“The purpose of Chivalry… is to extend the frontiers of God’s Kingdom on earth” -Léon Gauthier
Preface
These principles for a Charter of Chivalry sum up twenty years of work and reflexion on Chivalry and the possibility of restoring it in today’s world. Each of the statements contained in this document has been, as we believe, firmly established and verified in the work “Chevalerie d’hier et d’aujourd’hui”, which may be consulted.
It is not our purpose to show here the beauty and nobility of the knightly spirit, which is one of the fundamental values of our Christian civilization. If this spirit, built of moral uprightness, magnanimity, pure courage, courtesy and service of the humble, were to disappear, would life still be worth living?
It still is necessary for this spirit to take flesh in institutions, and this is the magnificent task of the Orders of Chivalry.
But is there room nowadays, in our modern world open to so-called socialisation and secularisation, for a form of Chivalry that could be anything more than a somewhat anachronistic survival of medieval Christianity?
We firmly believe it. We believe that the aims of Chivalry – the promotion of Christian order and of the kingdom of Christ
Chivalry therefore should return to its pure wellsprings, to the spirit that filled these rough and ready “milites” at a time when emperors and kings were not capable of establishing order and peace in society. It needs to return to the sources of that primitive simplicity of disinterested service, to rekindle the passionate struggle for justice and peace, to refind the true spirit of its mission and the accompanying grace, a mission and a grace signified by the rite of knightly dubbing.
In its current resurgence, Chivalry will not allow itself to be limited by outmoded legal categories that confuse “order of Knighthood” with the distribution of honours. Let’s be clear about it: this late development within the knightly tradition, whatever legal dressing it may possess, means nothing in the present context. In Chivalry, those early knights looked for no decorations. The first Templars, the first Hospitallers and the Lepers of Saint Lazare were Poor Knights of Jesus Christ. Neither kings nor princes founded chivalry or the orders of Chivalry. That later on they tried to take them over proves that knighthood had become a social force to be reckoned with.
The rebirth of Chivalry by orders, ancient or modern, will not have been decreed by political authority, however important, but through the knight’s own effort at self conversion and service to others. Nor will it have happened in disarray, but by taking account of a certain number of traditional principles which alone are capable of displacing false expression of Chivalry that shamelessly exploit the naïveté and vainglory of so many of our contemporaries.
What is here written is no more than an outline or sketch for a Charter of Chivalry for our XXth century that is ending. May it help all those who have set out on the quest for the true and the beautiful to engage fully in the knightly combat against the powers of evil through the power of the Cross, and thus prepare on our Earth the peace of Christ the King.
Dom Marie-Gérard Lafond
Benedictine monk
Order of the Knights of Our Lady
I
Of Chivalry in general
Article 1
Chivalry is an institution grown from military and Christian roots, the aim of which is “to extend here below the frontiers of God’s kingdom” in serving and defending the weak, justice and peace. It aims at establishing the earthly city on foundations of natural order and Gospel principles, involving respect for the essential freedoms of mankind and human communities. Chivalry by definition seeks first the kingdom of God
Article 2
a) Born in the West in the Xth century as a result of the penetration of military and feudal society by Christian values, chivalry is essentially Christian. It is true that other civilisations have known institutions of heroism, themselves noble and respectable, that have often given birth to an aristocratic morality not unlike the knightly Code of Honour; but the Christian heroism upon which chivalry is based supposes a radical reversal of worldly values: to self-exaltation aiming at the absolute is opposed the abnegation of God made man; to the search for power, humility; to human strength that would make itself divine, the omnipotence of the cross.
b) So such institutions of heroism are not chivalry, nor do they equate chivalry. However, they are providential steps towards chivalry, their moral codes and traditional customs ready to be purified and absorbed by it.
Article 3
a) Chivalry, which flourished in the XIth, XIIth and XIIIth centuries, was at the origin of the Crusades and gave birth to the military religious orders, before its decadence. Of course, it has never entirely disappeared: how many heroes and saints have incarnated its spirit, and how well have not seculars orders, not only in the heart of the Catholic Church but also in other parts of our divided Christianity, carried on its tradition!
b) Chivalry was reborn in this XXth century, with the conviction of bringing useful answers to the grave problems of the nuclear age: education of youth, renewal of public morality, a meeting of civilisations, communication between the sacred and the profane, spiritual, political and economic unity, the arms struggle and world peace.
