British order of chivalry associated with Scotland
Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle
Insignia of Knights and Ladies of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle
Awarded by the monarch of Scotland (United Kingdom) and successor states
Type
Order of chivalry
Established
1687; 337 years ago (1687)
Motto
Nemo me impune lacessit
Criteria
At the monarch's pleasure
Status
Currently constituted
Founder
James VII
Sovereign
Charles III
Chancellor
The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry
Grades
Extra Knight/Lady (KT/LT)
Knight/Lady (KT/LT)
Statistics
First induction
29 May 1687
Last induction
10 March 2024
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
Edward VIII: 0
George VI: 12
Elizabeth II: 58
Charles III: 5
Precedence
Next (higher)
Order of the Garter
Next (lower)
Order of St Patrick
Ribbon 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, who asserted that he was reviving an earlier order. The order consists of the sovereign and sixteen knights and ladies, as well as certain "extra" knights (members of the British royal family and foreign monarchs). The sovereign alone grants membership of the order; they are not advised by the government, as occurs with most other orders.
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom for use in Scotland
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").[1] The same motto appears on the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom for use in Scotland and pound coins minted in 1984, 1989, 1994, and 1999 (since withdrawn), and is also the motto of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, the Scots Guards, the Royal Regiment of Scotland, and The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada. 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 it is now dormant.
^1687 Statutes, quoted in Statutes (1987), p6
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