Order of Charles XIII
| The Order of Charles XIII | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Image of the cross of the order | |
| Awarded by the monarch of Sweden | |
| Type | Single grade order of merit |
| Eligibility | High-ranking Protestant Freemasons |
| Awarded for | Service to Freemasonry. |
| Status | Currently constituted |
| Lord and Master | His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden |
| Grades (w/ post-nominals) | Knight (RCXIII:sO) |
| Established | 1811 |
| First induction | 1811 |
 | |
| Ribbon of the order | |
The Order of Charles XIII (Swedish: Carl XIII:s orden) is a Swedish order of merit, founded by King Charles XIII in 1811.
Membership
The Lord and Master of the Order is the King of Sweden, currently His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf. The order can only be conferred on Freemasons of the Protestant faith. The membership of the order comprises:
- Three clerical members, invariably priests or bishops of the Church of Sweden.
- Thirty lay members and never more than seven non-Swedish members, each holding the XI (honorary and highest) degree of the Swedish Rite of Freemasonry.
- All princes of the Royal House of Sweden are members from birth, but can not wear the insignia unless they are Knights and Commanders Red Cross of the Swedish Order of Freemasons. (Hence the insignia is not worn by His Majesty and His Royal Highness the Duke of Värmland, who are both Knights of the Order from birth).
- Foreign princes of Blood Royal may be admitted as honorary members, if they are also senior Freemasons, whether of the Swedish Order or another; they are full members of the Order, but do not count towards its membership limits; HRH Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (United Kingdom) was admitted to the Order on 6 November 2000.[1]
There can never be more than 33 persons who have the order at the same time. (Men of royal blood are additional).
Insignia and regalia
The insignia consists of a red St George cross, in the centre a white globe with the monogram of the institutor, two opposite letters C surrounding XIII, in gold. On the reverse the globe has the letter B in gold in an equilateral black and gold edged triangle. The cross is surmounted by a closed golden crown. The insignia is worn around the neck in a red ribbon.
The order uses a knight's gown, introduced 1822, and new knights are dubbed.
See also
References
- ↑ "Svenska Frimurare Orden". Archive. 25 June 2001. Archived from the original on June 25, 2001. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
- http://www.mastermason.com/lodge850/Reading/sweedishrite.htm
- http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Knighthood
- http://www.frimurarorden.se/eng/index.html (English webpage of the Swedish Grand Lodge of Masons)
- Tom C Bergroth, Kungl. Carl XIII:s Orden 1811 - "til uppmuntran och belöning för medborgerliga och välgörande bemödanden til nödlidandes och allmänt gagn" (2002), ISBN 91-974123-3-3
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