Gebruiker:Robert Prummel/Bewerkingsruimte Robert Prummel1

Mijn Word-programma hapert sterk. Dat werkt lastig. Vandaar een document in de bewerkingsruimte Deed ik het goed? Robert Prummel 22 jun 2007 18:46 (CEST)

The Modern Revivals of the (self-styled) "Order of the Temple of Jerusalem"

De Souvereine Constantinische Orde van Sint-Joris van de Keizerlijke Prinsen Amoroso d'Aragon (Engels:"Sovereign Constantinian Order of Saint George of the Imperial Princes Amoroso d'Aragona")

De Militaire Orde van de Keten van Sint-Agatha van de Paternò (Engels: "The Military Order of the Collar of Saint Agatha of the Paternò")

De Keizerlijke Hoogste Militaire Orthodoxe Dynastieke Constantinische Orde van Sint-Joris (Engels: "The Imperial Supreme Military Orthodox Dynastic Constantinian Order of Saint George")

De Spaans-Keizerlijke Orde van Karel V (Engels: "Spanish Imperial Order of Charles V")

De Patriarchale Orde van Sint-Blasius en Sint-Maria in Jeruzalem (Engels: "Patriarchal Order of St Blaise and St Mary in Palestine")

De Orde van het Gemenebest (Engels: "Order of the Commonwealth")

Order of St Andrew of Jerusalem,

Order of the Senoria de Torre Molina,

Order of the Griffin,

Order of Cordon Bleu du Saint Esprit,

Order of St Eugene of Trebizond,

Confraternity of Ricoshombres de Mesnada

Ordo e Lillio (quite what this is I have not discovered), and

Order of the Palmetto

The Sovereign Order of the Knights of Saint Dennis of Zante

The Military Order of Saint Bridget of Sweden

Sovereign Constantinian Order of Saint George of the Imperial Princes Amoroso d'Aragona; headed by "Prince" don Francesco Amoroso Comneno Angelo Flavio Lascaris Paleologo d'Aragona. The American branch is based in Rhode Island and seems to be directed by Dominic A. Vavala, a lecturer in health sciences and nutrition at Johnson and Wales University since 1973 who lives at Oaklaw Avenue, Cranston, RI. He is also "Magnificent Rector" of "The Constantinian University" which, he boasted in 1991, then had only one member but would soon have a second. This "university" presents an annual award to an outstanding culinary student at Johnson and Wales University. In 1965 Prince Francesco appointed Vavala "minister plenipotentiary" in the United states with a diplomatic "passport".

The Military Order of the Collar of Saint Agatha of the Paternò. The Order of Saint Agatha of San Marino is a legitimate and recognized body, awarded by the Republic for meritorious services. It has nothing to do with the self-styled "Order of Saint Agatha of the House of Paternò" which has emerged in the post-war era, founded by don Francesco Maria Paternò Castello, a cadet member of the ancient Sicilian noble family of Paternò Castello, Dukes of Carcaci. Successive heads of the Paternò and Paternò Castello family have refused to have anything to do with this body and the founder's uncle, Frà Ernesto Paternò Castello, Lieutenant of the Grand Magistery of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in the 1950's, likewise denounced it.

Nonetheless, like so many similar organizations it has found a following amid the twilight world of pseudo-Orders and fantasy titles best exemplified by its Welsh based factotum, Louis-Paul "de Bourbon-Condé", [5] "Marshal" of the Order. This gentleman (who died in December 1996) was also "consigliere della Corona and Minister Plenipotentiary for Foreign Affairs" of the "Real Casa d'Aragona". In a "statement" dated May 3, 1994, issued from the Palazzo Brunaccini, Messina, Mr Bourbon-Condé, styling himself "Duke of Serra Molino", disassociated his group from the "alleged claims to the Imperial Russian Throne by one Alexis Brimeyer, who falsely styles himself Prince Alexis d'Anjou Romanov Dolgorouky .......The Royal House of Aragon ....... recognizes .... the Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna .... as de jure Empress of All the Russias". One may be sure that the Grand Duchess will be indifferent to the support of these nonentities and that it will not make one iota of difference to her chances of enjoying her dynastic inheritance! A series of letters were addressed to various persons in 1994 and 1995 by "Prince Louis-Paul" from an address in Wales: Hawthorn House, Four Crosses, Llanymynech, when an unsuccessful attempt was made to hold an investiture of this Order in the Brompton Oratory, London. In a letter dated January 18, 1994, "Prince" Louis-Paul, "Il Maresciallo", stated that "the House of Paternò specifically recognizes only the Sovereign Military Order of Malta as the continuing Order ...... and will have no relation with any of the so-called Orders of St John alleging descent from the former Russian Hereditary (sic) Commanderies. Likewise it will have nothing to do with the numerous bodies which claim to be orders of chivalry". This statement seems rather surprising since don Roberto is himself self-styled "Grand Master" of a notorious so-called "Order of St John" (see 11, under "self-styled Orders of Saint John above) and "Prince" Louis-Paul uses an assumed title that belonged to a now extinct branch of the Royal House of France (Bourbon). In 1970 the Malta Year Book stated that the "Minister to H.R.H." is the same Mr Vella Haber involved with two self-styled Orders of Saint John described on this site in Self-Styled Saint John Orders and the 1992 edition lists Roberto Paternò Castello's Order of Saint John along with the names of its officers.

