{"product_id":"order-of-the-dragon-1-1-25-pin","title":"Order of the Dragon - 1\" + 1.25\" PIn","description":"\u003cp\u003eReproduction of the insignia of Vlad II's \u003cem\u003eOrder of the Dragon\u003c\/em\u003e in gold-tone metal with red enamel. A 1\" red cross set on a flowering gold cross hangs above a 1.25\" dangling dragon charm, its body curled into a circle with a red cross across its back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e---\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Order of the Dragon was a chivalric order founded in 1408 by Sigismund of Luxembourg, King of Hungary and later Holy Roman Emperor, together with his queen, Barbara of Celje. Its members swore to defend the king and his family and to fight the enemies of the Cross, above all the Ottoman Turks, who were then pressing into southeastern Europe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe founding charter describes a dragon bent into a circle with its tail wrapped around its own neck, and its back split from head to tail by a red cross. The image recalls Saint George, the soldier-saint who slew the dragon. The cross pressed into the dragon's body shows evil subdued and bound by the victory of Christ.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMembership was limited to a small circle of nobles and princes, including Stefan Lazarević of Serbia, Alfonso V of Aragon, and other rulers along the Christian frontier. Its most famous member was Vlad II of Wallachia, inducted in 1431. He took the name \u003cem\u003eDracul\u003c\/em\u003e, meaning \"dragon,\" after the Order. His son, Vlad III, became known as \u003cem\u003eDracula\u003c\/em\u003e, \"son of the Dragon.\" Four centuries later, Bram Stoker borrowed that name for his novel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Order faded after Sigismund's death in 1437, but its dragon lived on in the heraldry of Hungarian noble families. The coat of arms of the Báthory family, which encircles its shield with a dragon biting its own tail, is often traced to the Order's emblem. Today the Order of the Dragon remains a symbol of the Christian knights who held the eastern frontier of Christendom.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Deus Vult Lapel Pins","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67718974013571,"sku":null,"price":8.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0648\/2778\/5347\/files\/IMG_73774.jpg?v=1791509226","url":"https:\/\/deusvultlapelpins.com\/products\/order-of-the-dragon-1-1-25-pin","provider":"Deus Vult Lapel Pins","version":"1.0","type":"link"}