Order of St. Joachim

Although the Order of Saint Joachim is considered a "self-styled" Order of Knighthood, its most famous member was Admiral Horatio Nelson.

History

The "Equestrian, Secular and Chapterial Order of Saint Joachim" was established in 1755 by H.S,H. Prince Christian Franz von Saxen-Coburg-Saalfeld, son of reigning Duke Franz Josias. Prince Christian Franz was installed as its first Grand Master on June 20th, 1756, a position he held until 1773.

The Order had fourteen founding members who were nobles and military leaders of the Holy Roman Empire:

Duke of Württemberg-Oels; Prince Piccolomini; Count von Clary und Aldringen; Baron von Eib; Ritter Fachner von Trauenstein; Keck von Schwarzbach; Count von Kollowrat-Krakowsky; Baron von Milchling; Baron Moser von Filseck; Count von Nostitz; Baron Reichlin von Meldegg; Wiedersperger von Wiedersperg; and,Baron von Zobel von Giebelstadt.

Having seen the consequences of ongoing religious wars in Europe, the Order's founders dedicated themselves to "worship the Supreme Being, show tolerance towards all religions, loyalty towards their princes, support the needs of their military, the poor, widows and orphans." [Perrot: 1821] . The Order was uniquely composed of both Protestant and Catholic nobles and leaders at a time when religion violently divided Europe and the German states within the Holy Roman Empire, and other knightly orders allied themselves exclusively with one faith or the other.

When the Order was founded in 1755, it was originally with the name "The Knights of the Order of Jonathan, Defenders of the Honour of Divine Providence". In 1767 the reference to Jonathan was removed from the name. Finally, in 1785 a further change was made, and the Order's constitution was revised by the General Chapter to rename it "The Equestrian, Secular and Chapterial Order of Saint Joachim".

Albert Pike, prominent American Mason and American Civil War general, erroneously identified The Order of Saint Joachim with Illuminati-related Enlightenment societies. In his 1883 work, "A Historical Inquiry In Regard To The Grand Constitutions Of 1786", he stated that the disbanded Illuminati continued on through the various branches of the Rosicrucian Order, including the later versions of the Gold Rosicrucians, namely, the Order of Perfect Initiates of Asia, or the Asiatic Brethren, and the various Orders of Light, specifically mentioning "The Order of Saint Joachim (St. Jonathan)". Records show that a few Illuminati were members of the early Order of Saint Joachim, specifically Count von Kollowrat-Krakowsky, as well as Freemasons and Rosicrucians. The Order of Saint Joachim had direct connection to the Gülden und Rosenkreuzer (Gold Rosicrucians), founded in 1777, which also had Illuminati and Masonic roots. The Gold Rosicrucians was Hermetic in character, drawing heavily on Eastern and Islamic mysticism. The Gold Rosicrucians was headed by Johann Karl Baron von Ecker und Eckhoffen, who in 1787 was Chancellor of The Order of Saint Joachim. Baron von Ecker und Eckhoffen is named as a member of several other mystic societies, including the Christian Masonry of Bohemia in 1756, and the Asiatic Brethren.

The Order of Saint Joachim was recognized in the late 18th and early 19th centuries by several contemporary sovereigns and states. Leopold II, King of Hungary and Bohemia (later Holy Roman Emperor) formally acknowledged and sanctioned the wearing of the insignia of the Order on May 23, 1790 with a document of Royal Concession. He appointed the Comte Christian von Leiningen, a knight of The Order of Saint Joachim and relative of the Grand Master, to be Chamberlain of the Imperial Palace.

On the 27th of April, 1791 King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia issued a similar Royal Grant recognizing the legitimacy of the Order and permitting the wearing of the insignia of The Order of Saint Joachim on Prussian officers' military uniforms.

The Order of Saint Joachim was also closely examined at the request of the British Crown before Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson was allowed to accept the award of the Cross of a Knight Grand Commander. The Order of Saint Joachim was approved as a legitimate knightly order by the British Royal College of Arms, which was confirmed by the King's Warrant in 1802, and granted Nelson permission to accept and wear the honour. Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson was wearing the breast cross of a Knight Grand Commander of The Order of Saint Joachim when he was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The British King's Warrant approving the acceptance and wear of the insignia of the Order of Saint Joachim was granted in several other instances, including to Nelson's brother, Viscount Merton, General Sir Charles Imhoff, and Philippe D'Auvergne, Prince de Boullion, Rear Admiral of the Blue.