The "Order" claims to have been revived in 1851 but nowhere is there shown to be any prior historical record of the existence of such an institution. It is also claimed that on March 30, 1853, King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies recognized this as a Dynastic Order of Chivalry of the House of Paternò. [6] Unfortunately, the original of this document has never been produced, but only rather poor photocopies of a printed text and the whereabouts of any purported original has never been explained. At best, it seems that this "recognition" was at a local administrative level and was not made in an act signed by the King. Even if it had been recognized in 1853, the heir of the then head of the Family was neither the late don Francesco Maria nor his son don Roberto.

Neither of the two claimants to the Headship of the Royal House of the Two Sicilies have recognized this "Order". Nor has the Republic of Italy given any such recognition to the "Order of Saint Agatha of the House of Paternò" under the provisions of Italian law [7] by which the President can authorize Italian citizens to accept the award of what are defined as "non-national Orders". [8] Nonetheless, in a letter dated April 7th, 1994, "Prince Louis-Paul de Bourbon-Condé" states that the "Courts of the Italian Republic on more than one occasion have upheld the dynastic rights of Don Roberto". Under Italian law, only the President of the Republic can accord any kind of recognition to dynastic Orders and neither Don Roberto Paternò Castello nor his father received any such recognition. Since the Constitution of the Italian Republic prohibits the recognition of titles of nobility, no declaration by an Italian court can have any bearing on such matters as they are not competent to determine matters of nobiliary succession.

The "Grand Master", Don Roberto Paternò Castello dei Duchi di Carcaci, born Feb 16, 1937, is the only son of Don Francesco Paternò Castello dei Duchi di Carcaci (1913-1968), by his wife, a Miss Angela Rihouet. Don Francesco was the only son of Don Roberto Paternò Castello (1876-1956), himself the fifth son of don Francesco, Duke of Carcaci (1850-1912), by his wife and cousin, D. Eleonora Paternò Castello Guttadauro. She was descended through the female line from the ancient Guttadauro family, whose title of Prince of Emmanuel (assumed improperly by don Roberto) had passed to the Bonaccorsi family. [9] A 1969 publication of this body, in detailing the marriage of don Roberto (d.1956) to Donna Eleonora, describes her as Eleonora Guttadauro, omitting her paternal family name of Paternò Castello, to give the impression she was a direct Guttadauro heiress, whereas she was actually descended through the female line. This statement also pretends that the claim to the throne of the Balearic Islands passed from the House of Aragon to the Ayerbe family, although the latter never claimed it, and from thence to the Paternò family. It then records that in 1968 "His Royal Highness (sic) Don Roberto Paternò Castello di Carcaci, Prince of Emmanuel, .... was proclaimed as Chief of Name and Arms of the Royal House and Grand Master of its dynastic Orders" ignoring the fact that his grandfather, through whom he makes these preposterous claims, was the fifth, and not the eldest son of the head of the Carcaci branch of the family. The Paternò Castello di Carcaci line is a cadet of the Paternò family, whose head by primogeniture descent is presently the Duke of Roccaromana, and neither the latter nor any of the heads of line of the Paternò or Paternò Castello family will have anything to do with don Roberto's so-called "Order". As a junior member of a junior branch of the family don Roberto has no right to claim any prerogative pertaining to its chief, whether or not such prerogative actually exists.

