The Order of the Thistle

The Order of the Thistle represents the highest honour in Scotland, and it is second in importance after the Order of the Garter.

The exact date of the foundation of the Order is not known but legend has it that it dates back to 809 when King Achaius formed an alliance with Carlemagne.
It is also possible that the Order may have been founded by James III, who was responsible for changes in royal symbolism in Scotland, including the adoption of the thistle as the royal plant badge of the Stuarts.

Although some kind of Scottish Order of chivalry existed in the 15th and 16th centuries, or even much earlier, it was James II who established the Order with a statutory foundation under new rules on May 29, 1687, to reward Scottish peers who supported the king's political and religious aims. A robe from that period still survives, and has more than 250 applied thistle motifs on it and sprigs of rue known as the Herb of Grace, the ancient symbol of the Picts. The statutes stated that the Order was formed by the Sovereign and 12 Knights in allusion to Jesus and his Twelve Apostles.

After James II 's abdication in 1688, the Order fell into disuse until it was revived by Queen Anne in 1703. The number of knights remained 12.
Despite the 1715 and 1745 rebellions, the Old and Young Pretenders (Prince James and Prince Charles or Bonnie Prince Charlie) were appointed Knights of the Thistle in their exiles. The early Hanoverian kings also made use of the Order to reward Scottish nobles who supported the Hanoverian and Protestant cause.

Interest in the Order revived when George IV wore the Thistle during his visit to Scotland in 1822. In 1987 ladies were allowed to join the Order.
The patron saint of the Order is St Andrew (also the patron saint of Scotland), who appears on the Order's badge. The breast star of the Order, instituted by George I in 1714, consists of a silver saltire with a pointed ray between each of the arms of the cross; at the centre is a gold medallion contained in an enameled representation of the thistle, surrounded by a green border on which the Order's motto is written in gold. The motto is “Nemo me impune lacessit” (No one harms me with impunity).

The badge is worn on the left breast.
The chapel for the Order was to be at Holyroodhouse Abbey. It was not until 1911 that the Order had a chapel, adjacent to St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, in which its services and ceremonies could be held.
Today the order still exists, with Queen Elizabeth II at its head.

Badge

The Thistle