Order of the Sword
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The Royal Order of the Sword (officially: ''Royal Order of the Sword''; Swedish: ''Kungliga Svärdsorden'') is a Swedish
order of chivalry An order of chivalry, order of knighthood, chivalric order, or equestrian order is a society, fellowship and college of knights, typically founded during or inspired by the original Catholic military orders of the Crusades ( 1099–1291) and ...
and military decoration created by King
Frederick I of Sweden Frederick I (; 28 April 1676 – 5 April 1751) was List of Swedish monarchs, King of Sweden from 1720 until his death, having been prince consort of Sweden from 1718 to 1720, and was also Landgrave of Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, Hesse-Kassel fr ...
on 23 February 1748, together with the
Order of the Seraphim The Royal Order of the Seraphim (; ''Seraphim'' being a category of angels) is the highest order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Sweden. It was created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the ...
and the
Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 F ...
. The motto of the order is in Latin: ''Pro Patria'' (which means "For heFatherland"). Awarded to officers, and originally intended as an award for bravery and particularly long or useful service, it eventually became a more or less obligatory award for military officers after a certain number of years in service. There were originally three grades, ''Knight'', ''Commander'' and ''Commander Grand Cross'', but these were later multiplied by division into classes. On 20 December 2022, the Swedish Government published a new regulation that repealed the 1974 regulation, and once again opened the Royal Orders to Swedish citizens again and reactivated the Order of the Sword and the Order of Vasa, which came in effect from 1 February 2023.


History

The order was created by King Frederick I in 1748, along with two other orders, the Order of the Seraphim and the Order of the Polar Star. In 1788, King
Gustav III Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of King Adolf Frederick and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what he saw ...
created two new grades of the order, which could only be bestowed in war time: *"Knight Grand Cross First Class" – The cross is in shape similar to the Knight's cross, but as large as the Grand Cross badge and is worn on a necklet, and the star is in the shape of an upraised silver sword. It was awarded to division commanders of at least the rank of a major general for achieving a major victory in battle. Even the monarch could only wear the insignia Knight Grand Cross by the unanimous decision of his officers (e.g., Gustavus III,
Charles XIII Charles XIII or Carl XIII (; 7 October 1748 – 5 February 1818) was King of Sweden from 1809 and King of Norway from 1814 to his death. He was the second son (and younger brother to King Gustav III) of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Louisa ...
and Charles XIV John. *"Knight Grand Cross" – The cross is in shape similar to the Knight's cross, but as large as the Grand Cross badge and is worn on a necklet, and the star is in the shape of two crossed upright silver swords. These grades proper were only given to commissioned officers, but an affiliated decoration, the ''Svärdstecken'' ("Badge of the Sword"), introduced in 1850, was given to non-commissioned officers; one thus decorated would call himself a ''svärdsman'' ("Swordsman"). A Medal of the Sword was also introduced for enlisted men. Both the non-commissioned officers and the enlisted men had to have served for at least sixteen years to qualify for the Badge and Medal respectively. In 1952 a special medal of distinction was added to the order. These could only be bestowed in wartime. They are the War Cross of the Order of the Sword in Gold, in Silver and in Bronze. They are worn on the same ribbon as the order and the medal consist of the cross
saltire A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a Heraldry, heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross. The word comes from the Middle French , Medieval Latin ("stirrup"). From its use as field sign, the saltire cam ...
of the Order struck in gold, silver or bronze, with an upraised sword behind central medallion bearing the Swedish three crowns and in the spaces between the upper and lower arms of the cross. At the top of the points of the upper arms of the cross and of the sword is a small royal crown. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden frequently wears his Commander Grand Cross necklet and badge. In 2019, a parliamentary committee was instructed to establish guidelines on how to re-introduce the Swedish orders, including the Order of the Sword, into the Swedish honours system and how Swedish citizens again can be appointed to Swedish orders. The committee presented its findings in September 2021 and the Government has declared that a bill on the subject will be presented to the
Riksdag The Riksdag ( , ; also or , ) is the parliament and the parliamentary sovereignty, supreme decision-making body of the Kingdom of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral parliament with 349 members (), elected proportional rep ...
on 19 April 2022. The Bill was passed on 15 June 2022, and the Order of the Sword was re-introduced into the Swedish honours system on 1 February 2023. On 29 September 2023, Colonel Ryan S. Sweeney, defense attaché at the American embassy in Stockholm, became the first person since 1974 to receive the order.