As this body does not claim to be the successor of a Catholic Order of Knighthood it has not been included in the list of such bodies condemned by the Vatican.

The Imperial Supreme Military Orthodox Dynastic Constantinian Order of Saint George: A pseudo version of the genuine Constantinian Order whose history is given elsewhere. Its head is Mr Henri Vigo Paleologo, otherwise styled "Prince Henri Vigo Aleramico Lascaris Paleologus" or various combinations of that name with other defunct Byzantine dynasties. The purported descent of Mr Vigo is a wonderful invention on which he has worked enormously hard; unfortunately not only has he been unable to produce the necessary documents to prove his descent generation by generation from the Emperors of Byzantium, but even from the alleged great-grandfather who, he claims, was recognized by the Roman Senate in 1869. Mr Vigo asserts that the genuine Constantinian Order is a false Order (despite having been awarded by reigning European Sovereigns from 1699 until 1861 and then by their successors, Princes of the Royal House of Bourbon), and that his invention is in fact the true successor of the original Byzantine foundation (whose origins are uncertain anyway). Individuals recruited into this body are the Metropolitan of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch in the United States and Canada, Archbishop Athanasius Y. Samuel, the Rajah of Patelia (who is illustrated in one of Vigo's publications kneeling to receive "investiture"), and self-styled "Count" Juliusz Nowina-Sokolnicki, self-proclaimed President of the Republic of Poland in exile. A Colorado Priory of this group is headed by James "Baron" Durward of Brusa (who describes himself as FSA Scott sic), Doyle "Skip" Stansbury, George Noon, Dennis Gribble, Robert Tracy, and Rev David R. Clarke.

The Imperial Institute of Chivalry: While not strictly claiming to be an Order of Knighthood, this body based in Bermuda, [10] assists would be candidates into numerous pseudo-Orders. Among these are Saint Lazarus, St Constantine the Great, the Spanish Imperial Order of Charles V, Patriarchal Order of St Blaise and St Mary in Palestine, Order of the Commonwealth, Order of St Andrew of Jerusalem, Order of the Senoria de Torre Molina, Order of the Griffin, Order of Cordon Bleu du Saint Esprit, Order of St Eugene of Trebizond, Confraternity of Ricoshombres de Mesnada, and at least one self-styled St John Order.

The Order of Saint Stanislas. A pseudo history of this institution, in fact a revival of the originally Polish and later Russian-Polish Order of that name, can be found on the Internet at http://www.finearts.sfasu.edu/uasal/sts.html. It is given in five classes by "His Serene Highness Prince" (recently upgraded from self-styled Count) Julius Nowina-Sokolnicki who claims to have been Grand Master since June 9, 1979. The Order has not been awarded since the end of the Russian Empire when Poland regained its independence and freedom. The details of Mr Sokolnicki's claim to the Presidency of Poland are too complex to be given here; suffice it to say that the present Polish government does not regard him as one of those in succession to the titular Presidency from 1939 onwards. [Note:A statement from the State Secretary of the President, Andrzej Drzycimski, published in Dziennik Polski,,, London 7 September 1994, reads "Article 11 of Bill of 25 October 1991 ..... recognizes this power as being bestowed by the Authority of the Polish republic up to 22 December 1990. The phrase 'the Authority of the Polish Republic' should be understood to mean the organs of the state institutions aboard based on the Polish Constitution of 23 April 1935. It therefore recognizes as Presidents of the Polish Republic General Winiawe-Dlugoszowski, W. Raczkiewicz, A. Zaleski, S. Otrowski, E. Raczynski, K. Sabbat, and R. Kacorowski, as well as the state organs appointed by them. According to the Constitution of 23 April 1935 and historical fact they are the successors of President Ignacy Moscicki........ With this in mind, it should be stated that Mr Julius Nowina Sokolnicki did not possess the authority of the Polish Republic and therefore his activities purporting to be actions of the state (as a result of him calling himself President-in-exile of the Polish Republic) cannot be honored, and according to Article 11 of Bill 1, the ranks granted by him are not recognized".]

