WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.520 The Apple podcast title, The Deep Dive, Decoding 00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:06.500 Swedish Knighthood, Phalaristics, and the 20 00:00:06.500 --> 00:00:09.660 -Year Metal Crusade of Jonas Arnell. Join us 00:00:09.660 --> 00:00:11.740 on this deep dive into the fascinating hyper 00:00:11.740 --> 00:00:14.859 -niche world of phalaristics and heraldry. We 00:00:14.859 --> 00:00:17.500 explore the Wikipedia biography of Jonas Arnell, 00:00:17.660 --> 00:00:20.019 the Swedish herald who spent 20 years lobbying 00:00:20.019 --> 00:00:22.320 Parliament to restore Sweden's historic royal 00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:25.039 orders of knighthood. Discover how one man's 00:00:25.039 --> 00:00:27.440 passion for medals and chivalric orders shaped 00:00:27.440 --> 00:00:30.379 national tradition and overturned the 1975 Orders 00:00:30.379 --> 00:00:33.340 Reform. If you love deep dives into hidden histories, 00:00:33.579 --> 00:00:35.560 royal decorations, and stories of relentless 00:00:35.560 --> 00:00:39.020 dedication, this conversation is for you. Tune 00:00:39.020 --> 00:00:40.719 in to learn about the Order of the Seraphim, 00:00:40.759 --> 00:00:42.840 the Order of Vasa, and what it means to be a 00:00:42.840 --> 00:00:54.570 modern -day herald. Welcome to the Deep Dive. 00:00:54.829 --> 00:00:56.789 We are so thrilled to have you with us today. 00:00:56.890 --> 00:00:59.009 Absolutely. Thrilled you're here. For this particular 00:00:59.009 --> 00:01:01.710 session, we are decoding Swedish knighthood. 00:01:01.850 --> 00:01:04.750 The intricacies of a field called phalaristics. 00:01:05.189 --> 00:01:09.010 And what I can really only describe as the 20 00:01:09.010 --> 00:01:11.750 -year crusade of a man named Jonas Arnell. It 00:01:11.750 --> 00:01:14.310 really is a crusade. It is. And if you follow 00:01:14.310 --> 00:01:17.290 the world of heraldry or state honors, you probably 00:01:17.290 --> 00:01:21.230 know how rigid these institutions can be. Very 00:01:21.230 --> 00:01:23.829 rigid. Right. But today we're looking specifically 00:01:23.829 --> 00:01:27.170 at the Wikipedia biography of Jonas Arnell, a 00:01:27.170 --> 00:01:30.329 fascinating Swedish figure born in 1969, just 00:01:30.329 --> 00:01:32.730 to understand exactly how he navigated that rigidity. 00:01:32.890 --> 00:01:35.750 Yeah. So the mission of our deep dive today is 00:01:35.750 --> 00:01:39.359 to explore how a deeply specific passion Specifically, 00:01:39.620 --> 00:01:42.219 the study of metals, orders, and coats of arms 00:01:42.219 --> 00:01:45.540 can actually rewrite national policy. Which is 00:01:45.540 --> 00:01:47.719 wild to think about. And actively preserve a 00:01:47.719 --> 00:01:50.299 country's historical continuity. It's an incredibly 00:01:50.299 --> 00:01:53.879 rich topic because we so often think of history 00:01:53.879 --> 00:01:55.459 as something that just, well, it just happens 00:01:55.459 --> 00:01:57.640 to us. Right. Like we're just observers. Exactly. 00:01:57.659 --> 00:01:59.879 We look at national traditions, systems of honors, 00:02:00.040 --> 00:02:01.739 state policies, and we assume there are these 00:02:01.739 --> 00:02:05.799 massive immovable monoliths decided by anonymous 00:02:05.799 --> 00:02:08.659 committees behind closed doors. They usually 00:02:08.659 --> 00:02:12.159 are. But what this source material proves is 00:02:12.159 --> 00:02:15.419 that a single individual's relentless decade 00:02:15.419 --> 00:02:18.560 -long dedication to a seemingly archaic subject. 