Order of the Thistle

The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland. While its original date of foundation is unknown, James VII (also King of England as James II) instituted the modern Order in 1687. The Order consists of the Sovereign and sixteen Knights and Ladies, as well as certain "extra" knights (members of the British Royal Family and foreign monarchs). The Sovereign alone grants membership of the Order; he or she is not advised by the Government, as occurs with most other Orders.

Composition

The Kings of Scotland—later the Kings of Great Britain and of the United Kingdom—have served as Sovereigns of the Order. When James VII revived the Order, the statutes stated that the Order would "consist of the Sovereign and twelve Knights-Brethren in allusion to the Blessed Saviour and his Twelve Apostles." In 1827, George IV augmented the Order to sixteen members. Women (other than Queens regnant) were originally excluded from the Order; Elizabeth II, however, allowed the admission of Ladies of the Thistle in 1987.

Related Topics:
Blessed Saviour - Twelve Apostles - 1827 - George IV - Elizabeth II - 1987

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From time to time, individuals may be admitted to the Order by special statutes. Such members are known as "Extra Knights" and do not count towards the sixteen-member limit. Members of the British Royal Family are normally admitted through this procedure; the first to be so admitted was a younger son of George III, HRH The Prince William Henry (later William IV). Olav V, King of Norway, the first foreigner to be admitted to the Order, was also admitted by special statute in 1962.

Related Topics:
George III - HRH The Prince William Henry - Olav V, King of Norway - 1962

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The Sovereign has historically had the power to choose Knights and Ladies of the Order. From the eighteenth century onwards, the Sovereign made his or her choices upon the advice of the Government. George VI felt that the Orders of the Garter and the Thistle had been used only for political patronage, rather than to reward actual merit. Therefore, with the agreement of the Prime Minister (Clement Attlee) and the Leader of the Opposition (Winston Churchill) in 1946, the Order of the Thistle returned to the personal gift of the Sovereign.

Related Topics:
Eighteenth century - George VI - Clement Attlee - Winston Churchill - 1946

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Knights and Ladies of the Thistle may also be admitted to the Order of the Garter. Formerly, many, but not all, Knights elevated to the senior Order would resign from the Order of the Thistle. The first to resign from the Order of the Thistle was John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll in 1710; the last to take such an action was Thomas Dundas, 2nd Earl of Zetland in 1872. Knights and Ladies of the Thistle may also be deprived of their knighthoods. The only individual to have suffered such a fate was John Erskine, 6th Earl of Mar who lost both the knighthood and the earldom after participating in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715.

Related Topics:
John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll - 1710 - Thomas Dundas, 2nd Earl of Zetland - 1872 - John Erskine, 6th Earl of Mar - Jacobite Rebellion - 1715

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The Order has four officers: the Dean, the Chancellor, the Usher, the King of Arms and the Secretary. The Dean is normally a cleric of the Church of Scotland. The Chancellor is normally one of the knights, though not necessarily the most senior one. The Usher of the Order is the Gentleman Usher of the Green Rod (unlike his Garter equivalent, the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, he does not have another function assisting the House of Lords). The King of Arms of the Order, responsible for heraldry, is the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Scottish Heraldry. The Lord Lyon often—but not invariably—also serves as the Secretary.

Related Topics:
Church of Scotland - Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod - Heraldry - Lord Lyon King of Arms

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