, status = Abolished by decree of
Louis XVI on 20 June 1790
Reestablished by
Louis XVIII on 16 November 1816
Abolished in 1830 after the
July RevolutionRecognised as a
dynastic order of chivalry
An order of chivalry, order of knighthood, chivalric order, or equestrian order is an order (distinction), order of knights, typically founded during or inspired by the original Catholic Military order (religious society), military orders of the ...
by the
ICOC
, founder =
Louis XI of France
Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (french: le Prudent), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII.
Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revo ...
, higher =
Order of the Holy Spirit
, lower =
Order of Saint Louis
The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis (french: Ordre Royal et Militaire de Saint-Louis) is a dynastic order of chivalry founded 5 April 1693 by King Louis XIV, named after Saint Louis (King Louis IX of France). It was intended as a rewar ...
, image2 =
, caption2 = Ribbon of the Order
The Order of Saint Michael (french: Ordre de Saint-Michel) is a French
dynastic order of chivalry
An order of chivalry, order of knighthood, chivalric order, or equestrian order is an order (distinction), order of knights, typically founded during or inspired by the original Catholic Military order (religious society), military orders of the ...
, founded by King
Louis XI of France
Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (french: le Prudent), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII.
Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revo ...
on 1 August 1469,
in competitive response to the
Order of the Golden Fleece
The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece ( es, Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro, german: Orden vom Goldenen Vlies) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1430, to celebrate his marriage ...
founded by Duke
Philip the Good
Philip III (french: Philippe le Bon; nl, Filips de Goede; 31 July 1396 – 15 June 1467) was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all 15th-century kings of France belonge ...
of Burgundy, Louis' chief competitor for the allegiance of the great houses of France, the dukes of
Orléans,
Berry
A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...
, and
Brittany.
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.
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.
History
The first
knights were among the most powerful
nobles in France, close relatives of the king and a few from other royal houses in Europe. Originally, the number of members (called companions) was limited to thirty-five.
In 1565, during the
Wars of Religion, when loyalties were strained and essential,
Charles IX increased the membership to fifty, but there may have been as many as seven hundred knights under
Henry III in 1574.
The Order of St. Michael dedicated to the
Archangel Michael conveyed to every member a gold badge of the image of the saint standing on a rock (
Mont Saint-Michel
Mont-Saint-Michel (; Norman: ''Mont Saint Miché''; ) is a tidal island and mainland commune in Normandy, France.
The island lies approximately off the country's north-western coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches and is ...
) in combat with the
serpent.
The motto of the order was "''immensi tremor oceani''" (meaning "The tremor of the immense ocean"), derived from the idea of Saint Michael looking out over the
Atlantic from Mont Saint-Michel. It was suspended from the elaborate
Collar of the Order of Saint Michael made of scallop shells (the badge of pilgrims, especially those to
Santiago de Compostela) linked with double knots. The statutes state that the badge could be hung on a simple chain, and later it was suspended from a black ribbon
When the Order of St Michael was founded, the famous illuminator
Jean Fouquet was commissioned to paint the title miniature of the Statutes, showing the king presiding over the knights (Paris,
Bibliothèque Nationale, fr. 19819).
The original plan was for the knights to meet yearly on 29 September at
Mont Saint-Michel
Mont-Saint-Michel (; Norman: ''Mont Saint Miché''; ) is a tidal island and mainland commune in Normandy, France.
The island lies approximately off the country's north-western coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches and is ...
in
Normandy.
Such an isolated location was impractical causing
Charles VIII to transfer this meeting place to the chapel of Saint-Michel-du-Palais,
part of Paris' medieval royal residence the
Palais de la Cité which the kings no longer used, to the control of the order in 1496.
By letters patent dated 15 August 1555, the seat of the Order was transferred to the royal
Château de Vincennes
The Château de Vincennes () is a former fortress and royal residence next to the town of Vincennes, on the eastern edge of Paris, alongside the Bois de Vincennes. It was largely built between 1361 and 1369, and was a preferred residence, after ...
outside Paris.
The Order of St. Michael was abolished by
Louis XVI on 20 June 1790.
It was revived by
Louis XVIII on 16 November 1816
but the king took little interest in the order and no new knights were added after 1816. The Order was again abolished by the French authorities in 1830. The Order's last member died in 1850,
although ten nominations of knights were conferred in 1929, 1930, and in the 1970s and 1980s.
The French government considers the Order to be the origin of the
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...
:
Saint-Michel Order (1460–1830) can be considered as the precursor of the Order of the Arts and Lettres. Originally destined to the aristocracy, from 17th to 18th centuries it became an order of civil merit, which distinguished many artists, architects, collectors, and people of lettres[Culture-Acte2](_blank)
[Archives de France](_blank)
/ref>
Notable recipients
No formal list of members of the order exists.
The names of members can be gleaned from reference to their receipt of the order, from secondary sources, or from periodic lists compiled showing companions from particular families or regions.