00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:22.819 It can literally alter a country's entire system 00:02:22.819 --> 00:02:25.180 of recognition. It's amazing. It demonstrates 00:02:25.180 --> 00:02:27.879 that an individual with enough procedural knowledge 00:02:27.879 --> 00:02:30.580 and just sheer persistence, they can reach right 00:02:30.580 --> 00:02:32.759 into the machinery of the state and change its 00:02:32.759 --> 00:02:35.460 course. Okay, let's unpack this. Because to really 00:02:35.460 --> 00:02:38.500 understand how monumental this shift was, we 00:02:38.500 --> 00:02:40.479 have to look at the foundational background of 00:02:40.479 --> 00:02:43.219 the man himself, Jonas Henry Arnell. Let's do 00:02:43.219 --> 00:02:47.919 it. Born in Örebro, Sweden, and raised in Eskilstuna. 00:02:48.180 --> 00:02:50.979 He builds a very solid, highly educated foundation. 00:02:51.300 --> 00:02:53.199 You're grounded. Right. He earns a Bachelor of 00:02:53.199 --> 00:02:55.599 Education from Linköping University, and later 00:02:55.599 --> 00:02:57.919 a Master of Science from Umeå University. Which 00:02:57.919 --> 00:02:59.759 is important because... He isn't born into the 00:02:59.759 --> 00:03:02.020 ancient nobility. Right. He's building a modern 00:03:02.020 --> 00:03:04.340 academic grounding. Precisely. And looking at 00:03:04.340 --> 00:03:06.060 his professional background, what really stands 00:03:06.060 --> 00:03:08.900 out is this incredibly contemporary career path. 00:03:09.120 --> 00:03:11.400 Yeah, he wasn't locked in an ivory tower. No, 00:03:11.460 --> 00:03:14.939 not at all. From 1995 to 2014, he works in the 00:03:14.939 --> 00:03:17.759 fields of education, research and culture. Real 00:03:17.759 --> 00:03:20.719 institutional work. Exactly. And most notably, 00:03:20.919 --> 00:03:23.020 he serves as a political advisor in the Parliament 00:03:23.020 --> 00:03:25.520 Chancery of the Christian Democrats. OK. Then 00:03:25.520 --> 00:03:29.259 he pivots slightly. Between 2015 and 2023, he 00:03:29.259 --> 00:03:31.240 works in the defense sector. Oh, I saw that. 00:03:31.400 --> 00:03:34.259 The sources note he spent most of that time as 00:03:34.259 --> 00:03:36.560 the deputy secretary general for the Swedish 00:03:36.560 --> 00:03:39.699 Surgers Homes Association. Wow. So you have a 00:03:39.699 --> 00:03:41.930 man who deep. understands the inner workings 00:03:41.930 --> 00:03:44.449 of government, parliamentary procedure, and defense 00:03:44.449 --> 00:03:46.669 administration. He has this very structured, 00:03:46.750 --> 00:03:49.069 respectable day job. Very much so. But while 00:03:49.069 --> 00:03:51.530 he's navigating the halls of parliament and the 00:03:51.530 --> 00:03:54.849 defense sector by day, he has this true burning 00:03:54.849 --> 00:03:56.830 passion running in the background. His secret 00:03:56.830 --> 00:03:59.629 identity. Like a superhero. Because since 1990, 00:03:59.909 --> 00:04:02.169 Arnell has been deeply committed to phalaristics. 00:04:02.409 --> 00:04:04.669 Right. And as you know from following this field, 00:04:04.789 --> 00:04:06.969 studying the history and cataloging of honors, 00:04:07.169 --> 00:04:13.110 medals, and decorations, it requires... By 1998, 00:04:13.490 --> 00:04:15.949 he wasn't just casually collecting. He had become 00:04:15.949 --> 00:04:18.689 a recognized writer and lecturer on the subject, 00:04:18.870 --> 00:04:21.649 both in Sweden and internationally. What's fascinating 00:04:21.649 --> 00:04:24.430 here is that these two worlds, his day job in 00:04:24.430 --> 00:04:27.149 the bureaucratic heart of Swedish politics and 00:04:27.149 --> 00:04:29.709 his hyper -niche expertise in phalaristics, they 00:04:29.709 --> 00:04:32.959 were about... to spectacularly collide. I love 00:04:32.959 --> 00:04:35.399 this part. Because being a philoristician of 00:04:35.399 --> 00:04:38.120 Arnell's caliber isn't just about archiving old 00:04:38.120 --> 00:04:41.519 pieces of metal or analyzing ribbon widths. Right. 00:04:41.600 --> 00:04:44.019 It's not just a dusty hobby. No. One of his primary 00:04:44.019 --> 00:04:46.800 goals, as noted in the text, was to actively 00:04:46.800 --> 00:04:49.579 support and promote genuine orders of chivalry. 