Order of St. Michael (Bavaria)
Encyclopedia
The Order of St. Michael was founded in 1693 by Joseph Clemens of Bavaria
, then Archbishop-Elector of Cologne, as a Military order
. Initially, this order was only open to the Catholic nobility
.
Joseph Clemens of Bavaria
Joseph Clemens of Bavaria was a member of the Wittelsbach dynasty of Bavaria and Archbishop-Elector of Cologne from 1688 to 1723.-Biography:...
, then Archbishop-Elector of Cologne, as a Military order
Military order
A military order is a Christian society of knights that was founded for crusading, i.e. propagating or defending the faith , either in the Holy Land or against Islam or pagans in Europe...
. Initially, this order was only open to the Catholic nobility
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
.