When in 1769 Count Philipp Ferdinand re-established the community as a dynastic order of the House of Limburg-Stirum, he also wished to honour the four emperors from the Luxembourg dynasty, namely Henry VII (reigned 1308–1313), Charles IV (1347–1378), Wenceslas (1378–1410), and Sigismund (1410–1437).

In 1806, as consequence of the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire the sovereignty over the County of Styrum by the House of Limburg-Styrum was mediatised and the counts lost their rule over their estates.

[1] A second reorganizational convention was called in 1838 by the vice-chancellor Dr. Joseph Vicomte de Kerckhove-Varent, which opened the membership of the Order to those of non-aristocratic descent, while emphasizing however conservative objectives.

An examination of the Dutch High Council of Nobility (Hoge Raad van Adel) in 1886 gave the result that the Order is extinct.

Because of the political situation in the German Reich, in 1935 the seat of the Order was transferred to Salzburg in the bailiwick of Austria-Hungary, from where it engaged actively against the National Socialism, for an independent Austria and for the reinstatement of its archducal House of Habsburg.

Three years later, following the so-called “Anschluss” (Austria's annexation by the German Reich), the Order was prohibited for political reasons by the Nazis.

[2] Like many other Christian associations, the Order was officially dissolved, its assets confiscated and its activities forbidden (as it had already happened in Germany in 1934, after the National Socialists had seized power.

In both public and private life, they fight against the roots and implications of the "eight evils": illness, desolation, homelessness, hunger, unkindness, guilt, indifference and disbelief.

Besides its charitable activities, the Order sees itself today as an opinion-forming think tank, hosting regular gatherings with professionals speaking about relevant social, cultural and political matters.

The admission of novices as full members takes place at the Order's festive Annual General Convention, around the memorial day of St. George (23 April).

Since the year 2000, the Order arranges every summer a 2-day philosophical symposium with high-level speakers on socio-politically relevant themes (e.g. 2012: "Natural Law vs. Legal Positivism", 2013: "Truth or Everything is Relative", 2014: "From the Nation State to Supranationality").

On the four arms of the cross the initial letters (H, C, W, S) of the four emperors from the House of Luxembourg are located (Henry VII, Charles IV, Wenceslas I and Sigismund).

The light blue medallion on the back of the cross blazons in gold the Order's motto: "ILLUSTRIORIBUS ET NOBILITATI" (or abbreviated "ILLUSTR ET NOB").