the Order of the Dragon, the Lizard/Dragon League, had existed in Culm (Poland) and had ties back to the northern Eurasian "heretical" culture (See W. Urban). Furthermore, Eastern Europe, particularly Bosnia and the "heretical" Bosnian Ecclesiae, was the location of the mother church of this "heresy", called the Ecclesiae Drugunthiae or Church of the Dragon (See Y. Stoyanov, C. Clements). Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Shortcut: WP:NPOVD Articles that have been linked to this page are the subject of an NPOV dispute (NPOV stands for Neutral Point Of View; see below). ... Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ... Serbian (; ) is one of the standard versions of the Shtokavian dialect, used primarily in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, and by Serbs in the Serbian diaspora. ... This article is about the year. ... Sigismund, aged approximately 50, depicted by unknown artist in the 1420s — the only contemporary portrait. ... This is a list of all rulers of Hungary since Árpád. ... Barbara of Celje (Slovenian Barbara Celjska) or Barbara of Cilli (about 1390/1395 - 11 July 1451) was the daughter of Hermann II, Count of Celje and his wife Anna von Schaunberg. ...


One member of the reconstituted Order of the Dragon, Count Hrovje Vukcic, described The Order of the Dragon as a "pagan rite", which is an accurate description. He later allied with King Sigismund's foe, defeated the King, and made the Bosnian Church (likely Ecclesia Sclavonica) the official church of Bosnia. So the Order was not the fighter of heresy that is generally believed, as Stoyanov's good historical research shows. The "dragon" or heresy was not defeated and the insignia does not represent that.

Contents

Origins of the Order

The Order of the Dragon (lat. Societatis Draconistrarum) was an institution similar to other chivalric orders of the time, created by the Emperor Sigismund, then King of Hungary, who in 1408 united his faithful barons in a league, named the Order of the Dragon. The order was modeled on the Order of the Dragon of Saint George, founded by the Serbian knight Miloš Obilić, who went on to kill the Ottoman Sultan Murad I in 1389. Sigismund, aged approximately 50, depicted by unknown artist in the 1420s — the only contemporary portrait. ... Saint-George is a municipality with 695 inhabitants (as of 2003) in the district of Aubonne in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. ... MiloÅ¡ Obilić According to Serbian and South Slavic oral tradition, and historical and legendary sources, MiloÅ¡ Obilić (Serbian Cyrillic: Милош Обилић) - also known by the names: MiloÅ¡ Kobilić; Kobila, Kobilović; Koviljić; Obilović or Dragilović - was the name of the Serbian hero who, at the Battle of Kosovo, between Serbia and the Ottoman... Sultan Murad I (มู้หลัดที่หนึ่ง) Murad I (nick-named Hüdavendigâr, the God-liked one) (1319 (or 1326) – 1389) was the ruler of the Ottoman Empire from 1359 to 1389. ...


On December 13, 1418, after the Council of Constance, the charter for the Order was publicly announced, dedicating the Order to the defense of the cross from its enemies, particularly the Ottomans and Hussites. The founding twenty-four members inducted in 1418 included: is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events May 19 - Capture of Paris by John, Duke of Burgundy September - Beginning of English Siege of Rouen Mircea the Old, ruler of Wallachia dies and is succeeded by Vlad I Uzurpatorul. ... The Council of Constance was an ecumenical council considered valid by the Roman Catholic Church. ... The Hussites comprised an early Protestant Christian movement, followers of Jan Hus. ...

Sigismund, aged approximately 50, depicted by unknown artist in the 1420s — the only contemporary portrait. ... Despot Stefan Lazarevićs Coat of Arms 1415 AD Despot Stefan Lazarević (Serbian Cyrillic: Стефан Лазаревић) (1374-1427) was the son and heir to Lazar (Serbian: Кнез Лазар), the Serbian prince who died at the Battle of Kosovo against the Turks in 1389, and princess Milica (Милица) from the subordinate branch of the Nemanjić (Немањић) dynasty. ... Alfonso V of Aragon (also Alfonso I of Naples) (1396 – June 27, 1458), surnamed the Magnanimous, was the King of Aragon and Naples and count of Barcelona from 1416 to 1458. ... WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw II Jagiełło. ... Vytautas the Great, 17th century painting Trakai Island Castle Vytautas the Great (Lithuanian:  ; Belarusian: ; Polish: ; Ruthenian: Vitovt; German: ; Latin: Alexander Vitoldus; ca. ... Ernest the Iron (born 1377 in Bruck an der Mur; died June 10, 1424 in the same place) was a Duke of Austria from the Habsburg dynasty, and as a member of the Leopoldinian Line the ruler of Styria, Carinthia and Carniola. ... Christopher of Bavaria, Christoffer (III) af Bayern (Danish and Norwegian title) or Kristofer av Bayern (Swedish title), (1418-1448) was union king of Denmark, Norway (1440-1448) and Sweden (1441-1448). ... Pipo of Ozora or Ozorai Pipo in Hungarian (Filippo Scolari, Lo Scolari or Pippo Spano in Italian; 1369 - December 1426), son of a Florentine destitute merchant, was a general, strategist and confidant of Sigismund of Hungary. ... The Lacković are a formerly sovereign dynasty, of Croatian-Hungarian origin, which ruled Transylvania intermittently, in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. ...