Article 4
a) Chivalry is connected to Christianity whom it has the mission to defend and promote. Christendom is the fraternal community of nations redeemed by the blood of Christ and providentially called to purify and assimilate the various human civilisations within Christian civilisation, without destroying or reducing them, so that Christian order and the peace of Christ’s Kingdom , freely accepted by all peoples, should, under the influence of divine grace, be freely established throughout the world.
b) Chivalry as such does not serve exclusively any state or group of state, any political or dynastic causes, any class interests or anything that is purely temporal. It is at the service of Christendom alone. Like Christendom, it is universal.
Article 5
Chivalry is at the service of Christian unity. Every knight should work, according to his means, for the union of all Christians in the one Flock of Christ; this is to fulfil a wish clearly expressed by Christ and as a condition by which an era of peace and unity is established for all nations.
Article 6
Being as it is at the service of Christendom, chivalry no less promotes the duty of patriotism. More than any other citizen, the knight should love and serve his country, to the point of spilling his blood in its defence, if need be. But his activity should always have in view the establishment of a just peace between men, his brothers. In consequence every knight and every form of chivalry seeks the common good of the kingdoms and nations of the world, that are like so many pearls in the crown of Christ the King.
Article 7
a) All true knighthood includes a militant aspect which is clearly visible in the sign of dubbing, and wages a fight against those opposed to the natural and Christian order, which, although primarily spiritual, is far from purely symbolic.
b) A current analysis of “revolutionary war” waged against Christianity by subversive forces since early in this second half of the XXth century shows clearly that this spiritual and ideological struggle belongs from now on to warfare as such; professional armies are no longer alone facing each other on the battlefield; whole populations are involved, and as a result they must be led and protected by an elite whose spiritual, moral, intellectual and simply human values are manifest. To the extent that it is able, the Order contributes to the formation of this elite.
c) Every knight is prepared to defend the supreme values of Christian civilisation, of which he has the guardianship, wherever they may be attacked, with all his strength and the help of divine grace. No knight can turn his back on this ultimate requirement of his dubbing. But knightly force, however it may express itself, must always be at the service of freedom of consciences and the rights of truth, and never in order to impose Faith.
d) All knighthood is a social and civic service on behalf of the common good of humanity. So, using the appropriate means, its struggle is against every totalitarian effort to dominate the planet, openly or secretly, and against those who in their help to such programmes.
II
Of Chivalry as an institution
Article 8
Chivalry is a college formed by all those who have validly received knightly dubbing and make profession of living in conformity with the Code of Honour of knighthood.
Article 9
Chivalry is an order in which all the members, united to Christ and one to another by their knightly fidelity in a new state of life, are equal among themselves.
Article 10
a) Dubbing is the rite by which knights are created. It has two legitimate forms:
* Lay dubbing is when the person conferring the rite is a layman of the Catholic Church who has himself been properly dubbed;
* Liturgical dubbing is when the consecrator is a bishop, an abbot or any prelate with this faculty, using a traditional ritual approved by the competent authority.
b) The two rites, liturgical and lay, which have coexisted for centuries, have the same juridical importance, and in the same way create new knights with the same duties and rights, including the one of transmitting in their turn the knightly status, obviously using the lay rite.
c) Ceremonies of investiture, which are used to give decorations, or by orders of merit, are not dubbings, and do not create knights in the traditional sense.
d) The same is true, obviously, of esoteric or masonic initiation ceremonies, even if they reflect our knightly procedure.
Article 11
a) Liturgical dubbing is a sacramental of the Church; so it involves a blessing and confers on the believer who receives it both the knight’s mission and the grace needed to accomplish it.
b) No layman, no crowned king, no prince, no grand master, no member of an order of chivalry, even if he uses the title of knight, may confer dubbing, unless he himself has been validly dubbed.
c) Knighthood cannot be conferred by simple nomination, or delegation, or by means of a representative.
Article 12
a) The rite of lay dubbing may vary; it will include, however, the following elements:
* the intention of transmitting and receiving knighthood,
* the gesture of placing the sword in the knight’s belt,
* the words that express the passing on of knighthood,
* the “slap” (with the flat of the hand) on the head, or its equivalent: the tapping of the shoulder with the flat of the sword-blade,
to which other time-honoured elements may be added, such as
* the vigil of arms,
* the blessing of the sword by a priest,
*the placing of the sword on the altar,
and so on.
b) The validity of lay dubbing depends on the authenticity of its filiation: this must be continuous and verifiable.
