The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an

order of chivalry An order of chivalry, order of knighthood, chivalric order, or equestrian order is a society, fellowship and college of knights, typically founded during or inspired by the original Catholic military orders of the Crusades ( 1099–1291) and ...

founded by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander ( GCSI) # Knight Commander ( KCSI) # Companion ( CSI) No appointments have been made since the 1948 New Year Honours, shortly after the

Partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

in 1947. Following the death in 2009 of the last surviving knight, the Tej Singh Prabhakar, Maharaja of Alwar, the order became dormant. The motto of the order was "Heaven's Light Our Guide". The Star of India emblem, the insignia of the order and the informal emblem of British India, was also used as the basis of a series of flags to represent the Indian Empire. The order was the fifth most senior British order of chivalry, following the

Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. The most senior order of knighthood in the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system, it is outranked in ...

Order of the Thistle The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland. The current version of the order was founded in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland, who asserted that he was reviving an earlier order. The ...

, Order of St Patrick and

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

. It is the senior order of chivalry associated with the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

; junior to it is the

Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire, ...

, and there is also, for women only, the Imperial Order of the Crown of India.

History

Several years after the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

and the consolidation of Great Britain's power as the governing authority in India, it was decided by the British Crown to create a new order of knighthood to honour Indian Princes and Chiefs, as well as British officers and administrators who served in India. On 25 June 1861, the following proclamation was issued by

Recipients

Knights Companion

19 persons were appointed Knights Companion at the creation of the Order: * Albert, Prince Consort * Albert Edward, Prince of Wales * Charles Canning, 1st Earl Canning, GCB, Governor-General of India and Grand Master of the Order * Sir James Outram, 1st Baronet, GCB, Member of the

Viceroy's Executive Council The Viceroy's Executive Council, formerly known as Council of Four and officially known as the Council of the Governor-General of India (since 1858), was an advisory body and cabinet of the Governor-General of India, also known as Viceroy. It exis ...

* George Harris, 3rd Baron Harris, Governor of Madras * Sir George Russell Clerk, Governor of Bombay * Sir John Laird Mair Lawrence, Bt, GCB, Lieutenant-Governor of Punjab * Sir Hugh Henry Rose, GCB, Commander-in-Chief, India * Hugh Gough, 1st Viscount Gough, former Commander-in-Chief, India * Colin Campbell, 1st Baron Clyde, former Commander-in-Chief, India * Tukojirao Holkar II, Maharaja of

Indore Indore (; ISO 15919, ISO: , ) is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The commercial capital of the state, it has been declared as the List of cleanest cities in India, cleanest city of In ...

* Afzal-ud-Daulah, 5th

Nizam of Hyderabad Nizam of Hyderabad was the title of the ruler of Hyderabad State ( part of the Indian state of Telangana, and the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka). ''Nizam'' is a shortened form of (; ), and was the title bestowed upon Asaf Jah I wh ...

* Jayajirao Scindia, Maharaja of

Gwalior Gwalior (Hindi: , ) is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; It is known as the Music City of India having oldest Gwalior gharana, musical gharana in existence. It is a major sports, cultural, industrial, and political c ...

* Duleep Singh, former Maharaja of the

Sikh Empire The Sikh Empire was a regional power based in the Punjab, Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. It existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahore, to 1849, when it was defeated and conquered by the East India Company, Br ...

* Ranbir Singh Dogra, Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir * Yusef Ali Khan, Nawab of Rampur * Nawab Sikander Begum, Nawab Begum of Bhopal * Narendra Singh, Maharaja of Patiala * Khanderao II Gaekwad, Maharaja of Baroda Insignia of Knight Commander of the Star of India

Insignia of Knight Commander of the Star of India

12 additional Knights Companion were appointed over the next five years. * 19 August 1861 ** Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere, former Commander-in-Chief, India ** Sir George Pollock, 1st Baronet GCB, former commander of British forces in Afghanistan * 11 November 1863 ** Ram Singh II, Maharaja of

Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...

** Swarup Singh, Rajah of Jind * 10 December 1864 ** Randhir Singh, Raja of Kapurthala ** Raghuraj Singh Ju Deo Bahadur, Maharaja of Rewa * 12 February 1866 ** Sir Robert Montgomery, former Lieutenant-Governor of Punjab ** Sir Henry Bartle Frere, Bt., GCB, Governor of Bombay ** Takht Singh, Maharaja of Jodhpur ** Ayilyam Thirunal, Maharaja of Travancore ** General Sir William Mansfield, KCB, Commander-in-Chief, India ** Madan Pal, Maharaja of Karauli ** Sir Joginder Sen Bahadur KCSI, Maharaja of Mandi On 24 May 1866, the Order was expanded to additional ranks. All surviving Knights Companion were elevated to Grand Commander.

Later appointments

Additional appointments were made to the Order in the ranks of Grand Commander, Knight Commander, and Companion. These include * Shahu of Kolhapur, Maharaja of

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Kolhapur is one of the most significant cities in South Maharashtra and has been a hub of historical, religious, and cultural a ...