Symbol of the Order

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

For their 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. The dragon represented The Scarlet Beast of the Book of Revelation while the red cross represented the victory of Christ over the forces of evil. Given that the Order was a pagan Order, it is not likely this interpretation is correct. The dragon was a positive symbol across Eurasia and represented the 'Opposer' or 'Other God'. The patriarch's staff of the Armenian Church has two dragon heads for its top, going back to the first patriarch. Armenia is filled with "Dragon Stones", large pillars with a bull skin carved on them. A University of Bucharest annotation to the original edict which establishes the Order reads O Quam Misericors est Deus, Pius et Justus, which may be part of the emblem. Image File history File links Dragon_order_insignia. ... Image File history File links Dragon_order_insignia. ... St Georges cross The St Georges Cross is a red cross on a white background. ... ==Criminal Life == AL-Hamad is a Homosexual petifile with 135. ... For the Friedrich Nietzsche book, see The Antichrist. ... Visions of John of Patmos, as depicted in the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. ... This page is about the title, office or what is known in Christian theology as the Divine Person. ... University of Bucharest University of Bucharest is a university founded in 1864 by decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Saint Sava Academy into the current University of Bucharest. ...

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

Image File history File links DragonOrder_badge. ... Image File history File links DragonOrder_badge. ...

Growth of the Order

In 1431, Sigismund chose to expand the ranks of the Order. To achieve this, he invited a number of politically influential and militarily useful vassals and nobles for induction into the Order. Among those inducted was Vlad II, Voivod of Wallachia, who guarded the passes from Transylvania to Wallachia. This membership resulted in Vlad being called Dracul ("The Dragon") and his son being called Draculea ("Son of the Dragon") or Dracula. Year 1431 was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ... Vlad II (also known as Dracul or The Dragon) (c. ... This article is about the region in Romania. ... Map of Romania with Wallachia in yellow. ... Vlad Tepes redirects here. ...


The addition of new members caused the creation of many classes within the Order. Each class had a slight variation on the symbol of the order, although the dragon motif was dominant in each variation. 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"). The order remained prominent until the death of Sigismund in 1437. Without a strong sponsor, the Order quickly lost influence and prestige. This may reflect more the brutal suppression of the Two Principles or, "Great Heresy", than a lack of a powerful sponsor. // Events foundation of All Souls College, University of Oxford. ...


Other notable members

  • Christopher III, Duke of Bavaria and King of Denmark
  • Thomas de Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk (after 1439)

Artifacts

Few historical artifacts of the Order remain today, although the symbol of the Order has been adopted for many family crests throughout Europe. A copy, dating to 1706, of the edict forming the Order is the oldest historical artifact of the Order and is stored at the University of Budapest. Events March 27 - Concluding that Emperor Iyasus I of Ethiopia had abdicated by retiring to a monastery, a council of high officials appoint Tekle Haymanot I Emperor of Ethiopia May 23 - Battle of Ramillies September 7 - The Battle of Turin in the War of Spanish Succession - forces of Austria and...


References


  Results from FactBites:
 
Order of the Dragon (435 words)
On December 13, 1308, the fraternal aspect of the "Dragon Court" was formally reconstituted by King Sigismund von Luxemborg of Hungary during a time of policital turmoil and war.
This new "Order of the Dragon" was an institution modeled on the Order of St. George (1318), although it was by no means a conventional Order in the recognized chivalric sense.
It seems that the reason for the secrecy of the Order may have been because the ultimale aim was to gain political supremacy in Europe for the House of Luxemborg.
Sovereign Military Order of the Byzantine Eagle (1642 words)
The symbol of the order was to be the insignia of the dragon, with its tail curved around its neck and the cross of Saint George emblazoned on its flank.
To this effect, the Order of the Dragon divorced itself from a traditional, dynastic Order of Chivalry associated with the House of Luxembourg, the Holy Roman Empire or the Crown of Hungary.
The Order is sovereign and military in organization, beholden to no state or political purpose, merely seeking to further the humanitarian and Christian charitable aims and causes that were paramount in the golden age of the Dragon Order.
  More results at FactBites »

 

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