00:04:49.800 --> 00:04:52.079 He was not content to be a passive historian. 00:04:52.379 --> 00:04:54.500 He wanted them alive. He was an active champion 00:04:54.500 --> 00:04:56.600 for the preservation of these living traditions. 00:04:56.980 --> 00:05:00.339 And in Sweden, there was a massive systemic roadblock 00:05:00.339 --> 00:05:02.300 standing in his way. Here's where it gets really 00:05:02.300 --> 00:05:04.339 interesting. We have to talk about the infamous 00:05:04.339 --> 00:05:07.740 Swedish orders reform of 1975. The big one. Yeah. 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:10.279 If you are familiar with the history of European 00:05:10.279 --> 00:05:12.699 heraldry, you know, this event is practically 00:05:12.699 --> 00:05:14.879 viewed as a cataclysm. Absolutely. The source 00:05:14.879 --> 00:05:17.639 details exactly what this reform did and is a 00:05:17.639 --> 00:05:21.180 massive shift in national identity. The 1975 00:05:21.180 --> 00:05:24.560 reform took Sweden's highest honors and essentially 00:05:24.560 --> 00:05:27.040 locked them away from the Swedish people. It's 00:05:27.040 --> 00:05:29.399 wild. They reserved the legendary Order of the 00:05:29.399 --> 00:05:31.939 Seraphim and the Order of the Polar Star strictly 00:05:31.939 --> 00:05:34.699 for foreign citizens and stateless persons. And 00:05:34.699 --> 00:05:36.899 it went even further than that. Tell them. The 00:05:36.899 --> 00:05:39.019 reform put the Order of the Sword and the Order 00:05:39.019 --> 00:05:41.579 of Vasa completely dormant. Just dormant. Shut 00:05:41.579 --> 00:05:44.279 down. Yes. Let's synthesize the impact of that 00:05:44.279 --> 00:05:47.800 for a moment. The Order of the Seraphim is Sweden's 00:05:47.800 --> 00:05:50.259 foremost order. Historically awarded to heads 00:05:50.259 --> 00:05:52.459 of state and the absolute highest officials. 00:05:52.759 --> 00:05:56.180 Right. The Order of Vasa, instituted in 1772, 00:05:56.519 --> 00:05:59.420 was incredibly culturally significant because 00:05:59.420 --> 00:06:01.699 it was designed to reward citizens for contributions 00:06:01.699 --> 00:06:05.779 to agriculture, mining, commerce, and the arts. 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:07.819 The things that built the country. The very things 00:06:07.819 --> 00:06:11.240 that built modern Sweden. In 1975, the state 00:06:11.240 --> 00:06:13.339 essentially severed a living connection to its 00:06:13.339 --> 00:06:16.319 own history. A Swedish citizen could do something 00:06:16.319 --> 00:06:19.019 absolutely extraordinary for their country, but 00:06:19.019 --> 00:06:21.600 they could no longer be recognized with the seraphim 00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:24.199 or the vasa. Right. They just packed these centuries 00:06:24.199 --> 00:06:26.500 -old traditions away in the historical attic. 00:06:26.819 --> 00:06:29.899 Perfectly said. For a phalaristician like Arnell, 00:06:30.079 --> 00:06:32.360 who understands the profound symbolic weight 00:06:32.360 --> 00:06:35.120 of these honors, this wasn't just an administrative 00:06:35.120 --> 00:06:38.399 update. It was a profound... Cultural loss. Yes. 00:06:38.800 --> 00:06:41.100 But he didn't just sit around and complain about 00:06:41.100 --> 00:06:44.879 it in niche academic journals. In 1999, Jonas 00:06:44.879 --> 00:06:47.899 Arnell launched a grassroots lobbying campaign. 00:06:48.439 --> 00:06:51.620 On his own. On his own. He started firing off 00:06:51.620 --> 00:06:53.959 highly detailed emails to members of the Swedish 00:06:53.959 --> 00:06:56.759 parliament demanding that they undo the 1975 00:06:56.759 --> 00:06:59.879 reform and bring those orders back to life for 00:06:59.879 --> 00:07:01.980 Swedish citizens. And you really have to appreciate 00:07:01.980 --> 00:07:04.459 the strategic approach here. Oh, totally. Most 00:07:04.459 --> 00:07:06.699 people who email their local politicians about 00:07:06.699 --> 00:07:08.899 a niche historical grievance, they're easily 00:07:08.899 --> 00:07:11.180 ignored. Straight to the spam folder. Exactly. 