WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.660 The Apple podcast title, The Deep Dive, decoding 00:00:03.660 --> 00:00:06.839 Swedish knighthood, phalaristics and the 20 year 00:00:06.839 --> 00:00:10.220 metal crusade of Jonas Arnell. Join us on this 00:00:10.220 --> 00:00:12.400 deep dive into the fascinating, hyper news world 00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:15.599 of phalaristics and heraldry. We explore the 00:00:15.599 --> 00:00:18.460 Wikipedia biography of Jonas Arnell, the Swedish 00:00:18.460 --> 00:00:20.679 herald who spent 20 years lobbying parliament 00:00:20.679 --> 00:00:23.100 to restore Sweden's historic royal orders of 00:00:23.100 --> 00:00:25.780 knighthood. Discover how one man's passion for 00:00:25.780 --> 00:00:28.440 medals and chivalric orders shaped national tradition 00:00:28.440 --> 00:00:31.940 and overturned the 1975 orders reform. If you 00:00:31.940 --> 00:00:34.100 love deep dives into hidden histories, royal 00:00:34.100 --> 00:00:36.500 decorations, and stories of relentless dedication, 00:00:36.880 --> 00:00:39.579 this conversation is for you. Tune in to learn 00:00:39.579 --> 00:00:41.439 about the Order of the Seraphim, the Order of 00:00:41.439 --> 00:00:43.840 Vasa, and what it means to be a modern -day herald. 00:00:53.369 --> 00:00:56.090 Welcome to the deep dive. We are so thrilled 00:00:56.090 --> 00:00:58.049 to have you with us today. Absolutely. Thrilled 00:00:58.049 --> 00:01:00.289 you're here. For this particular session, we 00:01:00.289 --> 00:01:03.070 are decoding Swedish knighthood. The intricacies 00:01:03.070 --> 00:01:06.390 of a field called phalaristics, and what I can 00:01:06.390 --> 00:01:10.150 really only describe as the 20 -year crusade 00:01:10.150 --> 00:01:12.849 of a man named Jonas Arnell. It really is a crusade. 00:01:13.109 --> 00:01:15.510 It is. And if you follow the world of heraldry 00:01:15.510 --> 00:01:19.310 or state honors, you probably know how rigid 00:01:19.310 --> 00:01:22.230 these institutions can be. Very rigid. Right. 00:01:22.629 --> 00:01:25.150 But today we're looking specifically at the Wikipedia 00:01:25.150 --> 00:01:28.409 biography of Jonas Arnell, a fascinating Swedish 00:01:28.409 --> 00:01:31.450 figure born in 1969, just to understand exactly 00:01:31.450 --> 00:01:34.510 how he navigated that rigidity. Yeah. So the 00:01:34.510 --> 00:01:36.430 mission of our deep dive today is to explore 00:01:36.430 --> 00:01:40.159 how a deeply specific passion Specifically, the 00:01:40.159 --> 00:01:43.019 study of medals, orders, and coats of arms can 00:01:43.019 --> 00:01:45.879 actually rewrite national policy. Which is wild 00:01:45.879 --> 00:01:48.560 to think about. And actively preserve a country's 00:01:48.560 --> 00:01:50.859 historical continuity. It's an incredibly rich 00:01:50.859 --> 00:01:54.159 topic because we so often think of history as 00:01:54.159 --> 00:01:55.859 something that just, well, it just happens to 00:01:55.859 --> 00:01:57.879 us. Right, like we're just observers. Exactly. 00:01:57.939 --> 00:02:00.060 We look at national traditions, systems of honors, 00:02:00.299 --> 00:02:02.319 state policies, and we assume there are these 00:02:02.319 --> 00:02:06.099 massive immovable monoliths decided by anonymous 00:02:06.099 --> 00:02:08.900 committees behind closed doors. They usually 00:02:08.900 --> 00:02:12.379 are. But what this source material proves is 00:02:12.379 --> 00:02:15.699 that a single individual's relentless decade 00:02:15.699 --> 00:02:18.979 -long dedication to a seemingly archaic subject. 