Order of Saint Stanislaus
Encyclopedia
The Order of Saint Stanislaus (Polish: Order św. Stanisława Biskupa Męczennika, Russian: Орден Святого Станислава), also spelled Stanislas, was an Order in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
and The Kingdom of Poland between 1765 and 1831 and of Russian Empire
from 1831 to 1917.
After the partition of Poland
it was recognized in the Grand Duchy of Warsaw in 1807. Since 1815 in the Polish (Congress) Kingdom
, the Order, originally in a single class, was retained and divided into four classes. At 25 January 1831 Polish Parliament deposed tsar Nicholas I of Russia
(also grand master of this Polish Order) from the throne of Poland. After the downfall of the November Uprising
the Imperial House of Romanov created the Royal and Imperial Order of Saint Stanislaus and added it to the awards system of the Russian Empire
in 1832, where it remained until 1917. In 1915 was recreated Kingdom of Poland independent from House of Romanov, next in 1918 Poland regained its independence as the Second Polish Republic
, the Order was not renewed (probably because in its Russian form it was often awarded by the imperial government to those Poles who co-operated with it and thus the Order became discredited as a symbol of subservience to the Russian occupying power) and was replaced by the Order of Polonia Restituta
.
with white enameled Polish eagles between its arms and with a central medallion bearing an enameled image of Saint Stanislaus in his episcopal vestment surrounded by a gold laurel wreath
. In the Russian version of this badge the Polish white eagles are replaced with gold Russian double-head imperial eagles, their wings parially overlaping the arms of the cross and the central medallion bear the letters "SS" in red on a white enamel background instead of the original image of the saintly bishop, surrounded by a green enamel laural wreath. There are also a semi-circle of gold rays between each of the points of arms of the Maltese cross. Both the Polish and Russian badges hung from a red ribbon with white strips near its borders (i.e., the colors of the Polish coat of arms and flag), a ribbon which they share with the modern Order of Polonia Restituta
.
The Order also had a eight-pointed star with straight rays with a central medallion bearing the letters "SS" surrounded by the Latin words "Praemiando incitat", which is in turn surrounded by a laurel wreath. The Star has essentially the same design in both its Polish and Russian forms.
In its original Polish form the knights of the Order wore a red, white and silver habit modelled on the traditional dress of a Polish nobleman (i.e., zupan
, kontusz
, pas kontuszowy
and delia).
In chronological order:
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
and The Kingdom of Poland between 1765 and 1831 and of Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
from 1831 to 1917.
History of the Order of Saint Stanislaus
Stanisław August Poniatowski, King of Poland, established the Order of the Knights of Saint Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr on May 8, 1765 to honor the service to the King.After the partition of Poland
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
it was recognized in the Grand Duchy of Warsaw in 1807. Since 1815 in the Polish (Congress) Kingdom
Congress Poland
The Kingdom of Poland , informally known as Congress Poland , created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, was a personal union of the Russian parcel of Poland with the Russian Empire...
, the Order, originally in a single class, was retained and divided into four classes. At 25 January 1831 Polish Parliament deposed tsar Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
(also grand master of this Polish Order) from the throne of Poland. After the downfall of the November Uprising
November Uprising
The November Uprising , Polish–Russian War 1830–31 also known as the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in Warsaw when the young Polish officers from the local Army of the Congress...
the Imperial House of Romanov created the Royal and Imperial Order of Saint Stanislaus and added it to the awards system of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
in 1832, where it remained until 1917. In 1915 was recreated Kingdom of Poland independent from House of Romanov, next in 1918 Poland regained its independence as the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
, the Order was not renewed (probably because in its Russian form it was often awarded by the imperial government to those Poles who co-operated with it and thus the Order became discredited as a symbol of subservience to the Russian occupying power) and was replaced by the Order of Polonia Restituta
Polonia Restituta
The Order of Polonia Restituta is one of Poland's highest Orders. The Order can be conferred for outstanding achievements in the fields of education, science, sport, culture, art, economics, defense of the country, social work, civil service, or for furthering good relations between countries...
.