Sokolnicki's "Order" and its claims have been discussed in a chapter on this so-called "Order" on "Orders of Chivalry" Web site. They are ready to extract payment for this dubious honor even from clergyman - one professed Benedictine was persuaded to part with $1000 to receive Saint Stanislas. Sokolnicki lives modestly at 9 York Place, Castle Gardens, Colchester, Essex (tel & fax 01206-865591) - on his stationary in addition to describing himself as former President of the Polish Republic, and Grand Master of Saint Stanislas, he is also Commander for Poland of the Order of Saint Lazarus (yet another dubious connection of this "Order"), Grand Cross of the Ordo e Lillio (quite what this is I have not discovered), and Order of the Palmetto (SC). The "Grand Commander" is a Lt-Gen George M. Seignious, and Col Michael Michaelski Costs is "Treasurer of the St Stanislas Foundation and Archivist of the Order" - he lives at 101 Timbergate Drive, Lexington, South Carolina 29071-9009. Sokolnicki claims to have given the Grand Collar of his Order to the Pope - a letter from the retired Bishop of Koszalin-Kolobrzeg diocese dated April 4, 1995, confirmed that he was given several gifts to pass on to His Holiness on the occasion of his 1991 Polish visit, including a "Diploma and Insignia of the Order of St Stanislas". The Bishop states that he "gave all those gifts to the Vatican delegation ... some were taken to Rome some were left in Koszalin. Grand collar of the Order was left in Koszalin and it is in diocesan collection of Holy Father visit souvenirs". Saint Stanislas also has branches across the world and, for some reason, appears to be particularly active in new Zealand where a Michael Subritsky-Kusza plays a prominent role as a "Grand Cross" of this Order. This group has been sufficiently successful to justify the publication of a news letter. The 1991 issue includes mention of the conferral on Sokolnicki of the title of "Prince" by no lesser person than "H.S.H. Prince August von Hohenstaufen" who may or may not have a connection with an astonishing group to be found on the Internet!

Sokolnicki also used to award the great Polish Order of Polonia Restituta, again without legitimate authority.

The Order of St Joachim. The "Equestrian, Secular and Chapterial Order of Saint Joachim" was established in 1755 by H.S,H. Prince Christian Franz von Saxen-Coburg-Saalfeld, son of reigning Duke Franz Josias. Prince Christian Franz was installed as its first Grand Master on June 20th, 1756, a position he held until 1773. The Order had fourteen founding members who were nobles and military leaders of the Holy Roman Empire:

Duke of Württemberg-Oels; Prince Piccolomini; Count von Clary und Aldringen; Baron von Eib; Ritter Fachner von Trauenstein; Keck von Schwarzbach; Count von Kollowrat-Krakowsky; Baron von Milchling; Baron Moser von Filseck; Count von Nostitz; Baron Reichlin von Meldegg; Wiedersperger von Wiedersperg; and, Baron von Zobel von Giebelstadt.

Having seen the consequences of ongoing religious wars in Europe, the Order's founders dedicated themselves to "worship the Supreme Being, show tolerance towards all religions, loyalty towards their princes, support the needs of their military, the poor, widows and orphans." [Perrot: 1821]. The Order was uniquely composed of both Protestant and Catholic nobles and leaders at a time when religion violently divided Europe and the German states within the Holy Roman Empire, and other knightly orders allied themselves exclusively with one faith or the other.

When the Order was founded in 1755, it was originally with the name "The Knights of the Order of Jonathan, Defenders of the Honour of Divine Providence". In 1767 the reference to Jonathan was removed from the name. Finally, in 1785 a further change was made, and the Order's constitution was revised by the General Chapter to rename it "The Equestrian, Secular and Chapterial Order of Saint Joachim".

The Order of Saint Joachim was recognized in the late 18th and early 19th centuries by several contemporary sovereigns and states. Leopold II, King of Hungary and Bohemia (later Holy Roman Emperor) formally acknowledged and sanctioned the wearing of the insignia of the Order on May 23, 1790 with a document of Royal Concession. He appointed the Comte Christian von Leiningen, a knight of The Order of Saint Joachim and relative of the Grand Master, to be Chamberlain of the Imperial Palace.

On the 27th of April, 1791 King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia issued a similar Royal Grant recognizing the legitimacy of the Order and permitting the wearing of the insignia of The Order of Saint Joachim on Prussian officers' military uniforms.

