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84-573: The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: Appointments terminated after 1947, the year that British India became the independent Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan . With the death of the last surviving knight, the Maharaja Meghrajji III of Dhrangadhra , the order became dormant in 2010. The motto of

168-409: A confraternity , society or other association of members, but some of them were ultimately purely honorific and consisted of a medal decoration. In fact, these decorations themselves often came to be known informally as orders . These institutions in turn gave rise to the modern-day orders of merit of sovereign states. An order of knights is a community of knights composed by order rules with

252-426: A ribbon . Typically these insignia are worn from a sash in the case of the senior ranks, around the neck for the middle ranks (see also neck decorations ), and on the left chest for the lower grades. Many orders use insignia in the form of a cross, but there may also be stars, and military awards may have crossed swords added onto the insignias. Ladies may wear the badge on a bow on the left chest. In orders following

336-522: A chief can neither attack his neighbour nor fall out with a foreign nation, it follows that he needs no military establishment which is not required either for police purposes or personal display, or for cooperation with the Imperial Government. The treaty made with Gwalior in 1844, and the instrument of transfer given to Mysore in 1881, alike base the restriction of the forces of the State upon

420-747: A consequence of being not an order of chivalry but orders of merit or decorations , some republican honours have thus avoided the traditional structure found in medieval orders of chivalry and created new ones instead, e.g. the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany , the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria , or the Legion of Merit of the United States . Following

504-515: A cross; the Order of the Indian Empire does not, in deference to India's non-Christian tradition. Members of all classes of the order were assigned positions in the order of precedence. Wives of members of all classes also featured on the order of precedence, as did sons, daughters and daughters-in-law of knights grand commander and knights commander. (See order of precedence in England and Wales for

588-541: A depiction of the circlet (a circle bearing the motto) and the collar; the former is shown either outside or on top of the latter. Knights commander and companions were permitted to display the circlet, but not the collar, surrounding their arms. The badge is depicted suspended from the collar or circlet. The first two kings of Bhutan were presented with the KCIE: Other appointees include: Sir Kumarapuram Seshadri Iyer (1 June 1845 – 13 September 1901), who served as

672-518: A few particular titles, such as Sardar , Mankari , Deshmukh , Sar Desai, Istamuradar, Saranjamdar , Raja Inamdar, etc. The most prestigious Hindu rulers usually had the prefix "maha-" ("great", compare for example " grand duke ") in their titles, as in Maharaja, Maharana, Maharao , etc. This was used in many princely states including Mewar , Travancore and Cochin . The state of Travancore also had queens regent styled Maharani , applied only to

756-455: A further proclamation regarding the Order was made; the Order was expanded from two classes to three – Knight Grand Commander, Knight Commander and Companion. Seven knights grand commander were created, namely: Also from 1897, 3 honorary knights commander were made. Including Léon Émile Clément-Thomas (1897), Col. Sir Eduardo Augusto Rodriques Galhardo (Jan 1901) and Sir Hussien Kuli Khan, Mokhber-ed-Dowlet (June 1902). Emperor Gojong of Korea

840-671: A level of Maharaja was used. There were also compound titles, such as (Maha)rajadhiraj, Raj-i-rajgan, often relics from an elaborate system of hierarchical titles under the Mughal emperors . For example, the addition of the adjective Bahadur (from Persian, literally meaning "brave") raised the status of the titleholder one level. Furthermore, most dynasties used a variety of additional titles such as Varma in South India. This should not be confused with various titles and suffixes not specific to princes but used by entire (sub)castes. This

924-464: A modern-day order is the Order of the British Empire . The French Legion of Honour democratised the honour systems of orders of chivalry and merit in the sense of formally omitting both the expectations of nobility on admittees while also no further implying the same status on previously non-noble conferees. Yet some orders may still expect noble ancestry on the part of recipients, such as

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1008-448: A population of over 16 million, while Jammu and Kashmir had a population of slightly over 4 million. At the other end of the scale, the non-salute principality of Lawa covered an area of 49 km (19 sq mi), with a population of just below 3,000. Some two hundred of the lesser states even had an area of less than 25 km (10 sq mi). The princely states at the time of Indian independence were mostly formed after

1092-480: A result of their states' contributions to the war effort. It was also not unusual for members of princely houses to be appointed to various colonial offices, often far from their native state, or to enter the diplomatic corps. The gun salute system was used to set unambiguously the precedence of the major rulers in the area in which the British East India Company was active, or generally of

