Taras Voznyak

Every society has its own structure.The structuring guides of society are identity - national, linguistic, religious, loyalty - to suzerain, to the state, to a political nation or some other community.Accordingly, the individual enters himself into these coordinates and develops his life project. And in principle it does not matter whether we are dealing with an early  or a modern society.

  At the same time keeping your loyalty and cultivating identity requires a number of tools, which confirms the identity and loyalty of each person - we use one or another language, practice one or another religious cult, keep loyalty to this or that state or nation, or the monarch - once sovereign.We manifest these identities and loyalty with a national costume, some kind of awards and rituals. And thus, an extremely developed semiotic field develops, which means the structuring of our societies.

   One of the oldest manifestations of loyalty and identity was the distinction of communities - the same fish for Christians, which changed on the cross, or a half a month for Muslims.There is an abundance of communities.In this case, I would like to pay attention to one amazing community, which wasn’t as huge as Christians or Muslims, but at the same time was extremely influential.I would like to take into consideration to a chivalric order, order of chivalry, order of knighthood or equestrian order is an order, confraternity or society of knights. In the era when the knightly orders and the monarchy or suzerain exist only nominally, it refers to the new suzerain - a secular state and its semiotic system, which also includes the system of state awards, orders, decorations. However, everything really began with the Knights of the Round Table ,the knightly members of the legendary fellowship of the King Arthur .Unlike King Arthur, in Europe there was still one sovereign who created a union of knights, which not only manifested loyalty to him personally, but also consolidated the European identity, outlining the borders of Europe.This became Order of the Golden Fleece.In world stratification there is a table about the ranks of world honors. Historically, in this stratification, the Order of the Golden Fleece occupies one of the highest positions.However, the Order of the Golden Fleece contributed to the creation and consolidation of the international trans-European elite, a symbol of belonging to the highest execution which was the celebration of this European award.The rule over the Order passed from the Burgundian dukes to the Austrian archduke, and from those to the Spanish kings and Germanic emperors, in order subsequently to go to the emperors of the Austrian and Austro-Hungarian. And this story is not over yet. However, it  started in the heart of Europe but was not so grandiosity.

The Order of the Knights of the Golden Fleece was founded by Philippe III Bourgogne, Philippe le Bon(1396-1467) on January 10, 1430, on the occasion of his marriage with the infant of Portugal Isabella (Isabelle de Portugal, 1397-1471) in Bruges, in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Apostle Andrew. According to legend,  St. Andrew  was the baptist of Burgundy -and, not only of Kiev - but it's all legends.For Philip III the concept "Order" meant not only a distinction in the form of a certain object of jewelry art, but the organization, the Order of Knights, and the sign of the Order served as a distinction of a person who became Knight of the Order.The purpose of the duke was to gather around him as a suzerain, a knight organization, to guard, defend and support the true Catholic faith, the church, the peace, and the welfare of the state .That is how he develop and respect the power of the Burgundian Duchy.Philip III gave a dynastic and extraterritorial features to order - which meant that supremacy (commander authority) in the order was passed on to a man's line, and that foreign persons could be rewarded, who, however, should be loyal to the Master of the Order, and, of course, was the duke of Burgundy.It is understandable, it was about creating a system of loyalty to the Burgundy House.There were complicated times and stormy history in Europe , the Order encompassed almost the whole of Europe and at the same time changed his value.From the knights union, he first turned into a community of vassals, and then he became merely a merit for merit and testimony of status, and even an instrument of international diplomacy, when it was received by neighboring monarchs.For the circle of knights ethos rank, ethos feat was the basis of their unity, so the motto of the Order of the Golden Fleece says: "The award is not inferior to the feat" ("Premium Laborum Non Vile").The mark of the Order is a golden fleece hanging on a chain of 28 units.There is, therefore, a certain anchorage to the ancient Jason who stole the golden fleece, the ram's skin on which Zeus ascended to heaven.Although there is also a more Christianized version - an episode from the Old Testament, in which the golden fleece seemed to symbolize the wool that Gideon laid out, dew fell on her, and the land around was left dry-so Gideon realized that the Israeli people would be saved.The name Gideon means "a brave warrior",maybe this was a success of Gideon's name means "a brave warrior" - may this be the secret to the Order of the Golden Fleece?Gideon was famed for the fact that, with the help of God, with a small army, he freed the Jews from the enemies of the Medes who oppressed the Israelis for more than seven years.The Jews had to hide from them in gorges and fortresses.Such a misfortune forced the Jews to conceive and turn to God.Then the merciful God sent them a deliverer in the face of Gideon, who turned to God with a request to give him a sign - proof that the God would truly save the people of Israel through him.Then Gideon said to God, “If You will deliver Israel by my hand, as You have said, then behold, I will place a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that You will deliver Israel by my hand, as You have said.”

