Order of Franz I.

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Order of Franz I.

The order of Francis I ( Italian Real ordine di Francesco primo ) was a state order of merit of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies .

history

The order was donated by King Francis I on September 28, 1829 . The honors were “the virtues of bourgeois life”, that is, merits in art and science, in agriculture, in industry and in trade. Grand Master of the order was the respective king of both Sicilies.

The statutes of the order were amended by King Francis II on December 21, 1858.

As part of the annexation of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies by the newly founded Kingdom of Italy , the order was repealed in 1861. Nevertheless, the order was still awarded to his throne by the exiled King Francis II and subsequent pretenders .

Order classes

The order originally had five classes:

By statute of December 21, 1858, a further class was established with the following division:

  • Grand Cross,
  • Large cordons,
  • Commander with a star,
  • Commander without a star,
  • Knight 1st class,
  • Knight II class.

Order decoration

The order consists of an eight-pointed white enameled gold cross . A golden lily is inserted in each corner of the cross arm . The medallion has the initials "FI" on the gold front and a crown above . Everything is surrounded by a green enameled oak wreath. A blue enameled circular ring with a gold rim surrounds everything and shows the inscription in gold letters: “De rege optime merito” as the motto of the order . The reverse also shows an inscription surrounded by a green enameled oak wreath: "Franciscus Ius instituit MDCCCXXIX" (1829). A golden royal crown completes the top of the order cross.

Ribbon and way of wearing

The ribbon is red with a blue stripe on both sides. Grand cruisers and committees wore the order cross around their necks . The first class also wore a star on the left side of the chest. The star resembles the large decoration: cross arms in silver and the lilies in gold. The medallion on the front is also the same, but the crown above the large order cross is omitted. The knights pinned the award on the left side of the chest or in the buttonhole. The order range varied from wide to narrow according to the class.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ H. Schulze: Chronicle of all known knight orders and decorations, which are awarded by sovereigns and governments, including images of the decorations. Volume 2, Lindow, Berlin 1870, p. 433 f.

literature

  • Order of Francis the First. In: Gothaischer genealogischer Hof-Kalender to the year 1837. Justus Perthes, Gotha 1837, p. 63.
  • Order of Franz 'I. In: JG Gruber (Hrsg.): General Encyclopedia of Science and Arts. FA Brockhaus, Leipzig 1848, First Section, Part 48, p. 39.

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