00:07:11.319 --> 00:07:13.699 But Arnell approached this differently. He wasn't 00:07:13.699 --> 00:07:16.319 just complaining. He was writing incredibly detailed, 00:07:16.600 --> 00:07:19.480 procedurally sound arguments. Which politicians 00:07:19.480 --> 00:07:22.300 actually respond to. And the source material 00:07:22.300 --> 00:07:26.079 reveals a brilliant piece of irony here. This 00:07:26.079 --> 00:07:29.040 very lobbying campaign actually contributed to 00:07:29.040 --> 00:07:31.360 him securing his subsequent employment at the 00:07:31.360 --> 00:07:33.480 Parliament Chancery of the Christian Democrats. 00:07:33.779 --> 00:07:37.399 I love that detail. It is such a fantastic detail. 00:07:37.459 --> 00:07:40.420 It's the ultimate. Hire the person who won't 00:07:40.420 --> 00:07:42.199 stop emailing you because they actually know 00:07:42.199 --> 00:07:44.839 the bureaucratic machinery better than you do 00:07:44.839 --> 00:07:48.139 move. It really is. He advocated so effectively 00:07:48.139 --> 00:07:50.939 and clearly demonstrated such a deep understanding 00:07:50.939 --> 00:07:53.620 of parliamentary procedure that it helped land 00:07:53.620 --> 00:07:55.779 him a job right in the center of the political 00:07:55.779 --> 00:07:58.100 action. Right in the chancery. But did getting 00:07:58.100 --> 00:08:00.819 that insider job mean his crusade was over? Not 00:08:00.819 --> 00:08:03.319 even close. Not even close. The source highlights 00:08:03.319 --> 00:08:05.660 a level of perseverance that is just staggering. 00:08:06.240 --> 00:08:08.439 Staggering is the exact right word, because when 00:08:08.439 --> 00:08:10.699 we look at the timeline, we are not talking about 00:08:10.699 --> 00:08:13.480 a quick legislative victory. No. For almost 20 00:08:13.480 --> 00:08:16.139 years, Arnell kept this issue alive in the face 00:08:16.139 --> 00:08:19.240 of near total institutional apathy. 20 years. 00:08:19.560 --> 00:08:22.240 He drafted formal motions for various Christian 00:08:22.240 --> 00:08:25.100 Democratic MPs to present in Parliament. He did 00:08:25.100 --> 00:08:28.339 this from 1999 to 2001, then again from 2004 00:08:28.339 --> 00:08:33.179 to 2007, then from 2009 to 2011, and again in 00:08:33.179 --> 00:08:36.159 2014. Just imagine the emotional weight of that. 00:08:36.360 --> 00:08:39.019 It's heavy. You draft a meticulously researched 00:08:39.019 --> 00:08:42.240 motion. You find an MP willing to present it. 00:08:42.279 --> 00:08:46.139 It goes to the floor and it fails because a majority 00:08:46.139 --> 00:08:48.299 vote just isn't there. Yeah. Then you wake up 00:08:48.299 --> 00:08:50.500 and you do it all over again. year after year 00:08:50.500 --> 00:08:52.779 for a policy most of the public had completely 00:08:52.779 --> 00:08:55.139 forgotten about. It would be so easy to just 00:08:55.139 --> 00:08:58.779 accept the 1975 reform as permanent. If we connect 00:08:58.779 --> 00:09:01.080 this to the bigger picture, this is an absolute 00:09:01.080 --> 00:09:03.860 masterclass in playing the long game in politics 00:09:03.860 --> 00:09:06.600 and advocacy. Absolutely. The source notes that 00:09:06.600 --> 00:09:08.639 none of those individual motions carried at the 00:09:08.639 --> 00:09:10.879 time, but that wasn't a failure in the grand 00:09:10.879 --> 00:09:13.299 scheme. Why not? Because the text points out 00:09:13.299 --> 00:09:14.879 that these recurring motions were a calculated 00:09:14.879 --> 00:09:17.740 way to keep life in the matter. By forcing the 00:09:17.740 --> 00:09:19.799 parliament to repeatedly discuss and vote on 00:09:19.799 --> 00:09:22.460 the issue, Arnel