00:02:19.259 --> 00:02:23.000 It can literally alter a country's entire system 00:02:23.000 --> 00:02:25.479 of recognition. It's amazing. It demonstrates 00:02:25.479 --> 00:02:28.159 that an individual with enough procedural knowledge 00:02:28.159 --> 00:02:30.740 and just sheer persistence, they can reach right 00:02:30.740 --> 00:02:32.960 into the machinery of the state and change its 00:02:32.960 --> 00:02:35.699 course. Okay, let's unpack this. Because to really 00:02:35.699 --> 00:02:38.639 understand how monumental this shift was, we 00:02:38.639 --> 00:02:40.620 have to look at the foundational background of 00:02:40.620 --> 00:02:43.400 the man himself, Jonas Henry Arnell. Let's do 00:02:43.400 --> 00:02:48.219 it. Born in Örebro, Sweden and raised in Eskilstuna, 00:02:48.699 --> 00:02:51.139 he builds a very solid, highly educated foundation. 00:02:51.379 --> 00:02:53.400 You're grounded. Right. He earns a Bachelor of 00:02:53.400 --> 00:02:55.740 Education from Linköping University and later 00:02:55.740 --> 00:02:58.000 a Master of Science from Umeå University. Which 00:02:58.000 --> 00:02:59.979 is important because... He isn't born into the 00:02:59.979 --> 00:03:02.180 ancient nobility. Right. He's building a modern 00:03:02.180 --> 00:03:04.460 academic grounding. Precisely. And looking at 00:03:04.460 --> 00:03:06.259 his professional background, what really stands 00:03:06.259 --> 00:03:09.099 out is this incredibly contemporary career path. 00:03:09.259 --> 00:03:11.639 Yeah, he wasn't locked in an ivory tower. No, 00:03:11.719 --> 00:03:15.139 not at all. From 1995 to 2014, he works in the 00:03:15.139 --> 00:03:18.020 fields of education, research and culture. Real 00:03:18.020 --> 00:03:20.960 institutional work. Exactly. And most notably, 00:03:21.000 --> 00:03:23.240 he serves as a political advisor in the parliament 00:03:23.240 --> 00:03:25.699 chancery of the Christian Democrats. OK. Then 00:03:25.699 --> 00:03:29.379 he pivots slightly. Between 2015 and 2023, he 00:03:29.379 --> 00:03:32.120 works in the defense sector. I saw that. The 00:03:32.120 --> 00:03:34.719 sources note he spent most of that time as the 00:03:34.719 --> 00:03:37.379 deputy secretary general for the Swedish Sergers 00:03:37.379 --> 00:03:40.340 Homes Association. Wow. So you have a man who 00:03:40.340 --> 00:03:42.729 deep understands the inner workings of government, 00:03:43.250 --> 00:03:45.409 parliamentary procedure, and defense administration. 00:03:45.710 --> 00:03:47.750 He has this very structured, respectable day 00:03:47.750 --> 00:03:50.009 job. Very much so. But while he's navigating 00:03:50.009 --> 00:03:52.289 the halls of parliament and the defense sector 00:03:52.289 --> 00:03:55.710 by day, he has this true burning passion running 00:03:55.710 --> 00:03:57.689 in the background. His secret identity. Like 00:03:57.689 --> 00:04:00.810 a superhero. Because since 1990, Arnell has been 00:04:00.810 --> 00:04:03.229 deeply committed to failureistics. Right. And 00:04:03.229 --> 00:04:05.409 as you know from following this field, studying 00:04:05.409 --> 00:04:07.990 the history and cataloging of honors, medals, 00:04:08.050 --> 00:04:10.530 and decorations, it requires requires an intense 00:04:10.530 --> 00:04:14.389 level of meticulousness. By 1998, he wasn't just 00:04:14.389 --> 00:04:17.009 casually collecting. He had become a recognized 00:04:17.009 --> 00:04:19.990 writer and lecturer on the subject, both in Sweden 00:04:19.990 --> 00:04:22.209 and internationally. What's fascinating here 00:04:22.209 --> 00:04:24.930 is that these two worlds, his day job in the 00:04:24.930 --> 00:04:27.490 bureaucratic heart of Swedish politics and his 00:04:27.490 --> 00:04:32.600 hyper -niche expertise and to spectacularly collide. 00:04:32.720 --> 00:04:35.180 I love this part. Because being a failurestition 00:04:35.180 --> 00:04:38.019 of Arnell's caliber isn't just about archiving 00:04:38.019 --> 00:04:41.420 old pieces of metal or analyzing ribbon widths. 