1176-501: A rule the majority of gun-salute princes had at least nine, with numbers below that usually the prerogative of Arab Sheikhs of the Aden protectorate , also under British protection. There were many so-called non-salute states of lower prestige. Since the total of salute states was 117 and there were more than 500 princely states, most rulers were not entitled to any gun salute. Not all of these were minor rulers – Surguja State , for example,

1260-578: A ruler to appoint his own heir. The doctrine of lapse was pursued most vigorously by the Governor-General Sir James Ramsay , 10th Earl (later 1st Marquess) of Dalhousie . Dalhousie annexed seven states, including Awadh (Oudh), whose Nawabs he had accused of misrule, and the Maratha states of Nagpur , Jhansi , Satara , Sambalpur , and Thanjavur . Resentment over the annexation of these states turned to indignation when

1344-581: A semi-promotion. The states of all these rulers (about 120) were known as salute states . After Indian Independence , the Maharana of Udaipur displaced the Nizam of Hyderabad as the most senior prince in India, because Hyderabad State had not acceded to the new Dominion of India , and the style Highness was extended to all rulers entitled to 9-gun salutes. When the princely states had been integrated into

1428-549: A state or a reigning monarch. The answer to the question of whether an order is legitimate or not varies from nation to nation, François Velde wrote an "order of knighthood is legitimate if it is defined as legal, recognized and acknowledged as such by a sovereign authority. Within its borders, a sovereign state does as it pleases. Most, if not all, modern states have honorific orders and decorations of some kind, and those are sometimes called orders of knighthood." Exactly what makes one order legitimate and another self-styled or false

1512-652: Is a Baronial Order and the Ordre de la Pomme d'Or was founded by 14 knights in Auvergne in 1394. Indian Princely States A princely state (also called native state or Indian state ) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule , subject to a subsidiary alliance and

1596-435: Is a matter of debate with some arguing that any monarch (reigning or not) or even the descendants of such can create an order while others assert that only a government with actual internationally recognized authority has such power (regardless of whether that government is republican or monarchical in nature). Historically, nobility and knights have also formed Orders of Knighthood. The Noble Order of Saint George of Rougemont

1680-699: Is almost analogous to Singh title in North India. The actual importance of a princely state could not be read from the title of its ruler, which was usually granted (or at least recognized) as a favor, often in recognition for loyalty and services rendered to the British Raj . Although some titles were raised once or even repeatedly, there was no automatic updating when a state gained or lost real power. In fact, princely titles were even awarded to holders of domains (mainly jagirs ) and even taluqdars and zamindars , which were not states at all. Most of

1764-653: Is into: Confraternal orders are orders of chivalry with the presidency attached to a nobleman: Fraternal orders are orders of chivalry that were formed off a vow & for a certain enterprise: Votive orders are orders of chivalry, temporarily formed on the basis of a vow . These were courtly chivalric games rather than actual pledges as in the case of the fraternal orders. Three are known from their statutes: Cliental pseudo-orders are not orders of chivalry and were princes' retinues fashionably termed orders. They are without statutes or restricted memberships: Honorific orders were honorific insignia consisting of nothing but

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1848-483: Is organised for the defence not merely of British India , but of all the possessions under the suzerainty of the King-Emperor. In addition, other restrictions were imposed: The treaties with most of the larger States are clear on this point. Posts in the interior must not be fortified, factories for the production of guns and ammunition must not be constructed, nor may the subject of other States be enlisted in

1932-515: The Delhi Durbar , the limits were increased to 40 knights grand commander, 120 knights commander, and 40 nominations of companions in any successive year. British officials and soldiers were eligible for appointment, as were rulers of Indian Princely States . Generally, the rulers of the more important states were appointed knights grand commander of the Order of the Star of India, rather than of

2016-685: The Eastern States Agency , Punjab States Agency , Baluchistan Agency , Deccan States Agency , Madras States Agency and the Northwest Frontier States Agency . The Baroda Residency was combined with the princely states of northern Bombay Presidency into the Baroda, Western India and Gujarat States Agency . Gwalior was separated from the Central India Agency and given its own Resident, and

