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Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle

Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle
Insignia of Knight of the Thistle.png
Insignia of a Knight Companion of The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle
Awarded by
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (Scotland).svg
the Monarch of Scotland and successor states
Type Order
Motto Nemo me impune lacessit
Awarded for At the monarch's pleasure
Status Currently constituted
Sovereign Queen Elizabeth II
Chancellor David, Earl of Airlie
Grades Knight/Lady Companion
KT/LT
Extra Knight/Lady
KT/LT
Statistics
Established 1687
First induction 29 May 1687
Last induction 30 November 2013
Total inductees James VII: 8
Anne: 12
George I: 8
George II: 17
George III: 29
George IV: 10
William IV: 4
Victoria: 53
Edward VII: 8
George V: 27
George VI: 12
Elizabeth II: 54
Precedence
Next (higher) Order of the Garter
Next (lower) Order of St. Patrick
Order of the Thistle UK ribbon.png
Riband of the Order of the Thistle

The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland. The current version of the Order was founded in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland (James II of England and Ireland) who asserted that he was reviving an earlier Order. The Order consists of the Sovereign and sixteen Knights and Ladies, as well as certain "" knights (members of the British Royal Family and foreign monarchs). The Sovereign alone grants membership of the Order; he or she is not advised by the Government, as occurs with most other Orders.

The Order's primary emblem is the thistle, the national flower of Scotland. The motto is Nemo me impune lacessit (Latin for "No one provokes me with impunity"). The same motto appears on the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom for use in Scotland and some pound coins, and is also the motto of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, Scots Guards, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada and Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. The patron saint of the Order is St Andrew.

Most British orders of chivalry cover the whole United Kingdom, but the three most exalted ones each pertain to one constituent country only. The Order of the Thistle, which pertains to Scotland, is the second-most senior in precedence. Its equivalent in England, The Most Noble Order of the Garter, is the oldest documented order of chivalry in the United Kingdom, dating to the middle fourteenth century. In 1783 an Irish equivalent, The Most Illustrious Order of St Patrick, was founded, but has now fallen dormant.


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