Order of the Knot

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Emblem of the Order of the Knot

The Order of the Holy Spirit , which for the emblem that characterized him, also Order of the Knot , Order of the Knot , Order of the Knot and Order of the Ribbon ; ( Italian Ordine del Nodo o del Santo Spirito ) was a Neapolitan order of knights . The addition "in Naples" or "from Naples" is often attached to the religious name. The term knot knight was also used to name it. In Latin it was called: Ordo Nodi insignis . The order of knights did not survive long after the death of its founder Ludwig von Tarent († 1362).

history

Statute title page

Between May 25 and 27, 1452, the Prince of Taranto ,  Ludwig from the older house of Anjou,  was the second husband of Queen  Joan I of Naples from Pope  Clement VI.  crowned king of Naples and  co-regent  . On Pentecost of the same year (May 28), Ludwig ordered a festival in memory of his coronation. That same day he founded the Knot's Order and Company.

The noblest and bravest gentlemen of the Kingdom of Naples were honored . Present were Robert von Tarent (Ludwig's older brother), Bernabò Visconti from Milan , Guglielmo del Balzo (Conte di Nola ), Luigi Sanseverino , Francesco Loffredo, Roberto Seripando, Gurello del Tocco , Giacomo Caracciolo , Giovanni di Burgenza, Giovannello Bozzuto and Cristofaro di Costanzo.

Order clothing

Order clothing

The clothing of the order , called Giornea (during the day, probably in the sense of "everyday robe"), consisted of a sleeveless white " habit " and a " beret " (see illustration on the right). The color “white” symbolized the purity in the faith and in the honor of the knights.

On Fridays, the knights had to wear a black cloak with a white silk knot without gold, silver or pearls to commemorate the Passion of Jesus Christ .

Order decoration

The only decoration allowed was a knot of purple and gold-red silk threads, which the king tied to the knight's chest or arm after the oath of allegiance and of his choice. Under the knot was the embroidered motto “Se Dieu Plait” (God willing). The same motto, with the name of the knight next to it, was engraved on the sword pommel.

Order rule

Statutes, Folio 8v.
Investiture of a knight (detail). The golden knot emblem of the order was visibly worn by the members on the chest.

The Order of the Knot, or Holy Spirit, was a curial order associated with the dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Naples and that followed the religious rules of Basil the Great . The church was recognized by the papal letter from Pope Clement VI. /

The corresponding statutes are attached to this knightly order, which are divided into 24 chapters and contain the main duties of the knot knights. The supreme head of the order was Ludwig von Taranto himself, who only had the right to appoint new knights.

The absolute fasting day was Friday. Failure to comply with the latter regulation meant that the knight was obliged to feed three beggars. The three in honor and in praise of the Holy Trinity .

The statutes stipulated the cases in which a knight could untie his knot: if seriously injured by the enemy in battle; in a fair fight with a number of enemies no less than those of his companions who first advanced to injure the enemy, to capture the flag or bring it to the ground, or to capture the captain of the enemies. The loosened knot was brought to Jerusalem as a pilgrim by the knight and attached to the Holy Sepulcher with his name inscribed in a clearly visible place. Only then could the knot be tied again, with a tongue of fire on it, crowned with the name of the knight under the new motto: " a pleut à Dieu " (God willed it).

Every year at Pentecost, the white-clad knights had to present the grand master (king) with a written account of the weapons events in which they had participated. Valuable, noteworthy deeds were then recorded in the register “ Livre des Avvenements ”, which was kept at the headquarters of the Order. On the same day the knight investment ceremony took place.

At the annual Pentecost meetings of the Chapter in the great hall of Castel dell'Ovo in Naples, there were those who had untied the knot for glorious armed events and those who had tied it again after visiting the Holy Sepulcher. Having a seat at the Grand Master's table of honor was the ultimate goal of every new knight and an irresistible incentive for new exploits.

Such an exuberance of individual worth, on the other hand, corresponded to utter contempt for a knight who had committed the slightest guilt. The guilty knight had to go to the chapter jury, dressed in black with a red flame on the side of his heart and with the embroidered inscription: “Fais esperance au Saint Esprit de ma grande honte amender” (I swear to the Holy Spirit to change my grave guilt). He was sitting alone in the middle of the room and no one could talk to him. Only when the Grand Master and the Council believed that he had atoned enough could he be rehabilitated in the eyes of the other knights.

