Order of the Dragon
The Order of the Dragon (German: Drachenorden; Latin: Societas Draconistrarum) was an order of selected nobles modeled on the Order of Saint George of Hungary. The order was founded in 1418 by Sigismund, King of Hungary, and his second wife (Barbara Cilli) after the Council of Constance, to defend the Church against the heretics, especially the Hussites. 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.
Origins of the Order
In the second half of the fourteenth century, many kings founded their own orders of knights to support their thrones. Notable examples are: the Order of the Garter in England, the Order of Jug in Aragon, the Order of Scarf in Bohemia etc. Unlike the famous military orders of the Templars or the Hospitallers these orders were secular in nature.
The Order of the Dragon (Lat: Societatis draconistrarum) was an institution similar to other chivalric orders of the time, modeled on the Order of St. George (1318). It was created by the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund (then the king of Hungary - Zsigmond). According to its statute, which survives in a copy dated 1707, the Order required its initiates to defend the Cross and fight its enemies, principally the Turks. The original Order had twenty four members of the nobility. The members were important political allies and vassals, the pillars of Sigismund power. The name of the order refers to St. George. The sigils of the order were an ouroborus and the flaming cross.
On December 13, 1418, 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 were inducted in 1418, including:
* Sigismund of Luxembourg, King of Hungary
* Stefan Lazarević of Serbia
* King Alfonso of Aragon and Naples
* King Ladislaus II of Poland
* Grand Prince Vytautas of Lithuania
* Duke Ernst of Austria
* Christopher III, Duke of Bavaria and King of Denmark
* Pipo of Ozora
Symbol of the Order
Reconstruction of the order patch (I) based on existing Austrian museum artifacts
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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 Beast of the Book of Revelation while the red cross represented the victory of Christ over the forces of evil. Members were required to wear the symbol (often as a medallion) at all times and were often buried with the symbol.
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.
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 indoctrination into the Order. Included in this ceremony was Vlad II Dracul, father of Vlad Ţepeş, also known as Vlad III Dracula, who was serving as frontier commander guarding the passes from Transylvania to Wallachia. (The post-title Dracul refers to being invested with the Order of the Dragon.)
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.
* Societatis Draconistrarum
Other notable members:
* Despot Stefan Lazarevic of Serbia
* King Alfonso V of Aragon and Naples
* King Vladislav Jagello of Poland
* Grand Prince Vitovd of Lithuania
* Duke Ernst of Austria
* Christopher III, Duke of Bavaria and King of Denmark
* Thomas de Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk (after 1439)
Modern day
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 1707, of the edict forming the Order is the oldest historical artifact of the Order and is stored at the University of Bucharest.
Other
Fifteenth century wax seal, used (in adapted form) as a logo by Cradle of Filth
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Fifteenth century wax seal, used (in adapted form) as a logo by Cradle of Filth
Wallachian ruler Vlad Tepes (the Impaler), son of Vlad Dracul (member of the Draco/Dragon Order), was also known as "Draculea", literally "son of Dracul". This is the origin of the Dracula vampire character, loosely based on Vlad Tepes reputation for cruelty and extreme, bloody punishments.
Miloš Obilić, a Serbian knight, had created the secret Order of the Dragon of Saint George. His shield represented the sun with twelve rays and there were twelve knights, himself included, belonging to this order. As a distinctive sign, they wore a dragon on their helmet. The aim of the order was the death of the Ottoman Sultan Murad I.
The Order of the Dragon was used in Elizabeth Kostova's novel The Historian. They were in the book as the underlings of Vlad Ţepeş (whom they considered to be Count Dracula) and were used to further his scholarly interests.