2100-544: The King-Emperor to provide a forum in which the rulers could voice their needs and aspirations to the government. It survived until the end of the British Raj in 1947. By the early 1930s, most of the princely states whose agencies were under the authority of India's provinces were organised into new Agencies, answerable directly to the governor-general, on the model of the Central India and Rajputana agencies:

2184-520: The Maharaja of Patiala and the Maharaja of Travancore – were entitled to 19-gun salutes. The most senior princely ruler was the Nizam of Hyderabad , who was entitled to the unique style Exalted Highness and 21-gun salute . Other princely rulers entitled to salutes of 11 guns (soon 9 guns too) or more were entitled to the style Highness . No special style was used by rulers entitled to lesser gun salutes. As paramount ruler , and successor to

2268-734: The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India and the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire . Women could be appointed as "Knights" (instead of Dames) of these orders. Rulers entitled to 21-gun and 19-gun salutes were normally appointed to the highest rank, Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India. Many Indian princes served in the British Army , the Indian Army , or in local guard or police forces, often rising to high ranks; some even served while on

2352-637: The Nizams , Mysore , Pudukkottai and Travancore in the South, Jammu and Kashmir , and Indore in Central India. The most prominent among those – roughly a quarter of the total – had the status of a salute state , one whose ruler was entitled to a set number of gun salutes on ceremonial occasions. The princely states varied greatly in status, size, and wealth; the premier 21-gun salute states of Hyderabad and Jammu and Kashmir were each over 200,000 km (77,000 sq mi) in size. In 1941, Hyderabad had

2436-498: The Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary , established in 1764), others would confer a title upon appointment (such as the Military Order of Max Joseph , established in 1806) while in yet other orders only the top classes were considered knights (such as in the Order of St Michael and St George , established in 1818). Orders of merit which still confer privileges of knighthood are sometimes referred to as orders of knighthood. As

2520-532: The Order of the British Empire in the 21st century. In Central Europe, for example, the Order of St. George , whose roots also go back to the so-called "last knight" Emperor Maximilian I , was reactivated by the House of Habsburg after its dissolution by Nazi Germany. Meanwhile, to this day, deserved personalities in republican France are highlighted by being awarded the Knight of the Legion of Honour . In contrast,

2604-740: The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George ), the " Order of Malta " (derived from the Sovereign Military Order of Malta ), and the " Order of the Temple " (derived from the historical Knights Templar ), the latter two featuring prominently in the York Rite . Most orders created since the late 17th century were no longer societies and fellowships of knights who followed a common mission but were established by monarchs or governments with

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2688-621: The Sovereign Military Order of Malta and those of the Alliance of the Orders of Saint John of Jerusalem . Others may continue to imply conferral of nobility on any admittee, whether hereditary or personal, such as in some of the cases of dynastic orders conferred by the House of Bavaria or the House of Imperial Russia . Some organisations claim to be chivalric orders but are actually private membership organisations that have not been created by

2772-467: The suzerainty or paramountcy of the British crown . In 1920, Congress (party) under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi declared swaraj (self-rule) for Indians as its goal and asked the princes of India to establish responsible government. Jawaharlal Nehru played a major role in pushing Congress to confront the princely states and declared in 1929 that "only people who have the right to determine

2856-483: The zamindars who held princely titles were in fact erstwhile princely and royal states reduced to becoming zamindars by the British East India Company. Various sources give significantly different numbers of states and domains of the various types. Even in general, the definition of titles and domains are clearly not well-established. In addition to their titles, all princely rulers were eligible to be appointed to certain British orders of chivalry associated with India,

2940-471: The 15th Diwan of Mysore from 1883 to 1901 was also awarded KCIE. Another C.I.E was John Malaise Graham, from the Royal Scots Greys for service. Received in 1947. Order of chivalry Since the 15th century, orders of chivalry, often as dynastic orders , began to be established in a more courtly fashion that could be created ad hoc . These orders would often retain the notion of being

3024-514: The British and Indian Armed Forces. Those ranks were conferred based on several factors, including their heritage, lineage, gun-salute (or lack of one) as well as personal character or martial traditions. After the First and Second World Wars, the princely rulers of several of the major states, including Gwalior , Patiala , Nabha , Faridkort , Bikaner , Jaipur , Jodhpur , Jammu and Kashmir and Hyderabad, were given honorary general officer ranks as

