The Order of the Dragon (Latin: Societas Draconistrarum, lit. "Society of the Dragonists") was a monarchical chivalric order for selected nobility, founded in 1408 by Sigismund, King of Hungary (r. 1387-1437) and later Holy Roman Emperor (r. 1433-1437). It was fashioned after the military orders of the Crusades, requiring its initiates to defend the cross and fight the enemies of Christianity, in particular the Ottoman Turks.
The Order flourished during the first half of the 15th century, primarily in Germany and Italy. After Sigismund's death in 1437 its importance declined in Western Europe, but after the Fall of Constantinople of 1453, it continued to play a role in Hungary, Bulgaria, Wallachia and Serbia, which bore the brunt of the Ottoman incursions.
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