Investiture

Formerly the reception of new Commanders Grand Cross took place without religious ceremonies in the royal apartments, but in the presence of the other Commanders Grand Cross of the Order, of the Knights of the Seraphim, and the Commanders Grand Cross of all the other orders. By the oath the Commander elect bound himself “to defend with life and property the Evangelical-Lutheran religion, to serve faithfully the King and the country, and to combat courageously against the foes of the country.” When a foreigner was elected a Commander of the Grand Cross, the insignia were sent to him abroad, while he, in his turn, transmitted to the archives of the Order a statement of the services rendered by him. When the royal orders were reinstated, however, the old ceremony was not restored. Instead a new state ceremony was created in which all recipients of all orders are awarded. The new ceremony is held in the White Sea Hall of the Stockholm Palace, decorated with the banners and insignia of the royal orders. After the King and Queen are announced by the Herald of the Royal Orders, tapping his staff on the floor twice, and make their entrance to the Seraphim March, the Chancellor of the Royal Orders makes an introduction speech and the King himself delivers a speech each recipient of all orders are, one by one, one order at a time from highest to lowest in rank, announced and called upon by the Deputy Chancellor of the Royal Orders to receive their insignia from the King and shake his hand. After all recipients of a certain order have received their award, the fanfare of that order is performed before the investiture of members of the next order begins. This ceremony was first held on 31 May 2024.url=https://www.kungahuset.se/arkiv/nyheter/2024-05-29-ordensforlaningsceremoni-pa-kungl.-slottet


Grades

The Order of the Sword in peacetime had five classes: * ''Commander Grand Cross'' – wears the badge on a collar (chain) or on a sash on the right shoulder, plus the star on the left chest; * ''Commander 1st Class'' – wears the badge on a necklet, plus the star on the left chest; * ''Commander'' – wears the badge on a necklet; * ''Knight 1st Class'' – wears the badge on a ribbon on the left chest; * ''Knight'' – wears the badge on a ribbon on the left chest;


Knight of the Grand Cross

In 1788 King Gustaf III, during the Russo-Swedish War, instituted another class of the order that could only be bestowed in wartime and only to senior officers whose conduct had had a significant effect on the war. Not even the King of Sweden can wear the decoration until a "Swedish army under His command has been victorious, either through combat or conquest". The special class is called ''Knight of the Grand Cross''. The breast star is in the shape of an upright sword, and is worn on the left pocket and the badge is worn around the neck. File:Riddare med stora korset av Svärdsorden.png, Badge File:RmstkSO1kl c.jpg, Breast star File:RmstSO1kl.png, Ribbon


Medals and badges

The order also encompasses two medals; *''Badge of the Sword'' (Svärdstecknet) – reserved for
Non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...
s *''Medal of the Sword'' (Svärdsmedaljen) – reserved for enlisted men Both medals are worn on a ribbon on the left chest. File:Svärdsmealjen AM.063733.jpg, Medal of the Sword, with the inscription ''Konung och Fädernesland'' (King and Fatherland) File:Svärdstecknet.jpg, Badge of the Sword.