00:04:41.519 --> 00:04:43.740 Right. It's not just a dusty hobby. No. One of 00:04:43.740 --> 00:04:46.279 his primary goals, as noted in the text, was 00:04:46.279 --> 00:04:49.060 to actively support and promote genuine orders 00:04:49.060 --> 00:04:51.920 of chivalry. He was not content to be a passive 00:04:51.920 --> 00:04:54.300 historian. He wanted them alive. He was an active 00:04:54.300 --> 00:04:56.319 champion for the preservation of these living 00:04:56.319 --> 00:04:59.420 traditions. And in Sweden, there was a massive 00:04:59.420 --> 00:05:01.660 systemic roadblock standing in his way. Here's 00:05:01.660 --> 00:05:03.720 where it gets really interesting. We have to 00:05:03.720 --> 00:05:05.639 talk about the infamous Swedish orders reform 00:05:05.639 --> 00:05:09.319 of 1975. The big one. Yeah. If you are familiar 00:05:09.319 --> 00:05:11.620 with the history of European heraldry, you know 00:05:11.620 --> 00:05:13.959 this event is practically viewed as a cataclysm. 00:05:13.959 --> 00:05:16.339 Absolutely. The source details exactly what this 00:05:16.339 --> 00:05:19.319 reform did and it is a massive shift in national 00:05:19.319 --> 00:05:23.379 identity. The 1975 reform took Sweden's highest 00:05:23.379 --> 00:05:26.019 honors and essentially locked them away from 00:05:26.019 --> 00:05:28.720 the Swedish people. It's wild. It reserved the 00:05:28.720 --> 00:05:30.560 legendary Order of the Seraphim and the Order 00:05:30.560 --> 00:05:33.540 of the Polar Star strictly for foreign citizens 00:05:33.540 --> 00:05:35.579 and stateless persons. And it went even further 00:05:35.579 --> 00:05:38.259 than that. Tell them. The reform put the Order 00:05:38.259 --> 00:05:40.439 of the Sword and the Order of Vasa completely 00:05:40.439 --> 00:05:43.139 dormant. Just dormant, shut down. Yes. Let's 00:05:43.139 --> 00:05:46.339 synthesize the impact of that for a moment. The 00:05:46.339 --> 00:05:48.800 Order of the Seraphim is Sweden's foremost order. 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:51.379 historically awarded to heads of state and the 00:05:51.379 --> 00:05:54.079 absolute highest officials. Right. The Order 00:05:54.079 --> 00:05:58.259 of Vasa instituted in 1772 was incredibly culturally 00:05:58.259 --> 00:06:00.720 significant because it was designed to reward 00:06:00.720 --> 00:06:03.860 citizens for contributions to agriculture, mining, 00:06:04.399 --> 00:06:06.839 commerce, and the arts. The things that built 00:06:06.839 --> 00:06:08.720 the country. The very things that built modern 00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:12.379 Sweden. In 1975, the state essentially severed 00:06:12.379 --> 00:06:15.019 a living connection to its own history. A sweeter 00:06:15.019 --> 00:06:17.759 citizen could do something absolutely extraordinary 00:06:17.759 --> 00:06:20.139 for their country, but they could no longer be 00:06:20.139 --> 00:06:22.959 recognized with the seraphim or the vasa. Right. 00:06:23.019 --> 00:06:25.220 They just packed these centuries -old traditions 00:06:25.220 --> 00:06:27.800 away in the historical attic. Perfectly said. 00:06:28.360 --> 00:06:30.959 For a fail -restition like Arnel, who understands 00:06:30.959 --> 00:06:33.220 the profound symbolic weight of these honors, 00:06:33.980 --> 00:06:36.000 this wasn't just an administrative update. It 00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:40.160 was a profound cultural loss. But he didn't just 00:06:40.160 --> 00:06:42.360 sit around and complain about it in niche academic 00:06:42.360 --> 00:06:47.079 journals. In 1999, Jonas Arnell launched a grassroots 00:06:47.079 --> 00:06:50.800 lobbying campaign. On his own. On his own. He 00:06:50.800 --> 00:06:53.300 started firing off highly detailed emails to 00:06:53.300 --> 00:06:55.360 members of the Swedish parliament, demanding 00:06:55.360 --> 00:06:58.920 that they undo the 1975 reform and bring those 00:06:58.920 --> 00:07:01.079 orders back to life for Swedish citizens. And 00:07:01.079 --> 00:07:03.220 you really have to appreciate the strategic approach 00:07:03.220 --> 00:07:05.720 here. Oh, totally. Most people who email their 00:07:05.720 --> 00:07:08.339 local politicians about a niche historical grievance, 00:07:08.579 --> 00:07:10.680 they're easily ignored. Straight to the spam 00:07:10.680 --> 00:07:13.100 folder. Exactly. But Arnell approached this differently. 