| Order of Saint Michael Ordre de Saint-Michel | |
|---|---|
 Badge of the Order | |
Awarded by the  King of France | |
| Type | Dynastic order[1] |
| Established | 1 August 1469[2] |
| Royal house | House of France[3] |
| Religious affiliation | Roman Catholicism |
| Ribbon | Black |
| Motto | Latin: Immensi tremor oceani |
| Status | Abolished by decree of Louis XVI on 20 June 1790[4] Reestablished by Louis XVIII on 16 November 1816[3] Abolished in 1830 after the July Revolution[5] Recognised as a dynastic order of chivalry by the ICOC |
| Founder | Louis XI of France |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Order of the Holy Spirit |
| Next (lower) | Order of Saint Louis |
 Ribbon of the Order | |
The Order of Saint Michael (French: Ordre de Saint-Michel) is a French dynastic order of chivalry, founded by King Louis XI of France on 1 August 1469,[2][6] in response to the Order of the Golden Fleece founded by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, Louis' chief competitor for the allegiance of the great houses of France, the dukes of Orléans, Berry, and Brittany.[1] As a chivalric order, its goal was to confirm the loyalty of its knights to the king. Originally, there were a limited number of knights, at first thirty-one, then increased to thirty-six including the king. An office of Provost was established in 1476. The Order of St Michael was the highest Order in France until it was superseded by the Order of the Holy Spirit.[3]
Although officially abolished by the government authorities of the July Revolution in 1830 following the French Revolution, its activities carried on. It is still recognised by the International Commission on Orders of Chivalry.[7]
- ^ a b Boulton, D'Arcy Jonathan Dacre (1986). The knights of the crown : the monarchical orders of knighthood in later medieval Europe, 1325–1520 (Paperback ed.). Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell Press. pp. 427–47. ISBN 978-0-85115-417-6.
- ^ a b Meader, John R (1904). Beach, Frederick Converse; Rines, George Edwin (eds.). "Orders (Royal) and Decorations of Honor". Encyclopedia Americana. 11. The Americana company.
the Order of Saint Michael, founded 1 August 1469 by King Louis XI
- ^ a b c Gout, Paul (1910). Le Mont-Saint Michel (in French). Paris: A. Colin. pp. 553–60.
- ^ Pinoteau, Benoit de Fauconpret; préface d'Hervé (2007). Les chevaliers de Saint-Michel, 1665–1790 : le premier ordre de mérite civil (1ère éd. ed.). Paris: P. du Puy. ISBN 978-2-908003-35-2.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Duckers, Peter (2008). European orders and decorations to 1945. Botley, Oxford, UK: Shire Publications. pp. 31–32. ISBN 978-0-7478-0670-7.
- ^ Vachaudez, Christophe; Walgrave, Jan (2008). Diana Scarisbrick (ed.). Royal jewels : from Charlemagne to the Romanovs. New York: Vendôme Press. p. 146. ISBN 978-0-86565-193-7.
Louis XI founded the Order of Saint Michael in 1469. Initially, there were thirty-six knights, but their numbers increased to such a point that the order began to lose its prestige. Louis XIV reformed the order on 12 January 1665, reducing the number of knights to one hundred
- ^ Icoregister