copyright 1995, 1997 by Lloyd Worley. All rights reserved. No part of this copyrighted article may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission of the copyright holder, including distribution via electronic means such as eMail or Internet. One file copy and one printed copy may be made for archival purposes.
Introduction
The world of Chivalry, like any other worthwhile endeavor, is fraught with pitfalls, with error, and sometimes even fraud. The purpose of this article is to offer guidance to those interested in modern and authentic chivalry, nobility, and royalty.
About "Commissions" on Chivalry
It might be thought that a government would be interested in a chivalry commission, but, in fact, governments do not engage in such activity, and there are no governmental chivalry "commissions" of any kind in any nation. What governments do is to recognize their own Chivalric Orders which they confer within their own national boundaries. Otherwise, governments neither seek nor request recognition for their Orders from other nations or organizations.
For example, the highest Order of Chivalry in the power of the Vatican to confer is the most distinguished and rare Papal Order of Christ, yet the Order of Christ is not "recognized" within the boundaries of, for example, Great Britain, which is not a Roman Catholic country, and, even though Great Britain "recognizes" the Vatican as a City-State and has exchanged ambassadors, the simple fact is that a British citizen who holds the Order of Christ (and none do so far) could not use the Knightly prenominal "Sir" or "Dame" because Great Britain does not "recognize" this distinguished Papal Order. To cite another example, the Prince of Monaco confers, from time to time, the Order of Grimaldi, a most coveted knighthood, yet the distinguished dynastic and rarely-conferred Order is not "recognized" by any government other than Monaco itself. It must be understood that it is extremely rare for one government or monarch or church to "recognize" another's Order of Chivalry. Usually, the only action taken is that permission is given when the head of the government, monarchy, or church agrees to accept knighthood in an Order. (The list of Chivalric Orders held, for example, by Prince Phillip of Great Britain is very long--but the list includes not a single Papal Order.)
Of course, the lack of recognition does not mean that an Order (whether governmental, secular, religious, dynastic, or private) is not valid or valued, nor does it mean that the ambassadors of such countries won't be polite about others' Orders of Chivalry and use the various titles in correspondence and conversation.
A very special case in the "recognition" controversies is The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (the SMOM). Many countries (including the United States) recognize the SMOM, not as an Order of Chivalry, but as the world's tiniest sovereign nation (which consists of a few rooms in the Vatican)! Sovereign Nations (including the United States) maintain recognition because the SMOM once controlled Malta and, indeed, was the government of that island. When the SMOM was forced to vacate Malta, the Order became a kind of government-in-exile, and it continued to issue passports, certify ambassadors, print stamps, and otherwise conduct itself as an exiled government, all based on the famous decision of the Cour d' Appel at the Palais de Justice of Paris:
This decision allows Sovereign Nations to punish governments it doesn't like and reward those it does (and proved most useful during the Cold War communist takeovers of various republics and monarchies).
An examination of the history of chivalry commission shows that any claims, printed or otherwise, made by them cannot be taken at face value. Often these commissions like to claim world-wide jurisdiction or authority, and sometimes even put the term international in their names. However, the decisions of the commissions are unreliable, and one should be careful in relying upon the pronouncements of such commissions, whose greatest weaknesses are often snobbery and arrogance.
Objective historians know that commissions are nothing more than private associations, usually consisting of only a handful of private individuals (usually heads of Orders which are, of course, ruled as "legitimate"). Experienced jurists know that these commissions have no authority of any kind whatever to pass judgment upon the legitimacy or validity of any Order of Chivalry, any Noble House, or any Royal House. Indeed, no Sovereign Order of Chivalry would even consider submitting itself for judgment to such a commission, for to do so would impair the Order's sovereignty.
The "Order Assassin" and the "Order Grump"
The Order Assassin
To recognize the Order Assassin, look for arrogance, sneering, and similar emotional outbursts; especially look for the assassin's use of his favorite terms "bogus," "charlatan," and "self-styled." No reputable historian of Orders uses these words (or any like them) because they are simply declamations driven by passion rather than data.
The Order Grump
The Assassin and the Grump on the Internet
In former times, the Order Assassin and the Order Grump attacked via leaflets, letters, and booklets; today, the Assassin and the Grump have web sites on the internet, and they like to "sound off" and "flame" in the unmoderated discussion groups.
The sneering and snobbery of the Assassin and the Grump are unbecoming, and their unchivalric display of discourteous manners should serve as a warning to those who wish to not only talk about Chivalry, but who wish to live it.
