| Order of the Saint Queen Tamar | |
|---|---|
| Awarded by The Royal House of Georgia | |
| Country | Georgia |
| Type | Breast star |
| Statistics | |
| Established | 1915 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Order of the Crown of Georgia |
| Next (lower) | Order of the Eagle of Georgia and the Seamless Tunic of Our Lord Jesus Christ |
The Order of the Saint Queen Tamar (Georgian: თამარ მეფის ორდენი) is a dynastic order of knighthood of the Royal House of Georgia, originally founded in 1915 by Georgians while in exile.[1]
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The Order traces itself to a Georgian Legion created in 1915 under the same leadership that would later go on to found the Union of Georgian Traditionalists.
The Legion was put together to fight against the Russian forces in favor of Georgian independence and the originally was named "Insignia of the Saint Queen Tamar". It used to be awarded only to Georgians with exceptional service to the cause of Georginan independence.[1]
It was awarded personnel who distinguished themselves on behalf of the independence of Georgia in World War I and its immediate aftermath. Only about 3,000 officers and soldiers of the Georgian Legion (a Georgian volunteer unit within the German army) and the German Caucasus Expedition which remained in Georgia until October 1918. The Order was a de facto decoration awarded by the independence movement of Georgia, then part of Imperial Russia, but was made official by the independent Democratic Republic of Georgia on 13 December 1918 and recognised as an order of merit.[2]
However, Prince Irakli Bagration of Mukhrani recreated it as a dynastic order of his Royal House with himself as the Grand Master, with the consent of his father, Prince George Bagration of Mukhrani who was the Head of the Royal House at the time.[1]
The Order is named after one of the Saint Queen Tamar of Georgia who was a major force in Georgian history and help grow the influence of her kingdom during the later 12th/early 13th centuries. The period of her reign has come to be known as the Golden age of Georgia.
Membership is open to candidates of any ethnicity or religion and broken into two grades:[1]
The insignia is designed as a ribbon in the colours of Georgia, red and black, and a "badge" consisting of an eight-pointed rayed star worn on the left breast. The central medallion depicts the head of Queen Tamar within a circle inscribed, in Georgian letters, ქართული ლეგიონი 1915 (Georgian Legion 1915). The ribbon has to be worn without a medal on it, with the star on the breast.