| Order of Saint John in the Netherlands | |
| Type: | Chivalric Order |
| For: | eligible nobility |
| Date: | 1909 |
| Religion: | Protestantism |
| Grades: | Chapter Knight, Knight of Justice, Knight of Honour, Knight-expectant |
The Order of Saint John in the Netherlands, also known as the Johanniter Orde, is a Dutch chivalric order and protestant equivalent of the Order of Malta. The order was founded in 1909 on the initiative of Prince consort Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin as a Dutch branch of the Prussian Order of Saint John under the official name of Commenderij Nederland van de Balije Brandenburg der Johanniter Orde. The name was changed to its current name in 1958. Membership of the order is exclusive to protestant members of the Dutch nobility.[1]
While the order has its own activities, it most commonly works together with the Red Cross and the Dutch association of the Order of Malta. The decorations of the order and membership of it are counted among the medals of the Netherlands and may be worn on military uniforms.[2]
The governing body of the Order of Saint John in the Netherlands is made up of the Chapter consisting of the following members:
To become a member of the order, one must be knighted in the Dutch nobility, be protestant and be a minimum of 21 years old. If a member reaches the age of 25 they are eligible to be named a knight of honour and if they have been a member of the order for at least 5 years they are eligible to be named as a knight or lady of justice. When the order was founded, only males were eligible for membership. This was changed by royal decree on 3 October 1951, and on 29 February 1952 a female branch was established.
In 2006 the order counted 630 members, most notable of which is King Willem-Alexander.[3]