The Order of Saint Michael (german: Orden zum Heiligen Michael), later Order of Merit of Saint Michael (german: Verdienstorden vom Heiligen Michael) was founded on September 29, 1693 by

Joseph Clemens of Bavaria Joseph Clemens of Bavaria (german: Joseph Clemens von Bayern) (5 December 1671 – 12 November 1723) was a member of the Wittelsbach dynasty of Bavaria and Archbishop-Elector of Cologne from 1688 to 1723. Biography The third son of Ferdinand ...

, then

Archbishop-Elector of Cologne The Archbishop of Cologne is an archbishop governing the Archdiocese of Cologne of the Catholic Church in western North Rhine-Westphalia and is also a historical state in the Rhine holding the birthplace of Beethoven and northern Rhineland-Palati ...

, as a military order. Its full name was Most Illustrious Military Order of Defenders of Divine Glory under the Protection of the Holy

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 ...

. Initially, this order was only open to the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...

. Upon its institution, the order consisted of the Grand Master and three classes: Commander, Knight Officer and Knight, divided in two divisions, spiritual and secular. The Grand Master was bestowed with a Breast Star. The commanders, officially limited to nine of the spiritual and the secular division each, constituted the chapter. They also were known as Knights Grand Cross. The order had four spiritual officers: chancellor, honorary chaplain,

almoner An almoner (} ' (alms), via the popular Latin '. History Christians have historically been encouraged to donate one-tenth of their income as a tithe to their church and additional offerings as needed for the poor. The first deacons, mentioned ...

, and sacristan, and the same amount of secular officers: marshal,

treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...

, equerry, and

chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

. The third class was limited to 18 spiritual und secular knights each, so the order ideally should have had 63 members, representing the age of the queen of angels. The headquarter on the order in the Electorate of Cologne was located in the

Godesburg 300px, Godesburg castle in Germany. The Godesburg is a castle in Bad Godesberg, a formerly independent part of Bonn, Germany. Built in the early 13th century on the Godesberg, a hill of volcanic origin, it was largely destroyed following a sieg ...

, later in the Electoral Palace. Its Bavarian main church was St. Michael in Berg am Laim, Munich. In 1808, the order was recognized by

Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria Maximilian I Joseph (german: Maximilian I. Joseph; 27 May 1756 – 13 October 1825) was Duke of Zweibrücken from 1795 to 1799, prince-elector of Bavaria (as Maximilian IV Joseph) from 1799 to 1806, then King of Bavaria (as Maximilian I Joseph) ...

and the grade of Knights of Honour, limited to twelve recipients, was added to the third class. In 1813, the order received the official title of the Knightly House Order of St. Michael. On 16 February 1837,

Ludwig I of Bavaria en, Louis Charles Augustus , image = Joseph Karl Stieler - King Ludwig I in his Coronation Robes - WGA21796.jpg , caption = Portrait by Joseph Stieler, 1825 , succession=King of Bavaria , reign = , coronation ...

transformed the military order into an order of merit, called Order of Merit of St. Michael, divided into three classes: Knight Grand Cross, Commander, and Knight. The physical appearance of the decorations also changed at this time. In 1855, the classes of Knight Commander and Knight 2nd class were introduced. In 1887, according to a proposal of

Crailsheim Crailsheim is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. Incorporated in 1338, it lies east of Schwäbisch Hall and southwest of Ansbach in the Schwäbisch Hall district. The city's main attractions include two Evangelical churches, ...

, the order got reformed and divided into Knights 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th class; a cross of merit and a silver medal were affiliated with the order.

List of Grandmasters

# 1693–1723:

# 1723–1761:

Clemens August of Bavaria Clemens August of Bavaria (german: Clemens August von Bayern) (17 August 1700 – 6 February 1761) was a member of the Wittelsbach dynasty of Bavaria and Archbishop-Elector of Cologne. Biography Clemens August (Clementus Augustus) was born in ...

and Grand Master of the

Teutonic Order The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...

# 1761–1763:

Johann Theodor of Bavaria Johann Theodor of Bavaria (3 September 1703 – 27 January 1763) was a cardinal, Prince-Bishop of Regensburg, Prince-Bishop of Freising, and Prince-Bishop of Liège. Early life Johann Theodor was a son of Elector Maximilian II Emanuel of B ...

, Prince-Bishop of Regensburg, Prince-Bishop of Freising, and Prince-Bishop of Liège. # 1763–1770:

Duke Clement Francis of Bavaria Klemens Franz de Paula, Prince of Bavaria (Munich, 19 April 1722 – Munich, 6 August 1770) was the son of the Imperial Field Marshal, Ferdinand of Bavaria (1699–1738), and the grandson of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria. He married o ...

# 1770–1777:

Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria Maximilian III Joseph, "the much beloved", (28 March 1727 – 30 December 1777) was a Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire and Duke of Bavaria from 1745 to 1777. Biography Born in Munich, Maximilian was the eldest son of Holy Roman Empero ...

# 1778–1795:

Charles II August, Duke of Zweibrücken Charles II August Christian (german: Karl II. August Christian; 29 October 1746 – 1 April 1795) was Duke of Zweibrücken from 1775 to 1795. A member of the Palatine House of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld, a branch of the House of Wittelsbach, he was ...

# 1795–1799: Maximilian Joseph, Duke of Zweibrücken # 1799–1837:

Duke Wilhelm in Bavaria Duke Wilhelm in Bavaria, full German name: ''Wilhelm, Herzog in Bayern'' (born 10 November 1752 in Gelnhausen, Palatinate-Birkenfeld-Gelnhausen; died 8 January 1837 in Landshut or Bamberg, Kingdom of Bavaria) was Count Palatine of Birkenfeld-Gel ...

After the death of Duke Wilhelm and the transformation into an order of merit, the

King of Bavaria King of Bavaria was a title held by the hereditary Wittelsbach rulers of Bavaria in the state known as the Kingdom of Bavaria from 1805 until 1918, when the kingdom was abolished. It was the second time Bavaria was a kingdom, almost a thousand ...

as the

fount of honor The fount of honour ( la, fons honorum) is a person, who, by virtue of his or her official position, has the exclusive right of conferring legitimate titles of nobility and orders of chivalry on other persons. Origin During the High Middle Ages, ...

was ''de facto'' Grand Master.

References

{{Orders of Imperial Germany Orders, decorations, and medals of Bavaria Electorate of Cologne Awards established in 1693 Catholic ecclesiastical decorations 1693 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire Michael (archangel)