The myth of the golden fleece stolen by the Argonauts was well known in the Middle Ages. A difficult and dangerous adventure, as a result of which a reward awaits the soldiers - a golden maiden, the Holy Sepulcher or the skin of a golden ram - excited the blood of proud monarchs. With this in mind, Philip III the Good, Duke of Burgundy, established the order, which was named so - the Order of the Golden Fleece …
The history records the date of the foundation of the order. The solemn event happened on January 10, 1430. On this day, Philip III, "Grand Duke of the West", celebrated his wedding with his third wife, Isabella of Portugal.
To amaze guests with wealth, the servants served them with exquisite dishes, among which were the latest European delights. In addition, the duke ordered to arrange in a huge box and on a seven-meter high platform attached to this "showcase" a lot of expensive jewelry. When the guests, amazed by the radiance, brilliance and size of the displayed diamonds, rubies and topazes, expressed their admiration, Philip III stood up and announced that by his decree the knightly order of the Golden Fleece was being established "in honor of the Virgin Mary and the Apostle Peter, in defense of the faith and the Catholic Church.", moreover (in the words of one of the poets) "not in order to match others, / Not for a game or amusement, / But in order to give praise to the Lord / And tea to the faithful - honor and glory."
The insignia of the order depicted the golden fleece - the skin of a ram, which the leader of the Argonauts Jason stole from Colchis. And even then the name of the order seemed strange. Still, the golden fleece is not a religious symbol, but something lost in the historical distance, and even clouded with a mythological haze. Of course, the European rulers were well-educated people and they knew the story of the golden fleece and the campaign of the Argonauts well - so, back in 1382, the ruler of Naples Charles III the Small established a short-lived Order of the Ship, or the Argonauts (even then they were reputed to be a model of valor and bravery). However, there were rumors that some of the members of the ruling family of Philip III, like the ancient Jason, at one time happily escaped captivity in Colchis Mingrelia,so that personal history could induce the duke to erect the skin of a golden ram into a symbol and make a wonderful order out of a poetic image, like the Order of the Garter, which for many monarchs was the subject of burning envy.
However, the symbolism of the order and its motto cause some doubts among researchers that Philip the Good was guided only by pious intentions. Some point out that the establishment of the order had rather political goals, and one of them was to bring together a small group of the highest nobility from the various provinces ruled by the Burgundian duke. These provinces were annexed to the possessions of Philip the Good thanks to numerous dynastic marriages and various types of inheritance, but did not have a unifying tradition of submission and loyalty to a common overlord.
The badge of the order hung on a chain of 28 links in the form of stylized flints, from which tongues of red flame burst out, interspersed with flints. Every detail of the insignia of this order was deeply symbolic: flint is the heraldic symbol of Burgundy and the Netherlands, therefore its combination with a rune is not accidental. The motto of the order reads: PRETIUM LABORUM NON VILE ("The award is not inferior to the feat").
The statute of the order exists to this day in two branches (Spanish and Austrian). King Philip VI of Spain has the right to award the Spanish branch, and Karl von Habsburg - the Austrian one.
The order presented here measures b, 2 x 6.2 centimeters. It is made of gold and adorned with diamonds, silver and topaz. According to one version, it belonged to the Russian Emperor Alexander I. Today it is kept in the Diamond Fund of Russia.
Promotional video:
Igor RODIONOV