00:07:13.339 --> 00:07:15.980 He wasn't just complaining. He was writing incredibly 00:07:15.980 --> 00:07:19.199 detailed, procedurally sound arguments. Which 00:07:19.199 --> 00:07:22.199 politicians actually respond to. And the source 00:07:22.199 --> 00:07:25.259 material reveals a brilliant piece of irony here. 00:07:26.120 --> 00:07:28.860 This very lobbying campaign actually contributed 00:07:28.860 --> 00:07:31.420 to him securing his subsequent employment at 00:07:31.420 --> 00:07:33.779 the Parliament Chancery of the Christian Democrats. 00:07:34.339 --> 00:07:37.560 I love that detail. It is such a fantastic detail. 00:07:37.680 --> 00:07:40.560 It's the ultimate. hire the person who won't 00:07:40.560 --> 00:07:42.360 stop emailing you because they actually know 00:07:42.360 --> 00:07:45.160 the bureaucratic machinery better than you do 00:07:45.160 --> 00:07:48.560 move. It really is. He advocated so effectively 00:07:48.560 --> 00:07:51.220 and clearly demonstrated such a deep understanding 00:07:51.220 --> 00:07:53.800 of parliamentary procedure that it helped land 00:07:53.800 --> 00:07:56.060 him a job right in the center of the political 00:07:56.060 --> 00:07:58.199 action. Right in the chancery. But did getting 00:07:58.199 --> 00:08:01.019 that insider job mean his crusade was over? Not 00:08:01.019 --> 00:08:03.459 even close. Not even close. The source highlights 00:08:03.459 --> 00:08:05.980 a level of perseverance that is just staggering. 00:08:06.459 --> 00:08:08.579 Staggering is the exact right word, because when 00:08:08.579 --> 00:08:10.839 we look at the timeline, we are not talking about 00:08:10.839 --> 00:08:13.699 a quick legislative victory. No. For almost 20 00:08:13.699 --> 00:08:16.279 years, Arnell kept this issue alive in the face 00:08:16.279 --> 00:08:19.600 of near total institutional apathy. 20 years. 00:08:19.899 --> 00:08:22.420 He drafted formal motions for various Christian 00:08:22.420 --> 00:08:25.180 Democratic MPs to present in Parliament. He did 00:08:25.180 --> 00:08:28.720 this from 1999 to 2001, then again from 2004 00:08:28.720 --> 00:08:33.379 to 2007, then from 2009 to 2011, and again in 00:08:33.379 --> 00:08:36.379 2014. Just imagine the emotional weight of that. 00:08:36.480 --> 00:08:39.379 It's heavy. You draft a meticulously researched 00:08:39.379 --> 00:08:42.500 motion. You find an MP willing to present it. 00:08:42.740 --> 00:08:46.360 It goes to the floor and it fails because a majority 00:08:46.360 --> 00:08:48.379 vote just isn't there. Yeah. Then you wake up 00:08:48.379 --> 00:08:50.879 and you do it all over again. year after year, 00:08:51.200 --> 00:08:53.080 for a policy most of the public had completely 00:08:53.080 --> 00:08:55.320 forgotten about. It would be so easy to just 00:08:55.320 --> 00:08:58.940 accept the 1975 reform as permanent. If we connect 00:08:58.940 --> 00:09:01.399 this to the bigger picture, this is an absolute 00:09:01.399 --> 00:09:04.159 master class in playing the long game in politics 00:09:04.159 --> 00:09:06.759 and advocacy. Absolutely. The source notes that 00:09:06.759 --> 00:09:08.879 none of those individual motions carried at the 00:09:08.879 --> 00:09:11.100 time, but that wasn't a failure in the grand 00:09:11.100 --> 00:09:13.419 scheme. Why not? Because the text points out 00:09:13.419 --> 00:09:15.139 that these recurring motions were a calculated 00:09:15.139 --> 00:09:17.960 way to keep life in the matter. By forcing the 00:09:17.960 --> 00:09:19.960 parliament to repeatedly discuss and vote on 00:09:19.960 --> 00:09:22.639 the issue, Arnell ensured that the dormant orders 00:09:22.639 --> 00:09:25.080 were never truly finalized as dead. He built 00:09:25.080 --> 00:09:28.399 a bridge. He built a bridge across two decades 00:09:28.399 --> 00:09:32.350 of institutional inertia. He maintained the atmospheric 00:09:32.350 --> 00:09:34.809 pressure until the political climate finally 00:09:34.809 --> 00:09:37.769 shifted enough for a formal awards reform