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Order↕ | Country↕ | Founded↕ | Founder↕ | Motto↕ | Known For↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Order of the Garter | England | 1348 | King Edward III | Honi soit qui mal y pense | Oldest and most senior British order of chivalry, limited to 24 knights plus royals |
| Order of the Golden Fleece | Burgundy / Spain / Austria | 1430 | Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy | Pretium Laborum Non Vile | Split between Habsburg Spain and Austria, one of the most exclusive European orders |
| Order of the Bath | United Kingdom | 1725 | King George I | Tria juncta in uno | Named after the medieval ceremony of bathing before knighthood, awarded to military and civil officers |
| Knights Templar | Kingdom of Jerusalem | 1119 | Hugues de Payens | Non nobis Domine | Warrior monks protecting pilgrims, wealthy banking network, dissolved 1312 under King Philip IV |
| Knights Hospitaller | Jerusalem / Malta | 1099 | Blessed Gerard | Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum | Still exists today as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, ran hospitals and fleets |
| Teutonic Order | Holy Roman Empire | 1190 | German crusaders at Acre | Helfen Wehren Heilen | Conquered Prussia and Baltic territories, founded monastic state in northern Europe |
| Order of Santiago | Spain | 1170 | King Ferdinand II of Leon | Rubet ensis sanguine Arabum | Named after Saint James, fought in the Reconquista against the Moors of Iberia |
| Order of Calatrava | Spain | 1158 | Raymond of Fitero | Pro fide et patria | First military order founded in Castile, defended the town of Calatrava from the Almohads |
| Order of the Thistle | Scotland | 1687 | King James VII of Scotland | Nemo me impune lacessit | Highest Scottish chivalric order, limited to 16 knights plus the sovereign |
| Order of Saint Michael and Saint George | United Kingdom | 1818 | Prince Regent (later King George IV) | Auspicium melioris aevi | Awarded to diplomats and foreign service officers, seen in James Bond films |
| Order of the Elephant | Denmark | 1693 | King Christian V | Magnanimi Pretium | Denmark's highest honour, members include foreign monarchs and heads of state |
| Order of the Seraphim | Sweden | 1748 | King Frederick I | Jesus Hominum Salvator | Sweden's most exclusive order, awarded almost exclusively to royalty and heads of state |
| Order of the Annunciation | Savoy / Italy | 1362 | Amadeus VI of Savoy | FERT | Highest order of the House of Savoy, members were called cousins of the king |
| Order of Saint Stephen | Tuscany | 1561 | Cosimo I de Medici | Pro Fide et Christiana Republica | Founded to fight Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean, based in Pisa |
| Order of Christ | Portugal | 1319 | King Denis of Portugal | In hoc signo vinces | Successor of the Templars in Portugal, funded Henry the Navigator's voyages of discovery |
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