Order of the Edelweiss

Order of the Edelweiss; Ordem do Edelvais
	Chain of the Order of the Edelweiss
	Awarded by the; Emperor-King of Karnia-Ruthenia
Type	Dynastic order
Motto	Virtutis Confido; My trust in [the ancient] virtue
Eligibility	Exceptionally meritorious civil and military achievements
Awarded for	At the monarch's pleasure
Status	Currently constituted
Sovereign	Emperor-King Oscar
Principal Commander	Knight Companion of the Order
Grades (w/ post-nominals)	Knight / Dame
Statistics
Established	2016
First induction	2016
Last induction	25 December 2022
Distinct recipients	19
Precedence
Next (higher)	Order of the Three Golden Fleeces
Next (lower)	Order of St. Stephen
	Ribbon of the Order of the Edelweiss

The Order of the Edelweiss is a dynastic order of knighthood founded in Persenburg by Emperor-King Oscar of Karnia-Ruthenia in 2016, to celebrate the establishment of the Karno-Ruthenian Monarchy after the signature of the Karno-Ruthenian Compromise of 2016 in 10 May 2016 and was created to become one of the most prestigious micronational orders. The current sovereign of the order is also its founder, the Emperor-King of Karnia-Ruthenia.

It is a house order of the House of Götzö-Thomaz-Rocha, the Imperial and Royal House of Karnia-Ruthenia and the highest order in the Empire until 2022 with the creation of the Order of the Three Golden Fleeces, that is a pan-national order. So, the Order of the Edelweiss still is the highest civil order in Karnia-Ruthenia. Current knights of the order include Grand Duke of Flandrensis, the King of Quinta Velha, former Emperor of the North American Confederation, and the King of Ebenthal, amongst 16 others.

The order was eventually produced on late February, and the first ten was bestowed on Delveran and Occidian^[1] citizens that would represent the Empire on MicroCon 2023.

History[edit | edit source]

The first known report about the order dates back to 26 May 2016, when it was mentioned in the heraldic description of the new coat of arms of the Karno-Ruthenian Empire. Despite not having been officially established on that date, it goes back to a previous idea. The greatest proof of this is that it consists of official form already inserted in the work of the new armorial; ie its design is older, although having an unspecified date. The probable date of creation of the order, however, is limited by the time gap between the signing of the Karno-Ruthenian Compromise of 2016 on 10 May 2016 and the decree establishing the new national symbols of the Empire, issued on 26 May 2016^[2].

Heraldry Knight's Neck and Lady's Ribbon Insignia.

The Order of inspiration is certainly the Order of the Golden Fleece, the order of chivalry founded by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430 and awarded by the King of Spain and the de jure Emperor-King of Austria-Hungary, once being strong the presence of Austro-Hungarian influence in all Karno-Ruthenian institutions. Despite this, the choice for the name actually comes from the Archduke Anton of Karnia. It was he who set the national symbols of Karnia, ended up for choosing the Edelweiss as national flower. Absent a Ruthenian equivalent, the flower eventually became a national symbol and is included in even the insignia of the Armed Forces.

Knight's Neck and Lady's Ribbon Insignia produced in 2023.

On 11 April 2021, the collar was redesign by Dhrubajyoti Roy, as part of the readjustment of the Empire's armorial and was the first of other changes in national decorations^[3].

With the creation of the Order of the Three Golden Fleeces, the Order of the Edelweiss became more organically close to Karnia-Ruthenia, while the new highest dynastic order was a pan-national dynastic honor shared with Taslavia and Pannonia. The new order assumed much of the traditions of the Golden Fleece, so the Order of the Edelweiss was more distributed from that moment on.

Order[edit | edit source]

Membership in the Order is strictly limited and includes the Monarch, the Crown Prince, the children of the monarch and various supernumerary members, nationals and foreigners. The Order is solely for royalty and nobility, never being conferred to a commoner to the date.

The monarch alone can grant membership and he or she is known as the Sovereign of the Order and the Crown Prince is known as a Knight Companion of the Order. Male members of the Order are titled "Knights", and female members are called "Ladies".