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The Order of the Dragon (German: Drachenorden; Latin: Societas Draconistrarum) is an order of selected nobles modeled on the Order of St. George of Burgundy. The order was originally commissioned by Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund (while still king of Hungary) and his second wife (Barbara Cilli) in order to protect the royal family.
Formation
On December 13, 1408, the charter for the Order was publicly announced, dedicating the Order to the defense of the cross from its enemies, particularly the Turks. The founding twenty-four members were indoctrinated in 1408, including:
Sigismund of Luxembourg, King of Hungary
King Alfonso of Aragon and Naples
Stefan Lazarevic of Serbia
King Ladislaus II of Poland
Grand Prince Vitovd of Lithuania
Duke Ernst of Austria
Christopher III, Duke of Bavaria and King of Denmark
Symbol of the Order
For their symbol, the Order designed an insignia of a dragon with its tail coiled around its neck. On the back of the dragon from the base of the neck to the tail is the red cross of St. George, with the entire image on a silver field. The dragon represented the Beast of the Book of Revelation while the red cross represented the victory of Christ over the forces of darkness. Members were required to wear the symbol (often as a medallion) at all times and were often buried with the symbol.
Growth of the Order
In 1431, Sigismund chose to expand the ranks of the Order. To achieve this, he invited a number of politically influential and militarily useful vassals and nobles for indoctrination into the Order. Included in this ceremony was Vlad II Dracul, father of Vlad III Dracula, who was serving as frontier commander guarding the passes from Transylvania to Wallachia.
The addition of new members caused the creation of many classes within the Order. Each class had a slight variation on the symbol of the order, although the dragon motif was dominant in each variation. Common changes included the addition of inscriptions like "O quam misericors est Deus" ("Oh, how merciful God is") and "Justus et paciens" ("Justifiably and peacefully").
The order remained prominent until the death of Sigismund in 1437. Without a strong sponsor, the Order quickly lost influence and prestige.
Modern Day
Few historical artifacts of the Order remain today, although the symbol of the Order has been adopted for many family crests throughout Europe. A copy of the edict forming the Order dating to 1707 is the oldest historical artifact of the Order and is stored at the University of Bucharest.
The Order exists today as a closed establishment of selected "invitees" who pursue the "Five Holy Obligations" of chivalry.
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