to 00:09:37.769 --> 00:09:40.850 take place. That level of patience is so rare. 00:09:41.350 --> 00:09:43.750 And while he was fighting this 20 -year bureaucratic 00:09:43.750 --> 00:09:46.409 battle in the halls of parliament, he was also 00:09:46.409 --> 00:09:48.529 busy building up the structural foundation of 00:09:48.529 --> 00:09:50.690 the community from the outside. Building his 00:09:50.690 --> 00:09:53.350 base. Right, he was translating his passion into 00:09:53.350 --> 00:09:56.889 real institutional power. In 2017, he didn't 00:09:56.889 --> 00:09:59.409 just join a club. He was one of three people 00:09:59.409 --> 00:10:01.929 who took the initiative to found the Swedish 00:10:01.929 --> 00:10:05.070 Phalaristics Association. Yes. He was simultaneously 00:10:05.070 --> 00:10:07.549 working top down in the political sphere and 00:10:07.549 --> 00:10:09.590 bottom up in the cultural sphere. That's a great 00:10:09.590 --> 00:10:12.090 way to put it. Building the Phalaristics Association 00:10:12.090 --> 00:10:14.690 created an organized body of experts, giving 00:10:14.690 --> 00:10:17.070 the entire discipline more weight. And his rise 00:10:17.070 --> 00:10:19.169 in the international community perfectly mirrors 00:10:19.169 --> 00:10:21.389 that domestic institution building. You went 00:10:21.389 --> 00:10:25.059 global. He did. By 2020, he was elected as a 00:10:25.059 --> 00:10:27.120 member of the International Commission for Orders 00:10:27.120 --> 00:10:29.820 of Chivalry. This isn't just a local historical 00:10:29.820 --> 00:10:32.759 society. It's a global acknowledgement of his 00:10:32.759 --> 00:10:34.879 authority on the subject. Which perfectly sets 00:10:34.879 --> 00:10:36.899 the stage for his transition from the outside 00:10:36.899 --> 00:10:39.879 lobbyist to the inside rulemaker. It does. Because 00:10:39.879 --> 00:10:42.820 according to the source, on January 1st, 2023, 00:10:43.700 --> 00:10:46.320 Jonas Arnell officially became the Herald. at 00:10:46.320 --> 00:10:48.679 the Chancery of the Swedish Royal Orders of Knighthood. 00:10:48.779 --> 00:10:50.980 The official herald. The official herald. Before 00:10:50.980 --> 00:10:54.320 that, from 2018 to 2022, he had served as an 00:10:54.320 --> 00:10:56.860 amanuensis there. Right. Now for those listening 00:10:56.860 --> 00:10:59.019 who might not deal with these specific bureaucratic 00:10:59.019 --> 00:11:02.039 titles every day, an amanuensis is essentially 00:11:02.039 --> 00:11:05.679 a highly skilled academic or bureaucratic assistant, 00:11:06.120 --> 00:11:08.460 the person keeping the meticulous records. Yes. 00:11:08.679 --> 00:11:11.480 But stepping into the role of the official Herald, 00:11:11.820 --> 00:11:14.200 that is a massive paradigm shift. It really is. 00:11:14.480 --> 00:11:16.820 The Herald is effectively the ultimate gatekeeper 00:11:16.820 --> 00:11:19.980 of the nation's chivalric visual and ceremonial 00:11:19.980 --> 00:11:22.990 history. That's a huge responsibility. It requires 00:11:22.990 --> 00:11:25.409 an encyclopedic knowledge of not just who gets 00:11:25.409 --> 00:11:28.950 what medal, but the exact heraldic rules governing 00:11:28.950 --> 00:11:31.649 coats of arms, crests, and ceremonial protocols. 00:11:32.370 --> 00:11:34.870 The guy who spent 20 years writing emails and 00:11:34.870 --> 00:11:37.049 drafting motions to bring the royal orders back 00:11:37.049 --> 00:11:39.289 from the dead is now the person sitting in the 00:11:39.289 --> 00:11:41.669 chancery overseeing their administration. That 00:11:41.669 --> 00:11:44.769 is just poetic. And we definitely shouldn't overlook 00:11:44.769 --> 00:11:46.809 his parallel work in heraldry, because as you 00:11:46.809 --> 00:11:48.809 mentioned, it goes hand in hand with felleristics. 00:11:48.990 --> 00:11:50.789 They're completely intertwined. The source notes 00:11:50.789 --> 00:11:53.370 he served as the Herald Pursuivant for the Swedish 00:11:53.370 --> 00:11:57.210 Heraldry Association from 2002 to 2008. He was 00:11:57.210 --> 00:11:59.450 elected a member of the Heraldic Society in 2004. 