Initial cohort
The first fifteen knights, men of "good sense, valiance, wisdom and other great and laudable virtues" (''bon sens, vaillance, prud'hommie et autres grandes et louables vertus'') were appointed by Louis XI and tasked to select, jointly with the king himself, the next ones to complete the first group of thirty-six:
*
Charles, Duke of Guyenne
*
John II, Duke of Bourbon
*
Louis of Luxembourg, Constable of Saint-Pol
*
André de Laval,
Marshal of France
*
Jean V de Bueil
Jean V de Bueil (after 17 August 1405 and before 18 August 1406 - 1478), called ''le Fléau des Anglais'' "plague of the English", count of Sancerre, viscount of Carentan, lord of Montrésor, Château-en-Anjou, Saint-Calais, Vaujours, Ussé and ...
,
Count of Sancerre
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility.L. G. Pine, Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty'' ...
*
Louis de Beaumont, lord of La Forêt and Le Plessis
* Jean d'Estouteville,
lord of Torcy
*
Louis de Laval,
lord of Châtillon
* ,
Count of Roussillon,
Admiral of France
*
Antoine de Chabannes,
Count of Dammartin,
Grand Master of the Hotel of France
*
Jean d'Armagnac,
Count of Comminges,
Marshal of France
* ,
lord of Craon
* Gilbert de Chabannes,
lord of Curton,
Seneschal
The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...
of
Guyenne
* ,
Seneschal
The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...
of
Poitou
*
Tanneguy du Châtel
Tanneguy III du Châtel (also spelt Tanguy; 1369–1449) was a Brittany, Breton knight who fought in the Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War and the Hundred Years' War. A member of the Armagnac (party), Armagnac party, he became a leading adviser of ...
, Governor of
Roussillon
Roussillon ( , , ; ca, Rosselló ; oc, Rosselhon ) is a historical province of France that largely corresponded to the County of Roussillon and part of the County of Cerdagne of the former Principality of Catalonia. It is part of the reg ...
and
Cerdagne
Later appointees
*
Samson de Saint-Germain
Samson (; , '' he, Šīmšōn, label= none'', "man of the sun") was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges (chapters 13 to 16) and one of the last leaders who "judged" Israel before the institution o ...
, Baron of Asnebec, Baron of Ranes, Lord of Rouvrou, la Fresnaye and Saint-Georges, in 1469 by
Louis XI
*
Cesare Borgia
Cesare Borgia (; ca-valencia, Cèsar Borja ; es, link=no, César Borja ; 13 September 1475 – 12 March 1507) was an Italian ex- cardinal and '' condottiero'' (mercenary leader) of Aragonese (Spanish) origin, whose fight for power was a major ...
, in 1499 by
Louis XII
*
Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua in 1507 by Louis XII
*
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, in 1532 by
Francis I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to:
* Francesco I Gonzaga (1366–1407)
* Francis I, Duke of Brittany (1414–1450), reigned 1442–1450
* Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547
* Francis I, Duke of Saxe ...
*
James V of Scotland, in 1534 by Francis I
*
Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus in 1545 by Francis I
*
James Hamilton, Duke of Châtellerault in 1548 by
Henry II
*
George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly in 1548 by Henry II
* Archibald Campbell, 5th Earl of Argyll in 1548 by Henry II
*
Paul de Thermes in 1549 (for the capture of
Haddington and
Broughty Castle)
* André de Montalembert in 1549 (for the capture of
Inchkeith)
*
Edward VI of England, 1551 by Henry II
*
Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley under the name King Henry of Scotland, 1565 by
Charles IX
*
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, (24 June 1532 – 4 September 1588) was an English statesman and the favourite of Elizabeth I from her accession until his death. He was a suitor for the queen's hand for many years.
Dudley's youth was ov ...
, 1566 by Charles IX
* Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, 1566 by Charles IX
*
Michiel de Ruyter, in 1666 by
Louis XIV
*
François Caron, in 1672 by Louis XIV
*
Constance Phaulkon, in 1687 by Louis XIV
[Van der Cruysse, Dirk: ''Louis XIV et le Siam'', Fayard, Paris 1991, p. 405.]
Cangelaris, P.D.: ''History and Genealogy of the Cangelari Family of Cephalonia (16th-20th Centuries)''
Corfu 2011, p. 91. (in Greek)
Athens 2013, pp. 36–38. (reprint in Greek)
Gallery
File:Charles_VIII_Ecole_Francaise_16th_century_Musee_de_Conde_Chantilly.jpg, Charles VIII of France
Charles VIII, called the Affable (french: l'Affable; 30 June 1470 – 7 April 1498), was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. He succeeded his father Louis XI at the age of 13.Paul Murray Kendall, ''Louis XI: The Universal Spider'' (Ne ...
, son of Louis XI, wearing the collar of the Order of Saint Michael
File:Louis-xii-roi-de-france.jpg, Louis XII of France
Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Maria of Cleves, he succeeded his 2nd cousin once removed and brother in law at the tim ...
wearing the collar of the Order
File:Statuts de l'ordre de Saint-Michel - Meermanno Museum 10C8 f8r (Assemblée des chevaliers).jpg, King Francis I presiding the Order's knights. Painting from a copy of the statutes from about 1530.
File:Order of Saint Michael (heraldry).svg, Collar of the Order as used on the Royal Arms of France
Notes
External links
*
{{Authority control
Saint Michael, Order of
History of Catholicism in France