Insignia and habit

The ''badge'' of the Order is a white enamelled
Maltese Cross The Maltese cross is a cross symbol, consisting of four " V" or arrowhead shaped concave quadrilaterals converging at a central vertex at right angles, two tips pointing outward symmetrically. It is a heraldic cross variant which develope ...
in
saltire A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a Heraldry, heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross. The word comes from the Middle French , Medieval Latin ("stirrup"). From its use as field sign, the saltire cam ...
(i.e. X-shaped), in silver for Knight class and in gold for the Knight 1st Class and above; gold open crowns appeared between the arms of the cross. The obverse central medallion bears an upright gold sword between three gold crowns on a blue enamelled background; the reverse central medallion has an upright gold sword intersecting a gold laurel wreath, and the
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
legend "Pro Patria" (For Fatherland) on a blue enamelled background. A pair of crossed gold swords in blue enamelled scabbards with downward turned blades lie across the opening between the upper arms of the cross at the top of the badge. In addition the badges of the two highest classes also have an upright similar gold and blue sword across the openings at the sides of the cross and an identical pair of crossed gold and blue swords with downwards turned blades across the opening between the lower arms of the cross at the bottom of the badge, the pairs of crossed swords are each tied together and the side swords are bound to the cross by a single gold ribbon which crosses the arms of the cross from behind. The badge hanged from a gold and enamelled royal crown. *The ''collar'' of the Order is of gold in the form of eleven gold swords in blue enamelled scabbards with gold belts connected by gold chains and alternating with eleven gold ''pelte'' shields each bearing a blue enamelled helmet (
trophy of arms A trophy or trophy of arms in art and architecture is a real or depicted artistically assembled display of weaponry and other militaria, often captured from a defeated enemy, as an Ornament (art), ornament designed for the purpose of triumphalis ...
). *The ''star'' of the Order is a silver
Maltese Cross The Maltese cross is a cross symbol, consisting of four " V" or arrowhead shaped concave quadrilaterals converging at a central vertex at right angles, two tips pointing outward symmetrically. It is a heraldic cross variant which develope ...
, the central medallion bearing the same upright sword between three gold crowns on a blue enamelled background as the badge. The star of the Grand Cross also has golden crowns over short silver triangular rays between the arms of the cross. *The ''ribbon'' of the Order is yellow with blue stripes near its borders (i. e., the Swedish
national colours National colours are frequently part of a country's set of national symbols. Many states and nations have formally adopted a set of colours as their official "national colours" while others have '' de facto'' national colours that have become well ...
). Formerly the Order also had a distinctive blue and yellow habit worn on formal occasions such as at chapters of the Order. The habit included yellow
trousers Trousers (British English), slacks, or pants ( American, Canadian and Australian English) are an item of clothing worn from the waist to anywhere between the knees and the ankles, covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth extending ...
, a yellow knee length
coat A coat is typically an outer garment for the upper body, worn by any gender for warmth or fashion. Coats typically have long sleeves and are open down the front, and closing by means of buttons, zippers, hook-and-loop fasteners (AKA velcro), ...
with blue shoulder tabs and a yellow
girdle A belt without a buckle, especially if a cord or rope, is called a girdle in various contexts, especially historical ones, where girdles were a very common part of everyday clothing from antiquity until perhaps the 15th century, especially for w ...
, each bordered in blue, blue mantle lined with blue satin and a blue shoulder sash with a gold fringe. The star of the Order was embroidered over the left breast of both the coat and the mantle. A black
top hat A top hat (also called a high hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tie, morning dress, or frock coat. Traditionally made of black silk or ...
with gold hat band and a plume of white
ostrich Ostriches are large flightless birds. Two living species are recognised, the common ostrich, native to large parts of sub-Saharan Africa, and the Somali ostrich, native to the Horn of Africa. They are the heaviest and largest living birds, w ...
and black
egret Egrets ( ) are herons, generally long-legged wading birds, that have white or buff plumage, developing fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from herons and have the same build ...
feathers and a pair of black
boot A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearl ...
s with gilded
spur A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to ba ...
s completed the habit. The collar of the Order was worn over the shoulders of the coat.


Insignia of the medals

*The ''Badge of the Sword'' is similar to the knight's silver badge of the Order. The front central medallion is enamelled but the arms of the cross have no white enamel nor is the back of this badge enamelled. *The ''Medal of the Sword'' is of also of silver and round with a royal crown on it upper side. The Medal bears the sword and three crown of the badge of the Order surrounded by a band with the Swedish words, "Konung och Fädernesland" (King and Fatherland).


