Sweden did not have a system of Orders of Chivalry until 1748, when King Fredrik I founded the Orders of the Seraphim, Sword and Polar Star. These were followed in 1772 the institution of the Order of Vasa by King by Gustav III, and it was then that Sweden acquired an official system of orders primarily intended for Swedish recipients.
As is usual, the monarch is the "Grand Master" of all Swedish orders and they have one quirk which is that women and clergy are called "members", not "officers", of the orders concerned.
Under a law passed in 1974, Swedish orders can only be conferred on foreign citizens or stateless persons for personal services to Sweden or Swedish interests. Since 1995, the monarch can confer the Order of the Seraphim and certain degrees in the Order of the Polar Star on members of the Swedish Royal Family.
Sweden has a number of official orders. One major quasi-official order is the Order of King Carl XIII, and we will look at that one too.
Royal Order of the Seraphim
The Royal Order of the Seraphim (Swedish: Kungliga Serafimerorden) was created by King Frederick I on 23rd February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Polar Star. Frederick made out that the Orders were revivals of previous Orders. The medieval custom in Sweden was for new monarchs to create knights at their coronations. This was apparently accompanied by the gift of a chain specially designed for the occasion. Descriptions of some of these chains from the some of pre-Vasa coronations match the current Chain of the Order with Seraphim Heads and Patriarchal Crosses, thus perhaps creating the later impression that there had been an earlier Order of the Seraphim of which the 1748 Order was a revival. However, it is known that Eric XIV bestowed the Order of the Saviour at his Coronation in 1561 and John III bestowed the Order of the Lamb of God (Agnus Dei) in 1569, the Medallion to which matches the current Badge. One had to be incorporated into one of the other two orders to obtain the Order of Seraphim, and a Knight of the Order of the Seraphim was made Grand Commander of the other two orders. |
When originally instituted the Knights of the Order were required to supervise the major hospitals and mental asylums in Sweden and, in particular, the Seraphim Hospital, a major hospital in Stockholm and, in fact, the first hospital in Sweden. This medical institution was placed under the supervision of two Seraphim Knights and was able to open on 30th October 1752 when 15 patients were admitted for the remaining two months of the year. The new institution was named the Royal Seraphim Order Hospital or, as it was later usually called, the Royal Seraphim Hospital and so was named after the Order not the other way round. The requirement for Seraphim Knights to act as supervisors died out as boards of physicians and other professionals made such supervision by the Knights of the Seraphim anachronistic during the course of the 19th century. Knights were still required to visit the hospital, though, or at least support it financially until the Hospital closed in 1980.
The Order has only one class with the dignity of Knight for men, Member for women and Member of the Cloth for clergymen. However, there is a Collar which has traditionally only been awarded to Princes. This made up of eleven Patriarchal Crosses enamelled in turquoise alternating with eleven gold Seraphim, each of which has a slightly different facial expression.
As part of the reorganization of Swedish orders in 1975, appointments of Swedish citizens to the various orders ceased and conferrals were restricted to foreigners (the last non-royal Swedish appointee was Sten Rudholm). Likewise, the Order of the Seraphim was restricted to foreign heads of state and equivalents. In 1995, the law was revised and conferrals upon members of the Swedish Royal Family were allowed. From 1975 to 1995 the only exception had been HM The Queen who was appointed to the Order of the Seraphim on 6th May 1976, just over a month before she married the King. The change was probably brought about in time for Crown Princess Victoria's 18th Birthday. Having said that, a Swedish prince or princess may only wear the Order after confirmation into the Swedish State Church .
Another break in tradition saw Crown Princess Victoria, as the Heir to the Throne and the next monarch of Sweden, being awarded the Collar of the Order, the first, and to date, only woman to receive it. One imagines that, if Victoria keeps her father's traditions, her daughter and heir, Princess Estelle, will also receive the Collar.
King Oscar II of Sweden gave his wife, Queen Sophia, permission to carry the Order in 1902 but did not make her a Member. The many Swedish princes who entered into morganatic marriages and gave up their claims to the Throne then became Counts of Bernadotte, but also lost the the Seraphim.
As a reminder of the old rule that one had to be Grand Cross in one of the oither Swedish Orders of Knighthood. The nomination of new members used to take place once a year in the Seraphim Chamber of the Stockholm Palace, usually on the Monday after the first Sunday of Advent. The actual initiation into the Order, however, took place on 28th April, the birthday of the Founder King Frederick I. In the interval between the nomination and the reception, the newly elected member could only wear the Star.
The reception of new knights into the Order and the Commanders of all the other orders took place in the Riddarholmen Church, the royal chapel in the Stockholm Palace, in the presence of all the Knights and functionaries of the Order. Whilst this practice ceased in 1902, each new knight or member has their Coat of Arms, surrounded with by Collar or Riband of the Order, painted on a copper Stall Plate. A selection is on display at the Seraphim Room at the Royal Palace in Stockholm. The Church is a rich resource of Heraldry, as you can see.
