Order of Christ of the Kingdom of the Congo

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The Order of Christ of the Kingdom of Kongo as Ritterorden Congo known (The Chivalric Order of Congo), is a since 2007 existing home orders and decorations of the royal family of the Kingdom of Batéké in Congo . Its foundation goes back to the Christ Order of Portugal . The motto of the Congolese order is: "Dont sleep, be awake!"

history

The Kingdom of the Congo was a Bantu empire in central Africa , its borders extended over the present-day states of Angola , the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo . The first Portuguese colonial territories emerged in the early 16th century and lasted until the late 19th century. The kings ruling on the Congolese territories were divided into Mani-Congo and Batéké .

Coat of arms of Mani Congo

Mani Congo

Nzinga Nzkuwu († 1506) was the ruler of Mani-Congo , the African Empire of the Congo. In 1491, after his conversion to the Roman Catholic Church, he was baptized by Portuguese missionaries in the name of João. As Joãn I (John I), he was ruler of the Kingdom of the Congo from 1470 to 1505. He was followed in 1505 by his son Afonso I (around 1456–1543) on the throne of the Kingdom of the Congo . Afonso had been raised in Portugal and therefore cultivated contacts with the Portuguese kings . Portugal was the only European country to recognize the new ruler as king.

Kingdom of Batéké

Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza

The Batéké belong to the Bantu and are settled in Gabon, the Republic of the Congo and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Like Mani-Congo, Batéké came into contact with the Portuguese colonists. After the loss of Portuguese supremacy in the Congolese region, the Makoko of Batéké, the king's title of Batéké, negotiated a protectorate treaty with the French envoy Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza in 1880 . The Batéké kingdom continues to this day.

Order Foundation

Going back to the historical connection to Portugal with the Makoko of Batéké and the royal house of Mani-Congo, the idea was taken up in 2007 to revive the Portuguese Order of Christ from 1307. At the request of King Makoko Auguste Nguempio , these efforts were put into practice by Prince Magloire Lamine . According to the Makoko instructions, the new order should be called "The Chivalric Order of Congo" and be in the tradition of the first King Joãn I, the Knights Templar and successor to the Portuguese Order of Christ.

organization

Internal and external affairs and official external representation are handled by the Board of Governors. It consists of the incumbent King Makoko August Nguempio, the Royal Prince Magloire Lamine ( Grand Master of the Order), Prince Brian Willis (General and Chancellor of the Order) and Princess Amunh ( Grand Lady ). The commanderies (branches) are divided into the general commander at the same time Grand Commander Africa , further into the Grand Commander Asia , Grand Commander Europe , Grand Commander South America and Grand Commander of the USA .

Order of Honor

The statutes and rules of honor stipulate that for admission to the knightly order, an exemplary life, a steadfast demeanor, a valiant stand up for the people and a humanistic attitude are prerequisites. The future holder of the order is to be honored with this award for outstanding achievements and is decorated with corresponding medals , order classes and ranks. With the appointment as knight and lady they are entitled to the address "Lady" or "Sir".

Order classes

There are four military ranks in the “Yellow Knight” category, from Apprenti (apprentice) to Servant (servant) . The officer ranks are followed by the “rider”, the “knight” and “lady”, the “master” and “master” and as the highest officer level the “general”.

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ KING MAKOKO AUGUSTE NGUEMPIO archive link ( Memento from December 23, 2010 in the Internet Archive )