A medieval tradition: the Order of the Collar (14th century) . The first of the
Orders of Knighthood were the
military orders of
crusaders who used red, green or black crosses of velvet on their
mantles, to distinguish their brotherhoods. Later the members of knightly orders used rings, embroidered dragons and even garters as the symbol of their order. In the late
Middle Ages the knights wore their insignia ever more prominently and medaillons, crosses and jewels in the shape of animals began to be worn on chains around the neck, known as livery collars. In the fourteenth century,
Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy (1343–1383) instituted the Order of the Collar. The order was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary , wearing the collar of the
Order of Saint Michael.
The Collar of the Golden Fleece (15th tradition) Collars of various devices are worn by the knights of some of the European
orders of knighthood. The custom was begun by
Philip III, Duke of Burgundy, who gave his
Knights of the Golden Fleece badges depicting a
Golden Fleece: it was composed of "gold filigree plaques, simulated black and white
enamel firestones, and
golden fleece pendant".
A French connection: the collar of Saint Michael created in 1469 Following this new fashion,
Louis XI of France, when instituting his
Order of St. Michael in 1469, gave the knights collars composed of scallop shells linked on a chain, most famously honouring Raoul de Lannoy after the siege of Quesnoy. The chain was doubled by
Charles VIII. The first official portrait of a
King of France wearing the collar of the order was that of King
Louis XII in 1514 and since then, all other Kings have followed that tradition until the order lapsed in 1830; the
Order of Liberation claimed to be its continuation in 1945 and it had its own grand collar made by master goldsmith Gilbert Poillerat, which President
Charles de Gaulle wore on his official portrait, preferring its
Cross of Lorraine to the symbols attached to the
Grand Collier of the Legion of Honour. While the order of Saint Michael was exclusively male, Queen
Anne of Austria with the help of her
chaplain French
Dominican friar François Arnoul established the Order of the Celestial Collar of the Sacred Rosary in 1647, proving once again the connection between the collar and the rosary as an instrument of devotion. The statues of the new order were associated to instructions for fifty devout maidens and all virtuous souls, in order to renew Marian devotion and encourage the holiness of women active in the
Catholic Church in France.
A tradition spreading to England: Henry VIII and the collar of the Garter (16th century) Until the reign of
Henry VIII, the
Order of the Garter, like most ancient of the great knightly orders, had no collar. But the
Tudor king wished to match the continental sovereigns in all things as described in the statutes signed on January 5, 1508, by the Register of the Order, and sent to the
Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian. The present collar of the Garter knights, with its golden knots and its buckled garters enclosing
white roses set on red roses, has its origin in the
Tudor age. In 1672, British antiquary
Elias Ashmole, described a change from the original collar worn prescribed by King Henry VIII for the collar of the Order of the Garter said to be "a gold collar, coupled together by several pieces of links in fashion of garters, with a vermillion rose, and the image of
Saint George hung thereat". Most of the British orders of knighthood now have collars and they are still worn on special occasions, known as
collar days. The
Distinguished Service Order, the
Order of Merit, the
Order of the Companions of Honour and the
Imperial Service Order are the exceptions.
Heyday of Grand collars in the 18th century After the 17th century the heyday of the collar was over. They were worn only on ceremonial occasions and replaced in daily life by stars pinned to the breast, and badges suspended from ribbons. Many orders retained their collars and when orders were divided into several ranks or grades the collar was usually reserved for the highest rank. The notable exception is
Portugal. At the end of the 18th century, most of the European orders had only one rank, that of knight, and although they usually had collars, the cross or badge was now worn on a ribbon around the neck or over the right shoulder. When the orders became more democratic, several ranks were introduced and only the highest grade, the "Grand Commanders" or "Grand Crosses", wore collars. The
Netherlands never had collars, but several
Belgian, most of the
Austrian and
Prussian orders, and several
Portuguese orders had collars. In Portugal all the members of these orders of knighthood wear a collar, but the collars of the Grand Cross are more elaborate.
The ''Grand Collier de la Légion d'Honneur'' Since the beginning of the 19th century, the collar has been used as the insignia of office of the
Grand Master of the order.
Napoleon I introduced the
Grand aigle (Grand Eagle) to replace the Grand Cross as the highest rank in his
Legion of Honour. Napoleon dispensed 15 such golden collars of the Legion among his kinsmen and the highest of his ministers. This collar did not survive his downfall and was abolished in 1815. He also introduced the ''Grand Collier de la Légion d'Honneur'' which was the first Grand Collar worn outside of a religious order. The
president of France wears the collar of the Order of the
Legion of Honour. Nowadays, the collar is often a rank above that of a Grand Cross and it is reserved for the president and foreign heads of state as it is in
Brazil. ==Heraldry==