Article 13
a) Dubbing conferred on a non-Christian is completely null and void, and without repeal. This is also true of dubbing conferred on a woman.
b) Dubbing involves specific duties for the defence of Christianity and can only licitly be conferred on those suitable and fulfilling all the right conditions. Only those can be knights who are sincere believers, having reached the age of legal majority, healthy in mind and body, of sound morals, well thought of, noble and loyal-hearted, physically and morally courageous, having given proof of their quality in the service of Christendom, their country or their neighbour, capable of providing moral leadership for others, filled with the determination to carry out in its integrity the knightly Code of Honour, even at the cost of wealth and life.
c) Chivalry has always been distinct from feudality and nobility: it could never be limited to the aristocracy of blood.
Article 14
a) The Code of Honour of Chivalry is the moral Law which binds all knights and establishes them in the knightly state of life. It has been expressed in a variety of ways, but all contains the following elements:
* Faith, Hope and Charity.
* Fidelity.
* Moral rectitude, a passion for Truth and Justice.
* Force at the service of Right.
* A scorn of money, a horror of compromise, a rejection of all mediocrity in oneself.
* Respect for, and love of, the poor and the weak.
* Loving service of one’s Country, of Christendom and of Peace.
* Humility and Magnanimity.
* Unshakeable boldness.
* Courtesy and a sensitive heart.
b) The earliest of all knightly traditions recognises in Mary, the Lady par excellence of the knights, and in Saint Michael, Prince of Angels, victor over the dragon, their most noble model and celestial Grand Master of all knighthood, in the service of Christ the King.
Article 15
a) Knighthood may be lost through degradation. The following crimes involve degradation from knighthood:
* Public apostasy from the Christian Faith.
* Treason against one’s country (according to criteria of natural justice).
* Helping of enemies of Christendom.
* Common Law crimes, such as homicide, theft, swindling, immoral behaviour and public scandal.
* Betrayal of knightly profession and of the order to which one belongs.
* Appointing to knighthood one who is unbaptised or who is a member of an antichristian sect or party.
* Any serious fault against Honour or Word given.
b) The degradation of the guilty one is established and pronounced by the accepted knightly procedures and in particular ways specified by them.
III
Of the orders of knighthood
Article 16
The state of free or independent knight is no longer in our day advisable (although remaining possible in theory) as we live in a world from which the sacred has been banished. The knightly orders provide the point of reference that the new knight will need: they are power-houses of honour and schools of heroism in the service of the highest values of humanity.
Article 17
a) Chivalry includes: the ancient military Orders, which have undergone a variety of developments, have lasted down to our own day; those ancient Orders that fell into oblivion and have been legitimately restored; and finally those Orders of recent date (XIXth and XXth centuries) that were founded to pursue the mission of chivalry according to the spirit and traditions of knighthood, and by means adapted to the modern world.
b) Princes of sovereign houses often created in the past companies of honour described as Orders of chivalry, in order to reward those of their subjects who render distinguished services to their person, their dynasty or their governments, and in this way strengthen the bonds of fidelity which unite them to the throne or the royal house. We all agree that these princes, even should their sovereignty have ceased, alone retain the faculty of creating and maintaining these companies, of which they are “Fons Honorum” (fountains of honour). But such companies, however respectable they may be, are not truly orders of chivalry, and their members not “knights of knighthood”. The supposition that princes can monopolise knighthood to their own profit has absolutely no legitimate basis and, because of this, is completely null and void. On the other hand, a Christian prince can, like anyone else, found a genuine order of knighthood, insofar he conforms to the traditional rules, especially the ones that refer to the aims of chivalry and its valid passing on by dubbing.
c) Decorations bestowed by princes and states are not on their own orders of chivalry in the traditional sense, either. On the other hand, orders of knighthood as such cannot stand as distinctions or decorations, and could only do so, in a supplementary way, as the result of a decision by a sovereign state or the Holy See. In any case, it has always been the honour of authentic chivalry to serve without seeking honours.