3108-583: The Burgundian court culture was leading and so the Order of the Golden Fleece , founded there in 1430, was for many a model in the sense of a princely order based on the ideals of Christian chivalry. In the course of time, many orders of knights have been dissolved due to a lack of people or the field of activity has changed. So in many areas the charitable aspect and nursing came to the fore. There were also dissolutions for political reasons, such as

3192-484: The Governor-General of India or through any governor or other officer subordinate to the Governor-General of India. (5.) The expression "India" shall mean British India together with any territories of any native prince or chief under the suzerainty of Her Majesty exercised through the Governor-General of India, or through any governor or other officer subordinate to the Governor-General of India. In general

3276-705: The Indian Union their rulers were promised continued privileges and an income (known as the Privy Purse ) for their upkeep. Subsequently, when the Indian government abolished the Privy Purse in 1971, the whole princely order ceased to be recognised under Indian law, although many families continue to retain their social prestige informally; some descendants of the rulers are still prominent in regional or national politics, diplomacy, business and high society. At

3360-650: The Knights Templar in 1312 or many orders of knights as opposition by Nazi Germany. While the Knights Templar was not re-established, some orders were reactivated after the end of World War II and the fall of the Iron Curtain. There are repeated attempts to revive or restore old orders of knights. Often, old knight orders are used today to honor personalities. For example, the British Queen Elizabeth II regularly appointed new members to

3444-646: The Mughals, the British King-Emperor of India, for whom the style of Majesty was reserved, was entitled to an 'imperial' 101-gun salute—in the European tradition also the number of guns fired to announce the birth of an heir (male) to the throne. There was no strict correlation between the levels of the titles and the classes of gun salutes, the real measure of precedence, but merely a growing percentage of higher titles in classes with more guns. As

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3528-458: The Nawab of Oudh . There were also certain estates of British India which were rendered as political saranjams , having equal princely status. Though none of these princes were awarded gun salutes, princely titles in this category were recognised as a form of vassals of salute states, and were not even in direct relation with the paramount power. A controversial aspect of East India Company rule

3612-668: The Order is Imperatricis auspiciis , ( Latin for "Under the auspices of the Empress"), a reference to Queen Victoria, the first Empress of India . The Order is the junior British order of chivalry associated with the British Indian Empire ; the senior one is The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India . The British founded the Order in 1878 to reward British and native officials who served in British India. The Order originally had only one class (Companion), but expanded to comprise two classes in 1887. The British authorities intended

3696-481: The Order of the Indian Empire as a less exclusive version of the Order of the Star of India (founded in 1861); consequently, many more appointments were made to the former than to the latter. On 15 February 1887, the Order of the Indian Empire formally became "The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire" and was divided into two classes: knights commander and companions, with the following as knights commander, listed up to 1906 (in date order) However, on 21 June 1887,

3780-470: The Order of the Indian Empire. Women, save the princely rulers, were ineligible for appointment to the order. Female princely rulers were admitted as "knights" rather than as "dames" or "ladies". Other Asian and Middle Eastern rulers were also appointed as well. Members of the order wore elaborate costumes on important ceremonial occasions: At less important occasions, simpler insignia were used: The insignia of most other British chivalric orders incorporate

3864-728: The above division became no longer sufficient, and heraldic science distinguished orders into: hereditary, military, religious and fees. In a more generous distribution proposed in The Knights in the Crown: The Monarchical Orders of Knighthood in Late Medieval Europe (1987), the Canadian heraldist D'Arcy Boulton classifies chivalric orders as follows: Based on Boulton, this article distinguishes: Another occurrent chronological categorisation

3948-547: The administrators of India's provinces. The agents of five princely states were then under the authority of Madras , 354 under Bombay , 26 of Bengal , two under Assam , 34 under Punjab , fifteen under the Central Provinces and Berar and two under the United Provinces . The Chamber of Princes ( Narender Mandal or Narendra Mandal ) was an institution established in 1920 by a royal proclamation of

4032-407: The army of independent India. At the time of the British withdrawal, 565 princely states were officially recognized in the Indian subcontinent, apart from thousands of zamindari estates and jagirs . In 1947, princely states covered 40% of the area of pre-independence India and constituted 23% of its population. The most important states had their own British political residencies: Hyderabad of

