Orders of chivalry for women, orders of knighthood for women or ladies orders are

orders 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 p ...

reserved solely for women. These knighthoods for women made their first appearance in 1600, and have been less numerous than traditional knighthoods reserved for men. Though many kingdoms, such as

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

or the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, allow both men and women to be invested with the same orders of knighthood, orders in other kingdoms were exclusive for men. Several of these kingdoms eventually established orders for the exclusive membership of women. Tradition frequently called upon the reigning queen or empress, queen or empress consort to serve as the Grand Mistress of their respective all-female, royal or imperial orders. In other cases, the king or emperor is the sole male member of the order, acting in his role as the sovereign or master of all orders established and conferred within his kingdom or empire. A high number of female orders existed in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

and

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

List of Ladies' orders

The following list of orders that were established for the sole or primary membership of women:

Austria

* Order of Elizabeth *

Order of the Starry Cross The Order of the Starry Cross (also known as Order of the Star Cross or Star Cross Order; German: ''Sternkreuz-Orden'') is an imperial Austrian dynastic order for Catholic noble ladies, founded in 1668. The order still exists under the House of Ha ...

Egypt

Order of the Virtues (Egypt) Order of the Virtues The Royal Order of the Virtues (or '' Malakiun Nishan al-Kamal'') is a dynastic order-of- knighthood for women of the Egyptian Royal Family which is very rarely awarded by its current sovereign, King Fuad II. History The ...

France

Order of the Ladies of the Cord The Order of the Ladies of the Cord (French: ''L'Ordre des Dames chevalières de la Cordelière'' or ''Ordre de la Cordelière''), was a ladies order founded by the French queen Anne of Brittany in 1498. This rope with knots had been added by her ...

Germany

Bavaria *

Order of Theresa The Order of Theresa was an order for noble ladies in the Kingdom of Bavaria. It continues to function today as an honorary society to which belong the princesses of the House of Wittelsbach as well as other ladies from Bavarian noble families. H ...

Order of Saint Elizabeth The Order of Saint Elizabeth was an chivalric and charitable order for women in the Electoral Palatinate and the Kingdom of Bavaria. History The Order of Saint Elizabeth was founded by Countess Palatine Elisabeth Auguste of Sulzbach, the first ...

Prussia *

Order of Louise The Order of Louise (German: ''Luisen-Orden'') was founded on 3 August 1814 by Frederick William III of Prussia to honor his late wife, the much beloved Luise von Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen Louise (''née Luise Auguste Wilhelmine Amalie, Herzogi ...

Ladies Merit Cross The Ladies Merit Cross (''Frauenverdienstkreuz'') was founded on 22 October 1907 by William II, German Emperor, King William II of Prussia as a two-class Ladies Order and to reward women and young women, who worked in the field of charity, or in ...

Saxony *

Order of Sidonia The Order of Sidonia was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Saxony, a member state of the German Empire. The order was founded on 14 March 1871 by John, King of Saxony. The order was primarily awarded to women in recognition of their dedicat ...

Württemberg *

Order of Olga The Order of Olga (Württemberg) (German: ''Olga-Orden'') was created by Karl I, King of Württemberg, on 27 June 1871, to honor his queen consort, Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia. Its primary purpose was to honor women who cared for wou ...

Greece

Order of Beneficence The Order of Beneficence () is an order of Greece which was established in 1975 by law no.106/1975, using the same name and same insignia as that of the order instituted in the previous governance of the Kingdom of Greece, although a separate o ...

Order of Saints Olga and Sophia The Royal Family Order of Saints Olga and Sophia () is an order of the Greek royal family. Reserved for women, it was the third highest honour of the modern Greek state and the Crown after the Order of the Redeemer and the male-only Order o ...

Japan

Order of the Precious Crown The is a Japanese order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. Since the Order of the Rising Sun at that time was an Order for men, it was established as an Order for women. Originally the order had five classes, but on Apr ...

Korean Empire

Ottoman Empire

* Order of Charity

Persia

Order of Aftab Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * ...

* Order of the Pleiades

Portugal

Order of Saint Isabel The Order of Queen Saint Isabel () is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of which the Grand Mistress is the Duchess of Braganza. History King John VI of Portugal created the order on 4 November 1801 in honour of Queen Saint Isabel, consort of Po ...

Philippines

Order of Gabriela Silang The Order of Gabriela Silang () is an all-female order of the PhilippinesOrder of Saint Catherine The Imperial Order of Saint Catherine () was an award of Imperial Russia. Instituted on 24 November 1714 by Peter the Great on the occasion of his marriage to Catherine I of Russia. For the majority of the time of Imperial Russia, it was the onl ...

Spain

Order of Queen Maria Luisa The Royal Order of Noble Ladies of Queen Maria Luisa is an Order created by King Charles IV of Spain by royal decree on April 21, 1792, at the request of his wife, Queen Maria Luisa, to reward noble women who distinguished themselves for their ...

United Kingdom

Order of the Crown of India The Imperial Order of the Crown of India is an order in the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system. The Order was established by Queen Victoria when she became Emperor of India, Empress of India in 1878. Th ...

References

{{Orders of knighthood for women