The Order of the
Golden Fleece
by RW R. L. Boetnner
Presented at Madison Lodge
14 January 2004
“My brother, I have now the pleasure of presenting you
with a lambskin or white leathern apron. It is an emblem of innocence, and the
badge of a Mason, more ancient than the Golden Fleece or Roman Eagle; more
honorable than the Star & Garter, or any other order that can be conferred upon
you at this or any future period by king, prince, potentate, or any other person
except he be a Mason.”
Upon hearing these words do we ever wonder just what all
these named honors betoken? The Star & Garter is an honor bestowed by the
English Crown. The Roman Eagle remains a mystery to this writer. The Golden
Fleece reference brings to mind three different experiences.
The first is Biblical. In the Book of Judges (6:28-40) it
is recorded that Gideon has been directed to enter into battle with the
Midianites, Amalekites, and the people of the East. While Gideon is faithful to
sound the trumpet and call together various tribes of Israel to engage the
enemy, he has some reservations about the forthcoming battle. So, in effect, he
puts God to the test about God’s promise that Gideon will prevail. And the
scripture text is an account of a miracle of sheep’s fleece, consisting in the
dew having fallen at one time on the fleece laid out by Gideon with out any dew
on the ground about, and at another time with the fleece remaining dry while the
ground was wet with the morning dew. Since this is an account of doubt and
failure to trust in God’s word, it is doubtful that the writers of our Masonic
ritual were thinking of Gideon’s fleece as they composed this particular piece
of ritual related to our pristine aprons, emblems of innocence and badges of
great honor.
The second is mythological. Surely, many of us have heard
and/or read of the valiant efforts of Jason and the Argonauts to reclaim Jason’s
throne stolen from him by a wicked cousin. The entire epic poem tells of the
many dangers and trials encountered by these brave men pledged one to the other.
In reading this great poem, the treacherous intrigues entered into by the pagan
gods, the deceit of humans, the lying of one to another, the dishonor brought
upon families because of lust, murder and mayhem, it is hard to conceive that
the great ritual writers had this ancient account of Golden Fleece as the basis
for the bestowal of aprons upon newly initiated brothers.
Therefore, our inquiry leads us further to investigate an
imperial Order of the Golden Fleece of the Holy Roman Emperor. Interestingly,
the founder of this Order looked to both of the previously discussed references,
however, lifting them both to a higher spiritual plane through contemporaneous
interpretation to achieve acceptance by the Sovereign.
It was during the marriage celebration for Duke Philip
the Good and his third wife, Princess Isabella of Portugal on January 1, 1430,
that the Herald of Flanders announced to the assembled guests that his master,
His Most Serene and Powerful Prince and Lord, the Duke of Burgundy, Count of
Flanders and Artois, and Palgrave of Namur, had founded a new order, The Order
of the Golden Fleece. The first ceremonial meeting of the new Order occurred on
November 30, 1431, on the feast day of the Apostle Andrew, patron saint of the
House of Burgundy and now of the new Order. At that time, the regulations of the
new Order were acknowledged in the presence of the Duke and the first 24 knights
nominated by him. The Order of the Golden Fleece was intended as a knightly
brotherhood and a friendly alliance of noblemen. Membership was originally
intended to be limited to 31; although various subsequent emperors increased
that number to 51 and eventually to 70. Requirements included that the nominees
be noblemen “in name and arms” and ‘truly devoted’ to the sovereign of the
Order, the respective bearer of the title Duke of Burgundy. The principal aims
of the Order were to promote the glory of God and to defend the Christian faith.
At its inception, the use of the word “order” was
carefully chosen to instill the deeply held respect for religious orders as was
contemporaneously held by other knightly orders. Membership was thus experienced
as a strong, holy bond by which one pledged loyalty to the sovereign of the
Order. Probably one of the reasons that Duke Philip conceived the Order was
political, creating a band of extremely faithful nobleman loyal to himself and
his dynasty. In the beginning, those who received the honor of membership were
the highest-ranking nobles of the realm. Thus the Order of the Golden Fleece
outshone all other orders with its wealth, standing, and splendor of the
Burgundian dukes. The Order of the Golden Fleece claimed pride of place among
all the Christian orders, and later when the Hapsburghs of Austria acquired all
the Spanish property and titles they consolidated this position with even
grander accouterments to accompany the bestowal of membership in this extremely
selective Order.
Philip the Good used the positive aspects of the Greek
myth of Jason and the Golden Fleece as the springboard for the Order. And upon
the Order’s first meeting, the chancellor interpreted the Miracle of the Fleece
demanded by Gideon in a “politically correct” manner so as to receive the
Emperor’s approval. Being extremely devout Christians, the Emperor laid a solid
spiritual foundation for the Order and had the outstanding artisans of the day
create elaborate and exquisite liturgical vestments for the celebrants to wear
upon the occasion of chapter meetings. Additionally, these artists created
outstanding robes and collars for the recipients to wear at all festive
occasions.
Upon initiation into the Order, the newly -elected knight
laid one hand on the Gospel, the other on the Cross of Allegiance, which
contained a particle of the True Cross, and swore to abide by the statues of the
Order. He then received the neck chain of the Order around his neck. On festive
occasion members of the Order were permitted to wear the magnificent robes of
the Order which had been crafted in bright red, white or black, according to the
event.
For a chapter to meet and conduct business, in addition
to the Sovereign, four officers were appointed: a chancellor, a treasurer, a
secretary and historian, and a king-at-arms. With the passage of time and the
transfer of realms from house to house for variety of reasons, the Treasury of
the Order was eventually evacuated from Brussels under pressure from the French
Revolutionary army in 1797 along with the liturgical vestments.
Some of these treasures are in the Imperial Art treasure
museum in Vienna, Austria. In viewing these beautifully crafted treasures today
and having the eye of history, one can understand the pride and honor a
recipient would have. And knowing the intrigue and political machinations of
that day, one can envision how a recipient would take great care to make his
opponents aware of his stature with the Emperor.
Thus,
speculative Masons should be all the more honored and humbled to have bestowed
upon them by their peers the distinctive white lambskin apron denoting their
membership in our humble craft.
back to top |