Instead of the unmoderated discussion group, persons interested in heraldry and chivalry would do better to go to the moderated chat rooms where information, facts, instruction, and good manners are readily available. One popular and reliable knighthood and chivalry Discussion Room can be found by clicking HERE.
To read more about the Order Assassin and the Order Grump, go to the article The Order Assassin and the Order Grump: What Every Person Newly Interested in Chivalry Should Know by clicking HERE.
It is important to remember that none of the modern fraternal Orders with "knight" in their names can claim a valid fons, nor are these groups recognized as anything other than fraternal organizations. Thus, the Knights of Columbus, the Knights of Pythias, the Masonic Knights Templar, and many others, cannot claim and do not claim chivalric status as the term is understood by authentic Orders of Chivalry.
(b) How closely does the Order adhere to the traditional models of Chivalry? There can be variations, of course, but no Order should be so variant that it is hardly recognizable as an Order of Chivalry.
(c) Does the Order allow anyone in, or is it selective in its membership? That is, does one enter the Order and gain rank simply by the payment of a fee, or are there other qualifications? Are the Knights of the Order generally reasonable and productive people, having achieved some level of accomplishment and perhaps, in some cases, even fame or recognition? Are the Knights pillars of the community, or do they shuffle down the street in their bathrobes, muttering about UFO contacts and "the international Jewish (or other) "conspiracy"? Also, is the head of the Order clearly identified? Who is it, and what are his accomplishments? Is the head a productive member of the community? A wise person will avoid an "Order" whose Grand Master is a cipher or that is filled with crackpots whose heads are filled with nonsense. By their fruits shall ye know them.
It should be noted that all Orders of Knighthood charge passage fees of different kinds, and the requirement of a large fee is not, in itself, a sign of invalidity. Some distinguished Orders of Chivalry charge very large passage fees, while others do not. Fees are usually determined by the expenses of the Order. Even the Order of the Garter has a passage fee! It may be, however, that one would be wary of a demand for a large passage fee from an unknown Order headed by an unknown person. Certainly, one would be cautious of an Order or Royal House that is obviously in the business of selling knighthoods and titles and that will provide for any inquirer a catalog of available "honors" that have a set price.
(d) How does the Order confer its Knighthood? Does it hold annual or biannual meetings and Investitures to which people actually go? When the Order announces an Investiture, do people attend? Or does the Order merely conduct all its business and "Investitures" by mail? Does the Order have at least a few local groups? If so, are they active?
(e) How does the Order serve its members? Does it publish a newsletter or bulletin? Does it offer information, training, or guidance to its Knights? Or does it merely confer the knighthood and then ignore the Knight?
(f) How does the Order serve the public? Orders of Knighthood developed, first, to serve the liege lord, but they eventually took on other duties as well, in some cases serving as a police force (especially in the middle East). An Order of Chivalry should seek to serve the public in some way, often, but not necessarily, through some public charity work.
(g) Finally, how does the Order view itself? Does it consider itself an Order of Chivalry? Is the Order continually seeking "recognition," or does it go about its business and allow its "fons" and its actions to determine what it is? Does the Order tell the truth about itself, or does it make claims that cannot be substantiated?
These questions ultimately determine what an Order of Chivalry really is, not some self-appointed "commission" or self-appointed "expert."
About Mail-Order "Heraldry"
Therefore, mail-order companies cannot (nor do they actually claim to) issue you your "own" arms. What they usually do is simply look into Burke's Peerage, find a family with a matching name, copy those arms, and send them to you. If you display them, you are showing "borrowed" goods, which is slightly dishonest for the commoner and forbidden to the Knight.
However, it is possible, in modern times, for someone to receive a legitimate coat of arms. Even an American can apply for and receive arms (which Americans often call a "crest," although that is not a correct term; the "crest" is the display over the arms). Americans of British descent can apply to the King of Arms of England for a grant of arms; Americans of Irish descent can apply to the Irish King of Arms for a grant. Scotland also maintains heraldic offices. Such grants require some evidence of ancestry and the cost can run into thousands of dollars. The Spanish government also maintains a college of heraldry and will grant arms to Americans, although the cost can also be high. Contacting the relevant countries through local embassies will result in further information.
For those interested in obtaining traditional Arms that are correctly and properly issued or for those who wish to register their Arms, certain non-regnant Royal Houses also maintain Colleges of Heraldry. To read information about The College of Heraldry of The Royal and Serene House of Alabona-Ostrogojsk, click HERE.