ensured that the dormant orders 00:09:22.460 --> 00:09:24.940 were never truly finalized as dead. He built 00:09:24.940 --> 00:09:28.080 a bridge. He built a bridge across two decades 00:09:28.080 --> 00:09:31.909 of institutional inertia. He maintained the atmospheric 00:09:31.909 --> 00:09:34.490 pressure until the political climate finally 00:09:34.490 --> 00:09:37.590 shifted enough for a formal awards reform to 00:09:37.590 --> 00:09:40.570 take place. That level of patience is so rare. 00:09:40.750 --> 00:09:43.549 And while he was fighting this 20 -year bureaucratic 00:09:43.549 --> 00:09:46.169 battle in the halls of parliament, he was also 00:09:46.169 --> 00:09:48.370 busy building up the structural foundation of 00:09:48.370 --> 00:09:50.429 the community from the outside. Building his 00:09:50.429 --> 00:09:53.149 base. Right. He was translating his passion into 00:09:53.149 --> 00:09:56.850 real institutional power. In 2017, he didn't 00:09:56.850 --> 00:09:59.269 just join a club. He was one of three people 00:09:59.269 --> 00:10:01.730 who took the initiative to found the Swedish 00:10:01.730 --> 00:10:04.669 Phalaristics Association. Yes, he was simultaneously 00:10:04.669 --> 00:10:07.289 working top -down in the political sphere and 00:10:07.289 --> 00:10:09.490 bottom -up in the cultural sphere. That's a great 00:10:09.490 --> 00:10:11.549 way to put it. Building the Phalaristics Association 00:10:11.549 --> 00:10:14.549 created an organized body of experts, giving 00:10:14.549 --> 00:10:16.950 the entire discipline more weight. And his rise 00:10:16.950 --> 00:10:18.929 in the international community perfectly mirrors 00:10:18.929 --> 00:10:21.570 that domestic institution building. He went global. 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:25.240 He did. By 2020, he was elected as a member of 00:10:25.240 --> 00:10:27.460 the International Commission for Orders of Chivalry. 00:10:27.639 --> 00:10:30.659 This isn't just a local historical society. It's 00:10:30.659 --> 00:10:33.320 a global acknowledgement of his authority on 00:10:33.320 --> 00:10:35.399 the subject. Which perfectly sets the stage for 00:10:35.399 --> 00:10:37.799 his transition from the outside lobbyist to the 00:10:37.799 --> 00:10:40.000 inside rulemaker. It does. Because according 00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:44.019 to the source, on January 1st, 2023, Jonas Arnell 00:10:44.019 --> 00:10:46.779 officially became the herald. at the Chancery 00:10:46.779 --> 00:10:48.779 of the Swedish Royal Orders of Knighthood. The 00:10:48.779 --> 00:10:50.679 official herald. The official herald. Before 00:10:50.679 --> 00:10:54.080 that, from 2018 to 2022, he had served as an 00:10:54.080 --> 00:10:56.759 amanuensis there. Right. Now, for those listening 00:10:56.759 --> 00:10:58.860 who might not deal with these specific bureaucratic 00:10:58.860 --> 00:11:01.700 titles every day, an amanuensis is essentially 00:11:01.700 --> 00:11:05.419 a highly skilled academic or bureaucratic assistant, 00:11:05.559 --> 00:11:08.220 the person keeping the meticulous records. Yes. 00:11:08.679 --> 00:11:11.340 But stepping into the role of the official herald, 00:11:11.379 --> 00:11:13.919 that is a massive paradigm shift. It really is. 00:11:14.039 --> 00:11:16.620 The herald is effectively the ultimate gatekeeper 00:11:16.620 --> 00:11:19.840 of the nation's chivalric, visual, and ceremonial 00:11:19.840 --> 00:11:22.769 history. That's a huge responsibility. It requires 00:11:22.769 --> 00:11:25.230 an encyclopedic knowledge of not just who gets 00:11:25.230 --> 00:11:28.730 what medal, but the exact heraldic rules governing 00:11:28.730 --> 00:11:31.250 coats of arms, crests, and ceremonial protocols. 