And that is what happened. When Gideon arose the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.

Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me; let me speak one more time. Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time let it be dry, and the ground be covered with dew.”

And that night God did so. Only the fleece was dry, and dew covered the ground.The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many people for Me to deliver Midian into their hands, lest Israel glorify themselves over Me, saying, ‘My own hand has delivered me.’ Now, therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people: ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand of them turned back, but ten thousand remained. 4Then the LORD said to Gideon, “There are still too many people. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go. But if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”So Gideon brought the people down to the water, and the LORD said to him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel to drink.”And the number of those who lapped the water with their hands to their mouths was three hundred men; all the others knelt to drink.Then the LORD said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men who lapped the water I will save you and deliver the Midianites into your hands. But all the others are to go home.”Here we also notice the ideologue of a narrow circle of knights, maybe not 28, as was originally in the Order of the Golden Fleece, and three hundred - and, of course, three hundred Spartans come to the memory and "us three hundred as a glass". This is a wandering ideologem . But in the Order and the Badge of the Order there is another motto - "The blow falls before the flash of flames" ("Ante ferit quam flamma micet") - is directly related to the fact that the chain, on which the symbol of the order is hanging, looks like stylized image of flint and crepe.

Fire striker is a symbol of Philip the Good , as well as the heraldic sign of Burgundy.Stylized pencils were executed in the form of the Latin letter "B" - Burgundia, flint - in the form of a flat oval, covered with black enamel with white droplet sparks.On the element of the chain, to which the golden fleece was attached, a flint with sparks and tongues of the flame on the sides was depicted.In the XVI century it was allowed to wear an order on a cervical moire tape of red color in two fingers in width, and not on a golden chain.The third motto belonged to the Duke himself: "Not Aliud" ("Non Aliud"). This statement is engraved on the back of the central link of the chain.

   In feudal times, the rights to the land, titles as well as primacy in knight communities were inherited or based on marriages.In 1477, the Austrian Archduke Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (Erzherzog Maximilian von Österreich, 1459-1519) married Maria Burgundy (Marie de Bourgogne, 1457-1482) and became, among other things, the Duke of Burgundy. Accordingly, the right of continuity and control of the order passed into his hands. Over time, Maximilian I became the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the Germanic nation (Sacrum Romanum Imperium Nationis Germanicæ, Heiliges Römisches Reich Deutscher Nation). And the Order of the Golden Fleece became the highest distinction of this political form, which in this form lasted until 1806. The Order began its journeys in Europe.

   From the Pope, the Order received special spiritual and political privileges. From the Pope, the Order received special spiritual and political privileges. Even the main Order of the Vatican -has no advantages before the Order of the Golden Fleece. Such authority had the Order, whose emperor was the Master.

   Later, the son of Maximilian I and Maria Burgundy - Philippe the Handsome (Felipe el Hermoso, Philipp I. (Kastilien), "Philipp der Schöne", 1478-1506) married the Spanish Princess Joanna of Castile (Juana I de Castilla, llamada "La Loca" , 1479-1555) - and, consequently, under the right of continuity, their son Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (Carlos I de España and V del Sacro Imperio Romano Germánico, 1500-1558) and became grandmaster of the Order.

   Habsburgs were divided into two branches - Spanish and Austrian. And, accordingly, the Order was divided into two branches - Spanish and Austrian.

   The Austrian and Spanish governors wished to become the only stewards of the Order - an order in which  most European knights tried to become a member.In 1724, even a special congress was held, in which the dispute between two branches of one dynasty was considered, but any decision wasn’t accepted. With the tacit acceptance of both sides, the Austrian and Spanish governors created two chapters of the Order, independent of each other. By that time it was already a monarch's reward to his subjects.The Carlism (Bourbon) contenders for the Spanish throne had their own grandmaster and appointed their members from 1845 to 1900. Napoleon's elder brother Joseph Bonaparte (Joseph Bonaparte, 1768-1844), while on the Spanish throne, also awarded the Order of the Golden Fleece from 1808 to 1813.

   In the Statute of the Order of the Golden Fleece, strict rules were prescribed, which, however, were not always fulfilled. Earlier, only Catholics could be members of the Order, but Ferdinand VII (Fernando VII de España, 1784-1833) decided to leave this principle - he wanted to pay tribute to those who returned to the Spanish throne of the Bourbons. In Austria, these innovations have not been introduced.

  It is really  interesting, that the rules of the Order required, after the death of the rewarder, to return the Order Badge to the Order .Therefore, in the museums, the Signs of the Order were found only when there was a kind of political catastrophe, and it was impossible to return the Order's sign.