Napoleon's brother-in-law, Joachim Murat (March 25, 1767 – October 13, 1815), a Marshal of France, usurped the grand mastership of the Order of Saint Joachim in 1806 when was made the Grand Duke of the newly created "Duchy of Berg and Cleves". During his term as Grand Duke of Berg and Cleves (March 15, 1806 to August 1, 1808 when he left to become King of Naples) Joachim Murat declared himself the Grand Master of The Order of Saint Joachim, and expanded the Order to include members of the French Legion of Honor. His authority was never recognized by the rest of the Order in exile.

Something unique and troublesome to many conventional commentators on Orders of knighthood is that The Order of Saint Joachim did not owe its existence to a royal or noble house, or "fons honorium". Its founder and first Grand Master, Prince Christian Franz von Saxen-Coburg-Saalfeld, was the son of a sovereign duke, but never himself a ruler. The next three Grand Masters were sovereign rulers (Duke de Monfort followed by successive counts of Leinigen), and would technically qualify as a "fons". Instead of being a hereditary position, the grand mastership was elected by its members. Writing in 1843, G.L. De Rochement and J. Bischoff ("Ridderorden": Amsterdam, p. 27) observed that The Order of Saint Joachim "does not owe its origins to any crowned head, even so it is recognized both on the European mainland and in Great Britain as an Order of knighthood." Nonetheless, The Order of Saint Joachim was regarded throughout its history as a curiosity among orders by the established orders of knighthood. A modern writer on Orders of Knighthood, Guy Stair Sainty, numbers it among the "self-styled" orders but credits it as a charitable institution. He erroneously doubts Nelson's membership in the order and wrongly identified Nelson as a Grand Master of the Order.

In 1802 'Sir' Levett Hanson (1754-1814), an English writer, courtier and Vice-Chancellor of the Order, published "An Accurate Historical Account of all the Orders of Knighthood at present existing in Europe", which naturally presented the Order of Saint Joachim as an equal to other existing orders. [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=MiMNAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR33&lpg=PR33&dq=levet+windsor&source=web&ots=nQYdTz1-WJ&sig=-EniSFdm3JkoMpItEBql0fr5MdA&hl=en Levett Hanson, Calendar of Knights; Containing Lists of Knights Bachelor, British Knights of Foreign Orders, Francis Townsend, Pursuivant of Arms, London, 1828] ] Hanson was a childhood friend of Horatio Nelson during their schooling at Paston Grammar School in Norfolk, and arranged to have Nelson made a Knight Grand Commander of the Order, which certainly gave the Order some prominence. [ [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/searches/subjectView.asp?ID=P12932 Levett Hanson, National Register of Archives] ] Hanson himself served as chamberlain for many years to the Duke of Modena, as well as at other European royal courts. [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=QmkBAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA43&lpg=PA43&dq=%22levett+hanson%22&source=web&ots=e36F-3Sd2Y&sig=QM5Xnd1il41dIkQ0YpeOZlTLk0M&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result Anecdotes and Characters of the House of Brunswick, John Brown, London, 1821] ]

The Order historically has a small membership - 14 at its founding and only 75 at the time Nelson was made a member. It was reorganized in 1929 and 1948 and was led by Helmut von Bräundle-Falkensee (1950 - 2007) from 1988 until his death on 14 October 2007. He was an Austrian who was also Secretary General of the Austrian Albert Schweitzer SocietyFact|date=September 2008. After his death the Canadian "Chevalier" Stephen Lautens (b. 1959), the Coadjutor Grand Master assumed the position of acting Grand Master. He is being assisted by some senior members of the Grand Chapter [http://www.stjoachimorder.org/grandmaster.htm] . It has its Chapterhouse in England and additional "Commanderies" in the United States, Canada and Austria. It is registered as a charity in the U.K. (UK registered charity No. 1047873) and supports the homeless, ex-servicemen, hospitals and children's charities. It is organized as a federal not-for-profit corporation in Canada. In Austria it operates a small volunteer service for the ambulatory care and transportation of the sick and needy.

Fun facts: The insignia of the Order of Saint Joachim can be seen being worn by General Sir Anthony Hogmany Melchett (Stephen Fry) in the BBC series "Blackadder Goes Forth" in episode Major Star, and by Lord Kiely in "Sharpe's Battle".

References

External links

* [http://www.chivalricorders.org/orders/self-styled/slfstlod.htm Chivalric Orders]
* [http://www.stjoachimorder.org/nelson.htm Official website]
* [http://www.wunderbar-media.at/oeasg/OASG_Home.htm Austrian Albert Schweitzer Society]
* [http://www.stjoachimorder.org/hanson.htm Sir Levett Hanson, Vice Chancellor of the Order, stjoachimorder.org]