The Insignia of the Polish and Russian Orders of St. Stanislaus
The original Polish badge of the order was a red enameled Maltese crossMaltese cross
The Maltese cross, also known as the Amalfi cross, is identified as the symbol of an order of Christian warriors known as the Knights Hospitaller or Knights of Malta and through them came to be identified with the Mediterranean island of Malta and is one of the National symbols of Malta...
with white enameled Polish eagles between its arms and with a central medallion bearing an enameled image of Saint Stanislaus in his episcopal vestment surrounded by a gold laurel wreath
Laurel wreath
A laurel wreath is a circular wreath made of interlocking branches and leaves of the bay laurel , an aromatic broadleaf evergreen. In Greek mythology, Apollo is represented wearing a laurel wreath on his head...
. In the Russian version of this badge the Polish white eagles are replaced with gold Russian double-head imperial eagles, their wings parially overlaping the arms of the cross and the central medallion bear the letters "SS" in red on a white enamel background instead of the original image of the saintly bishop, surrounded by a green enamel laural wreath. There are also a semi-circle of gold rays between each of the points of arms of the Maltese cross. Both the Polish and Russian badges hung from a red ribbon with white strips near its borders (i.e., the colors of the Polish coat of arms and flag), a ribbon which they share with the modern Order of Polonia Restituta
Polonia Restituta
The Order of Polonia Restituta is one of Poland's highest Orders. The Order can be conferred for outstanding achievements in the fields of education, science, sport, culture, art, economics, defense of the country, social work, civil service, or for furthering good relations between countries...
.
The Order also had a eight-pointed star with straight rays with a central medallion bearing the letters "SS" surrounded by the Latin words "Praemiando incitat", which is in turn surrounded by a laurel wreath. The Star has essentially the same design in both its Polish and Russian forms.
In its original Polish form the knights of the Order wore a red, white and silver habit modelled on the traditional dress of a Polish nobleman (i.e., zupan
Zupan
Żupan was a long garment, always lined, worn by almost all males of the noble social class in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, typical male attire from the beginning of the 16th to half of the 18th century, still surviving as a part of the Polishnational dress.- Derivation :The name żupan has...
, kontusz
Kontusz
Kontusz - a type of outer garment worn by the Hungarian, Polish, Belarusian, Lithuanian and Ukrainian male nobility...
, pas kontuszowy
Pas kontuszowy
Pas kontuszowy was a cloth sash used for compassing a kontusz . It was one of the most distinctive items of dress of Polish and Lithuanian nobility from about 17th through the 19th centuries. In an earlier periods, sometimes narrower sashes of fine cloth or silk net were worn, but the wide...
and delia).
The Orders of Saint Stanislaus in existence today
There are several Orders of Saint Stanislaus in existence today. These different Orders and grand-masters do not recognize each other as legitimate successors or revivals of the Order of Saint Stanislaus.In chronological order:
- The Royal and Imperial Order of Saint Stanislaus, a house order issued by the head of the Imperial House of Romanov. This is the imperial Order that was abolished in Soviet Russia in 1918. Nevertheless the head of the Imperial House of RomanovRomanovThe House of Romanov was the second and last imperial dynasty to rule over Russia, reigning from 1613 until the February Revolution abolished the crown in 1917...
occasionally awards crosses in this order.
- A false orderSelf-styled ordersPseudo-chivalric orders or self-styled orders are organizations which falsely claim to be chivalric orders. Most self-styled orders arose in or after the mid-eighteenth century and many have been created in the present day, though most are short-lived and endure no more than a few decades.A...
of Saint Stanislaus was active in Italy in the 1950s. It no longer exists.
- The Order of Saint Stanislaus founded in 1979 by Juliusz Nowina-SokolnickiJuliusz Nowina-SokolnickiJuliusz Nowina-Sokolnicki Polish politician, head of one of the two governments which claimed in 1972 to be the successor to the exiled Polish government that was created to replace original Polish government, which fled to Romania in September 1939 at the start of World War II...
, head of one of the two governments that claimed to be the successor to the exiled Polish government-in-exile that fled to London in 1939.
- Often mistakenly referred to as the Ukrainian chapter, on the 15th May 2004 Grand Priors from a number of Countries under "The Order of Saint Stanislas (1979)" met in Kiev and decided to break away and form "The International Order of Saint Stanislas" with Pavlo V'Yalov Grand Prior of Ukraine as its Grand Master.