The Order of the Dragon (Latin: Societas Draconistrarum, lit. "Society of the Dragonists") was a monarchical chivalric order for selected nobility, founded in 1408 by Sigismund, King of Hungary (r. 1387-1437) and later Holy Roman Emperor (r. 1433-1437). It was fashioned after the military orders of the Crusades, requiring its initiates to defend the cross and fight the enemies of Christianity, in particular the Ottoman Turks.
The Order flourished during the first half of the 15th century, primarily in Germany and Italy. After Sigismund's death in 1437 its importance declined in Western Europe, but after the Fall of Constantinople of 1453, it continued to play a role in Hungary, Bulgaria, Wallachia and Serbia, which bore the brunt of the Ottoman incursions.
Read more about Order Of The Dragon: Historical Background, Foundation and Purpose, Membership, Symbol of The Order and Other Artifacts
Famous quotes containing the words order and/or dragon:
“Knowledge is and will be produced in order to be sold, it is and will be consumed in order to be valorized in a new production: in both cases, the goal is exchange. Knowledge ceases to be an end in itself, it loses its Use-value.”
—Jean François Lyotard (b. 1924)
“Sir Eglamour, that worthy knight,
He took his sword and went to fight;
And as he rode both hill and dale,
Armed upon his shirt of mail,
A dragon came out of his den,
Had slain, God knows how many men!”
—Samuel Rowlands (1570?–1630?)