[MR] Wikipedia: Order of the Golden Fleece

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends, Especially Fellow Burgundy Geeks:

On this date in 1430 the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good, founded the
chivalric Order of the Golden Fleece (French: *Toison d'Or*) at Bruges in
what is now Belgium.

During the Hundred Year's Wars, the Valois House of Burgundy fought a
brutal civil war on the side against the Houses of Armagnac and Orleans
when all three should have been paying attention to the English. The
Armagnac party, which had assassinated Phil's father John the Fearless in
1419, was supported by the Dauphin of France (later King Charles VII).
Philip made common cause with England, no doubt nudged by the lucrative
English-Flemish wool trade, Flanders being under Burgundian control. In
1422 Philip was offered membership in the English Order of the Garter, then
considered the most prestigious chivalric order in Europe. Philip
reluctantly declined the honor when his advisors pointed out that
acceptance would be high treason against France (as if he wasn't already in
hot water for playing footsie with the English).

Thoroughly miffed, Philip created his own order, The Order of the Golden
Fleece in 1430, which was inaugurated during the marriage celebrations to
his third wife, Isabella of Portugal. Originally it drew inspiration from
the legend Jason and the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece of
Colchis. This caused a row with the Church, both for its pagan associations
and for Jason's rather deceitful conduct in winning the fleece. The order
was rebranded as based on the golden fleece from heaven given to Gideon in
the Old Testament.
Supposedly members of the order were to conduct themselves as the best
examples of Christian morality, despite Philip having enjoyed at least 24
mistresses, and fathering 26 known bastards (Wikipedia puts the total at
*only* 18). Go figure!

Through marriage between Mary of Burgundy (Philip's granddaughter, and only
then-living legitimate descendant) to Maximilian of Austria (later Holy
Roman Emperor) the order passed to the House of Habsburg. Philip II of
Spain eventually became the senior Habsburg, and so the order became
associated with the Spanish crown. During the War of Spanish Succession in
the 18th century, the Golden Fleece was split in two, one chapter being
Spanish and the other Austrian. And so two Golden Fleece orders remain
today, both still in business and both highly prestigious.

The history of the Golden Fleece is found at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Golden_Fleece .

More about Philip the Good is at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_the_Good .

Yours Aye,

Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆
Continuing a crusade to keep the original Merry Rose relevant and in
business.