The Order of the Cross of July (French: Ordre de la Croix de Juillet) was a French Order of Merit. It was created on December 13, 1830 by King Louis-Philippe I to thank those who had helped overthrow Charles X and establish a Constitutional monarchy. The order, intended to reward the citizens who were distinguished during the 'Glorious Three Days' (27, 28 and July 29, 1830), included two decorations: the Cross of July and the July Medal.
The enabling law envisaged the creation of a special decoration from which the members would profit[clarification needed] from the Order. This decoration was created by the ordinance of April 30th, 1831 under the name of the Order of the Cross of July.
It was intended for "those which were characterized by their devotion to the cause of Freedom". The citizens decorated with the Cross of July took an oath of fidelity to the King and an oath of obedience to the constitutional charter and the kingdom's laws. Military honors were given to the holders of the Cross of July as well as to those of the Légion of Honor.
A commission of the national awards, chaired by General Fabvier, decreed the awarding of 1,789 crosses, including more than 300 to soldiers.
Design
The Cross is made up of a silver star with three enameled white branches, with the points pommetées and surmounted by a mural crown. The center of the star, formed by a goldmedallion, is surrounded by an enameled crown of green oak leaves. The avers, the central medallion, is divided into three aureoles painted with the national colors, and has a French cockerel on the bottom gilded in blue aureole and the words PATRIE ET FREEDOM in red aureole. On the reverse, the central medallion is divided into three aureoles enameled with the national colors. The dates July 27, July 28, and July 29 are on the blue aureole, the year 1830 is on the white aureole and the words GIVEN BY THE ROI FRANCAIS in the red aureole.
The Order of the White Eagle is the highest order of merit of the Republic of Poland and one of the oldest distinctions in the world still in use. It was officially instituted on 1 November 1705 by Augustus II the Strong, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony, and bestowed on eight of his closest diplomatic and political supporters. It has since been awarded to the most distinguished Poles for their merits and to the highest-ranking representatives of foreign countries.
The Royal Order of the Sword is a Swedish order of chivalry and military decoration created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Seraphim and the Order of the Polar Star. The motto of the order is in Latin: Pro Patria.
The Order of Saint Stanislaus, also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Poniatowski of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It remained under the Kingdom of Poland between 1765 and 1831. In 1831 it was incorporated under the Russian Empire until the Russian Revolution (1917).
The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav.
The Royal Order of the Seraphim is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Polar Star. The order has only one class with the dignity of Knight, and is the foremost order of Sweden.
The Royal Military Order of Saint George for the Defense of the Faith and the Immaculate Conception, also known as the Royal Bavarian House Equestrian Order of Saint George, was founded by Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria in 1729 to provide for a means of honouring the nobility and recognizing distinguished civil and military service.
The Royal Order of the Polar Star, sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim. The Order of the Polar Star is intended as a reward for Swedish and foreign "civic merits, for devotion to duty, for science, literary, learned and useful works and for new and beneficial institutions".
The Cross of Honour for Military Service Abroad is a Belgian military decoration originally established for award to Belgian servicemen who served for a long period of time in the Federal Republic of Germany, Zaire, Rwanda or Burundi. It was established on 16 June 1997 in three classes.
Colombian military decorations date back as far as the founding of the country. An early decoration was the Cruz de Boyacá that was awarded to the generals who led their forces to victory in the Battle of Boyacá in 1819. This early decoration lives on today as an incarnation of the highest order presented by the Colombian state. There is one decoration higher, but it is only awarded for military conflicts in defence of Colombia. Other than military decorations, Colombia presents decorations on behalf of the National Government, decorations for the National Police, and decorations from the Congress of Colombia.
Slovakia has a system of orders and decorations for citizens who do great deeds for the country. With the exception of the Order of the White Double Cross, all the orders are reserved for Slovak citizens. Below is a list of national decorations, in order of importance:
The Order of Liberty is an honour of Ukraine. The Order was instituted on April 10, 2008, by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to honour special merits of citizens for strengthening the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, consolidating Ukrainian society, developing democracy, advancing socio-economic and political reforms, and advocating the constitutional rights and liberties of man and citizen.
The Order of Saints Cyril and Methodius is an award conferred by the Republic of Bulgaria.
The Hungarian Order of Merit is the fourth highest State Order of Hungary. Founded in 1991, the order is a revival of an original order founded in 1946 and abolished in 1949. Its origins, however, can be traced to the Order of Merit of the Kingdom of Hungary which existed from 1922 until 1946.
The National Order of Merit is a state order of the Republic of Malta. The order is divided into four grades that may be awarded to Maltese citizens.
The Labour Decoration is a Belgian labour long service medal originally established on 7 November 1847 under the name "Industrial and Agricultural Decoration". Its statute and design were reformed in 1958, since when it has retained its present name and design. The Labour Decoration is awarded to those who use their knowledge, talent and dedication in the pursuit of their work for a specified time. It is awarded by the Belgian Ministry of Employment and Labour.
In 1833, following the end of the Belgian Revolution, the young kingdom of Belgium created the Iron Cross to recognise wounds received and bravery in battle. The award first class was bestowed to the wounded who elected to stay at their post and keep fighting, to the maimed and mutilated, as well as for acts of courage, the award second class was bestowed to all wounded combatants. In 1835, due to the discontent of most recipients, the award 2nd class was terminated and all received the first class. Over the years, recipients of the Iron Cross received ever increasing pensions, up to ten years of seniority when employed as civil servants and pensions for the widows and orphans of the deceased. The other combatants of 1830-1831 received no pension, and no commemorative medal was struck.
The Commemorative Decoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Creation of the Railroads 1834-1884 was a Belgian commemorative award denoting the 50th anniversary of the law of 1 May 1834 ordering the creation of railroads in Belgium. It was established by royal decree of King Leopold II on 30 April 1884 at the suggestion of the ministers of Public Works and of the Interior, its statute was ratified by a further royal decree on 11 July 1884.
The Military Honor Medal was a two-class military decoration awarded by the Kingdom of Prussia. The medal was awarded to military personnel from the rank of sergeant and below. Established in 1814, it replaced the Gold Military Merit Medal of 1806, with a medal in the shape of a cross silver cross for the 1st class while the Silver Military Medal of 1806 became the 2nd class with minor changes in design.
The Lauretan Cross was a decoration for recognition of support to the Holy House of Loreto in 1888. It was bestowed by the Roman Catholic Territorial Prelature of Loreto with authorisation of the Holy See.
Title Badges were presented to Indian citizens who received certain formal titles of honour during British rule in India. They ceased to be awarded in 1947 on Indian independence.
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