The Order’s Seraphim Medal is awarded for service to the poor and sick, and is very rare. The medal was only awarded twice in the 20th century. In 1974, the power to award this medal was left to the King personally, who can therefore still reward Swedish citizens who are no longer eligible for a knighthood. The medals struck in 1748 are still used.
When a knight of the Order dies, his or her Stall Plate is hung in the former royal burial church Riddarholmskyrkan in Stockholm. When the funeral takes place, the church bells are rung from 12:00 to 13:00, a practice known as the Serafimerringningen. This happened recently for the former President of France, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing.
The Swedish Press Association released the following photos by Pelle T Nilsson.
Royal Order of the Sword
As mentioned above, The Royal Order of the Sword (Swedish: Kungliga Svärdsorden) was created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23rd February 1748 alongside two other orders.. The Order was originally presented for bravery in the field and at sea, and later as a reward for long and distinguished service in the armed forces, as well. It eventually became a more or less obligatory award after a certain number of years in service. There were originally three grades, Knight, Commander and Commander Grand Cross, but these were later multiplied when King Gustav III created two new grades of the order in 1788, which could only be bestowed in war time: Knight Grand Cross First Class and Knight Grand Cross. |
Over the years a number of affliated Medals and Decorations were introduced. For instance: the Svärdstecken ("Badge of the Sword") was introduced in 1850, to be given to non-commissioned officers who could thereby call themselves svärdsman ("Sword man") and a War Cross which could again only be awarded in wartime.
A person could also receive the order with diamonds if he had rendered personal service to the King or Royal family. Unlike the rest of the Order, the Star with diamonds remained the property of the recipient and was not returned upon death as it was seen as a personal gift of the King.
Membership of the order again ceased in 1975, although it still technically exists and the King is often seen wearing his Commander Grand Cross necklet and badge.
A review of 2018 which brought about a split in the Swedish Royal Family between the Royal House (those expected to carry out official duties) and the extended Royal Family (mainly the King and Queen's grandchildren by Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine) also looked into Swedish Orders and medals. Six members of the Constitution Committee announced that the order system will be reviewed and that, amongst other things, awards within the Order of the Sword will resume.
Royal Order of the Polar Star
The last in the triumvirate of Orders instituted in 1748, the Order of the Polar Star was originally intended as a reward for Swedish and foreign "civic merits, for devotion to duty, for science, literary, learned and useful works and for new and beneficial institutions". After the reorganization of the Orders in 1975 the order has only been awarded to foreigners and members of the Royal Family. It is often awarded to foreign office holders (such as prime and senior ministers) during Swedish state visits. The Order’s motto is Nescit Occasum, a Latin phrase meaning "It knows no decline" comparing Sweden to a never-setting star. |
The senior male members of the Royal Family have the Order of the Polar Star. The King is, of course, Commander Grand Cross being the Master and Sovereign of all Swedish Orders of Chivalry. His son, Prince Carl Philip, and both of his sons-in-law, Prince Daniel and Mr Christopher O'Neill are listed as Commanders. Confusion arises because the King as Grand Master ordained in the Spring of 2013 that he and Swedish princes (i.e. Carl Philip and Daniel) should wear their Polar Star badges on the original black neck Ribbon while Mr O'Neill wears his on the blue and yellow Ribbon.
The Order of the Polar Star is awarded to junior members of royal families who would not qualify for the more prestigious Royal Order of the Seraphim. It is, for instance, the highest Order which Mr O'Neill can be automatically awarded without requiring him to perform an act of bravery, be designated a prince or need to have a Coat of Arms assigned.
Royal Order of Charles XIII
The Royal Order of Charles XIII Order is very rarely mentioned or seen. Tom C. Bergroth, Senior Curator of the Museum of the Royal Orders, Stockholm Palace, explains the Order in a comprehensive and extremely interesting article for the Tallinn Museum of Orders of Knighthood which is abridged here. The newly crowned King Charles XIII had proposed the founding of an Order of Jesus Christ of the Temple based upon the Swedish Order of Freemasons back in June 1809. The suggestion was opposed both by the Council of State and the Supreme Council of the Masonic Order. More important were the order of succession to the Swedish throne (King Charles was childless) and Sweden’s role in the Napoleonic war with the loss of Finland ceded to Russia in 1809. After French Marshal Jean Baptiste Bernadotte was finally adopted as Crown Prince Charles John and was initiated as a mason in the Swedish Order of Freemasons in the Autumn of 1810, the King instituted the Royal Order that carries his name on 27th May 1811. The same members of the cabinet who had opposed the idea two years earlier were now ready to accept the proposal. |
The Order appeared on Seraphim Stall Plates when it was the practice to have the Chains of ALL order around the Shield for Kings and Royal Dukes. The Order of Charles XIII appeared at the top of the Badges (i.e. closest to the bottom of the Shield) with a very short piece of the red Riband showing. The present King's Stall Plate at the top does not show the Cross of the Order of Charles XIII and neither is it the practice for the present Royal Dukes to show anything other than the Chain of the Order of the Seraphim.
