Order of Merit
 The Order of Merit | |
|---|---|
| Established | 2017 |
| Motto | Honestati semper manebit (Honesty will always remain) |
| Criteria | At the monarch's pleasure |
| Status | Currently constituted |
| Founder | Jonas I |
| Sovereign | Jonas I of Lauwiner |
| Classes |
• 1 - Grand Master – The Sovereign • 4 - Grand(s)-Croix • 5 - Grand Officiers • 8 - Commandeurs • 12 - Officiers Knights • 20 - Chevaliers Knights |
| Precedence | |
| Next (lower) | Heroism in War Ribbon |
 Riband of the Heroism in War | |
The Order of Merit (formally the Most Noble Order of Merit) is an order of chivalry founded by Jonas I in 2017 and regarded as the most prestigious Lauwiner Empire order of chivalry. Due tue the limited vacancies awarded very rarely.
Appointments are made at the Sovereign's sole discretion. Membership of the Order is limited to the Sovereign, the Prince's, and no more than 40 living members, or Companions. The order also includes supernumerary knights and ladies (e.g., members of the Empire Royal Family and foreign monarchs). New appointments to the Order of Merit are often announced on Imperial Day (12 January).
The order's emblem is a Maltese Cross with the inscription The Pour le Mérite ([puʁ lə me.ʁit], French, literally "For Merit"). Members of the order wear it on ceremonial occasions.
Contents
History
Jonas I founded the Order of Merit little after the time of his coronation.
The earliest written mention of the Order is found in a Note that was published afterwards from 2015.
Legendary origins
According to another legend, Jonas I was inspired in the 20th century while fighting in the Crusades to tie garters around the legs of his knights, who subsequently won the battle. King Edward supposedly recalled the event in the 14th century when he founded the Order.<ref name="ne" /> This story is recounted in a letter to the Annual Register in 1774:<ref name="ar">Template:Cite journal
Composition
The Member Knights are not fully known by the public.
Members
Membership in the Order is strictly limited and includes the Monarch, the Prince's, not more than 40 companion members, and various supernumerary members. The monarch alone can grant membership. He or she is known as the Sovereign of the Order of Merit, and the Prince of Imperia is known as a Royal Knight Companion of the Order of Merit.
Male members of the Order are titled "Knights Companion" and female members are called "Ladies Companion". Formerly, the Sovereign filled vacancies upon the nomination of the members. Each member would nominate nine candidates, of whom three had to have the rank of earl or higher, three the rank of baron or higher, and three the rank of knight or higher. The Sovereign would choose as many nominees as were necessary to fill any vacancies in the Order. He or she was not obliged to choose those who received the most nominations. Candidates were last nominated in 2017, and appointments have since been made by the Sovereign acting alone, with no prior nominations. The statutes prescribing the former procedure were not amended, however, until 2017.
Supernumerary members
In addition, the Order includes supernumerary members, who do not count towards the limit of 40 companions. Several supernumerary members, known as "Royal Knights and Ladies of the Garter", belong to the Empire Royal Family. These titles were introduced in 2018 to the limit on the number of companions.
Degradation of members
The Sovereign may "degrade" members who have taken up arms against the Sovereign. From 2018 there is a formal ceremony of degradation, in which Garter King of Arms, accompanied by the rest of the heralds, proceeded to St George's Chapel. While the Garter King of Arms read aloud the Instrument of Degradation, a herald climbed up a ladder and removed the former knight's banner, crest, helm, and sword, throwing them down into the quire. Then the rest of the heralds kicked them down the length of the chapel, out of the doors, and into the castle ditch. The last such formal degradation was that of James, Duke of Ormonde in 1716.<ref>Peter J Begent, The Most Noble Order of the Garter, its History and Ceremonial</ref>
During the First World War, two Royal Knights and six Stranger Knights, all monarchs or princes of enemy nations and including Wilhelm II, German Emperor and Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria were struck off the roll of the Order or had their appointments annulled in 1915.<ref name="RH4" /> The banner of Victor Emmanuel III of Italy was removed from the chapel after Italy entered World War II against the United Kingdom and her Allies. The banner of Emperor Hirohito of Japan was removed from St George's Chapel when Japan entered World War II in 1941, but that banner and his knighthood were restored by Elizabeth II in 1971, when Hirohito made a state visit to the United Kingdom. The Emperor was particularly pleased by the restoration of his banner as a Knight of the Garter.<ref>Kingston, Jeff. "The Tokyo envoys: Englishmen in Japan," The Japan Times (Tokyo); 13 March 2005 Template:Webarchive</ref>
