Hello and welcome back to the channel, if you are new here,
hi, you’re very welcome. This is Reading the Past and I’m Doctor Kat.
There are a lot of videos on this channel where I refer to someone being made a Knight of the
Garter, but what does that actually refer to? Where does this tradition originate?
What does it look like today?
Let’s see what we can find out…
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As 2022 is Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, I expect that there is going to
be a heightened interest in the usual ceremonies that take place each year,
one of those being Garter Day. This year, Garter Day, is set to take place on Monday 13th June.
New appointments to this order, if there are any, are traditionally announced on St George’s Day,
which is tomorrow, 23rd April, so 13th June will be their investiture and the first outing in their
insignia. However, there were three appointments announced on 31st December 2021, they were as
follows: Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall to be a Royal Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter;
Valerie, Baroness Amos to be a Lady Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter and
Sir Tony Blair to be a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.
With regard to Baroness Amos being installed as a “Lady Companion of the Garter”,
this was made possible due to a statute issued in 1987. Lady Companion is of equal place to Knight
Companion within the Order of the Garter. However, it’s worth pointing out that women were named in
the Order from near to its beginning – Edward III’s consort, Queen Philippa was invested as a
Lady of the Garter in 1358. This tradition paused after the investiture of Henry VII’s mother,
Margaret Beaufort, in 1488. Mary I, Elizabeth I and Victoria were all Sovereign of the Order
once they came to the throne, but the next Lady of the Garter was created in 1901 when
King Edward VII appointed his Queen Alexandra to the role. From this point the custom was revived.
If things follow the usual tradition, there will be an investiture in the Throne Room of
Windsor Castle followed by a lunch for the members and officers of the Order that will
be hosted by Her Majesty the Queen. There will be a procession on foot to St George’s Chapel
for a service and the instillation of any new members of the Order.
Living members of the Order display their achievement of arms in the chapel;
above the carved stalls are the helmets, crests and banners of those individuals.
When an individual dies these are taken down but the plate that marked their individual
stall remains in place as a memorial and as this has been the custom for centuries,
these “stall plates” are said to represent one of the finest collections of heraldry in the world.
Today the members of the Order of the Garter include: Her Majesty the Queen who is at the head
of the Order as Sovereign of the Garter, senior members of the royal family, “supernumerary” or
“stranger” members and a maximum of 24 people who have been chosen for the Order in recognition of
their work. Of this final group, I believe there are currently four gaps that might be filled.
When the members of the Order of the Garter process they will be distinguished
by their blue velvet mantle which is adorned with the Order’s symbol of a cross of St George
encircled by the Garter. The monarch is distinguished by having the Garter Star
in place of this symbol. Additionally, royal mantles are worn with a train.
All members wear a Tudor bonnet with feathers. The Garter insignia also includes the collar,
from which is suspended a figure of St George slaying the dragon.
There is also a literal garter – men wear this on left calf, women around the left arm. Examples of
this can be seen in portraiture, such as this one of Henry VIII where the Garter is clearly visible.
There is also this portrait of Queen Victoria with the Garter around the top of her left arm;
however, she also wears the riband, Garter Star and, just visible at her right side, the badge,
all of which also represent the Order which are worn on other ceremonial occasions.
The Order to which these symbols, ceremonies and traditions belong is nearly 700 years old.
It was founded by King Edward III, most likely in 1348.
Edward III had come to the throne as a 14-year-old boy on 25th January 1327
following the abdication of his father King Edward II on the previous day. Edward II had been routed
and imprisoned by those loyal to his Queen, Isabella of France, and her lover, Roger
Mortimer. If you believe Christopher Marlowe, Edward II was murdered on 21st September 1327
by means of a red-hot poker being driven up his fundament and into his bowels. I mean, it would
probably be just as easy to have not given him any water if you want him dead of no obvious cause …
Edward III would have to wrestle the government of his realm away from his mother and Mortimer,
which he did, shortly before his 18th birthday. Edward III soon showed himself to be, frankly,
a warmonger – if he wasn’t fighting the Scots, he was sailing to France to make
war over there as part of a conflict that would come to be known as the “Hundred Years’ War”.
On 26th August 1346 English forces defeated French troops at the Battle of Crécy,
the English then moved north and began to besiege Calais. While this siege was taking place,
on 17th October 1346, the Scots took the opportunity to invade northern England;
they were defeated by the English near Durham, at the Battle of Nevilles Cross and their king
David II was taken prisoner. The next year, on 3rd August 1347, the siege of Calais eventually had
the desired effect as the garrison was forced to surrender. English control of Calais would
continue for nearly two centuries until it was lost in 1558, during the reign of Mary I.
Back in the 14th century, King Edward III felt inclined to celebrate
the successes of his nation, his knights and his governance. There
would be a tour of tournaments and the creation of a new order of chivalry.
It is thought that Edward took inspiration from the incredibly popular Arthurian legends and was,
in a way, seeking to create a new Round Table by handpicking Knights to surround himself with
as a new Arthur. Those fortunate enough to be chosen to join the Order were subject to
a couple of rules – they were not permitted to fight each other, and they had to obtain
the King’s permission if they wished to leave the country. The King, in return, would turn to them
before all others to accompany him in a military or chivalric endeavours, which would enable them
to further build their reputation, standing, and (in the case of certain wars) their wealth.
