It translates from Old French as "Accursed be a cowardly and covetous heart." While the author of that poem remains disputed, there seems to be a connection between two of the top candidates and the Order of the Garter.
A rough version of the Order's motto also appears in the text. In "Gawain", a girdle, very similar in its erotic undertones to the garter, plays a prominent role. Medieval scholars have pointed to a connection between the Order of the Garter and the Middle English poem, " Sir Gawain and the Green Knight". The use of the garter as an emblem may have derived from straps used to fasten armour. Another explanation is that the motto refers to Edward's claim to the French throne, and the Order of the Garter was created to help pursue this claim. King Edward supposedly recalled the event in the 14th century when he founded the Order. According to another legend, King Richard I was inspired in the 12th century by St George the Martyr while fighting in the Crusades to tie garters around the legs of his knights, who subsequently won the battle. When the surrounding courtiers sniggered, the king picked it up and returned it to her, exclaiming, " Honi soit qui mal y pense," ("Shamed be the person who thinks evil of it."), the phrase that has become the motto of the Order. While she was dancing at a court ball at Calais, her garter is said to have slipped from her leg. The most popular legend involves the "Countess of Salisbury" (either Edward's future daughter-in-law Joan of Kent or her former mother-in-law, Catherine Montacute, Countess of Salisbury). Various legends account for the origin of the Order. They are all depicted in individual portraits in the Bruges Garter Book made in about 1431. John de Lisle, 2nd Baron Lisle (1318–56).Roger Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March (1328–60).William Montacute, 2nd Earl of Salisbury (1328–97).Ralph de Stafford, 2nd Baron Stafford (1301–72).Thomas de Beauchamp, 11th Earl of Warwick (d.Henry of Grosmont, 4th Earl of Lancaster (c.Edward, the Black Prince, Prince of Wales (1330–76).The Order of the Garter is the oldest and most prestigious order of chivalry in the United Kingdom.Īt the time of its foundation, the Order consisted of King Edward III, together with 25 Founder Knights, listed in ascending order of stall number in St. The King's wardrobe account shows Garter habits first issued in the autumn of 1348 its original statutes required that each member already be a knight (what would now be referred to as a knight bachelor) and some of the initial members were only knighted that year. Other dates from 1344 to 1351 have also been proposed. The foundation year is usually presumed to be 1348, however, the Complete Peerage, under "The Founders of the Order of the Garter", states the order was first instituted on 23 April 1344, listing each founding member as knighted in 1344, including Sir Sanchet D'Abrichecourt who died on 20 October 1345. King Edward III founded the Order of the Garter around the time of his claim to the French throne. 9 Investure ceremony of new Knights of the Garter.New appointments to the Order of the Garter are always announced on St George's Day, 23 April, as Saint George is the patron saint of England. Members of the order wear such a garter on ceremonial occasions. The order's emblem, depicted on insignia, is a garter with the motto Honi soit qui mal y pense ( Middle French: "shame upon him who thinks evil upon it") in gold lettering. The order also includes supernumerary knights and ladies (e.g., members of the British Royal Family and foreign monarchs). Membership of the order is limited to the Sovereign, the Prince of Wales, and no more than twenty-four members, or Companions. It is awarded at the Sovereign's pleasure as her personal gift, on recipients from the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms. The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry and the most prestigious honour in England and of the United Kingdom, and is dedicated to the image and arms of St. Henry of Grosmont, Earl of Lancaster (d.1361) (later Duke of Lancaster), the second recipient of the Order, shown wearing his garter robes in an illustration from the 1430 Bruges Garter Book made by William Bruges (1375–1450), first Garter King of Arms Representation of the garter on a Knight's mantle Awarded by Monarch of England and successor states