About Noble Companies
About the Sale of "Honors"
However, there are some "Orders of Knighthood" whose sole purpose is to enrich the founders and officers of the organization--if there is an organization. These "knighthoods" can be purchased simply by paying a set fee. No questions are asked about the applicant, nor are there any major requirements concerning personal worth or achievement. In some cases, the rank and type of knighthood can be selected from a list, paid for, and then impressive documents are sent via mail--after the check has cleared the bank. Such "knighthoods" are simply business propositions, are worthless, and should be avoided.
It isn't always the unknown "Order" that sells knighthoods. According to an article in London's Electronic Telegraph (Monday, April 15,1996), the modern (f. 1888) Venerable Order of St. John in the British Realm, whose Sovereign Head is H.M. Queen Elizabeth II, has been accused by members of its ruling body of planning to "sell" honorary knighthoods in America to raise funds. The article goes on to say that high-ranking officers of the Order are "furious" that the charity has created a Priory in the United States and will make rich Americans honorary Knights of the Order of St. John, a membership awarded by the Queen. Of course, such knighthoods will be "honorary," meaning that neither title nor rank are associated with it, but that is always the case with the British Order of St. John--it confers no title, no aristocratic rank, and no order of aristocratic precedence.
There are other "royal houses" and certain religious organizations that, like department stores, sell titles of nobility as a commodity. Of course, the legitimacy of such a "royal house" must be closely examined, since most royal houses are quite jealous of their reputations and integrity and would not be interested in selling titles for any price. However, in rare cases, a royal house that grants titles for monetary support may be legitimate, which would mean that the title purchased would also be legitimate. For example, the July 31, 1997 London Times reports that...
Vatican titles include Count, Marquis, and Prince. The article implies that titles purchased from the Vatican are, somehow "dubious." But they are not "dubious" at all; they are quite legitimate.
Another well-known case is that of King Peter II of Yugoslavia, who was forced to flee his country upon the invasion of the armed forces of Soviet Russia. The King did not abdicate, nor did he yield his authority as King, yet he was a King without a country. The flight of Kings is not unheard of in history, nor in the 20th century. For example, King Zog of Albania fled his country to avoid arrest and certain murder by the henchmen of Mussolini--however, King Zog fled with a fortune. King Peter's difficulty was that he and the royal family had to flee Yugoslavia without taking any of their valuables. The result was that King Peter II found himself penniless in the Riviera. Therefore, King Peter on occasion awarded Knighthoods and sometimes even hereditary Knighthoods and titles of Nobility in recognition of monetary support of himself, his family, and his government-in-exile. These knighthoods and titles granted by King Peter were and are legitimate and some are considered a rare and honorable prize to be held in high esteem, such as the Knight Bachelor. Also, on occasion, King Peter gave his royal protection to Orders of Chivalry, a most valuable gift, indeed. These examples are more exceptions, rather than standard practice. In modern times, purchased titles are not likely to be worth much.
A new approach to the traffic in titles is for a religious or secular organization to claim that it can "rehabilitate" ancient titles of nobility or royalty for a modern person who might be in the "family line"--and, of course, an exchange of money is part of the "rehabilitation." However, a religious organization cannot "rehabilitate" a secular title. Indeed, a secular organization, even a royal house, cannot "rehabilitate" a title over which it had no original control. Furthermore, one must also be very wary of any religious organization claiming to be a "church" and which claims authority to grant titles of royalty or nobility. Two questions always must be asked: first, is the church real? That is, does it have buildings, property, and congregations? Does it actually exist to further the work of Religion? Or does the "church" exist merely "on paper" as a grand idea someone has, but an idea without congregations and real religious work. Secondly, one must also ask for the historical roots of any such church. Is the church itself a modern creation, or does the church as a corporate body have ancient lineage whose practice was to grant titles? What is the church's standing among other religious bodies? At all times, the question of fees must be asked: is the church organization asking for a substantial amount of money for the title? All these clues must serve as warnings to the inquirer.
To sum up, the wise person would be wary of any person or organization that grants, often without question, titles of any kind for a monetary "donation."