   The Austrian branch of the Order of the Golden Fleece has, unlike the Spanish, preserved its original aristocratic and religious character. The Order was awarded only to members of the royal families and to the higher knights who professed Catholicism.The kings of the Polish–Lithuanian

Commonwealth were among the first contenders. For example, the Swede Sigismund III Vasa (Zygmunt III Waza, 1566-1632), his son Władysław IV Vasa (Władysław IV Waza, 1595-1648), Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki (1640-1673),an Ukrainian of origin, but an unlucky son of Bogdan's Khmelnytsky(1595-1657)  main opponent -Jeremi Wiśniowiecki (1612-1651).

   In the XVIII century, the Order of the Golden Fleece testified to the high status of the person who received it.Signs of the Order began to be generously decorated with precious stones.Particularly Augustus II the Strong was distinguished (August II der Starke, August II Mocny, 1670-1733)-elector of Saxony and King of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (whose portraits are pretty much in the Lviv Art Gallery).He did not seem to be a stranger to the Ukrainian reader - the God-feared King of Poland, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, the Rus, the Prussians, the Mazovians, the Livonian, the Kuvanskiy, the Volyn, the Podolsky, the Podlaskie, the Inflian, the Smolensk, the Seversky, the Chernigov, the Elector , the Saxon prince .Under the "Rus’" here is meant the true Rus’ - the present Galicia, not Muscovy.

According to this, a lot of his portraits with the Badge of the Order of the Golden Fleece were left in the Lviv Art Gallery.Augustus II the Strong ordered the whole set of accessories, decorated with diamonds - here also belonged the Badge of the Order of the Golden Fleece.What is noteworthy, he wore this sign with the same diamond sign of the Order of the White Eagle, which was eventually banned by the Charter of the Order.The August III Sas (1696-1763) was not lagging behind his father, also the God-feared King of Poland, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, the Rus, the Prussians, the Mazovians, the Livonian, the Kuvanskiy, the Volyn, the Podolsky, the Podlaskie, the Inflian, the Smolensk, the Seversky, the Chernigov, hereditary prince of Saxony, prince-elector (whose portraits are also presented at the Lviv Art Gallery).And behind them came the higher and enlightened gentry of the Commonwealth.For example,Jan Kajetan Jabłonowski, (1699/1700-1764),Prince of the Holy Roman Empire since July 4, 1744 ,a statesman of the Commonwealth (senator), a soldier, a poet, patron, who finished his knight's way in Ostroh, whose portrait is also stored in the Gallery. ?he last King of the Commonwealth, Stanisław August Poniatowski (1732-1798) (again present in the Gallery collection).

   The flame on the Sign of the Order often symbolized red precious stones - rubies, grenades.The sign was generously decorated with diamonds, so that the characters of the Order (fire, flint, crepe, and trumpet) were depicted very symbolically. However, gradually the Sign of the Order was found in a single style: the Golden Fleece began to attach to the flint with a flame, and the flint - to the image of a trumpet with arches of blue enamel and the motto of the Order of  «Pretium Laborum Non Vile». And the whole composition ends with a golden turtle. In this form, the Order of the Golden Fleece exists to this day.

   For us, Ukrainians, more interesting is the story of the Austrian branch of the Order of the Golden Fleece, which is closer to us. She has faced many transformations ,changed the basic forms of government and monarchy, which had the right to manage the Order. The Battle of Austerlitz was one of the most important and decisive engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. In what is widely regarded as the greatest victory achieved by Napoleon, the Grande Armée of France defeated  Holy Roman Emperor Francis II. In 1804 Francis II received the title of the emperor of Austria, striving to remain equal in rank with Napoleon, who in the same year was proclaimed as the hereditary emperor of the French. In his title is mentioned "We, Francis the First, by the Grace of God Emperor of Austria; King of Jerusalem, Hungary, Bohemia, Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia, Galicia and Lodomeria; ".The official names of the Ukrainian lands were: Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria,with Grand Duchy of Kraków (Königreich Galizien mit dem Großherzogtum Krakau und den Herzogtümern Auschwitz und Zator) and (Herzogtum Bukowina, 1849-1918).Carpathian Ruthenia did not have its own autonomy and was part of the Kingdom of Hungary (Königreich Ungarn, Magyar Királyság).

   Accordingly, higher dignitaries of these lands claimed to be awarded the Order of the Golden Fleece. Thus, one of the first marshals of the Diet of Galicia and Lodomeria in 1825-1829 was Anthony Yuzef Lancorkonsky (Antoni Józef Lanckoroński, 1760-1830),who from 1781 was the member of the Masonic lodge "Under three helmets" ,which also gives him access to higher authorities.

