Order of Saint John in the Netherlands

Order of Saint John in the Netherlands
The Dameskruis (Lady Cross) of the Johanniter Orde
Type	Chivalric Order
Country	Netherlands
Religious affiliation	Protestantism
Awarded for	eligible nobility
Grades	Chapter Knight, Knight of Justice, Knight of Honour, Knight-expectant
Ribbon of the order

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]