UPDATE - Project completed

Hello all !
Thank you for following this project. Its objective is to inventorize all the Knights of the Golden Fleece.
In this particular project chapter, we've logged ALL the first 618 knights on Geni.
As you can read from the project description, those first 618 knights are part of the 'original' order. After the year 1701, two 'competing' branches have existed (to this day) - and Austrian branch and a Spanish branch.
Whereas a lot of literature is available about this most prestigious and influential order, I believe our project on Geni is pretty unique. There is no source available in the world where the interrelationships between these noble families can be explored in such an interactive way. It helps to discover how families married into one another for political and economic reasons. It also gives some genealogical clues on how Europe's political map was drawn over these centuries.
This current chapter has helped to pull together many nobility trees on Geni, and the genelogical experience should be deeper. I believe you'll see deeper inroads into French and Italian families, in particular. For those with a connection into the 'big tree', you should find more distant 'cousins' across Europe.
Given that this chapter in the project covers three centuries of European nobility (roughly 15th-17th centuries), we have been able to pull a bridge between medieval and modern times. In fact, whilst the Austrian and Spanish branches will bring in and additional 1,000+ profiles, we're getting into familiar territory where information is more readily available. Again, this should give all Geni users more relationships to discover.
Here some ballpark statistics about these 618 knights:
* Over 90% of these knights are connected into the 'big tree'.
* About 50% were not on Geni before the project started
* Over 5,000 related profiles have been added in the course of this project
* Over 30,000 profile editions have happened in relationship to this project
As you will see from the profiles attached to the project, we haven't reached the 618. That's because in the process, we have 'forgotten' to add some identified profiles to the project. Unfortunately, it's a bit like looking for a needle in a hay stack now to find these missing profiles (but, we'll get them! :-) ).
If you feel like joining in this ongoing project (and if you have ideas for additional chapters around specific topics), please join! We could split up the work by countries or centuries.
I hope you're enjoying it as much as I do!

Dear George, I have looked in awe at the speed of the work you did for this project. Thanks for this. I am wondering what are the data sources you used to include so much information in such a short period of time? Books or electronic?

As a nice suggestion I want to give this website for information:
www.kasteelamerongen.nl

Kasteel Amerongen in the Netherlands recently reopened to the public after a restauration that lasted for more than 5 years and used millions of euro's of funding. The website gives information on the park and house and you should see the collection of important paintings of famous family members of Reede and Bentinck.

Godart van Reede lived at Kasteel Amerongen. He was ambassador to England, Ireland and Scotland uder William and Mary

Regards,

Congratulations George, good job!