Article 18
The variety of orders is a good consequence of the very nature of man and of the diversity of vocations. Showing the richness of the knightly ideal, it helps to avoid the dangers of totalitarianism and oligarchy and must exclude rivalry and jealousies but it offers a healthy model of the generous service of the common good of Christendom.
Article 19
a) The legitimacy of an order in terms of its chivalry depends on the conformity of its spirit with the aims, means, organisation, customs and rites of traditional knighthood as described in this Charter. This cannot be confused with the antiquity of its foundation, or its historical continuity. Chivalry itself being an Order whose moral law and aims can never become out of date can always give birth to new foundations. An order that has disappeared can be restored, but only by a competent authority. New orders may be created through private initiative. Orders claiming uninterrupted continuity over the centuries should be able to provide the undoubted proof of this claim.
b) An ancient and undoubtedly legitimate order may exist now, without a single dubbed knight, because the rite of dubbing has fallen into disuse. However such a state of affairs should be regarded as abnormal, in reference to tradition.
An order of recent foundation could not exist legitimately without the use of dubbing.
c) Orders existing within the Protestant tradition should be regarded as legitimate insofar as they preserve knightly traditions, work to promote Christian unity and combat for the defence of Christian civilisation.
d) A newly-founded order falsely claiming an attachment to one of ancient foundation has to be excluded; if deception is involved, the order thereby loses all legitimacy; if there is an error, a historian should be sought to prove this and ensure that the Order withdraw its claim.
e) Official recognition of an order, whether ecclesiastical or secular, is the result, not the origin, of its legitimacy.
Article 20
a)Being from their origins religious and military, the orders of knighthood usually involve the solemn profession by vow of poverty, chastity and obedience. An example in our own day is the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem (Order of Malta). Some orders were made up of secular knights, in which case they would constitute canonically knightly confraternities.
b)New, or renewed orders, define themselves as regular and militant, thereby showing that obedience to rule and discipline are required for their members, in order to maintain the noble combat for the defence and extension of Christendom.
c) The title Military refers to the nature of the combat of certain Orders - weapons in hand - and is reserved for these Orders.
d)The title Hospitaller refers to those Orders undertaking authentic charitable activities.
e) The title Sovereign belongs exclusively to the Order that possesses sovereignty recognised by several states, even if this does not include any territorial jurisdiction. Alone among the Orders, Saint John of Jerusalem (the Order of Malta), whose seat is at Rome
f) The title Dynastic is suitable only for those Orders founded by sovereign Princes or by formerly reigning Houses. Dynastic Orders can only form part of Chivalry in the true meaning of the word to the extent that they promote truly universal values, going beyond the interests of a Royal Family or of a political cause.
g) Moreover, Orders rightfully use names such as Order, Knightly Order, Order of Knights of…, Equestrian Order, Militia, Company, Brotherhood and so on. The word Order traditionally describes any company of knights rightfully established, without including the restricted sense of Religious Order, as understood in Canon Law.
h)Titles originating in pure phantasy are totally excluded.
Article 21
a) Ancient Orders rightly preserve memories of services gloriously carried out in the cause of Christendom. This preservation of tradition actualises and vivifies the glorious example of their knightly forebears for all knights of these Orders, inspiring them to march in their footsteps on the path of honour.
b) This involves
* a return to the sources of simplicity, humility, Christian piety, the service of the humble and that of the oppressed by the gift of oneself,
* restoring the use and meaning of dubbing, in such a way that the title “knight” is reserved for those who are correctly dubbed,
* keeping as far away as possible the notion of decoration,
* promoting a military spirit, in terms of the struggle of our time.
Article 22
The new Orders are founded with specific purposes, responding to the general aims of chivalry and making use of means clearly adapted to the modern world and using a strict discipline. They carefully avoid any honorific character which is without real justification, and carry out their rites and ceremonies with a measured and sober beauty.
Article 23
a) Each Order is independent of the others. Its dignity is as a consequence of its antiquity, of the services it has rendered in the past and - currently - of its status acquired vis-à-vis spiritual authorities and temporal powers.
b) A knight belonging to more than one Order is not according to knightly tradition, since “No one can serve two masters” or observe two disciplines. Exceptions to the rule of single membership should be rare and based on serious reasons.