The Order of Saint Joachim was also closely examined at the request of the British Crown before Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson was allowed to accept the award of the Cross of a Knight Grand Commander. The Order of Saint Joachim was approved as a legitimate knightly order by the British Royal College of Arms, which was confirmed by the King's Warrant in 1802, and granted Nelson permission to accept and wear the honour. Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson was wearing the breast cross of a Knight Grand Commander of The Order of Saint Joachim when he was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The British King's Warrant approving the acceptance and wear of the insignia of the Order of Saint Joachim was granted in several other instances, including to Nelson's brother, Viscount Merton, General Sir Charles Imhoff, and Philippe D'Auvergne, Prince de Boullion, Rear Admiral of the Blue.

Napoleon's brother-in-law, Joachim Murat (March 25, 1767 – October 13, 1815), a Marshal of France, usurped the grand mastership of the Order of Saint Joachim in 1806 when was made the Grand Duke of the newly created "Duchy of Berg and Cleves". During his term as Grand Duke of Berg and Cleves (March 15, 1806 to August 1, 1808 when he left to become King of Naples) Joachim Murat declared himself the Grand Master of The Order of Saint Joachim, and expanded the Order to include members of the French Legion of Honor. His authority was never recognized by the rest of the Order in exile.

Something unique and troublesome to many conventional commentators on Orders of knighthood is that The Order of Saint Joachim did not owe its existence to a royal or noble house, or "fons honorium". Its founder and first Grand Master, Prince Christian Franz von Saxen-Coburg-Saalfeld, was the son of a sovereign duke, but never himself a ruler. The next three Grand Masters were sovereign rulers (Duke de Monfort followed by successive counts of Leinigen), and would technically qualify as a "fons". Instead of being a hereditary position, the grand mastership was elected by its members. Writing in 1843, G.L. De Rochement and J. Bischoff ("Ridderorden": Amsterdam, p. 27) observed that The Order of Saint Joachim "does not owe its origins to any crowned head, even so it is recognized both on the European mainland and in Great Britain as an Order of knighthood." Nonetheless, The Order of Saint Joachim was regarded throughout its history as a curiosity among orders by the established orders of knighthood. A modern writer on Orders of Knighthood, Guy Stair Sainty, numbers it among the "self-styled" orders but credits it as a charitable institution. He erroneously doubts Nelson's membership in the order and wrongly identified Nelson as a Grand Master of the Order.

In 1802 Sir Levett Hanson (1754-1814), an English writer and Vice-Chancellor of the Order, published "An Accurate Historical Account of all the Orders of Knighthood at present existing in Europe", which naturally presented the Order of Saint Joachim as an equal to other existing orders. Hanson was a childhood friend of Horatio Nelson, and arranged to have him made a Knight Grand Commander of the Order, which certainly gave the Order some prominence.

The Order historically has a small membership - 14 at its founding and only 75 at the time Nelson was made a member. It was reorganized in 1929 and 1948 and currently is led by Helmut von Braundle-Falkensee, an Austrian who is also Secretary General of the Austrian Albert Schweitzer Society. It has its Chapterhouse in England and additional "Commanderies" in the United States, Canada and Austria. It is registered as a charity in the U.K. (UK registered charity No. 1047873) and supports the homeless, ex-servicemen, hospitals and children's charities. It is organized as a federal not-for-profit corporation in Canada. In Austria it operates a small volunteer service for the ambulatory care and transportaion of the sick and needy.

Fun facts: The insignia of the Order of Saint Joachim can be seen being worn by General Sir Anthony Hogmany Melchett (Stephen Fry) in the BBC series "Blackadder Goes Forth" in episode Major Star, and by Lord Kiely in "Sharpe's Battle".

see http://www.stjoachimorder.org/history.htm

The Sovereign Order of the Knights of Saint Dennis of Zante: Originally founded by the notorious "Count" Pericles Voultsos, this is now apparently run by "H.S.H. Count Thomas JohnTaglianetti". This Order claims among its members former President George Bush, yet another example of how these groups send their award to a prominent individual and then claim him for a member. It is closely associated with a Mr Lowell Barker, who calls himself Bishop Mikhail of the Ukranian Orthodox Church.

The Military Order of Saint Bridget of Sweden. This flourished in the 1960's through 1980s but has not been much heard of recently. Its factotum and "grand master" was a certain Count Abbate di Castello Orleans who seems to have disappeared from sight.

The Imperial Order of Saint Eugene of Trebizond: The North American Exarchate of this extravagantly named organization is headed by a Mr Russell R. Fritz. [12]