They would number 26 in total – a number that is echoed in today’s order where there is a
maximum of 24 plus the monarch and the Prince of Wales. The same was true of the very first
group of Knights of the Garter – Edward III was the first Sovereign of the Order, he was joined
by his eldest son Edward, the Black Prince. Then there was Edward III’s second cousin, Henry, first
duke of Lancaster; Thomas Beauchamp, eleventh earl of Warwick; Thomas Holland, earl of Kent; William
Montagu, second earl of Salisbury; Roger Mortimer, later second earl of March and grandson of the
Roger Mortimer that deposed Edward III’s father with his mother Isabella; and Ralph Stafford,
later first earl of Stafford. That takes care of the King, Prince, Duke and Earls; but it was not
just the highest tier of the nobility that gained admittance into the order. There were barons:
John, second Lord Lisle; John, second Lord Mohun; John, first Lord Grey of Rotherfield; and
Jean de Grailly. They were joined by the following knights: Sir John Beauchamp; Sir James Audley;
Sir Bartholomew Burghersh the younger; Sir Hugh Courtenay; Sir Richard Fitzsimon;
Sir Miles Stapleton; Sir Thomas Wale; Sir Hugh Wrottesley; Sir Neil Loring; Sir John Chandos;
Sir Otho Holland; Sir Henry Eam; Sir Sanchert d'Abrechicourt; and Sir Walter Paveley.
Richard Barber points out that “There is good evidence to suggest that the English victory
at Crécy two years before the foundation of the order was at the root of the choice of the first
knights of the Garter. Of the twenty-six members, eighteen were definitely at the battle of Crécy
on 26 August 1346, five may have been there, and three were fighting elsewhere in France. The idea
that the Garter originated in Edward III's French campaign is reinforced by the motto which Edward
adopted for it, (Honi soit qui mal y pense (‘Shame on him who thinks badly of it’)), referring to his
claim to the throne of France, the Garter colours being the blue and gold of France.”
To support the idea that the motto connects to Edward’s assertion of his right to France,
W. M. Ormrod points out that the decision to use French for this phrase was a deliberate one,
since it was “a replacement for Edward III's more usual preference for English epigrams”.
However, there is more than one origin story for the emblem and motto. A popular legend
formed around the idea that the Garter was a symbolic reminder of an act of chivalry,
that would not look out of place in an Arthurian tale and was almost certainly just as fictional.
It was said that the Countess of Salisbury was dancing before the court when, embarrassingly,
her garter slipped off; while the courtiers laughed at her,
King Edward III stooped to pick it up and return it to her. The king then,
apparently, chastised those mocking the lady by exclaiming “Honi soit qui mal y pense”.
Another alternative is that the garter belt is actually a reference to the sword belt that would
more obviously connect to the martial values of this band of knights.
From its inception the Order of the Garter was about creating ties that would bind. It drew the
monarch, their leading nobles and best soldiers together in a bond of fealty and chivalry –
this recognition or reward, would, presumably, dissuade those powerful, martial individuals
from breaking out in conflict among themselves (which would risk destabilising the kingdom) or
in rebellion against the King (which could threaten his rule).
As the Order continued down the centuries it continued to serve a peacekeeping
or diplomatic function, but it went international.
The inclusion of stranger knight and ladies from the early nineteenth century has enabled this
chivalric order to include the monarchs, heads of state or leading nobles from other nations;
normally they would be from allied nations or those being sought to be allies.
Members, foreign or domestic, may be “degraded” or “annulled” from the Order
if they take up arms against the monarch or the realm. For example, Edward Stafford,
3rd duke of Buckingham was degraded from the Order and executed for treason in 1521.
During World War One there was a flurry of individuals who were struck from the Orders rolls,
due to them being the monarchs or princes of the nations we were engaged in fighting – Franz
Joseph, Emperor of Austria; Wilhelm II, Emperor of Germany; Ernst August of Hanover; Prince
Henry of Prussia; Prince Ernest Ludwig of Hesse; Frederick William Victor Augustus Ernest, Crown
Prince Imperial of Germany; Prince Charles Edward, Duke of Albany, and Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha;
and Wilhelm II, King of Württemberg were all ordered to be struck from the Order in 1915
as a result of them being on the opposing side to the UK and her allies during World War One.
Victor Emmanuel III, King of Italy was removed from the order in 1941,
when Italy entered World War Two in opposition to the UK and her allies.
Similarly, Hirohito, Emperor of Japan was also “degraded” in 1941 due to his
nation’s fight against the UK and her allies during World War Two; however,
Hirohoto would be restored to the order in 1971 when the Emperor made a state visit to the U.K.
At the point I am making this video – April 2022 – the members of the order are as follows.
Pause to read.
As I mentioned previously, I believe there are 4 spaces vacant for this group.
For Stranger Knights and Ladies Companion we have: The Queen of Denmark; The King of Sweden; Princess
Beatrix of the Netherlands; The King of Norway; The King of the Netherlands; The King of Spain
and his father The King Emeritus Juan Carlos I of Spain; and The Emperor Emeritus Akihito of Japan.
For Royal Knights and Ladies Companion we have: Prince Edward, Duke of Kent; Princess Anne,
The Princess Royal; Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester; Princess Alexandra, The Honourable
Lady Ogilvy; Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex; Prince William; Duke of Cambridge; Camilla,
Duchess of Cornwall; and this is a title that Andrew, Duke of York has been permitted to keep.
But what do you think?
About this Order of Chivalry? About its origins? About its place in the modern world?
As always, I’m looking forward to reading your conversations in the comments section
underneath this video, or you can find me on social media.
I’ll leave links to the other places you can find me on the internet in my description box,
follow me over on some or all of them so we can continue this conversation and start some others.
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I hope you’re going to have a great day whatever you’re doing and I look forward
to speaking to you all in my next video. Take care of yourselves, bye-bye for now.
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