| Order of St. George | |
|---|---|
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| Awarded by the Head of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine | |
| Type | Dynastic order |
| Established | 18 January 2008 |
| Royal house | Habsburg-Lorraine |
| Religious affiliation | Christian[1] |
| Motto | Viribus Unitis |
| Grand Master | Archduke Karl |
| Deputy Grand Master | Archduke Georg |
| Procurator | Vinzenz von Stimpfl-Abele |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Order of the Golden Fleece |
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:St._Georgs-Orden_(Habsburg-Lothringen).png){kind=small} Ribbon bar of the order | |
The Order of St. George – a European Order of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine (German: St. Georgs-Orden – ein Europäischer Orden des Hauses Habsburg-Lothringen[2]), or simply Order of Saint George, is a dynastic order of chivalry and thus a house order of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, the former Imperial and Royal House of the Holy Roman Empire, the Habsburg monarchy, the Empire of Austria, the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, the Kingdom of Hungary, the Crown lands of Bohemia and Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia and further nations.
The order combines knightly tradition with the idea of a united Europe in the sense of the political ideas of Archduke Otto von Habsburg. The roots of the order go back a long way, not in the sense of an uninterrupted continuity, but in the continuation of an ideal of Christian chivalry. The history of the Order in Central Europe begins in the Kingdom of Hungary in the 14th century, experienced its heyday as a Habsburg house order at the beginning of modern times, was reinterpreted after the end of the First World War and continued as a dynastic house order of the 21st century on behalf of Archduke Otto and his son Karl von Habsburg.
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It is a European and non-partisan order, which supports the transnational idea of Mitteleuropa (Habsburg definition) and increased need for cooperation between the countries of Central and Southeastern Europe. It is committed to Christianity and a united self-confident Europe. It has approximately 600 imperial knights and Commanderies in Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Serbia, Slovenia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The order represents the centuries-old Habsburg principle of "live and let live" in relation to ethnic groups, peoples, minorities, religions, cultures and languages.[3][4] The motto of the order is "Viribus Unitis".
- ^ "Mission of the Order of St. George". georgsorden.at. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
- ^ "St. Georgs-Orden Geschichte". georgsorden.at. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
- ^ For the ability of the Habsburg monarchy to protect and promote the diversity of its peoples and minorities, see: Pieter M. Judson "The Habsburg Empire. A New History" (Harvard University Press 2016).
- ^ For more information on these Habsburg principles, see in particular: Christopher Clark "The Sleepwalkers" (New York 2012).