4116-430: The badge: Together with the monarchical chivalric orders (see above) these honorific orders are the prime ancestors of the modern-day orders of knighthood (see below) which are orders of merit in character. The distinction between these orders and decorations is somewhat vague, except that these honorific orders still implied membership in a group. Decorations have no such limitations and are awarded purely to recognize

4200-461: The beginning of the 20th century, relations between the British and the four largest states – Hyderabad , Mysore , Jammu and Kashmir, and Baroda – were directly under the control of the governor-general of India , in the person of a British resident . Two agencies, for Rajputana and Central India , oversaw twenty and 148 princely states respectively. The remaining princely states had their own British political officers, or Agents, who answered to

4284-508: The broad ground of protection. The former explained in detail that unnecessary armies were embarrassing to the State itself and the cause of disquietude to others: a few months later a striking proof of this was afforded by the army of the Sikh kingdom of Lahore. The British Government has undertaken to protect the dominions of the Native princes from invasion and even from rebellion within: its army

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4368-481: The class of Knight Grand Commander (25 at any given time) was added; the composition of the other two classes remained the same. The statute also provided that it was "competent for Her Majesty, Her heirs and successors, at Her or their pleasure, to appoint any Princes of the Blood Royal, being descendants of His late Majesty King George the First, as Extra Knights Grand Commander". By Letters Patent of 2 Aug 1886,

4452-435: The complete list of princely states in 1947, see lists of princely states of India . Central India Agency , Gwalior Residency , Baluchistan Agency , Rajputana Agency , Eastern States Agency Gwalior Residency (two states) Other states under provincial governments Madras (5 states) Bombay (354 states) Central Provinces (15 states) Punjab (45 states) Assam (26 states) The armies of

4536-507: The courts of the princely states existed under the authority of the respective rulers of those states. The Indian rulers bore various titles including Maharaja or Raja ("king"), Sultan , Nawab , Emir , Raje , Nizam , Wadiyar (used only by the Maharajas of Mysore , meaning "lord"), Agniraj Maharaj for the rulers of Bhaddaiyan Raj, Chogyal , Nawab ("governor"), Nayak , Wāli , Inamdar , Saranjamdar and many others. Whatever

4620-562: The disintegration of the Mughal empire. Many Princely states had a foreign origin due to the long period of external migration to India. Some of these were the rulers of Hyderabad ( Turks ), Bhopal ( Afghans ) and Janjira ( Abyssinian ). Among the Hindu kingdoms, most of the rulers were Kshatriya . Only the Rajput states and a scattering of South Indian kingdoms could trace their lineage to

4704-475: The doctrine, it was discontinued with the end of Company rule and the British Parliament 's assumption of direct power over India. By treaty, the British controlled the external affairs of the princely states absolutely. As the states were not British possessions, they retained control over their own internal affairs, subject to a degree of British influence which in many states was substantial. By

4788-543: The exact positions.) Knights grand commander used the post-nominal "GCIE", knights commander "KCIE", and companions "CIE." Knights grand commander and knights commander were entitled to the prefix "Sir". Wives of knights grand commander and knights commander could prefix "Lady" to their surnames. Such forms were not used by peers and Indian princes, except when the names of the former were written out in their fullest forms. Knights grand commander were also entitled to receive heraldic supporters, and could encircle their arms with

4872-544: The example set by the French Legion of Honour , founded by Napoleon , most multi-level European orders comprise five ranks or classes. The highest is usually called the Grand Cross , then descending with varying titles. Alternatively, the ranks are referred to by number (for example "1st class" instead of "Grand Cross"). Typical rankings are: Each of these ranks wear insignia, usually badge (often enamelled) on

4956-546: The example set by the French Legion of Honour, the two highest classes also wear a star (or plaque ) on the chest. In special cases the senior class may wear the badge on a collar , which is an elaborate chain around the neck. In certain countries with feudal heritage the higher ranks (usually at least the Grand Cross) may have vestments proper to them, including a robe or mantle and a hat . An example of such

5040-405: The first class were titled "Knight Grand Commander" rather than "Knight Grand Cross" so as not to offend the non-Christian Indians appointed to the order. At the time of foundation in 1878 the order had only one class, that of Companion, with no quota imposed. In 1886, the Order was divided into the two classes of knights commander (50 at any given time) and companions (no quota). The following year