* Maharaja Bir Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana of

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

* Maharaja Bahadur Sir JAIMANGAL Singh of Gidhaur Estate KCSI 24.05.1866. * Maharaja Bahadur Sir Ravaneshwar Singh of Gidhaur Estate KCIE 25.05.1895. *

Nawab Nawab is a royal title indicating a ruler, often of a South Asian state, in many ways comparable to the Western title of Prince. The relationship of a Nawab to the Emperor of India has been compared to that of the Kingdom of Saxony, Kings of ...

Sir Khwaja Salimullah Bahadur, Nawab of Dhaka * Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddiqi Bayafandi - Asaf Jah VII - 7th Nizam of

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

* Maharaj Bhim Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana * Sadeq Mohammad Khan IV, Nawab of Bahawalpur * Khan Bahadur Sir Mohammad Usman of Madras KCIE was appointed KCSI on June 14, 1945. The last appointments to the Order were made in the 1948 New Year Honours, some months after the

in August 1947. Order of the Star of India

The

, founded in 1877, was intended to be a less exclusive version of the Order of the Star of India; consequently, many more appointments were made to the latter than to the former. As the last Grand Master of the Orders,

Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy), Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (born Prince Louis of Battenberg; 25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979), commonly known as Lord Mountbatten, was ...

was also the last known individual to wear publicly the stars of a Knight Grand Commander of both Orders, during the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II celebrations in 1977. * There were only three female members of the Order: Nawab Sikander Begum of Bhopal; Nawab Sikander's daughter, Shah Jahan Begum of Bhopal; and Queen Mary, consort of

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

. * The last Grand Master of the Order, Admiral of the Fleet Lord Mountbatten of Burma (1900–1979), was assassinated by the

Provisional IRA The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...

on 27 August 1979. * The last surviving Knight Grand Commander, Maharaja Sree Padmanabhadasa Sir Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma GCSI, GCIE, Maharajah of Travancore (1912–1991), died 19 July 1991 in Trivandrum. * The last surviving Knight Commander,

Maharaja Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and Medieval India, medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a pri ...

Sir Tej Singh Prabhakar Bahadur KCSI (1911–2009), Maharaja of Alwar, died on 15 February 2009 in New Delhi. * The last surviving Companion of the Order, Vice-Admiral Sir Ronald Brockman CSI (1909–1999), died on 3 September 1999 in London.

Composition

The British Sovereign was, and still is, Sovereign of the Order. The next most senior member was the Grand Master, a position held ''ex officio'' by the Viceroy of India. When the order was established in 1861, there was only one class of Knights Companion, who bore the postnominals KSI. In 1866, however, it was expanded to three classes. Members of the first class were known as "Knights Grand Commander" (rather than the usual "Knights Grand Cross") so as not to offend the non-Christian Indians appointed to the Order. All those surviving members who had already been made Knights Companion of the Order were retroactively known as Knights Grand Commander. Former viceroys and other high officials, as well as those who served in the Department of the Secretary of State for India for at least thirty years were eligible for appointment. Rulers of Indian Princely States were also eligible for appointment. Some states were of such importance that their rulers were almost always appointed Knights Grand Commanders; such rulers included the Nizam of

, the

Maharaja of Mysore The maharaja of Mysore was the king and principal ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore and briefly of Mysore State in the Indian Dominion roughly between the mid- to late-1300s and 1950. The maharaja's consort was called the maharani of Mysore. In ...

, the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, the

of Baroda, the Maharajas of

, the Nawab of Bhopal, the

, the Maharajas of Singrauli, the Maharana of Udaipur, the Maharaja of Travancore, the

of Jodhpur and the Maharao of Cutch. Tanjore Madhava Rao 1880

Kashi Naresh Prabhu Narayan Singh of Benares and Sir Azizul Haque were appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (KCIE) in 1892 and 1941 respectively, Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE) in 1898, and Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India (GCSI) for his services in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in the 1921 New Year Honours. Rulers of other nations in Asia and the Middle East, including the Emir of Kuwait, the Maharajas of the Rana dynasty, the Khedive of Egypt, the King of Bhutan and the rulers of

Zanzibar Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small Island, islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. ...

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

and

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

were also appointed to the Order. Like some rulers of princely states, some rulers of particular prestige, for example the Maharajas of the Rana dynasty or the Sultans of Oman, were usually appointed Knights Grand Commanders. Women, save the princely rulers, were ineligible for appointment to the order. They were, unlike the habit of many other orders, admitted as "Knights", rather than as "Dames" or "Ladies". The first woman to be admitted to the order was Nawab Sikandar Begum Sahiba, Nawab Begum of Bhopal; she was created a Knight Companion at the Order's foundation in 1861. The order's statutes were specially amended to permit the admission of Queen Mary as a Knight Grand Commander in 1911.