00:12:00.110 --> 00:12:02.590 And he's had multiple stints on the editorial 00:12:02.590 --> 00:12:05.210 board for the publication Vappenbilden. Yes. 00:12:05.210 --> 00:12:07.370 Which is a cornerstone publication for Heraldic 00:12:07.370 --> 00:12:09.750 research in Sweden. His current term on that 00:12:09.750 --> 00:12:12.970 board started in 2023. So he understands the 00:12:12.970 --> 00:12:15.090 visual language of these honors just as deeply 00:12:15.090 --> 00:12:17.830 as the political mechanics behind them. It is 00:12:17.830 --> 00:12:20.330 a profound shift in status. He went from lobbying 00:12:20.330 --> 00:12:22.490 the rule makers to literally writing the rule 00:12:22.490 --> 00:12:24.649 books. You can see this authority formalized 00:12:24.649 --> 00:12:27.470 in his recent publications. The source lists 00:12:27.470 --> 00:12:30.110 two major works he edited for the Royal Orders 00:12:30.110 --> 00:12:33.769 of Knighthood. In 2024, he published When and 00:12:33.769 --> 00:12:36.750 How Should Decorations Be Worn, and in 2025, 00:12:37.190 --> 00:12:39.230 Regulations Concerning the Royal Orders of Knighthood. 00:12:39.669 --> 00:12:42.210 He is now the one responsible for codifying and 00:12:42.210 --> 00:12:45.070 preserving the very traditions he fought to save. 00:12:45.389 --> 00:12:47.950 And his foundation for that knowledge was laid 00:12:47.950 --> 00:12:51.169 decades ago. When you look at his bibliography, 00:12:51.490 --> 00:12:54.570 back in 2006, he was already writing the definitive 00:12:54.570 --> 00:12:57.149 sections on the Order of the Seraphim, the Order 00:12:57.149 --> 00:12:59.789 of the Sword, the Order of the Polar Star, and 00:12:59.789 --> 00:13:01.889 the Order of Vasa for the massive world orders 00:13:01.889 --> 00:13:04.710 of knighthood and merit encyclopedia. He literally 00:13:04.710 --> 00:13:06.889 wrote the book on them. He was documenting the 00:13:06.889 --> 00:13:09.190 history of these orders while simultaneously 00:13:09.190 --> 00:13:11.649 fighting in parliament. to ensure they actually 00:13:11.649 --> 00:13:14.850 had a future. Exactly. His deep academic knowledge 00:13:14.850 --> 00:13:17.289 base was the invisible architecture that eventually 00:13:17.289 --> 00:13:19.870 supported his very public political success. 00:13:20.509 --> 00:13:23.110 You cannot successfully lobby to restore a centuries 00:13:23.110 --> 00:13:24.929 -old tradition if you cannot articulate exactly 00:13:24.929 --> 00:13:27.330 what that tradition is and why it matters. Which 00:13:27.330 --> 00:13:29.909 brings us to perhaps the most satisfying part 00:13:29.909 --> 00:13:32.860 of this entire discussion. There's a wonderful, 00:13:32.860 --> 00:13:35.399 beautiful irony at play here. Oh, there is. The 00:13:35.399 --> 00:13:38.500 man who has spent his entire adult life studying 00:13:38.500 --> 00:13:41.299 medals, writing about decorations, and fighting 00:13:41.299 --> 00:13:44.419 for orders of knighthood, he has an absolute 00:13:44.419 --> 00:13:47.000 chest full of them himself. He certainly does. 00:13:47.399 --> 00:13:49.240 And the list provided in the source material 00:13:49.240 --> 00:13:51.899 is both impressive and surprisingly diverse. 00:13:52.200 --> 00:13:54.470 Let's hear it. Naturally, he has been recognized 00:13:54.470 --> 00:13:57.889 extensively within Sweden. In 2015, he received 00:13:57.889 --> 00:14:00.769 the Royal Patriotic Society's large medal in 00:14:00.769 --> 00:14:03.549 gold. This was specifically awarded for significant 00:14:03.549 --> 00:14:06.929 acts and recognized his 25 years as a failurestition. 