5124-617: The future of the States must be the people of these States". In 1937, the Congress won in most parts of British India (not including the princely states) in the provincial elections , and started to intervene in the affairs of the states. In the same year, Gandhi played a major role in proposing a federation involving a union between British India and the princely states, with an Indian central government. In 1946, Jawaharlal Nehru observed that no princely state could prevail militarily against

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5208-513: The heirlooms of the Maharajas of Nagpur were auctioned off in Calcutta. Dalhousie's actions contributed to the rising discontent amongst the upper castes which played a large part in the outbreak of the Indian mutiny of 1857 . The last Mughal badshah (emperor), whom many of the mutineers saw as a figurehead to rally around, was deposed following its suppression. In response to the unpopularity of

5292-714: The knights of the ecclesiastical orders of knights such as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and the Order of St. John mainly devote themselves to social tasks, nursing and care. The Secretariat of the State of the Holy See – medieval pioneer of the original military orders – distinguishes orders in the following manner: In Dell'origine dei Cavalieri (1566), the Italian scholar Francesco Sansovino (1521–1586) distinguished knights and their respective societies in three main categories: Over time,

5376-525: The literal meaning and traditional prestige of the ruler's actual title, the British government translated them all as "prince", to avoid the implication that the native rulers could be "kings" with status equal to that of the British monarch. More prestigious Hindu rulers (mostly existing before the Mughal Empire, or having split from such old states) often used the title " Raja ", or a variant such as Raje, Rai , Rana , Babu , Rao , Rawat, or Rawal . Also in this 'class' were several Thakurs or Thai ores and

5460-443: The local forces. ... They must allow the forces that defend them to obtain local supplies, to occupy cantonments or positions, and to arrest deserters; and in addition to these services they must recognise the Imperial control of the railways, telegraphs, and postal communications as essential not only to the common welfare but to the common defence. The Imperial Service Troops were routinely inspected by British army officers and had

5544-455: The main purpose of an ideal or charitable task. The original ideal lay in monachus et miles (monk and knight), who in the order – ordo (Latin for 'order' / 'status') – is dedicated to a Christian purpose. The first orders of knights were religious orders that were founded to protect and guide pilgrims to the Holy Land. The knightly orders were characterized by an order-like community life in poverty, obedience and chastity, which

5628-423: The merit or accomplishments of the recipient. Both orders and decorations often come in multiple classes. The orders have influenced organizations which are completely separate and distinct from them. Since at least the 18th century, Freemasonry has incorporated symbols and rituals of several medieval military orders in a number of Masonic bodies , most notably, in the " Red Cross of Constantine " (derived from

5712-446: The number of knights commander was increased to 82, while commanders were limited to 20 nominations per year (40 for 1903 only). Membership was expanded by letters patent of 10 June 1897, which permitted up to 32 knights grand commander. A special statute of 21 October 1902 permitted up to 92 knights commander, but continued to limit the number of nominations of commanders to 20 in any successive year. On 21 December 1911, in connection with

5796-420: The order. The fictional characters Purun Dass, invented by Rudyard Kipling , and Harry Paget Flashman , invented by George MacDonald Fraser , were KCIEs; Kipling's engineer Findlayson in The Day's Work (1908) aspires to the CIE. The British sovereign serves as Sovereign of the Order. The grand master held the next-most senior rank; the position was held, ex officio , by the viceroy of India . Members of

5880-440: The pre-Mughal period. India under the British Raj (the "Indian Empire") consisted of two types of territory: British India and the native states or princely states . In its Interpretation Act 1889 , the British Parliament adopted the following definitions: (4.) The expression "British India" shall mean all territories and places within Her Majesty's dominions which are for the time being governed by Her Majesty through

5964-410: The princely states were bound by many restrictions that were imposed by subsidiary alliances . They existed mainly for ceremonial use and for internal policing, although certain units designated as Imperial Service Troops, were available for service alongside the regular Indian Army upon request by the British government. According to the Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. IV 1907 , p. 85, Since

6048-501: The provincial governments of British India under a governor, lieutenant-governor, or chief commissioner. A clear distinction between "dominion" and "suzerainty" was supplied by the jurisdiction of the courts of law: the law of British India rested upon the legislation enacted by the British Parliament, and the legislative powers those laws vested in the various governments of British India, both central and local; in contrast,