00:11:31.789 --> 00:11:34.649 The guy who spent 20 years writing emails and 00:11:34.649 --> 00:11:36.830 drafting motions to bring the royal orders back 00:11:36.830 --> 00:11:39.070 from the dead is now the person sitting in the 00:11:39.070 --> 00:11:41.490 Chancery overseeing their administration. That 00:11:41.490 --> 00:11:44.570 is just poetic. And we definitely shouldn't overlook 00:11:44.570 --> 00:11:46.590 his parallel work in heraldry because, as you 00:11:46.590 --> 00:11:48.610 mentioned, it goes hand in hand with phalaristics. 00:11:48.809 --> 00:11:50.610 They're completely intertwined. The source notes 00:11:50.610 --> 00:11:53.169 he served as the herald pursuivant for the Swedish 00:11:53.169 --> 00:11:57.070 Heraldry Association from 2002 to 2008. He was 00:11:57.070 --> 00:11:59.090 elected a member of the Heraldic Society in 2004. 00:11:59.789 --> 00:12:02.269 And he's had multiple stints on the editorial 00:12:02.269 --> 00:12:05.230 board for the publication Vapenbilden. Yes. Which 00:12:05.230 --> 00:12:07.450 is a cornerstone publication for heraldic research 00:12:07.450 --> 00:12:10.149 in Sweden. His current term on that board started 00:12:10.149 --> 00:12:13.409 in 2023. So he understands the visual language 00:12:13.409 --> 00:12:15.509 of these honors just as deeply as the political 00:12:15.509 --> 00:12:18.450 mechanics behind them. It is a profound shift 00:12:18.450 --> 00:12:20.690 in status. He went from lobbying the rulemakers 00:12:20.690 --> 00:12:23.330 to literally writing the rulebooks. You can see 00:12:23.330 --> 00:12:25.509 this authority formalized in his recent publications. 00:12:25.850 --> 00:12:29.250 The source lists two major works he edited for 00:12:29.250 --> 00:12:32.710 the royal orders of knighthood. In 2024, he published 00:12:32.710 --> 00:12:35.889 When and How Should Decorations Be Worn? And 00:12:35.889 --> 00:12:38.629 in 2025, Regulations Concerning the Royal Orders 00:12:38.629 --> 00:12:40.769 of Knighthood. He is now the one responsible 00:12:40.769 --> 00:12:43.370 for codifying and preserving the very traditions 00:12:43.370 --> 00:12:46.809 he fought to save. And his foundation for that 00:12:46.809 --> 00:12:49.950 knowledge was laid decades ago. When you look 00:12:49.950 --> 00:12:52.870 at his bibliography, back in 2006 he was already 00:12:52.870 --> 00:12:55.429 writing the definitive sections on the Order 00:12:55.429 --> 00:12:57.850 of the Seraphim, the Order of the Sword, the 00:12:57.850 --> 00:13:00.370 Order of the Polar Star, and the Order of Vasa 00:13:00.370 --> 00:13:02.610 for the Massive World Orders of Knighthood and 00:13:02.610 --> 00:13:05.169 Merit Encyclopedia. He literally wrote the book 00:13:05.169 --> 00:13:07.289 on them. He was documenting the history of these 00:13:07.289 --> 00:13:10.029 orders while simultaneously fighting in Parliament. 00:13:10.490 --> 00:13:12.730 to ensure they actually had a future. Exactly. 00:13:12.730 --> 00:13:15.809 His deep academic knowledge base was the invisible 00:13:15.809 --> 00:13:18.169 architecture that eventually supported his very 00:13:18.169 --> 00:13:21.309 public political success. Yeah. You cannot successfully 00:13:21.309 --> 00:13:23.629 lobby to restore a centuries -old tradition if 00:13:23.629 --> 00:13:25.509 you cannot articulate exactly what that tradition 00:13:25.509 --> 00:13:28.450 is and why it matters. Which brings us to perhaps 00:13:28.450 --> 00:13:30.629 the most satisfying part of this entire discussion. 00:13:31.679 --> 00:13:34.000 There is a wonderful, beautiful irony at play 00:13:34.000 --> 00:13:36.620 here. Oh, there is. The man who has spent his 00:13:36.620 --> 00:13:39.519 entire adult life studying metals, writing about 00:13:39.519 --> 00:13:42.240 decorations, and fighting for orders of knighthood, 00:13:42.360 --> 00:13:45.480 he has an absolute chest full of them himself. 