The Orders of Christ, Aviz and St.
James were awarded in its Brazilian design from
September 7, 1822 on. This date marked its independence
from Portugal. The orders coexisted and originated in
Portugal.
The order was awarded to citizens
and foreigners under Dom Pedro I and his son Dom Pedro
II. until 1889, when Brazil became a republic.
Wishing to resolve the question of
the Grandmaster ship of the Portuguese Ancient Military
Orders in Brazil, Peter I (IV of Portugal) asked the
Pope, through the Brazilian Ambassador to the Holy See,
to recognize the rights in Brazil, which once belonged
to the Kings of Portugal.
This gave way to the Bull
Praeclara Portugaliiae Algarbiorumque Regum, on May
15 1827, given by Pope Leo XII, by which was created a
Brazilian branch of the Order of Christ.
Notwithstanding, the Bull provoked a great political
dispute and was never ratified by the Imperial
Parliament.
From this point one might say,
following Marques Poliano, that the Portuguese Orders
ceased to exist as such, in the Empire of Brazil.
In 1843, under Emperor Dom Pedro
II, the Orders of Christ, Aviz and of St. James were recognized in Brazil as
National Orders having the Emperor as its Grandmaster.
The insignia was basically the same with the addition of
the Imperial Crown to the Star and altering the ribbon
to distinguish it from the Portuguese Orders of the same
name. These Brazilian Orders lasted till the Republican
Constitution of 1891 abolished them.
Even though the order seam to be
awarded over a long period of time, actual decorations
are quite rare. Fred Atlmann points out only 2 known
knight cross decorations, a star and a grandmaster
cross, which seamed to be build on the base of a cross
of the Order of the Southern Cross.
Here a knights decoration, front
and back:
And from some different
manufactures:
|
with Dom Pedro I crown
|
with Dom Pedro II
crown |
As all the other Brazilian order
with the exception of the Order of the Southern Cross
and the Order of Aviz the Order of Christ was cancelled
March 22, 1890, by the interim government of the united
states of Brazil.
|
award document for a
knight cross |
© A.
Schulze Ising, VII/01 |