Nicolas Viton de Saint-Allais - Histoire générale des ordres de chevalerie civils et militaires existant en Europe - 1811

Nicolas Viton de Saint-Allais. General History of the Civil and Military Orders of Knighthood existing in Europe. Paris, Gérardy, Patris, Lepetit, 1811, 135 pp.

One quarto volume (330x260 mm), soft cover, 20th-century paper cover. Original covers preserved. Interior fresh, without foxing.

Original edition; well complete with the two aquarelle plates hors-texte.

General History of the Civil and Military Orders of Knighthood existing in Europe, published by Nicolas Viton de Saint-Allais in 1811, is a work devoted to the history, organization and insignia of the principal European knighthood orders. Its ambition is to present a panorama of civil, military and religious honors, tracing their origin, evolution and role in the various states of Europe.

The author successively presents the great orders of knighthood of France, the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, England, Russia, Prussia, Italy and other European monarchies. For each, he describes the circumstances of its foundation, the sovereigns who instituted it, the admission requirements, the privileges granted to members as well as the statutes governing their functioning. Particular attention is given to the insignia, collars, crosses and costumes, whose characteristics are often illustrated by engravings.