00:13:45.779 --> 00:13:48.500 He certainly does. And the list provided in the 00:13:48.500 --> 00:13:51.000 source material is both impressive and surprisingly 00:13:51.000 --> 00:13:53.769 diverse. Let's hear it. Naturally, he has been 00:13:53.769 --> 00:13:57.009 recognized extensively within Sweden. In 2015, 00:13:57.190 --> 00:13:59.850 he received the Royal Patriotic Society's Large 00:13:59.850 --> 00:14:02.590 Medal in Gold. This was specifically awarded 00:14:02.590 --> 00:14:05.730 for significant acts and recognized his 25 years 00:14:05.730 --> 00:14:08.929 as a philoristician. That is a substantial domestic 00:14:08.929 --> 00:14:11.289 honor. And it continued as his career peaked. 00:14:12.220 --> 00:14:14.419 Following his elevation to herald, he was awarded 00:14:14.419 --> 00:14:17.299 King Karl XVI Gustav's Jubilee Commemorative 00:14:17.299 --> 00:14:20.740 Medal IV in gold in September 2023. Yes. He also 00:14:20.740 --> 00:14:23.039 received the Swedish Numismatic Society's Medal 00:14:23.039 --> 00:14:25.799 of Merit in silver that exact same year. But 00:14:25.799 --> 00:14:27.879 what is truly revealing is that his recognition 00:14:27.879 --> 00:14:30.080 doesn't stop at the Swedish border. Not at all. 00:14:30.139 --> 00:14:32.539 When the Finnish state visited in April 2024, 00:14:33.080 --> 00:14:35.399 he was made a Knight of the Order of the White 00:14:35.399 --> 00:14:38.460 Rose of Finland. He holds the Cross of Merit 00:14:38.460 --> 00:14:41.259 with Silver Star of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, 00:14:41.399 --> 00:14:44.700 which he received back in 2017. Amazing. He's 00:14:44.700 --> 00:14:46.720 a fellow of the Society of Sciences in Lund. 00:14:46.799 --> 00:14:49.259 And as of 2024, he was elected a fellow of the 00:14:49.259 --> 00:14:51.500 Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. I have to 00:14:51.500 --> 00:14:55.440 admit, my absolute favorite honor on his resume, 00:14:55.659 --> 00:14:58.480 the one that highlights just how wild the global 00:14:58.480 --> 00:15:01.519 network of historical honors can be, is the geographical 00:15:01.519 --> 00:15:03.460 leap to the United States. Oh, this is great. 00:15:03.600 --> 00:15:05.940 Since 2013, he has been an associate companion. 00:15:06.480 --> 00:15:08.399 of the military order of the Loyal Legion of 00:15:08.399 --> 00:15:11.799 the United States. And as of 2023, Jonas Arnell, 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:14.720 the Swedish herald, the man deeply embedded in 00:15:14.720 --> 00:15:16.480 the ancient chivalric traditions of European 00:15:16.480 --> 00:15:19.740 monarchy, is an official Kentucky colonel. It 00:15:19.740 --> 00:15:21.960 sounds absurd on the surface, but it actually 00:15:21.960 --> 00:15:24.789 highlights something very special. Deep, genuine 00:15:24.789 --> 00:15:27.529 expertise transcends borders. It really does. 00:15:27.649 --> 00:15:29.470 The Commission of Kentucky Colonel is the highest 00:15:29.470 --> 00:15:31.809 title of honor bestowed by the governor of Kentucky, 00:15:31.990 --> 00:15:34.210 given for outstanding service and accomplishments. 00:15:34.929 --> 00:15:37.110 Arnell's profound knowledge of historical orders 00:15:37.110 --> 00:15:40.110 didn't just earn him domestic praise. It earned 00:15:40.110 --> 00:15:42.269 him the respect of ancient societies in Scotland, 00:15:42.470 --> 00:15:45.090 religious orders in Jerusalem, and historical 00:15:45.090 --> 00:15:48.509 military associations in the United States. It's 00:15:48.509 --> 00:15:50.409 the universal language of tradition and merit. 00:15:50.669 --> 00:15:53.250 When you become the preeminent expert in a field, 00:15:53.629 --> 00:15:55.809 even a highly specialized one like philoristics, 00:15:56.070 --> 00:15:59.070 the global community of scholars and institutions 00:15:59.070 --> 00:16:01.950 takes notice. Absolutely. The fact that a Swedish 00:16:01.950 --> 00:16:04.269 royal official is also recognized in Kentucky 00:16:04.269 --> 00:16:07.370 is a testament to how interconnected this world 00:16:07.370 --> 00:16:09.610 of historical preservation really is. It also 00:16:09.610 --> 00:16:12.090 speaks to the respect he commands among his peers 00:16:12.090 --> 00:16:14.929 globally. He isn't just a Swedish bureaucrat. 