Order of the Rue Crown

The Order of the Rue Crown (German: Hausorden der Rautenkrone) or Order of the Crown of Saxony was a dynastic order of knighthood of the Kingdom of Saxony. The order takes its name from the green floral crown of rue (crancelin) found in the coat of arms of Saxony. It occupies the highest rank of the former Saxon honour system.

Order of the Rue Crown
Hausorden der Rautenkrone
Cross of the order, obverse and reverse
TypeState Order (formerly)
House Order (currently)
CountryKingdom of Saxony Kingdom of Saxony
Royal house House of Wettin
MottoPROVIDENTIÆ MEMOR
Awarded forcivil merit and service to the Royal House
SovereignPrince Alexander
GradesKnight
Precedence
Next (higher)None
Next (lower)Military Order of St. Henry

Ribbon of the order

History

The order was created to be the civil counterpart to the Military Order of St. Henry, the only order previously at the disposal of the new king. It was established in 1807 by Frederick Augustus I, the first King of Saxony.[1] The order was originally limited to 24 knights, but exceptions were made for members of ruling houses and those whose membership in the order would add to its prestige.

The Order of the Rue Crown was presented in a single grade, Knight. Twice, the order was granted in a special grade with diamonds, to Portuguese Prime Minister Dom Nuno José de Moura Barreto, Duke of Loulé in 1859 and Chancellor Otto von Bismarck in 1885. From its founding to the fall of the Kingdom of Saxony in 1918, the order was presented 332 times.[2]

Appearance

The badge of the order is a gold Maltese cross, enameled in green with a white border. The white center medallion features the crowned monogram of Frederick Augustus I of Saxony, encircled by a green crown of rue. Between the arms of the cross is a golden crown of rue.

The star of the order is made of silver, and has eight points. The center of the star bears a gold medallion with the motto of the order, PROVIDENTIÆ MEMOR, inside a ring of green rue leaves.

The badge of the order is borne on a riband of grass green, worn over the right shoulder.

Knights
Expand for list

References
  1. Kibbey, Stephen (February 2010). "Order of the Crown of Rue or Crancelin" (PDF). The Seaxe. p. 13. Retrieved 18 November 2012. The Order of the Rue Crown is the highest Order of the Kingdom of Saxony. It was founded on 20th July 1807 by Friedrich Augustus, the first king of Saxony at the Treaty of Tilsit. There is only one class, with the King or Head of the Royal House as Grand Master. The Order is only granted to the highest dignitaries with the royal princes automatically being admitted to the order at birth.
  2. "Hausorden der Rautenkrone – Ordenskreuz" (in German). Ehrenzeichen-orden.de. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
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