00:14:07.730 --> 00:14:10.149 That is a substantial domestic honor. And it 00:14:10.149 --> 00:14:13.240 continued as his career peaked. Following his 00:14:13.240 --> 00:14:15.179 elevation to herald, he was awarded King Carl 00:14:15.179 --> 00:14:18.379 XVI Gustav's Jubilee Commemorative Medal IV in 00:14:18.379 --> 00:14:21.279 gold in September 2023. Yes. He also received 00:14:21.279 --> 00:14:23.700 the Swedish Numismatic Society's Medal of Merit 00:14:23.700 --> 00:14:26.600 in silver that exact same year. But what is truly 00:14:26.600 --> 00:14:28.820 revealing is that his recognition doesn't stop 00:14:28.820 --> 00:14:30.879 at the Swedish border. Not at all. When the Finnish 00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:34.480 state visited in April 2024, he was made a Knight 00:14:34.480 --> 00:14:37.200 of the Order of the White Rose of Finland. He 00:14:37.200 --> 00:14:39.940 holds the Cross of Merit with Silver Star of 00:14:39.940 --> 00:14:42.559 the Order of the Holy Sepulcher, which he received 00:14:42.559 --> 00:14:45.799 back in 2017. Amazing. He's a fellow of the Society 00:14:45.799 --> 00:14:48.740 of Sciences in Lund, and as of 2024, he was elected 00:14:48.740 --> 00:14:51.080 a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. 00:14:51.279 --> 00:14:55.059 I have to admit, my absolute favorite honor on 00:14:55.059 --> 00:14:57.980 his resume, the one that highlights just how 00:14:57.980 --> 00:15:00.039 wild the global network of historical honors 00:15:00.039 --> 00:15:02.740 can be, is the geographical leap to the United 00:15:02.740 --> 00:15:05.139 States. Oh, this is great. Since 2013, he has 00:15:05.139 --> 00:15:07.600 been an associate companion of the military order 00:15:07.600 --> 00:15:09.820 of the loyal legion of the United States. And 00:15:09.820 --> 00:15:13.159 as of 2023, Jonas Arnell, the Swedish herald, 00:15:13.379 --> 00:15:15.740 the man deeply embedded in the ancient chivalric 00:15:15.740 --> 00:15:18.700 traditions of European monarchy, is an official 00:15:18.700 --> 00:15:21.419 Kentucky colonel. It sounds absurd on the surface, 00:15:21.419 --> 00:15:23.399 but it actually highlights something very special. 00:15:23.789 --> 00:15:27.210 Deep, genuine expertise transcends borders. It 00:15:27.210 --> 00:15:28.990 really does. The Commission of Kentucky, Colonel, 00:15:29.029 --> 00:15:31.190 is the highest title of honor bestowed by the 00:15:31.190 --> 00:15:33.789 Governor of Kentucky, given for outstanding service 00:15:33.789 --> 00:15:36.269 and accomplishments. Arnell's profound knowledge 00:15:36.269 --> 00:15:38.909 of historical orders didn't just earn him domestic 00:15:38.909 --> 00:15:41.389 praise. It earned him the respect of ancient 00:15:41.389 --> 00:15:44.230 societies in Scotland, religious orders in Jerusalem, 00:15:44.730 --> 00:15:47.190 and historical military associations in the United 00:15:47.190 --> 00:15:50.110 States. It's the universal language of tradition 00:15:50.110 --> 00:15:52.830 and merit. When you become the preeminent expert 00:15:52.830 --> 00:15:55.370 in a field, even a highly specialized one like 00:15:55.370 --> 00:15:58.570 Philoristics, the global community of scholars 00:15:58.570 --> 00:16:01.470 and institutions takes notice. Absolutely. The 00:16:01.470 --> 00:16:03.889 fact that a Swedish royal official is also recognized 00:16:03.889 --> 00:16:06.889 in Kentucky is a testament to how interconnected 00:16:06.889 --> 00:16:09.009 this world of historical preservation really 00:16:09.009 --> 00:16:11.370 is. It also speaks to the respect he commands 00:16:11.370 --> 00:16:14.490 among his peers globally. He isn't just a Swedish 00:16:14.490 --> 00:16:17.039 bureaucrat. He's viewed internationally as a 00:16:17.039 --> 00:16:20.100 guardian of a very specific, very fragile type 00:16:20.100 --> 00:16:22.580 of human heritage. So what does this all mean? 00:16:22.639 --> 00:16:24.700 Yeah. If we step back and look at the entire 00:16:24.700 --> 00:16:27.240 narrative we've traced today, we followed the 00:16:27.240 --> 00:16:30.039 life of a man who took an incredibly niche passion 00:16:30.039 --> 00:16:33.279 and refused to let it remain just a hobby. Refused. 