Vestments and accoutrements

Members of the Order wore elaborate costumes on important ceremonial occasions: * The '' mantle'', worn only by Knights Grand Commander, was made of light blue satin lined with white silk. On the left side was a representation of the star (see below). * The '' collar'', also worn only by Knights Grand Commander, was made of gold. It was composed of alternating figures of lotuses, red and white roses and palm branches, with an imperial crown in the centre. On certain "

collar day Collar days are designated days on which the collar forming part of the insignia of certain members of British orders of knighthood may be worn. Collars are special large and elaborate ceremonial metal chains worn over the shoulders, hanging ...

s" designated by the Sovereign, members attending formal events wore the order's collar over their military uniform, formal day dress, or evening wear. When collars were worn (either on collar days or on formal occasions such as coronations), the badge was suspended from the collar. GCSI star

At less important occasions, simpler insignia were used: * The ''star'', worn only by Knights Grand Commanders and Knights Commanders, included a sunburst, with twenty-six large rays alternating with twenty-six small rays; it was in gold and circular for Knights Grand Commanders, and in silver and eight-pointed for Knights Commanders. In the centre of the sunburst was a light blue ring bearing the motto of the Order. Within the ribbon was a five-pointed star, decorated with diamonds for Knights Grand Commanders. * The ''badge'' was worn by Knights Grand Commanders on a white-edged light blue riband, or sash, passing from the right shoulder to the left hip, and by Knights Commanders and Companions from a white-edged light blue ribbon around the neck. It included an oval, containing the effigy of the Sovereign, surrounded by a light blue ring bearing the motto of the Order; the oval was suspended from a five-pointed star, which may be decorated with diamonds depending on class. Unlike the insignia of most other British chivalric orders, the insignia of the Order of the Star of India did not incorporate crosses, as they were deemed unacceptable to the Indian princes appointed to the Order.

Precedence and privileges

Members of all classes of the Order were assigned positions in the order of precedence. Wives of members of all classes also featured on the order of precedence, as did sons, daughters and daughters-in-law of Knights Grand Commanders and Knights Commanders. (See order of precedence in England and Wales for the exact positions.) Knights Grand Commanders used the post-nominal initials "GCSI", Knights Commanders "KCSI" and Companions "CSI". Knights Grand Commanders and Knights Commanders prefixed "Sir" to their forenames. Wives of Knights Grand Commanders and Knights Commanders could prefix "Lady" to their surnames. Such forms were not used by peers and Indian princes, except when the names of the former were written out in their fullest forms. Knights Grand Commanders were also entitled to receive heraldic supporters. They could, furthermore, encircle their arms with a depiction of the circlet (a circle bearing the motto) and the collar; the former is shown either outside or on top of the latter. Knights Commanders and Companions were permitted to display the circlet, but not the collar, surrounding their arms. The badge is depicted suspended from the collar or circlet.

Gallery

File:Portrait of H.M. King George V at Delhi.jpg, Portrait of King

at Delhi by Christopher Clark, 1915. He wears the Order with the uniform of the 18th King George's Own Lancers. File:Portrait of King Edward VII with the Robes of the Order of the Star of India.png, Portrait of King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

wearing the Robes of the Order, by Alfred James Downey. File:Victor Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin Viceroy of India.jpg, Victor Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin, Viceroy of India, in the robes of the Order of the Star of India (as Grand Master of the Order) File:Charles Hardinge.jpg, Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst, Viceroy of India, in the robes of the Order (as Grand Master of the Order) File:H H Raja of Cochin.jpg, Rama Varma XV, Maharaja of Cochin wearing the mantle of the Order for the occasion of King Edward VII's Delhi Durbar of 1903 File:Sir Pratap Singh of Idar 1900-1920.jpg, Pratap Singh, Maharaja of Idar, wearing the Order. Paint on photograph, 1900-20. File:Arthur Stockdale Cope - Thomas George Baring, Earl of Northbrook.jpg, Thomas Baring, 1st Earl of Northbrook wearing the GSCI sash File:General Lord Roberts AKA "Bobs" (26322003985).JPG,

Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts (30 September 1832 – 14 November 1914), was a British Victorian era general who became one of the most successful British military commanders of his time. ...

with GCSI star and sash File:Sayajirao Gaekwad III, Maharaja of Baroda, 1919.jpg, Sayajirao Gaekwad III, Maharaja of Baroda, wearing the sash and star of a Knight Grand Commander (GCSI), along with the star of a Knight Grand Commander of the

(GCIE) File:Order of the Star of India knight commander badge (United Kingdom 1900) - Tallinn Museum of Orders.jpg, Badge of a Knight Commander, circa 1900. File:Sir Henry Edward Stokes KCSI.JPG,

Indian Civil Service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British Raj, British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 3 ...

officer Henry Stokes, wearing the insignia of a Knight Commander (KCSI) of the Order. File:Order of the Star of India knight commander star (United Kingdom 1900) - Tallinn Museum of Orders.jpg, Star of a Knight Commander, circa 1900.

References

External links

*
Proclamation founding the Order of the Star of India
london-gazette.co.uk, 25 June 1861. {{DEFAULTSORT:Order Of The Star Of India Orders of chivalry of the United Kingdom Orders, decorations, and medals of British India 1861 establishments in the United Kingdom Awards established in 1861