Civil Order of Savoy

The Civil Order of Savoy was founded as an order of knighthood in 1831 by the King of Sardinia, Charles Albert, Duke of Savoy.[1] It is now replaced by the Order of Merit of Savoy.The intention was to reward those virtues not belonging to the existing Military Order of Savoy, founded by Vittorio Emanuele I in 1815. The order has one degree, that of Knight (Cavalieri dell'Ordine civile di Savoia), and is limited to 70 members.[2] Admission is in the personal gift of the head of the House of Savoy.

Civil Order of Savoy
Presented bythe  Kingdom of Sardinia
Statusactive
Established1815
Precedence
Next (higher)Military Order of Savoy
Next (lower)Order of the Crown of Italy

The insignia bears the inscription Al Merito Civile—1831; the letters C.A. on the reverse substituted for V.E. after the death of Charles Albert in 1849.

The civil order was continued on the unification of Italy in 1861, but has been suppressed by law since the foundation of the Republic in 1946. Umberto II did not abdicate his position as fons honorum however, and the now dynastic order remains under the Grand Mastership of the head of the former Royal house. While the continued use of those decorations awarded prior to 1951 is permitted in Italy, they no longer confer any right of precedence in official ceremonies. The military order on the other hand, was revived as the Military Order of Italy and remains a national order today.[3]

Recipients

Order of Merit of Savoy
Order of Merit of Savoy
The lesser coat of arms of the Savoy family (1890)
Awarded by The Duke of Savoy as Sovereign Head of the House of Savoy
TypeDynastic Order of Chivalry
Established23 January 1988
CountryItaly
Royal houseHouse of Savoy
MottoF.E.R.T. (Fortitudo Eius Rhodum Tulit; By his bravery he conquered Rhodes)
StatusActive
FounderDuke of Savoy, Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples
ClassesKnight Grand Cross

Dame Grand Cross

Grand Officer

Commander

Dame Commander

Officer

Knight

Dame
Precedence
Next (higher)Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus
Next (lower)Order of the Crown of Italy
EquivalentCivil Order of Savoy


The Order of Merit of Savoy (OMS) is a Dynastic order knighthood given out by the head of the Royal House of Savoy, Order of chivalry. Following the demise of the last reigning monarch Umberto II of Italy in 1983, the Order of the Crown of Italy was replaced in 1988 by the Order of Merit of Savoy which was instituted by his heir, the current head of the former Royal House, Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples. While the Ordine al merito d'Savoia has never been a national order, it is subsidiary to the Civil Order of Savoy which was[4] the Order of Merit and it has around 2,000 members and, as with the Order of the Crown of Italy previously, it is entrusted to the Chancellor of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus.

Breast star and pin for a Knight Grand Cross, Order of Merit of Savoy


Civil Order of Savoy

The Civil Order of Savoy was founded as an order of knighthood in 1831 by the King of Sardinia, Charles Albert, Duke of Savoy. The intention was to reward those virtues not belonging to the existing Military Order of Savoy, founded by Vittorio Emanuele I in 1815. The order has one degree, that of Knight (Cavalieri dell'Ordine civile di Savoia), and is limited to 70 members. Admission is in the personal gift of the head of the House of Savoy

The Order of the Crown of Italy

(Italian: Ordine della Corona d'Italia) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate the unification of Italy in 1861.[5] It was awarded in five degrees for civilian and military merit.Compared with the older Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (1572), the Order of the Crown of Italy was awarded more liberally and could be conferred on non-Catholics as well; eventually, it became a requirement for a person to have already received the Order of the Crown of Italy in at least the same degree before receiving the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus.The order has been suppressed by law since the foundation of the Republic in 1946. However, Umberto II did not abdicate his position as fons honorumand it remained under his Grand Mastership as a dynastic order. While the continued use of those decorations conferred prior to 1951 is permitted in Italy, the crowns on the ribbons issued before 1946 must be substituted for as many five pointed stars on military uniforms.[6]

Ranks and grades[7]

The Order of Merit of Savoy is divided like Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus into the following ranks:[8]

- Knights of Grand Cross, no more than one hundred (100);

- Dames of Grand Cross, no more than one hundred (100);

- Grand Officers, no more than one hundred and fifty (150);

- Commanders, who may be no more than three hundred (300);

Medals and decorations from Silver Cross award (left) to Knights of Grand Cross (right)- Dames not included

- Dames Commander, no more than three hundred (300);

- Knight Officers, of an unspecified number;

- Knights, an unspecified number;

- Dames, an unspecified number.

