The orders of chivalry, the order of the crown of Westphalia.
After the meeting’s order, Esprit Joaillerie offers you a new visit to Museum of the Legion of Honor in order to discover the’Order of the Crown of Westphalia.
To begin with, on July 7, 1807, Napoleon I gave his youngest brother, Jérôme, the kingdom of Westphalia. Created out of thin air from German states that had previously been independent, Hanover, Brunswick, and Hesse-Cassel.
Burned with impatience, Jérôme presented the Emperor with a draft of the Order in July 1808, with the following motivation: «The institution of a Westphalian order should please the Germans […] Your Majesty knows their character; many of them were forced to give up their decorations and nothing would be more pleasing to them than to see a new order established in their kingdom.» Thus, on December 25, 1809, after receiving the imperial authorization, the king was able to sign the decree establishing the Order of the Crown of Westphalia.
© Legion of Honor Museum / F Gousset
© Legion of Honor Museum / F Gousset
First of all, a first project was presented, with the Westphalian eagle associated with a cheva, but it was rejected because it was judged to be too similar to the Legion of Honor.
A new badge, inspired by the coat of arms, was introduced by decree on February 5, 1810. Very complex, it consists of numerous heraldic animals: the eagle, the lion, the horse, surrounded by a snake biting its tail, symbolizing immortality.
This project was again modified on April 25, 1810, as Napoleon judged that ’there are too many animals in that order.«.
Come and discover the next episode, the order of the hunt.
2 rue de la Légion d’Honneur 75007 Paris
From Wednesday to Sunday 13h to 18h