Appointments otherwise take place on 28th January, said to be the fete day of all those named Charles but which, in fact, is the anniversary of both the death of Emperor Charlemagne (Charles the Great) and the execution of King Charles I of Britain. It is also, of course, the present King's name day and was celebrated yesterday as a Flag Day and with gun salutes from the Armed Forces all around the country. The installation of a Knight takes place on the Annual Festive Day of the Grand Lodge, 22nd March. A knight of the Order should have reached thirty-six years of age to be proposed. The number of knights was originally restricted to 30, three of whom should be clergy; Knights of Royal descent are not included in this figure. |
On 28th April 1852, at the suggestion of his son Crown Prince Charles (later King Charles XV), King Oscar I added another seven foreign masons to the original number of knights of the Order. The first to be appointed thus was Prince Frederic of the Netherlands, the Crown Prince’s own father-in-law. Another was King Frederik VII of Denmark. The Swedish masonic system was introduced in Denmark in 1853 and Frederick, created Grand Master of the Danish Order of Freemasons in 1858, had plans to institute a corresponding Danish order in the early 1860s. However, he died unexpectedly in 1863 and this was never realised.
The first Knights were all appointed by King Charles XIII personally. In 1821 his successor, King Carl XIV Johan, decided that candidates should be proposed and elected by a majority vote of the members of the Chapter of the Order. In 1932 King Gustaf V decided to have three nominations for each vacancy but wished to make his personal choice from among these. The Swedish King did not necessarily have to follow the proposal of the knights, but this was normally done. With few exceptions the Kings personally attended and presided at the meetings with the Knights. As of 1979 the Chapter makes the proposals, which are forwarded by the Chancellor of the Order to King Carl XVI Gustaf for his official approval and it is customary nowadays for only one name to be forwarded for each open vacancy. It will be interesting to see what happens when Crown Princess Victoria succeeds to the Throne as she, as a woman, is not a member of the Order.
The insignia consists of a Cross Pattée (or Templar Cross) with straight edges rather than curved and is distinctively made of ruby-coloured glass as shown above. In the centre of the cross is a white enamelled globe with King Charles XIII’s monogram, namely two opposing letter Cs and the Roman numeral XIII. On the reverse is a golden letter B within an equilateral gold-edged triangle. The cross is surmounted by a golden Crown and it is worn around the neck on a red moiré silk Ribbon with the Royal monogram showing. The glass pieces have changed slightly over the years. The present type has been manufactured by the Court Jeweller C.F. Carlman since the early 1860s. The Crown is now the same as on all other Crosses of Swedish Orders of Knighthood and the glass pieces are bevelled on both sides.
Unlike the other Swedish Orders, whose gowns have not been worn since 1844, the buff gown of the Royal Order of Charles XIII is still worn and was saved in 1975 by the then Grand Master Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland, the present King's uncle. The black hat had been replaced by a white cap in 1929 but was re-introduced in the year 2000.
Unlike other orders the Royal Order of Charles XIII does not have a chapel for a home, although it does have its own history of Stall Plates. These are believed to have emerged from the resurgence of interest in medieval tournaments in the late 18th Century under the guise of the introduction of Freemasonry into Sweden during that Century. The Knight's Coat of Arms was carried on an oval plaque affixed to the Knight's arm. Consequently, two plaques or Stall Plates were painted - a large oval one and a smaller rectangular one. These Stall Plates hang in the Chapter Hall and in the Knight’s Hall of the Masonic Hall in the Bååt Palace, Stockholm. Previously made of papier maché, they have been painted on tin since the early 1890s with the oval ones being re-painted for new Knights and only the smaller rectangular ones being preserved. The office of Grand Introducer of the Grand Lodge was introduced in 1778 with the responsibility of heraldry within the Order, creating Arms for those not of noble birth. Most of these were rather ‘masonic' than heraldic in character. |
Royal Order of Vasa
The Royal Order of Vasa (Kungliga Vasaorden) was awarded to citizens of Sweden for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining, technical progress and commerce. It was instituted on 29th May 1772 by King Gustav III and was unrestricted by birth or education. It was therefore classed as a ‘free order’ and could be awarded to anyone (as opposed to the "service orders" the Order of the Polar Star, which was intended as a reward for the learned professions, and the Order of the Sword). |
Between 1772 and 1860 the Badge of the Order was in the form of an un-crowned oval medallion. In 1860 the Maltese Cross and the Royal Crown were added.
The most junior of all the Swedish orders, it was often awarded to Norwegian subjects of the dual monarchy until Oscar I founded the Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 1847. Since 1974 the order has not been conferred and it has officially been declared as "dormant".