Chivalric Programs

Chivalry is one of the major areas of study at The Augustan Society. It is addressed in a number of ways, from semi-autonomous sub-groups to committees to special projects to publications. These include:

The Chivalry Committee — Under a chairman named by the President, members with knowledge in this field serve as advisors to the Board. Their particular duties include making recommendations on the recognition of Orders of Chivalry (and organizations of a chivalric nature), and on recognition of individuals' membership and rank in those organizations. They also assist the Webmaster in maintaining an unofficial list of commonly used postnominals.

List of Recognized Orders of Chivalry and Organizations of a Chivalric Nature — This list, maintained by the Chivalry Committee, lists those Orders and related organizations presently recognized by the Society. Note that this concerns Society recognition only, and does not make any pretense of certifying the validity of those groups, nor of denying the validity of groups not listed.

List of Orders of Chivalry Recognized as having fought in the Holy Lands during the Crusades — This list, maintained by the Chivalry Committee, list only those recognized Orders whose members are known to have fought in the Holy Lands during the time of the Crusades, and such other Orders as have legitimately descended from them. This is needed for qualifying as a Crusader Member of the Society of Descendants of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Petition for Recognition of an Order of Chivalry or Organization of a Chivalric Nature — Those wishing the Society to recognize their Order or organization may petition for such membership. There is a charge for such reviews.

Petition for Recognition of Membership and Rank in an Order of Chivalry — Augustan Society Members who are members of a Recognized Order may file a petition for the Society to recognize their rank and membership, which will permit the Society's use of the appropriate postnominals and other honorifics. There is a charge for such reviews.

List of Postnominals Used — This unofficial list, maintained by the Webmaster in consultation with the Chivalry Committee, Communications Committee, and others, shows postnominals that have been used by the Society at some point. They include many ranks in the Orders listed above, and many other postnominals including honorific, chivalric, academic, religious, professional, fellowship, and military honors. It is not suggested that this is a complete listing of such, only those the Society has found it has need of. Neither does inclusion in this list suggest that these postnominals or the Orders associated with them are presently recognized by the Society, nor even by the organization that originally granted them.

The Noble Company of the Rose — Under a Magister Rosae elected by its members, this dependency of The Augustan Society is an international confraternity of knights and dames (plus a few esquires) dedicated to cordial relations between the Orders, and to maintenance of a chapel at Society Headquarters. The Noble Company is not an order of chivalry, nor should any claim to such be countenanced.

Publications — The Society (and groups closely affiliated with it) has published extensively on chivalry, including the publications:

• Guide to Orders of Chivalry, Sir Rodney Hartwell, 1974 (withdrawn for revision)
• A Bibliographic Guide: The Order of the Temple, Patricia Hartwell, 1985
• A Bibliographic Guide: The Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazurus of Jerusalem and The Order of Sts. Maurice & Lazarus, Patricia Hartwell, 1985
• The International Chivalric Institute Members' Newsletter, 32 issues, 1988–1997
• Chivalry, thirteen issues, 1974–2001
• Many articles in The Augustan Omnibus and its predecessors, some of which have been gathered together by topic into “Reprints”.

Links to other sites — A list of links to a variety of other sources of information on the web is maintained. Suggestions for additional links are welcomed. Links to the official web sites of many Orders of Chivalry may also be found on the List of Recognized Orders.