Article 24
a) The Orders of Knighthood are inspired by the desire to offer an effective service on behalf of the values of Christian civilisation, each according to their own charism, and to restore to Chivalry its due place in world society.
b) For this purpose, every genuine Order
* should make profession of its Christian identity, and must not offer entrance to its ranks to non-Christians and atheists;
* should belong to a specific Christian denomination. Were it to admit Christians of another denomination, it would be in a secondary category, described as of “Honour” or “of Grace”, and in a spirit of true ecumenism and not of religious indifference;
* should validly confer knightly dubbing on at least some of its members, being careful also that they pass on their knighthood in a responsible way;
* has specific aims that are in agreement with the purposes of knighthood;
* forms a structured society, regulated by statutes;
* requires its members, in the form of an oath, to make profession, or commitment of honour, formalised after a suitable period of probation, of specific duties - including religious ones - and of a style of life reflecting the Code of Honour and expressed according to its own charism;
* develops an authentically knightly spirit among its members by means of a formation that is at the same time religious, moral and traditional which will by its influence benefit society;
* organises or inspires specific knightly activities for the service of one’s neighbour, one’s country, Christian Unity, Christian order, Peace and in defence of Christian civilisation.
Article 25
a) Not only should the knightly Orders as a group follow the tradition of commitment to hospitality and the service of the weak. They should also fight against those ideologies that attack the dignity and freedom of men created in God’s image, promote institutions that reflect the Natural Law, study international issues, so as to help to develop relations between the Peoples of the world as a foundation for Christian civilisation and peace, help the developing nations, assist as far as possible those nations enslaved by totalitarian regimes, promote peace and good government in the Holy Places, provide solutions to the many social problems of today, spread a knightly spirit among youth and in the armed forces, and so forth.
b) The Orders wish to restore to Knighthood the international role that formerly belonged to it, well as an institution which is universally respected.
Article 26
a) It is opposed to the nature of Chivalry and therefore of the knightly Orders, to owe first loyalty to a State or to be exclusively in its service. Whether national or international, the Orders are loyal with regard to legitimate temporal authority, and exalt the virtue of piety towards one’s country; but beyond temporal concerns, they serve Christian order and Peace everywhere.
b) The protection of a Prince or of a State should not be such that it marginalises an Order of Knighthood, depriving it of its moral independence, which is the source of its indispensable spiritual prestige.
c) Nor is it right for an authentic Order to put itself under the authority of philosophical or political movements, even if they describe themselves as ideologically neutral.
Article 27
True Orders, that is to say, those who observe traditional principles as exposed in this Charter, indignantly protest against initiatives inspired by vainglory and a childish love of titles and decorations, or by a taste for filthy lucre. They deny the knightly quality of such undertakings and condemn them for usurping the name of Chivalry.
Article 28
The Orders may organise useful consultations among themselves via qualified representatives, in order to promote unified action to achieve the aims of Chivalry. They may also enter into agreements and alliances with each other.
Article 29
In the same way the Orders are structured to enable them to create a Tribunal of Honour wherein would sit representatives of all the organisations involved, and which would be able to pass judgment on accused knights, to impose sanctions on Orders where deemed correct, to recognise new Orders that accept as theirs the present Charter, and to condemn initiatives that oppose it.
declaration of principles
In the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. amen.
We, the undersigned,
convinced of the greatness of the knightly spirit,
* of the opportunity for its restoration, so as to sustain Christian civilisation in a world given up to the dominance of power,
* of the need to incarnate, defend and promote this spirit in institutions specifically qualified for this,
bearing in mind that as the idea of a new chivalry has found rebirth in a great diversity of milieus, it has given rise to the creation of orders inspired by a genuine spirit of knightly service. There has, however, been a proliferation of groups whose aims and teachings are not always in agreement with authentic traditions, and can even be opposed to the aims of chivalry itself;
considering, too, that a clear and comprehensive description of the nature of chivalry is going to favour the renewal of the institution, in a manner that is adapted to our time, and to put to one side initiatives weighed down with error and irregularity, or inspired by the spirit of wealth and vainglory, or even promoted by secret societies serving anti-Christian revolutionary ideologies;
declare that we approve and profess, desire to defend and promote with all our strength the principles contained in this Charter of Chivalry,
which, however, is not a federation, nor even an alliance between the undersigned, but only the affirmation of a shared perception firmly rooted in tradition, as well as guidelines for common action.
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