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The Most Honourable Order of the Bath, formerly known as the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath, is a British order of chivalry that was founded on May 18, 1725 by George I. The award was named after the medieval ceremony of creating a knight, which includes bathing as a symbol of purification. These knights were known as the Knights of the Bath, which is when George I made the Knights of the Bath into a military order.
Recipients of the Order are, as of 1815, senior military officers or senior civil servants. Commonwealth citizens who are not subjects of the Queen and foreigners can be made Honorary Members.