Knighthood is not something that belongs only to old times as portrayed in the legendary movie, the First Knight in which Richard Gere plays Lancelot and is costarred by Sean Connery and Julia Ormond. A tale of war-weary King Arthur, his soon to be wife, Guinevere and love stricken Sir Lancelot in a love triangle and their fights and lives by the Sword.
Knighthood in fact exists today. The Orders of Constantine the Great and of Saint Helen are Orders of Knighthood, founded in 312 A.D., whose members are dedicated to the Chivalric Principles of Personal Honor, Courage, Integrity, Duty, Charity and Service.
The Orders create a forum for worldwide community by recognizing worthy men and women of exceptional accomplishment with an invitation to membership without regard to race, religion or nationality. The Orders promote the expansion of Chivalric Principles through fellowship with each other and with other Knightly Orders thus providing a model of leadership and strength of spirit, which advances Civilization. It is an honor indeed for anyone worthy to be Knighted by His Grace, Michael Schmickrath, The Duke of Gardham in an official and very traditional ceremony that started only 300 years after Christ and conserved its principals to this day, which is no small task by any means.
“ Duty is the most sublime word in our language. Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more. You should never wish to do less,†said General Robert E. Lee, based on which principals the Order nurtures the innovators of tomorrow by applying the noble principals of yesterday.
There is much confusion about the nature of Chivalric Orders. Many of the original Chivalric Orders arouse in response to the Crusades. Others originated due to the need for valiant Knights to serve and protect their Sovereign Lords. As we think of Knighthood, we always think of the Knights of old during the European wars and feudal times, but we neglect to mention the valiant Samurai of Japan, or the brave Zulu warriors of South Africa just to mention a few.
Then there is the modern Knight. Many of the Orders continued well after the crusades as their original purpose had ended. The modern Knight and Lady evolved into bodies dedicated to charity, educating the public, helping the poor and the sick, and other good works while acknowledging those who performs similar acts of kindness and generosity. According to traditions and by virtue of the ancient charter, the Grand Masters have the power to confer a Knighthood in their respective orders. The Orders use the honorific prefix of Chevalier or Dame.
In 312 AD, an outnumbered band of soldiers on the eve of the battle swore loyalty to the ideals of honor, courage and service. They swore and Constantine accepted their oath and led these knights to victory.
Today, these extraordinary orders of knighthood is known as the Imperial Orders of Constantine the Great and of Saint Helen, dynastic Orders under the Patronage of the ancestors that ruled the Byzantine Empire from 1057 to 1458, and again from the fifteenth to the sixteenth centuries. Though the Orders were founded by a Christian, today members of the Orders come from all Judea-Christian religions and nationalities and, while members of these Orders no longer need to go to battle or use their lances and armor in good repair, they still strive to provide leadership which enhances civilization, following the powerful concepts which inspired those first knights to victory.
One such Knight is Chevalier Robert Simone, author, lecturer, Executive Director of Universal Sound and Light Productions; Diplomatic Ambassador of the Republic of New Lemuria; featured writer for FATE Magazine since 2005, and Host/Producer of 104.4 FM London, England; news producer and on-air commentator in 2001 for HBC 94 FM, Himalayan Broadcasting Corporation. He travelled the world before he became a Knight and is a great advocate of subjects such as Quantum Physics and how this underestimated science relates to our every day life.
“A Knight must fight for what is Right and to do his duty with the utmost of his ability,†says Robert with great determination and commitment.
Perhaps we should all follow a road that maybe less travelled by, but in the end is well worth the effort, integrity, but mostly our dignity.
Source: Mission Statement of the Orders