   Alfred Potocki (Alfred ?? Józef Potocki, 1817-1889) ,also marshal of the Diet of Galicia and Lodomeria received an order from the Emperor Franz Josef.Alfred Potocki was a patron, a passionate connoisseur of French architecture, he ordered the construction of the residence of the governor of Galicia, the famous Poto?ki Palace in Lviv Mykoly Kopernyka Street, 15 to the Parisian architect Louis Doverne (Louis Dauvergne, 1854-1937), but did not see it completed.Roman Potocki (Roman Alfred Maria Potocki, 1851-1915) completed the building of the palace.The palace became one of the best pearls of the Lviv Art Gallery today.

   Subsequently, in the days of Franz Joseph I (1830-1916), the Austrian Empire is transformed into the Austro-Hungarian monarchy (Osstrák-Magyar Monarchia), which we know.And in this form it existed in the years 1867-1918 until the collapse of the First World War.

   After the division of the Order of the Grand Master in Austria, there were emperors Franz I(Franz ? Stefan von Habsburg-Lothringen, 1708-1765),Joseph II(Joseph II von Habsburg-Lothringen, 1741-1790), Leopold II (Leopold II von Habsburg-Lothringen, 1742-1792),Franz II (Franz II. Joseph Karl von Habsburg-Lothringen, 1768-1835), Ferdinand I (Ferdinand I von Habsburg-Lothringen, 1793-1875), Franz Joseph I (Franz Joseph I von Habsburg-Lothringen, 1830-1916),his main portrait in the mantle of the Order of the Golden Fleece of Johann Baptista Lampi (Johann Baptist Lampi der Ältere, Giovanni Battista Lampi, 1751-1830) adorns the main entrance to the Diduschytsky / Lozynsky palace, from where the Lviv Art Gallery began, Lviv, Stefanik, 3 street).

   The last Great Master and ruling emperor was Karl ? von Habsburg-Lothringen, (1887-1922).Later, already in exile, the Great Master became his son, Archduke Otto(Otto von Habsburg, 1912-2011), Head of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.He was born in 1912 and was the legal successor to Emperor Karl I, who died in exile after the Republic of Austria was proclaimed in November 1918.

  After the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the question arose - who will be the manager of the Order of the Golden Fleece.There were attempts by Belgium to declare their rights to the Order, because it was created on the territory of modern Belgium. However, the King of Belgium Albert (Albert I, 1875-1934) decided that it was incorrect in relation to the Habsburgs and refused.

  Initially, during the interwar period, the Austrian authorities were very reluctant to everything what refers to the Habsburg monarchy.And only World War II turned the Austrian republic into its own history and tradition.After the Nazi catastrophe, the government of the Austrian republic recognized that the rule over the Austrian branch of the Order should belong to the Habsburg-Lorraine home.And by its Decree of September 16, 1953, the Order was recognized as the legal entity of international law.

   The Austrian government placed the archives and insights of the Order at the State Treasury and in Hofburg and allowed the Order to be used by them in carrying out their ceremonies.The Austrian Order preserved the original statutes and the official language of the Order is French.

   Until recently, the head of the Order was Otto von Habsburg - by the way, he was not indifferent to Ukraine "Ukraine also belongs to the Central Europe"published in the number 9 of the magazine "JI" for 1997. He has visited Ukraine more than once.

   Today, the grandmaster of the Austrian branch of the Order of the Golden Fleece is the grandson of the last ruling Austrian emperor Karl von Habsburg (Karl von Habsburg, 1961).The Habsburgs continued to reward even after the throne was lost. And also visited Galicia and Bukovina, which have a clear family sentiment. Not so long ago he visited the Lviv Art Gallery.

 A similar story with the exile of monarchs and the existence of the Order overseas was also in Spain.The Spanish Bourbons, who inherited the right to the Order of the Habsburgs, were expelled from the country in 1931.After the restoration of the monarchy in Spain, the Order has retained its high status, and now its head is King Philip VI (Felipe VI de Borbón y Grecia, 1968).The Spanish Order of the Golden Fleece is more liberal than the Austrian.It accepts members of both non-Catholics and women.In 2015, this prize was awarded to the little infant of Spain, Leonora (Leonor de Todos los Santos de Borbón Ortiz, 2005) - the daughter of King Philip.The Women's Badge of the Order is not worn on the cervical tape or chain, but on the red ribbon.

  At the present time, there are 18 living knights and ladies honored with this highest award from Europe.Among the knights of the Austrian Order of the Golden Fleece, apart from the members of the imperial and royal houses of Austria, are Jean, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg (Jean de Luxembourg, 1921), Philip I, King of Belgium (Philippe Léopold Louis Marie, 1960), Prince of Liechtenstein Hans-Adam II Hans-Adam II, 1945).

   Over time, the relationship between the two branches of the Order, Austrian and Spanish, were coordinated, and today the only knight of both branches of the Order is the current King of Belgium Albert II (Albert II van België, Albert II de Belgique, 1934).

           February 25, 2019, Lviv