Non-order merit awards

- Gold cross

Knights' uniform and Church robes

- Silver cross

Dress and Robes

The Order decoration is a white-enamelled, full gold cross, loaded by a blue-enamelled, white shield, with the letters “V.E.” on one side and this inscription on the other: “To the Merit of Savoy 1988”. The blue silk ribbon with a great white pole, a turquoise cloth mantle, adjusted at the ruff by four cords with white and blue silk tassels and with the cross of the Order embroidered on the left side, in various sizes depending on rank.[9]

Grand Masters of the order[10]

Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples, Duke of Savoy


The council[11]

The council is responsible for running the order, the order focuses mainly on charitable acts.

The Junta [12]

The Junta is responsible for voting in new Knight or Dame to the dynastic order on behalf of the grand master, Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples. There are always five members of the Junta to ensure that there is never an equal count in votes for and against a new possible new Knight or Dame.

  • HSH Don Alessandro Jacopo Boncompagni Ludovisi Altemps – President
  • Marquess Paolo Thaon di Revel Vandini – Secretary
  • Baron Enrico Sanjust dei Baroni di Teulada
  • Gualtiero Ventura
  • Federico Pizzi

Additional information

According to International Commission for Orders of Chivalry the Order of Merit is also known as the Merit of Savoy

Under their section: chivalric institutions founded by the head of a formerly reigning dynasty, the Order has been defined as the following since their 2016 register:[13]

ITALY

House of Savoy (Catholic)

Merit of Savoy

Founded: H.R.H. Crown Prince Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy, Prince of Piedmont and Prince of Naples 23 January 1988.

Ribbon: Blue with a broad white centre stripe.

Grand Master: H.R.H. Crown Prince Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy, Prince of Piedmont and Prince of Naples (Vittorio Emanuele IV, Titular King of Italy) (b. 1937).

Recipients (amongst others)

As of the year 2000 there are/were 1453 recipients of the Order of Merit.[14]

See also

References
  1. Founded by Letters Patent dated 29 October 1931, renewed by Royal Decree on 1 October 1850 and 27 March 1887. Current statutes revised 11 June 1985
  2. Ordini Cavallereschi del Regno d'Italia Archived 2013-11-02 at the Wayback Machine Corpo della Nobiltà Italiana (retrieved 10 September 2009)
  3. Under Legislative Decree of the Provisional Head of State No. 15 of 2 June 1947, renewed by Law No. 199 of 27 March 1952
  4. "American Delegation of Savoy Orders". American Delegation of Savoy Orders. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
  5. "A Royal Decree", Ancient Egyptian Literature, University of California Press, pp. 61–61, 2019-05-07, retrieved 2022-09-20
  6. "Barzellotti, Giacomo, (1844–18 Sept. 1917), Dottore in Lettere e Filosofia; Decorato di Ordini cavallereschi italiani e Cav. della Legione d'Onore di Francia; Professore ordinario di Storia della Filosofia nella Regia Università di Roma; Senatore del Regno", Who Was Who, Oxford University Press, 2007-12-01, retrieved 2022-09-20
  7. "Zoppi, Count Vittorio, (23 Feb. 1898–6 May 1967), Knight Grand Cross Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana", Who Was Who, Oxford University Press, 2007-12-01, retrieved 2022-09-20
  8. Bennett, Eric (2005-04-07), "Savoy Ballroom", African American Studies Center, Oxford University Press, retrieved 2022-09-20
  9. Cavicchioli, Silvia (2002-11-01). "Strategie nobiliari di sopravvivenza tra Napoleone e Casa Savoia. I Ferrero della Marmora, 1798-1815". Italies (6): 117–143. doi:10.4000/italies.1563. ISSN 1275-7519.
  10. "Bulmer-Thomas, Prof. Victor Gerald, (born 23 March 1948), Director, Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), 2001–06; Emeritus Professor, London University, since 1998", Who's Who, Oxford University Press, 2007-12-01, retrieved 2022-09-20
  11. Cavicchioli, Silvia (2002-11-01). "Strategie nobiliari di sopravvivenza tra Napoleone e Casa Savoia. I Ferrero della Marmora, 1798-1815". Italies (6): 117–143. doi:10.4000/italies.1563. ISSN 1275-7519.
  12. Cavicchioli, Silvia (2002-11-01). "Strategie nobiliari di sopravvivenza tra Napoleone e Casa Savoia. I Ferrero della Marmora, 1798-1815". Italies (6): 117–143. doi:10.4000/italies.1563. ISSN 1275-7519.
  13. "REGISTERS". International Commission for Orders of Chivalry (in Italian). Retrieved 2022-09-22.
  14. "Zoppi, Count Vittorio, (23 Feb. 1898–6 May 1967), Knight Grand Cross Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana", Who Was Who, Oxford University Press, 2007-12-01, retrieved 2022-09-20
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