About the Fons Honorum
An actual territory is one whose geographical boundaries survive today, as, for example, Monaco, Belgium, or England. A virtual territory is a principality whose boundaries survive legally ("de jure," meaning "by law"), but whose territorial boundaries have been erased because the area has been absorbed (usually by force of arms) into another actual country, as, for example, the ancient principality of Garama, whose integrity has never been legally surrendered, but which has been absorbed into Libya; thus, there is living today a legitimate Prince of Garama whose "de jure" principality has been taken into another country without his permission. The "de jure" or virtual territory is not a "fantasy," but is considered quite real by international jurists (and others), and actions can often be taken based upon the existence of a "de jure" claim. The modern State of Israel was founded upon a "de jure" or virtual claim (and it helps that the claim was backed by force of arms from Great Britain and the United States). A religious version of the secular "virtual territory" is the "Titular Bishop" whose diocese exists "de jure" or virtually, but does not exist actually. A famous Titular Bishop was Bp. Fulton J. Sheen, whose diocese was located in the heart of Turkey, but which did not have a single Roman Catholic in it. Thus, there are today many surviving legitimate, ancient virtual principalities and dioceses. It should be noted that, in modern times, no one can establish a new, legal "principality" within the boundaries of a stable and recognized nation, except, of course, by force of arms.
Another type of "Fons" for an Order of Chivalry is a high Church Official who has authority to establish Knightly Orders. Of course, the Latin Pope has such authority, as does Pope Shenouda of the Coptic Orthodox Church; the Eastern Orthodox Patriarchs also hold such authority. In the Byzantine tradition, a Byzantine Orthodox Abbot-Bishop of an established and functioning monastery holds authority to form Chivalric Orders. Such Orders are considered religious Orders of Chivalry, and it should be noted that religious Orders of Chivalry are considered by many to be the "highest" form of chivalry. Not every Bishop holds authority to form Orders, so the "Fons" of a religious Order should always be clearly identified.
We hope, then, that these guidelines will be helpful to those in the Chivalric community who are learning to evaluate claims that are being made.
From time to time, private persons and even private organizations will attempt to form "commissions on chivalry," supposedly for the purpose of passing judgment upon which Order of Chivalry is "valid" or "recognized." While a commission on Orders of Chivalry might appear to be a good idea, in fact the history of chivalry commissions has been disappointing, if not chaotic, because of an inability of the members to be objective and fair. So far, every commission formed has been used and manipulated by certain of its members for the purpose of self-promotion, with the result that "recognition" is given only to those who happen to be friends and allies of the commission organizers. History shows that these are the very circumstances surrounding the formation of the well-known (but now defunct) International Commission on Orders of Chivalry whose uncritical and biased report on Orders of Chivalry has been in circulation for years, with reprints being made from time to time (and which is even now repeating its errors and arrogance on the internet). This pamphlet (and its internet cousin) was printed for the purposes of self-promotion, and the International Commission on Orders of Chivalry itself soon broke up after considerable name-calling and in-fighting; yet, the commission's report (which was impressively printed) pretended (and still pretends) to be objective and authoritative when the truth is that it is not objective and it is not authoritative. The commission had as its members a select few private individuals who were merely attempting to gain the upper hand over other Orders that were deliberately excluded from membership or "recognition." Therefore, the report says more about its commission membership than it does about Orders of Chivalry.
A government in exile does not lose its right to make appointments, to award Orders, to maintain its authority as far as can be done, and pass on its legality under international law to successive heads of state.
Persons new to the study of Chivalry are often very surprised (and distressed) to discover the writings of Order Assassins and Order Grumps. Therefore, the newcomer (and sometimes even the experienced) student of Chivalry must be wary of sources when gathering information about Chivalric Orders and Noble and Royal Houses because the capricious oddities known as the "Order Assassin" and the "Order Grump" are only too glad to provide their version of information.
The Order Assassin is an individual whose recreation consists of attacking Orders of Chivalry and Noble and Royal Houses. The Order Assassin rarely has scholarly credentials of any kind whatever, attacks without data, and where there are data, the assassin's "information" is usually unreliable, outdated--or just made up.
Half-kin to the "Order Assassin" is the "Order Grump." The "Grump" is an "Assassin" who has been taught some manners and whose attacks are somewhat more polite. Like the "Assassin," the "Grump" cannot be satisfied with Orders that do not meet his own self-imposed ideas of "validity."
What Orders are "Valid"?
