Order of Saint George (Kingdom of Hungary)



The Order of St George, Szent György Vitézei Lovagrend, was the first secular chivalric order in the world established by King Charles I of Hungary in 1326. A similar-named entity, the International Order of St George, was created by hungarian exile Janos Karaszy-Kulin after the fall of communism in 1989, with Grand Priories in the United States and the United Kingdom.

History
The Order was founded by King Charles I of Hungary as the Fraternal Society of Knighthood of St George. The precise date of its foundation is not known, but based on the text of its Statutes, it was in existence on St George's Day, 23 April 1326. The order flourished during Charles' reign and achieved greater success under the reign of his son King Louis I of Hungary. After the death of Louis, however, the Hungarian throne became the subject of a violent dispute between his relations, and the Hungarian kingdom dissolved into civil war, destroying the original Society.

All that is known about the Order in terms of its mission, composition, obligations and activities has been obtained from the only surviving artifact which describes the Society: the Statutes.

Based on the Order's Statutes, although the Society of St George was a political and honorary body, Charles infused the ideals of chivalry into the Society promoting them among the lesser nobles of his kingdom and implementing the classic symbol of chivalry, the knights' tournament, in Hungarian festivals of chivalry. Unlike the ecclesiastical Orders of the period, members of the Society wore a black, knee-length, hooded mantle, bearing not an heraldic device but an inscription:

""In Veritate iustus sum huic fraternali societae" - "In truth I am just to this fraternal society.""

The Statutes, written in Latin (the language of learned writing in Hungary before the nineteenth century), are about 1,700 words long, in the form of letters patent. Suspended from the document was the great seal of the Society bearing an image of the classic iconic representation of St George mounted on a horse slaying the dragon under the horse's hooves (as shown on the right). The document is currently housed in the Országos Levéltar (National Archives of Hungary), DL. 40 483. There are a number of transcriptions and translations of the Statutes, facilitating study.

International Order of St George (20th c.-21st c.)
In Hungary, the twentieth century foundation of the Order of Vitéz was based upon the Order of St George, but the Knightly Order of St George re-emerged in its own right after the fall of communism in 1989.

The Order of St George exists today as an international confraternity of men and women who support its charitable and humanitarian mission. In the United Kingdom, the Order has charitable status as Registered Charity No. 1137397, and it is affiliated with the Royal Society of St George. In the United States of America, it is registered as a 501(c)3 non-profit organisation. Since 2015, it has been recognised by the United Nations as an organisation with Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic & Social Council (ECOSOC).

Current classes
The four classes of appointment to the Order are, in descending order of precedence:


 * 1) Grand Cross of the International Knightly Order Valiant of St George (GCStG)
 * 2) Knight/Dame Commander of the International Knightly Order Valiant of St George (KCStG/DCStG)
 * 3) Knight/Dame of the International Knightly Order Valiant of St George (KStG/DStG)
 * 4) Officer of the International Knightly Order Valiant of St George (OStG)