Order of the Eagle of Georgia

The Order of the Eagle of Georgia and the Seamless Tunic of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Georgian: საქართველოს არწივისა და უფლისა ჩვენისა იესო ქრისტეს უკერველი კვართის)[1] commonly known as the Order of the Eagle of Georgia (OEG), is the highest order of chivalry awarded by the House of Bagration, whose Chief and Grand Master is Prince David Bagration of Mukhrani.[2][3][4] Prince David became the disputed head of the Royal House and the order when his father, Jorge de Bagration,[5] died.

Order of the Eagle of Georgia and the Seamless Tunic of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Grand Cross and Grand Collar Star of the Order of the Eagle of Georgia
Awarded by Bagrationi dynasty
TypeDynastic order
Awarded forSupport of Georgia and the cause of the monarchy, also alleged to be for sale
StatusCurrently constituted
Statistics
EstablishedClaimed to be between 1184 and 1213;
"re-established" in 1939
Precedence
Next (higher)None
Next (lower)Order of Saint Queen Tamara

Ribbon of the Order of the Eagle of Georgia

History of the Order

The Order claims to have been founded by Queen Tamar of Georgia, and its modern history dates from when it was "restored" by Prince Irakli Bagration of Mukhrani in 1939 as the highest of the House Orders of the Bagrationi dynasty.[3]

The name of the Order refers to the Sacred Tunic that Jesus Christ wore at his death. According to legend, the relic was raffled off by Roman soldiers and it was then taken to Georgia, preserved, and buried in the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, alongside the insignias of former Kings of Georgia.[6]

In 1942, Prince Irakli Bagration of Mukhrani[7] was elected President of the Union of Traditionalist Georgians, who were dedicated to restoring a free Georgia under a constitutional monarchy.

Upon his death in 1977, Prince Irakli was succeeded in his claims by his first-born son, Prince Jorge de Bagration, who only awarded the Order within his family until 2001, when he decided to give concessions for "excellence and merit."[8]:59, 61–62, 64–65, 67–68 After 2003, Prince Jorge gave the order a new constitution, establishing its current terms and conditions.[9]

During the Grand Mastership of Prince Jorge, significant figures from nobility and royalty entered the Order.[10]

In 1991, it was reported that the Georgian Parliament acknowledged Prince Jorge Bagration of Mukhrani as the head of the Royal house of Bagrationi, but others dispute his claims.[11] In 1995, Prince Jorge, traveled to Georgia with and met with Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze, who declared to Prince Jorge: "My Lord, you are in your homeland which needs the Royal Family to maintain its unity."[7]

Due to the Mukhrani's long exile in Spain, many of the order's members are Spanish.[12] The order is highlighted in a list of notable orders on the Blasones Hispanos, Ordenes Dinasticas website.[13] The Spanish government formally accorded the Bagration-Moukkrhani Princes the qualification of "Royal Highness," although the title had been Serene Highness before the Mukrhani diaspora.[14]

Prince Jorge's son, Prince David repatriated to Georgia in 2008, one year after the Patriarch of Georgia, Ilia II, who is a holder of the Grand Collar of the Order of the Eagle of Georgia, had called for the restoration of the Georgian monarchy.[6] David was granted citizenship, and a year later,married Princess Anna, daughter of the genealogically junior Grazinsky Bragration branch who were rivals to the defunct Georgian throne.[8]:56–67 [15][16] [17][18] Princess Anna was, herself, a Dame of the Order.[12] The marriage sparked widespread interest in the revival of a constitutional monarchy.[19] The royal couple divorced in 2013,[20][21] and their son Prince Giorgi, was a Knight Grand Collar of the order from birth.[22]

In 2017, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, "received the Grand Collar of the Order of the Eagle of Georgia" on behalf of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth IIA in honor of her 90th birthday.[23][24] The presentation was criticised by the British newspaper The Mail on Sunday[25], who later published an investigation alleging that membership of the Order was available for sale. The Order's Chancellor wrote in an email to the newspaper that the Grand Collar, the same grade Queen Elizabeth II received, cost £3,000.[26]

The Order has been conferred on various Georgian politicians and notable figures including former Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina (Boris) Ivanishvili. On December 16, 2018 Prince David was invited to the inauguration of Georgia's first female President, Salome Zouravishvili,[27] who herself selected one of the old Georgia Kingdom's last Royal Residences to celebrate Georgia's "royal heritage and its future."[28]

The dynastic order is assessed as an authenticated order of chivalry, but by slightly varying standards. In Burke's Peerage, it is as an order "founded by royal claimants in exile". The International Commission on Orders of Chivalry validates it as a "new chivalric institution founded by the head of a formerly reigning dynasty". The Augustan Society notes it as a non-ruling dynastic honor.[29]

Grand Masters of the Order
Sash badge of the Order

Grades of the Order

The Order of the Eagle of Georgia is composed of seven grades. However, the two lowest ranks are not usually awarded.

