, status = Abolished by decree of

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

on 20 June 1790
Reestablished by

Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in ...

on 16 November 1816
Abolished in 1830 after the

July Revolution The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution (french: révolution de Juillet), Second French Revolution, or ("Three Glorious ays), was a second French Revolution after the first in 1789. It led to the overthrow of King ...

Recognised as a

dynastic A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A d ...

order of chivalry by the ICOC , founder = Louis XI of France , higher =

Order of the Holy Spirit , status = Abolished in 1830 after the July RevolutionRecognised as a dynastic order of chivalry by the ICOC , founder = Henry III of France , head_title = Grand Master , head = Disputed: Louis Alphonse, Duke of AnjouJean, Count of Pari ...

, lower = Order of Saint Louis , image2 = Ordre de Saint-Michel Chevalier ribbon

, caption2 = Ribbon of the Order The Order of Saint Michael (french: Ordre de Saint-Michel) is a French

order of chivalry, founded by King Louis XI of France on 1 August 1469, in competitive response to the Order of the Golden Fleece founded by Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy, Louis' chief competitor for the allegiance of the great houses of France, the dukes of

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and Berry, and

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

. 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

. Although officially abolished by the government authorities of the

in 1830 following the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

, its activities carried on. It is still recognised by the

International Commission on Orders of Chivalry The International Commission for Orders of Chivalry (ICOC; Italian: ''Commissione internazionale permanente per lo studio degli ordini cavallereschi'') is a privately run, privately funded organisation composed of scholars on chivalric matters a ...

History

Louis XI préside le chapitre de Saint-Michel

The first

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

s 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 A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war ( la, sanctum bellum), is a war which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent to wh ...

, 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 Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

conveyed to every member a gold badge of the image of the saint standing on a rock ( Mont Saint-Michel) 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 The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

from Mont Saint-Michel. It was suspended from the elaborate

Collar of the Order of Saint Michael The collar of the Order of Saint Michael is a chivalric collar which was attributed as the most prestigious ''insignia'' to the knights of the Order of Saint Michael until 1830. This collar is now extremely rare. Only three are now known to exis ...

made of scallop shells (the badge of pilgrims, especially those to

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of S ...

) 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 Jean (or Jehan) Fouquet (ca.1420–1481) was a French painter and miniaturist. A master of panel painting and manuscript illumination, and the apparent inventor of the portrait miniature, he is considered one of the most important painters from ...

was commissioned to paint the title miniature of the Statutes, showing the king presiding over the knights (Paris,

Bibliothèque Nationale A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...

, fr. 19819). The original plan was for the knights to meet yearly on 29 September at Mont Saint-Michel in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

. 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 outside Paris. The Order of St. Michael was abolished by

on 20 June 1790. It was revived by

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:

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 lettresCulture-Acte2
Archives de France

/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 Jean (John) de Bourbon, Duke of Bourbon (1426 – 1 April 1488), sometimes referred to as John the Good and The Scourge of the English, was a son of Charles I of Bourbon and Agnes of Burgundy. He was Duke of Bourbon and Auvergne from 1456 to ...

* Louis of Luxembourg, Constable of Saint-Pol * André de Laval,

Marshal of France Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...

* Jean V de Bueil, Count of Sancerre * Louis de Beaumont, lord of La Forêt and Le Plessis * Jean d'Estouteville, lord of Torcy *

Louis de Laval Louis de Laval (1411 – 21 August 1489) was a French nobleman, soldier, politician and bibliophile. Life A member of the House of Laval, Louis was born in 1411. He was the third son of the Baroness Anne de Laval (1385–1466), Anne de Laval and B ...

, lord of Châtillon * ,

Count of Roussillon This is a list of the counts of Roussillon ( ca, Comtes de Rosselló, , ) who ruled over the eponymous County of Roussillon. Carolingian counts These counts were nominated by the Carolingian kings of France, of whom they were vassals. *Gaucelm (81 ...

Admiral of France Admiral of France (french: Amiral de France) is a French title of honour. It is the naval equivalent of Marshal of France and was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France. History The title was created in 1270 by Louis IX of France, dur ...

Antoine de Chabannes Antoine is a French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin. The name is used in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, West Greenland, Haiti, French Guian ...

, Count of Dammartin, Grand Master of the Hotel of France * Jean d'Armagnac, Count of Comminges,

* , lord of Craon * Gilbert de Chabannes, lord of Curton, Seneschal of

Guyenne Guyenne or Guienne (, ; oc, Guiana ) was an old French province which corresponded roughly to the Roman province of '' Aquitania Secunda'' and the archdiocese of Bordeaux. The name "Guyenne" comes from ''Aguyenne'', a popular transformation o ...

* , Seneschal of

Poitou Poitou (, , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe. Geography The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical c ...

* Tanneguy du Châtel, Governor of Roussillon and Cerdagne

Later appointees

* Samson de Saint-Germain, Baron of Asnebec, Baron of Ranes, Lord of Rouvrou, la Fresnaye and Saint-Georges, in 1469 by

Louis XI 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 revol ...

* Cesare Borgia, in 1499 by

Louis XII 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 ...

* Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua in 1507 by Louis XII *

Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, (1473 – 25 August 1554) was a prominent English politician and nobleman of the Tudor era. He was an uncle of two of the wives of King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, both of whom were beheade ...

, in 1532 by Francis I *

James V of Scotland James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV and Margaret Tudor, and du ...

, in 1534 by Francis I *

Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus (c. 148922 January 1557) was a Scottish nobleman active during the reigns of James V and Mary, Queen of Scots. He was the son of George, Master of Angus, who was killed at the Battle of Flodden, and suc ...

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 Broughty Castle is a historic castle on the banks of the River Tay in Broughty Ferry, Dundee, Scotland. It was completed around 1495, although the site was earlier fortified in 1454, when George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus, received permission t ...

) * André de Montalembert in 1549 (for the capture of

Inchkeith Inchkeith (from the gd, Innis Cheith) is an island in the Firth of Forth, Scotland, administratively part of the Fife council area. Inchkeith has had a colourful history as a result of its proximity to Edinburgh and strategic location for u ...

) *

Edward VI of England Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first ...

, 1551 by Henry II *

Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (1546 – 10 February 1567), was an English nobleman who was the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the father of James VI of Scotland and I of England. Through his parents, he had claims to both the Scottis ...

under the name King Henry of Scotland, 1565 by Charles IX * Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, 1566 by Charles IX * Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, 1566 by Charles IX *

Michiel de Ruyter Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter (; 24 March 1607 – 29 April 1676) was a Dutch admiral. Widely celebrated and regarded as one of the most skilled admirals in history, De Ruyter is arguably most famous for his achievements with the Dutch N ...

, in 1666 by

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Ver ...

François Caron François Caron (1600–1673) was a French Huguenot refugee to the Netherlands who served the Dutch East India Company (''Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie'' or VOC) for 30 years, rising from cook's mate to the director-general at Batavia (Ja ...

, in 1672 by Louis XIV * Constance Phaulkon, in 1687 by Louis XIVVan 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, son of Louis XI, wearing the collar of the Order of Saint Michael File:Louis-xii-roi-de-france.jpg, Louis XII of France 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 The current Constitution of France does not specify a national emblem. The unofficial coat of arms of France depicts a lictor's fasces upon branches of laurel and oak, as well as a ribbon bearing the national motto of ''Liberté, égalité, frate ...

Notes

External links

* {{Authority control Saint Michael, Order of History of Catholicism in France