00:16:33.519 --> 00:16:36.019 He lobbied a national parliament for two decades, 00:16:36.759 --> 00:16:39.460 enduring years of failed motions and institutional 00:16:39.460 --> 00:16:41.899 inertia just to keep the conversation alive. 00:16:42.110 --> 00:16:44.549 20 years of pushing. He worked his way from an 00:16:44.549 --> 00:16:47.470 outside agitator firing off emails, to a political 00:16:47.470 --> 00:16:50.570 advisor, to an amanuances, and finally to the 00:16:50.570 --> 00:16:52.789 official herald of the Swedish royal orders. 00:16:53.429 --> 00:16:57.190 He helped overturn the 1975 reform and literally 00:16:57.190 --> 00:16:59.909 brought a piece of history back to life for his 00:16:59.909 --> 00:17:02.190 country's citizens. Incredible. I want to say 00:17:02.190 --> 00:17:04.650 this directly to you listening. If you ever feel 00:17:04.650 --> 00:17:07.029 like your own interests or areas of expertise 00:17:07.029 --> 00:17:10.589 are too obscure, let Jonas Arnell be your inspiration. 00:17:10.710 --> 00:17:14.680 Definitely. absolute unwavering dedication to 00:17:14.680 --> 00:17:17.559 a niche doesn't just make you an expert. It could 00:17:17.559 --> 00:17:20.180 eventually make you a national institution. This 00:17:20.180 --> 00:17:21.940 raises an important question, though, and it's 00:17:21.940 --> 00:17:24.200 a fascinating philosophical angle to consider. 00:17:24.359 --> 00:17:26.420 What's that? We've spent this time discussing 00:17:26.420 --> 00:17:29.160 Arnell's fight to preserve physical metals, ribbons, 00:17:29.319 --> 00:17:32.000 and ancient coats of arms. But look at our modern 00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:34.500 digital landscape. Today we are obsessed with 00:17:34.500 --> 00:17:37.480 gamification. We constantly strive for digital 00:17:37.480 --> 00:17:40.500 badges on our profiles, verified checkmarks and 00:17:40.500 --> 00:17:42.480 achievement trophies in our apps. That's very 00:17:42.480 --> 00:17:45.819 true. It makes you wonder. The 1975 reform tried 00:17:45.819 --> 00:17:48.359 to modernize Sweden by stripping away its historic 00:17:48.359 --> 00:17:51.079 knighthoods for citizens, but Arnell's crusade 00:17:51.079 --> 00:17:54.210 brought them back. While we often view historical 00:17:54.210 --> 00:17:56.690 knighthoods and physical medals as archaic relics 00:17:56.690 --> 00:17:59.569 of a bygone era, hasn't the digital age proven 00:17:59.569 --> 00:18:02.049 that the fundamental human psychological need 00:18:02.049 --> 00:18:04.490 for visible, hierarchical recognition remains 00:18:04.490 --> 00:18:07.609 completely unchanged? Wow. In our modern rush 00:18:07.609 --> 00:18:09.630 to democratize and streamline our institutions, 00:18:10.009 --> 00:18:12.150 what valuable traditions, symbols, and methods 00:18:12.150 --> 00:18:14.569 of recognizing true merit are we hastily tossing 00:18:14.569 --> 00:18:17.170 out, only to realize decades later that we actually 00:18:17.170 --> 00:18:19.769 need them? Perhaps Arnell wasn't just preserving 00:18:19.769 --> 00:18:22.500 the past. He was safeguarding deeply ingrained 00:18:22.500 --> 00:18:24.799 human mechanism for acknowledging merit, one 00:18:24.799 --> 00:18:26.700 that we are desperately trying to replicate today 00:18:26.700 --> 00:18:29.160 through pixels instead of gold. That is a brilliant 00:18:29.160 --> 00:18:31.480 connection and the absolute perfect thought to 00:18:31.480 --> 00:18:33.579 leave you with today. Whether it's a centuries 00:18:33.579 --> 00:18:36.339 -old gold medal or a digital badge on your profile, 00:18:36.839 --> 00:18:39.460 our need to be recognized and to recognize others 00:18:39.460 --> 00:18:42.200 is beautifully human. Thank you so much for joining 00:18:42.200 --> 00:18:44.759 us on this deep exploration into the world of 00:18:44.759 --> 00:18:47.279 Jonas Arnell, the Swedish royal orders, and the 00:18:47.279 --> 00:18:49.660 power of persistence. Keep digging into the history 00:18:49.660 --> 00:18:51.460 around you, and we'll see you next time.