After the death of a knight, the relatives had to hand over his sword to King and Grand Master Ludwig von Taranto during the offertory of the funeral service . The sword was then hung on the walls of the burial chapel. The dust of the centuries has not erased the memory of these knights. The epitaph of the Knight of the Order of the Knot, Colluccio Bozzuto, in the Cathedral of Naples reads as follows:

" ... qui fuit de Societate Nodi illustris Ludovici Regis Siciliae quem nodum in campali bello victoriose dissolvit, et dictum nodum religavit in Jerusalem, qui obiit ... "

The early death of Ludwig († 1362), who left no descendants, soon let this order go under.

literature

  • Ordre du S.-Esprit au Droit-Désir . Bibliothèque nationale de France. Département des Manuscrits, 1352 ( bnf.fr ).
  • Raffaele Cuomo: Ordini cavallereschi antichi e moderni divisi per regioni . tape 30 . Regio Stabilimento tipografico de Angelis & Bellisario, Naples 1894.
  • Artaud de Montor: world painting gallery or history and description of all countries and peoples . Italy and Sicily. tape 2 . E. Schweizerbart, Stuttgart 1836 ( full text in the Google book search).
  • Angelo Di Costanzo: Raccolta di tutti i più rinomati scrittori dell'istoria generale del Regno di Napoli . Tomo I. Giovanni Gravier, Naples 1769 ( full text in the Google book search).
  • Luigi Gibraro: Descrizione storica degli ordini cavallereschi . tape 2 . Stabilimento Tipografico Fontana, Torino 1846 ( full text in the Google book search).
  • Johann Hübner : Newly increased and improved Real State Newspaper and Conversation Lexicon . Emerich Felix Bader, Regensburg, Vienna 1761 ( full text in the Google book search).
  • Johann Georg Krünitz : Economic-technological encyclopedia or general system of statistics, city, house and country management and art history: in alphabetical order . tape 41 . Joachim Pauli, Berlin 1787, p. 791–792 ( full text in Google Book Search).
  • Giovanni Palazzi: Histoire des ordres monastiques, religieux et militaires,… Jean-Battiste Coignard, Parigi 1719, p. 314–319 ( full text in Google Book Search).
  • Kurt von der Aue: The knighthood and the knight orders, or historical-critical presentation of the origin of the knighthood, and a complete description of all existing knight orders for friends of the history of old and modern times . Sonntag, Merseburg 1825 ( full text in the Google book search).

Web links

Commons : Order of the Knot  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Statuts de l'Ordre du Saint Espirit
  2. ↑ European moral history from the origins of popular designs up to our time, Volume 4, page 570, Wilhelm Wachsmuth, Verlag Friedrich Christian Wilhelm Vogel, Leipzig 1837
  3. ^ A b Johann Georg Krünitz: Oekonomisch-Technologische Encyklopädie, Volume 41, p. 791
  4. ↑ a b Artaud de Montor: World painting gallery or history and description of all countries and peoples, p. 328
  5. ↑ The knighthood and the knight orders: or historical-critical presentation ..., Kurt von der Aue, Verlag JTJ Sonntag, Merseburg 1825, p. 224
  6. ↑ Johann Huebner neuvermehrtes and improved real State = Newspaper = encyclopedia, Regensburg and Vienna, in laying Emerich Felix Bader bookseller 1761, page 935
  7. ↑ a b Angelo Di Costanzo: Raccolta di tutti i più rinomati scrittori dell'istoria generale del Regno di Napoli, p. 224
  8. ↑ Famiglia del Balzo. Retrieved June 8, 2020 .
  9. ↑ Famiglia Loffredo. Retrieved June 8, 2020 .
  10. ↑ Famiglia Seripando. Retrieved June 8, 2020 .
  11. ↑ Famiglia di Costanza. Retrieved June 8, 2020 .
  12. ^ Johann Georg Krünitz: Economic-Technological Encyclopedia, Appendix
  13. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Orazio Ferrara, Lo Spirito Santo del Diritto Desiderio o del Nodo
  14. ↑ a b c d e f Ordine del Nodo in: Nobili-napoletani.it
  15. ↑ Ordre du S.-Esprit au Droit-Désir, Folio 8r. Gallica.bnf.fr/, accessed June 14, 2020 .
  16. ↑ Ordre du S.-Esprit au Droit-Désir, Folio 8r
  17. ^ Ordre du S. Esprit au Droit-Désir in: Bibliothèque nationale de France
  18. ↑ Luigi Gibraro, Descrizione storica degli ordini cavallereschi, p. 342