A Brief History of
The Order of Merit of Saint Angilbert
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The Badge of The Order of Merit of
St. Angilbert
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Source of the Name
The Order is named after a relative of Godfrey de Bouillon, councilor, confidant, and friend of Charlemagne. St. Angilbert was born c. 740 and died 814 A.D. he was raised at the court of Charlemagne and studied under Alcuin. He married Charlemagne's daughter Bertha. He then turned to a religious life when his prayers for a successful resistance to a Danish invation were answered when a storm scattered the Danish fleet. Bertha entered a convent and Angilbert became a monk, spending the last days of his life at Centula, of which he was abbot and where he established a library.
Close Friend of Charlemagne
St. Angilbert was a close friend and confidant of Charlemagne. He was court chaplain and privy councilor. He undertood several diplomatic missions for the emperor and was one of the executors of the emperor's will. St. Algilbert was also an ancestor of the Count of Boulogne from which Godfrey de Bouillon was descendant.
Entry to the Order of Merit
This general Order of Merit may be conferred upon individuals who are not members of the Order of the Noble Companions of the Swan or any other Order of Christian Chivalry and Knighthood and may be bestowed in one of four ranks or grades in descending seniority:
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