00:16:15.259 --> 00:16:17.519 He's viewed internationally as a guardian of 00:16:17.519 --> 00:16:20.860 a very specific, very fragile type of human heritage. 00:16:21.139 --> 00:16:23.399 So what does this all mean? Yeah. If we step 00:16:23.399 --> 00:16:25.360 back and look at the entire narrative we've traced 00:16:25.360 --> 00:16:28.379 today, we've followed the life of a man who took 00:16:28.379 --> 00:16:31.320 an incredibly niche passion and refused to let 00:16:31.320 --> 00:16:34.000 it remain just a hobby. Refused. He lobbied a 00:16:34.000 --> 00:16:36.720 national parliament for two decades, enduring 00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:39.559 years of failed motions and institutional inertia 00:16:39.559 --> 00:16:42.649 just to keep the conversation alive. 20 years 00:16:42.649 --> 00:16:44.649 of pushing. He worked his way from an outside 00:16:44.649 --> 00:16:47.649 agitator firing off emails to a political advisor 00:16:47.649 --> 00:16:50.590 to an amanuensis and finally to the official 00:16:50.590 --> 00:16:53.730 herald of the Swedish royal orders. He helped 00:16:53.730 --> 00:16:57.350 overturn the 1975 reform and literally brought 00:16:57.350 --> 00:17:00.190 a piece of history back to life for his country's 00:17:00.190 --> 00:17:02.549 citizens. Incredible. I want to say this directly 00:17:02.549 --> 00:17:04.829 to you listening. If you ever feel like your 00:17:04.829 --> 00:17:07.630 own interests or areas of expertise are too obscure, 00:17:07.829 --> 00:17:10.970 let Jonas Arnell be your inspiration. Definitely. 00:17:12.720 --> 00:17:15.880 absolute, unwavering dedication to a niche doesn't 00:17:15.880 --> 00:17:18.079 just make you an expert. It can eventually make 00:17:18.079 --> 00:17:20.779 you a national institution. This raises an important 00:17:20.779 --> 00:17:22.779 question, though, and it's a fascinating philosophical 00:17:22.779 --> 00:17:25.519 angle to consider. What's that? We've spent this 00:17:25.519 --> 00:17:27.940 time discussing Arnell's fight to preserve physical 00:17:27.940 --> 00:17:30.960 metals, ribbons, and ancient coats of arms. But 00:17:30.960 --> 00:17:33.319 look at our modern digital landscape. Today, 00:17:33.539 --> 00:17:36.299 we are obsessed with gamification. We constantly 00:17:36.299 --> 00:17:39.259 strive for digital badges on our profiles, verified 00:17:39.259 --> 00:17:41.799 check marks and achievement trophies in our apps. 00:17:41.920 --> 00:17:44.740 That's very true. It makes you wonder. The 1975 00:17:44.740 --> 00:17:47.299 reform tried to modernize Sweden by stripping 00:17:47.299 --> 00:17:49.819 away its historic knighthoods for citizens. But 00:17:49.819 --> 00:18:21.799 Arnell's crusade brought them back. Wow. a deeply 00:18:21.799 --> 00:18:24.000 ingrained human mechanism for acknowledging merit, 00:18:24.180 --> 00:18:26.160 one that we are desperately trying to replicate 00:18:26.160 --> 00:18:28.539 today through pixels instead of gold. That is 00:18:28.539 --> 00:18:30.779 a brilliant connection and the absolute perfect 00:18:30.779 --> 00:18:33.000 thought to leave you with today. Whether it's 00:18:33.000 --> 00:18:35.279 a centuries -old gold medal or a digital badge 00:18:35.279 --> 00:18:38.279 on your profile, our need to be recognized and 00:18:38.279 --> 00:18:41.099 to recognize others is beautifully human. Thank 00:18:41.099 --> 00:18:43.460 you so much for joining us on this deep exploration 00:18:43.460 --> 00:18:46.119 into the world of Jonas Arnell, the Swedish royal 00:18:46.119 --> 00:18:48.859 orders, and the power of persistence. Keep digging 00:18:48.859 --> 00:18:50.839 into the history around you, and we'll see you 00:18:50.839 --> 00:18:51.279 next time.