It is true that some Orders of Chivalry, some honors, and some persons are not what they appear or claim to be. All claims should be examined. Therefore, some criteria should be applied in judging an Order. It is important that one interested in chivalry, nobility, and royalty become self-sufficient in determining the value and validity of all claims so that, instead of having to rely on others to evaluate chivalric claims, one can do so personally. To achieve this self-sufficiency, here are certain questions to ask in evaluating any claims:(a) What is the "fons honorum" of the Order? That is, upon what authority was the Order founded? Traditionally, the Order of Chivalry has as its source a royal decree from king, prince, or high nobility or a patent from a high Church official who holds authority (ancient or modern) to issue such a patent. Someone who is merely intensely interested in Knighthood and Chivalry is not eligible to act alone to form a valid and legitimate Order of Chivalry (as, for example, the Society for Creative Anachronism which has numerous persons who are experts in the field of chivalry, who adhere strictly to all ancient rules and requirements, who hold regular tournaments, and so on, and yet who have not and do not claim to have founded or belong to a valid or legitimate Knightly Order or organization). Truly, the valid Order ultimately rests upon a royal or religious "fons honorum," and, furthermore, that "fons" should demonstrate a stability and some accomplishment in life. Also note that to be "valid" or "legitimate," an Order does not have to be ancient. For example, the Order of the British Empire dates back only to the late 19th century, the Venerable Order of St. John in the British Realm also dates back only to its creation by Queen Victoria in the late 19th century, and the French Legion of Honor only dates back to Napoleon. An Order of Chivalry can be modern, even 20th century, and still be quite valid and legitimate and highly worthwhile.
From time to time, you will receive colorful and beautifully printed bulk-mail brochures from companies that offer to send you "your" coat of arms. Usually, the merchandise offered by these companies is very nice and of high quality rings, wall plaques, tumblers, coat patches, and so on. The problem is, of course, that the coats of arms offered are not "yours," but belong to well-established Heads of families whose name is the same as yours. Remember, coats of arms are issued to persons, not to families, and the person to whom the coat of arms is issued (the "Chief of Arms" of the family) owns the arms. That the Arms might be displayed on items in use by the family (doors, mantle piece, glass tumblers, tableware, and so on) does not mean that the Arms belong to the family. The right of display belongs to the Chief and the Chief's legitimate descendants.
The Noble Company is a society of Knights of different Orders who come together from time to time for the purposes of discussing and honoring the traditions of chivalry. Usually a Noble Company is formed when there are not enough Knights of a particular Order to form a basic unit of that Order, but there are enough Knights of different Orders to make up a small society. The Noble Company is an honorable practice among Knights, and many Orders encourage the Noble Company tradition. The Noble Company is, however, only a social organization and cannot function as an Order. That is, a Noble Company cannot confer Knighthood of any kind whatever, nor can it, of itself, confer titles or honors of any kind. On occasion, one may find a Noble Company that has forgotten or ignored its purpose and pretends that it can function as a kind of "sub-order." The erring Noble Company may elect its own officers, and it will then admit non-knights and give those persons a title of knighthood "within the Noble Company." A Noble Company that has fallen into this practice is not fulfilling the tradition of the Noble Company and should be avoided. Certainly, any "title" of "knighthood" that one may obtain through this practice has a value best known to its issuers.
The fact that an Order of Chivalry charges fees is not a sign of invalidity. All Orders of Chivalry have Passage Fees and other kinds of fees which are charged to the person being Knighted. (Indeed, the Passage Fee of the Order of the Garter is reputed to be $40,000 [U.S.].) The Passage Fee is a modern remnant of the ancient practice of Knights who underwent pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Such trips were very expensive and often quite dangerous. The practice began among some to be made Knights--especially those who were infirm or young--of donating an amount of money equivalent to a Holy Land Pilgrimage to the Church. This became known as a Passage Fee, and the practice eventually became part of the process of becoming a Knight. Also, Orders have other fees, often associated with the regalia of Knighthood. Certainly, becoming a Knight has never been an inexpensive proposition, and one who finds the costs of Knighthood burdensome probably should not enter the institution.France today has more than 100,000 noble or would-be noble families.... Many who place the all-important "de" before their surnames obtained their titles from the Pope around the turn of the century after making sizable donations to the Vatican.
The term "Fons Honorum" means "source of honor." An Order of Knighthood needs a proper "Fons Honorum" if it is to be traditional and "valid." One type of "Fons" for an Order of Chivalry is a King or Prince, either reigning or non-regnant (non-political), with actual or virtual territories. Such a "Fons" holds authority to form secular Orders and "house" Orders (usually restricted to members of the royal family). The legitimate royal house is rooted in history and can show by documentation its sources. Some royal houses can trace back their roots for centuries, while other royal houses are modern in origin. Some royal houses have been established in this century by the Vatican or by certain high Orthodox Patriarchates, while other princely royal houses have been created or established by modern descendants of the Byzantine Roman Emperor or by sovereign counts and archdukes. It must be remembered that the legitimacy of a royal house is not established by age, but by lineage. Further, not all royal houses "recognize" each other, and, in some cases, the rivalry between royal houses is as bitter and as snobbish as any discord between some Orders of Knighthood (a fact often noted and employed by Order Assassins and Order Grumps who include Noble and Royal Houses as their targets).
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