  • Dame / Knight Grand Collar (GColEG)
  • Dame / Knight Grand Cross (GCEG)
  • Dame / Knight Grand Officer (GOEG)
  • Dame / Knight Commander (KCEG)
  • Dame / Knight (KEG)
  • Officer (OEG)
  • Member (MEG)

See also

Notes
A.^ It has never been clarified if Queen Elizabeth II accepted this as an honour for herself and is described by Buckingham Palace as a 'gift'.[25]

References
  1. "Order of the Eagle of Georgia" (in Georgian). Royal Family of Georgia. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  2. "Provisional list of orders: New chivalric institutions founded by the head of a formerly reigning dynasty", International Commission on Orders of Chivalry – 2006 Register, retrieved 14 February 2015
  3. Sainty & Heydal-Mankoo 2006
  4. "Orden Del Aguila De Georgia Y La Tunica Sin Costuras De Nuestro Señor Jesucristo". Blasoneshispanos.com. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  5. Warner, Gerald. (8 August 2008). "Demoralized Georgia may renew itself by restoring its monarchy", The Telegraph; retrieved 3 May 2014.
  6. Serrano 2014
  7. Rey y Cabieses, Amadeo-Martín (2005). Wittelsbach y Borbón: relaciones y enlaces entre las Casas Reales de Baviera y España, siglos XIX al XXI. Escuela "Marqués de Avilés".
  8. Montgomery 1980
  9. "Newspress - დავით მაღრაძეს და ნიკუშა შენგელაიას დავით ბაგრატიონი თავისუფლებისთვის ბრძოლაში გაწეული ღვაწლისთვის ორდენს გადასცემს". Newspress.ge. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  10. The Royal House of Georgia Distinguished Knights and Ladies of the Order of the Eagle of Georgia and the Seamless Tunic of Our Lord Jesus Christ Archived 2015-07-01 at the Wayback Machine, Royalhouseofgeorgia.ge; accessed 6 November 2016.
  11. "Prince George Bagration of Mukhrani, Claimant to the throne of Georgia who became well known in Spain as a fearless motor racing and rally driver", The Times (London), 2 February 2008.
  12. Elenco 2015
  13. Blasones hispanos 2015
  14. Montgomery-Massingberd, H. (1980). Burke's Royal Families of the World, vol II, Africa & the Middle East. London: Burke's Peerage LTC.
  15. "Photo - Politics - The Government inherits gifts received by Ivanishvili while in office". Interpressnews.ge. Archived from the original on 7 November 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  16. "Ceremonia de la Casa Real de Georgia en el Ateneo. Las Provincias". Lasprovincias.es. 14 July 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  17. "Georgia Times Wedding of the two royal dynasties members"; Georgian Journal; retrieved 10 February 2015
  18. "Prince David, wearing the Grand Cross of the OEG" Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine, Royalhouseofgeorgia.ge; accessed 6 November 2016.
  19. Kalatozishvili, Georgy. (11 November 2013). Will Georgia become a monarchy?, VestnikKavkaza.net; retrieved 11 February 2015.
  20. "Descendant of Georgian kings announces his divorce". Vestnik Kavkaza. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  21. "Georgian Royal Family Divorce". Georgianjournal.ge. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  22. Second birthday of HRH Giorgi Bagration Bagrationi Archived 2014-02-02 at the Wayback Machine, Royalhouseofgeorgia.ge, 27 September 2013.
  23. Infoweb
  24. Court Circular, royal.uk, 8 March 2017; retrieved 27 March 2017.
  25. Petre, Jonathan (26 March 2017). "Clown prince who blagged his way into Kensington Palace... to present a gong to the Queen!". The Mail on Sunday. p. 3.
  26. Donovan, Ned (2 April 2017). "Get a Clown Prince gong like the Queen... for £3,000: Gold collar given to Her Majesty by Georgian royal as a 'special' gift is available to ANYONE". The Mail on Sunday. p. 8.
  27. Civil Georgia (8 Oct. 2007) ). Politicians Comment on constitutional Monarchy. Retrieved from https://old.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=15974
  28. The Japantimes News (December 16, 2018). "Salome Zurabishvili, Georgia’s first female President, takes oath of office" Retrieved from: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/12/16/world/politics-diplomacy-world/salome-zurabishviligeorgias-first-female-president-takes-oath-office/#.XBu8kVVKjX4
  29. Augustan Society (2014). Recognized orders of Chivalry: Other Non-Ruling Dynastic Honors and Orders of Merit: Georgia: House of Bagrationi Order of the Eagle of Georgia and Seamless Tunic of Our Lord Jesus Christ; retrieved 15 May 2014.

Sources
  • Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh (1980), Burke's Royal Families of the World, Volume II Africa & the Middle East, ISBN 0-85011-029-7
  • Martínez Larrañaga; Escudero y Díaz Madroñero; de Montells y Galán, Fernando; Alfredo; José María (2015), Armorial de la Orden del Águila de Georgia y la Túnica Inconsútil de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo, ISBN 978-84-943890-4-7CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Serrano, S. (2014). "The Georgian Church: Embodiment of National Unity or Opposition Force?". Russian Politics and Law. 52 (4): 74–92.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Sainty, Guy Stair; Heydal-Mankoo, Rafal, eds. (2006), "Georgia", Burkes Peerage & Gentry: World Orders of Knighthood and Merit, pp. 1847–1849CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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