6132-479: The sense of canon law through papal recognition of their own binding rules of order and through the dissolution of ecclesiastical diocesan organizations. In addition to the religious orders of knights, courtly orders of knights emerged in many European royal houses from the middle of the 14th century. This enabled the monarchs and princes to create a reliable household power independent of the church and to combine their court life with knightly virtues. During this time,

6216-816: The sister of the ruler in Kerala . Muslim rulers almost all used the title " Nawab " (the Arabic honorific of naib , "deputy") originally used by Mughal governors, who became de facto autonomous with the decline of the Mughal Empire, with the prominent exceptions of the Nizam of Hyderabad & Berar , the Wali / Khan of Kalat and the Wali of Swat . Other less usual titles included Darbar Sahib , Dewan , Jam , Mehtar (unique to Chitral ) and Mir (from Emir ). The Sikh princes concentrated at Punjab usually adopted titles when attaining princely rank. A title at

6300-417: The specific purpose of bestowing honours on deserving individuals. In most European monarchies, these new orders retained some outward forms from the medieval orders of chivalry (such as rituals and structure) but were in essence orders of merit, mainly distinguished from their republican counterparts by the fact that members were entitled to a title of nobility . While some orders required noble birth (such as

6384-518: The states and their dynasties. As heads of a state, certain princely rulers were entitled to be saluted by the firing of an odd number of guns between three and 21, with a greater number of guns indicating greater prestige. Generally, the number of guns remained the same for all successive rulers of a particular state, but individual princes were sometimes granted additional guns on a personal basis. Furthermore, rulers were sometimes granted additional gun salutes within their own territories only, constituting

6468-746: The states of Rampur and Benares , formerly with Agents under the authority of the United Provinces, were placed under the Gwalior Residency in 1936. The princely states of Sandur and Banganapalle in Mysore Presidency were transferred to the agency of the Mysore Resident in 1939. The native states in 1947 included five large states that were in "direct political relations" with the Government of India. For

6552-640: The term " British India " had been used (and is still used) also to refer to the regions under the rule of the East India Company in India from 1774 to 1858. The British Crown 's suzerainty over 175 princely states, generally the largest and most important, was exercised in the name of the British Crown by the central government of British India under the Viceroy; the remaining approximately 400 states were influenced by Agents answerable to

6636-449: The throne. Many of these were appointed as an aide-de-camp , either to the ruling prince of their own house (in the case of relatives of such rulers) or to British monarchs. Many saw active service , both on the subcontinent and on other fronts, during both World Wars. Apart from those members of the princely houses who entered military service and who distinguished themselves, a good number of princes received honorary ranks as officers in

6720-612: The time of Indian independence, only five rulers – the Nizam of Hyderabad , the Maharaja of Mysore , the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir state , the Maharaja Gaekwad of Baroda and the Maharaja Scindia of Gwalior – were entitled to a 21-gun salute. Six more – the Nawab of Bhopal , the Maharaja Holkar of Indore , the Maharaja of Bharatpur , the Maharana of Udaipur , the Maharaja of Kolhapur ,

6804-439: Was both larger and more populous than Karauli State , but the Maharaja of Karauli was entitled to a 17-gun salute and the Maharaja of Surguja was not entitled to any gun salute at all. A number of princes, in the broadest sense of the term, were not even acknowledged as such. On the other hand, the dynasties of certain defunct states were allowed to keep their princely status – they were known as political pensioners , such as

6888-527: Was linked with charitable tasks, armed pilgrimage protection and military action against external and occasionally internal enemies of Christianity. Examples are the Knights Templar , Knights of the Holy Sepulchre officially called The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, founded in 1090, the Order of St. John and the Order of Malta . These communities only became orders in

6972-571: Was made an honorary Knight Grand Commander on 17 December 1900. Appointments to both the Order of the Star of India and the Order of the Indian Empire ceased after 14 August 1947. As the last Grand Master of the orders, the Earl Mountbatten of Burma was also the last known individual to have publicly worn the stars of a Knight Grand Commander of both orders, during the Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations in 1977. There are no living members of

7056-399: Was the doctrine of lapse , a policy under which lands whose feudal ruler died (or otherwise became unfit to rule) without a male biological heir (as opposed to an adopted son) would become directly controlled by the company and an adopted son would not become the ruler of the princely state. This policy went counter to Indian tradition where, unlike Europe, it was far more the accepted norm for

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