The Order of St. George (german: Sankt Georgs-Orden), was founded by

Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover Ernest Augustus (german: Ernst August; 5 June 177118 November 1851) was King of Hanover from 20 June 1837 until his death in 1851. As the fifth son of King George III of the United Kingdom and Hanover, he initially seemed unlikely to become a m ...

, on 23 April 1839.Hanover: Order of St. George 24
. Medals of the World, Megan C. Robertson. 24 December 2006. In the statutes establishing the order it was designated as the

House Order A dynastic order, monarchical order, or house order is an order under royal patronage. Such an order is bestowed by, as a legitimate , a sovereign or the head of a once-sovereign ruling family. These are often considered part of the cultural p ...

of the Crown of Hanover. The order is of a single grade and limited to 16 members, excluding members of the royal family.

Insignia

The badge is an eight-pointed Maltese Cross, surmounted by a gold crown. The arms are covered in blue enamel with gold trim and balls on the tips of the cross. Between the arms are golden lions. A round medallion in the center and depicts

St. George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

on horseback in a duel with a green dragon. The back has the cypher of the founder of the order EAR (''Ernestus Augustus Rex''). The star of the order is of brilliant silver with eight arms. In the center is the scene of

Saint George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

and the dragon he slew, surrounded by a red enamel ring with the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

motto of the order ''"Nunquam retrorsum"'' in gold. The ribbon of the order is dark

crimson Crimson is a rich, deep red color, inclining to purple. It originally meant the color of the kermes dye produced from a scale insect, ''Kermes vermilio'', but the name is now sometimes also used as a generic term for slightly bluish-red colo ...

Gallery

File:GeorgeVHannover.jpg, George V of Hannover wearing the insignia of the order. File:Georgv.jpg, George V of Hannover wearing the insignia of the order.

References

{{Orders of Imperial Germany Orders of chivalry of Germany Orders, decorations, and medals of Hanover 1839 establishments in the Kingdom of Hanover Awards established in 1839