Chapter Four
Regalia of Orders
The Most Ancient and Noble
Order of the Thistle
or
The Knights of St Andrew
The Order of the Thistle represents the highest honour in Scotland,
and it is second only in precedence to the Order of the Garter. The date
of the foundation of the Order is not known, although legend has it that
it was founded in 809 when King Achaius made an alliance with the Emperor
Charlemagne. It is possible that the Order may have been founded by James
III (1488-1513), who was responsible for changes in royal symbolism in
Scotland, including the adoption of the thistle as the royal plant badge.
It is said that James V bestowed the insignia of the 'Order of the Burr
or Thissil' on Francis I of France in 1535. Around the time of the Reformation,
the Order was discontinued.
Although some kind of Scottish Order of chivalry existed in the fifteenth
and sixteenth centuries, or even much earlier, it was James II (James VII
of Scotland) who established the Order with a statutory foundation under
new rules in 1687 - to reward Scottish peers who supported the king's political
and religious aims. (One statute required that the robe should be 'powdered
over with thistles of gold'; a robe from that period still survives, scattered
with more than 250 applied thistle motifs.) The statutes stated that the
Order was 'to continue to consist of the Sovereign and twelve Knights-Brethren
in allusion to the Blessed Saviour and his Twelve Apostles'.
After James II (and VII)'s abdication in 1688, the Order fell into disuse
once more until it was revived by Queen Anne in 1703 - the number of knights
remained at 12. Despite the rebellions of 1715 and 1745, the Old and Young
Pretenders (Prince James and Prince Charles 'Bonnie Prince Charlie') appointed
Knights of the Thistle (and Garter) in their exiles. The early Hanoverian
kings also made use of the Order to reward Scottish nobles who supported
the Hanoverian and Protestant cause.
Interest in the Order revived when George IV wore the Thistle during
his visit to Scotland in 1822. A statute of 1827 established the complement
of Knights Brethren at 16, and in 1987 a statute enabled ladies to join
the Order. (Extra knights may be created by special statute.) The Princess
Royal was invested in the Order of the Thistle in June 2001. In 1962, King
Olav V of Norway became the first foreigner to be admitted to the Order
for over 200 years.
The patron saint of the Order is St Andrew (also the patron saint
of Scotland), who appears on the Order's badge. The breast star of the
Order, instituted by George I in 1714, consists of a silver saltire with
a pointed ray between each of the arms of the cross: at the centre is a
gold medallion contained in an enamelled representation of the thistle,
surrounded by a green border on which the Order's motto is written in gold.
The motto is 'Nemo me impune lacessit' (No one harms me with impunity).
The chapel for the Order was to be at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where
James II had issued instructions in 1687 for the Abbey Church to be converted
into the Chapel Royal and the Chapel of the Order. However, the political
situation deteriorated and, by the time it was ready for use in December
1688, the furnishings and the stalls of the Chapel had been destroyed by
a rioting mob. It was not until 1911 that the Order had a chapel, adjacent
to St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, in which its services and ceremonies
could be held. When practicable, and when there is to be the installation
of a new knight, a service of the Order is held each year during the week
spent by The Queen at Holyrood.
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