Gallery

File:Order of the Sword grand cross badge sash (Sweden) - Tallinn Museum of Orders.jpg, Grand Cross badge and sash. File:SE Commander's cross and star of the Order of the Sword.jpg, Commander 1st Class set of insignia. File:Order of the Sword Commander set.png, Commander grade. File:Order of the Sword Commander.png, Commander grade set of insignia. File:Order of the Sword Commander badge.png, Badge of a Commanders class. File:Order of the Sword Commander reverse.png, Reverse of Commanders class. File:Order of the Sword - Royal Castle in Stockholm.JPG, Various grades of the order, on display in the Royal Palace of Stockholm. File:Order of the Sword 3.png, Commander Grand Cross of the order in a case by C.F. Carlman. File:Order of the Sword 2.png, Commander Grand Cross of the order in a case by C.F. Carlman. File:Order of the Sword 1.png, Commander Grand Cross of the order in a case by C.F. Carlman. File:Order of the Sword 5.png, Commander Grand Cross of the order in a case by C.F. Carlman. File:Order of the Sword 4.png, Commander Grand Cross of the order in a case by C.F. Carlman. File:Order of the Sword 6.png, Star of the Commander Grand Cross grade of the order in a case by C.F. Carlman, c.1921 File:Order of the Sword 8.png, Badge of the Commander Grand Cross of the order in a case by C.F. Carlman, c.1921 File:Order of the Sword 9.png, Star of the Commander Grand Cross of the order in a case by C.F. Carlman. File:Order of the Sword 11.png, Commander Grand Cross of the order in a case by C.F. Carlman. File:Order of the Sword 10.png, Commander Grand Cross of the order in a case by C.F. Carlman. File:Order of the Sword 12.png, Commander Grand Cross of the order in a case by C.F. Carlman. File:Order of the Sword 14.png, Commander Grand Cross of the order in a case by C.F. Carlman. File:Order of the Sword 13.png, Commander Grand Cross of the order in a case by C.F. Carlman. File:Order of the Sword 15.png, Commander Grand Cross of the order in a case by C.F. Carlman.


See also

* List of recipients of the Order of the Sword (from 2023) *
För tapperhet i fält För tapperhet i fält ("For Valour in the Field") and För tapperhet till sjöss ("For Valour at Sea") are two Swedish military medals awarded to officers and soldiers of the Swedish Armed Forces who have—as the medal names suggest— ...
* Orders, decorations, and medals of Sweden


References

*
Nordisk familjebok (, 'Nordic Family Book') is a Swedish language, Swedish encyclopedia that was published in print from between 1876 and 1993, and that is now fully available in digital form via Project Runeberg at Linköping University. The public domain edit ...
, vol. 2

*''Orders and Decorations of Europe in Color'' by Paul Hieronymussen and protographed by Aage Struwing; English translation by Christine Crowley. The MacMillan Company. New York, 1967. Originally published as ''Europaeiske Ordner I Faever'' @ Politikens Forlag, 1966. Color plates # 21-27; text pp. 125–126. *'The Orders of Chivalry from the Original Statutes of the Various Orders of Knighthood and other Sources of Information'' by J. H. Lawrence-Archer. London: W. H. Allen and Company, 13 Waterloo Place, Pall Mall, S. W. Publishers to the India Office. 1887. * Per Nordenvall, ''Kungliga Serafimerorden 1748–1998''. Stockholm : Kungl. Maj:ts orden, 1998. * Royal Court of Sweden, www.royalcourt.se *''Orders and Decorations of Europe in Color'' by Paul Hieronymussen and protographed by Aage Struwing; English translation by Christine Crowley. The MacMillan Company. New York, 1967. Originally published as ''Europaeiske Ordner I Faever'' @ Politikens Forlag, 1966. Color plates # 28-32; text pp. 126–127.


Footnotes


External links


Swedish Royal Court: Orders and medals
{{DEFAULTSORT:Order Of The Sword Order of the Sword, Awards established in 1748 Orders of chivalry of Sweden