Page:The Book of Orders of Knighthood and Decorations of Honour of All Nations.djvu/696

Rh THE ORDER OF THE SERAPHIM, OR THE "BLUE RIBBON,"

There is no doubt whatever of the antiquity of this Order, yet it is very difficult to arrive at the exact date of the foundation. General opinion, though without positive proof, ascribes its origin, about the year 1280, to King Magnus I., who is said to have instituted it at the persuasion of the Maltese Knights. Another account ascribes the foundation to Magnus's grandson, Magnus Erichson. This presumption is somewhat supported by the historical fact, that Erichson had, at his coronation, in 1336, dubbed several persons Knights of the Order of the Seraphim. From this bare fact, however, we would rather be inclined to infer that the Order had already been in existence at the time of his accession to the throne.

Quite as uncertain are the form of the insignia, and the provisions of the statutes in ancient times. We only know, that on grand occasions, a certain number of individuals were knighted and created members of the Order, while the earliest form of the badge is only known to us historically by a description of the time of Charles IX., who abolished the Order on the introduction of Lutheranism in Sweden. At that time, the decoration consisted of an oval medal, enamelled blue, with the name 'Jesus' in gold, and with four small white and black enamelled nails at the narrow edges, in allusion to the passion of Christ. This medal was then worn appended to a gold neck-chain, composed of red enamelled cherubims, and patriarchal crosses without enamel.

King Frederick I. revived the Order, as also those of the Sword and North Star, on the 28th April, 1748 (his seventy