National orders
| Legion of Honour | Order of Liberation | National Order of Merit |
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This is a list of some of the modern orders, decorations and medals of France. Some, like the Legion of Honour, are awarded to both the armed forces and civilians. Others are decorations of a pure civilian or military character. Only four of the 19 Ministerial orders have survived the reform of the French system of decorations in 1963. The others were replaced by the Ordre national du Mérite.
The Grand Chancery of the Legion of Honour classifies the national system of honours of France into two categories: those honours awarded on behalf of the President of the Republic and ministerial honours. The orders and decorations presented on behalf of the president are the Legion of Honour, Order of Liberation, Military Medal, National Order of Merit, and National Medal of Recognition for victims of terrorism. The ministerial honours include French military decorations, the existing ministerial orders, ministerial awards for acts of courage and honor medals, and commemorative medals. [1]
| Legion of Honour | Order of Liberation | National Order of Merit |
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| Order of Academic Palms | Order of Arts and Letters | Order of Agricultural Merit | Order of Maritime Merit |
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| Military Medal | War Cross (1914–1918) | War Cross (1939–1945) | War Cross for foreign operational theaters | Cross for Military Valour | Medal of the Gendarmerie nationale |
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| Resistance Medal | Escapees' Medal | Volunteer combatant's cross 1914–1918 | Volunteer combatant's cross | Cross of the resistance volunteer combatant | Combatant's Cross |
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| Aeronautical Medal | Overseas Medal | Medal for voluntary military service | National Defence Medal | Medal for the War Wounded | Military Health Service honour medal |
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| Honour medal for judicial services | Honour medal for music and chorale societies | Medal of Tourism | Honour medal for road transport | Honour medal for work | Honour medal for public works |
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| First Madagascar campaign medal 1883 | Tonkin Expedition commemorative medal 1883–1885 | Dahomey Expedition commemorative medal 1892 | Second Madagascar campaign medal 1894–1895 | Colonial Medal |
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| 1901 China expedition commemorative medal | Morocco commemorative medal (1909) |
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| 1914–1918 Inter-Allied Victory medal | 1914–1918 Commemorative war medal | Dardanelles campaign medal | Orient campaign medal |
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| Medal of French Gratitude | Medal for civilian prisoners, deportees and hostages of the 1914-1918 Great War | Medal for victims of the invasion |
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| Syria-Cilicia commemorative medal |
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| 1939–1945 Commemorative war medal | 1943–1944 Italian campaign medal | Medal of a liberated France |
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| United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon medal | Medal of the Nation's Gratitude | French commemorative medal | Medal for the Military Protection of the Territory |
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| Order of Tahiti Nui |
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| Order of the Holy Spirit | Order of Saint Michael | Order of Saint Louis | Order of Military Merit |
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| Order of Combatant Merit | Order of Military Merit | Order of Civil Merit | Order of Social Merit | Order of Working Merit |
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| Order of Touristic Merit | Order of the National Economy | Order of Commercial & Industrial Merit | Order of Artisanal Merit | Order of Public Health |
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| Order of Postal Merit | Order of Sporting Merit |
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| Indochinese Order of Merit | Saharan Order of Merit | Order of the Black Star | Order of the Star of Anjouan | Order of Nichan el Anouar |
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| Order of the Dragon of Annam | Royal Order of Cambodia |
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| Departmental and municipal honour medal |
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The National Order of the Legion of Honour, formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour, is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil, and currently comprises five classes. Established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, it has been retained by all later French governments and regimes.
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organizations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established on 4 June 1917 by King George V and comprises five classes across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two of which make the recipient either a knight if male or dame if female. There is also the related British Empire Medal, whose recipients are affiliated with, but not members of, the order.
The National Order of Vietnam was a combined military-civilian decoration of South Vietnam and was considered the highest honor that could be bestowed upon an individual by the Republic of Vietnam government.
The Order of Leopold is one of the three current Belgian national honorary orders of knighthood. It is the oldest and highest order of Belgium and is named in honour of its founder, King Leopold I. It consists of a military, a maritime and a civil division. The maritime division is only awarded to personnel of the merchant navy, and the military division to military personnel. The decoration was established on 11 July 1832 and is awarded by Royal decree.
The Imperial Order of the Dragon of Annam was created in 1886 in the city of Huế, by Emperor Đồng Khánh of the Imperial House of Annam, upon the "recommendation" of the President of France as a jointly awarded French colonial order. The Order was designed as a reward for services to the state, the French colonial government, or the emperor.
An order is a visible honour awarded by a sovereign state, monarch, dynastic house or organisation to a person, typically in recognition of individual merit, that often comes with distinctive insignia such as collars, medals, badges, and sashes worn by recipients.
The fount of honour is a person, who, by virtue of their official position, has the exclusive right of conferring legitimate titles of nobility and orders of chivalry on other persons.
A rosette is a small, circular device that is typically presented with a medal. The rosettes are either worn on the medal to denote a higher rank, or for situations where wearing the medal is deemed inappropriate, such as on a suit. Rosettes are issued to those awarded a knighthood or damehood in a chivalric order, as well as state orders in nations such as Belgium, France, Italy and Japan, among others. Certain hereditary societies, such as the Society of Descendants of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, as well as some fraternal orders issue rosettes to their members as well.
The orders, decorations, and medals of Canada comprise a complex system by which Canadians are honoured by the country's sovereign for actions or deeds that benefit their community or the country at large. Modelled on its British predecessor, the structure originated in the 1930s, but began to come to full fruition at the time of Canada's centennial in 1967, with the establishment of the Order of Canada, and has since grown in both size and scope to include dynastic and national orders, state, civil, and military decorations; and various campaign medals. The monarch in right of each Canadian province also issues distinct orders and medals to honour residents for work performed in just their province. The provincial honours, as with some of their national counterparts, grant the use of post-nominal letters and or supporters and other devices to be used on personal coats of arms.
Authorized foreign decorations of the United States military are those military decorations which have been approved for wear by members of the United States armed forces but whose awarding authority is the government of a country other than the United States.
An order of merit is an honorific order that is conferred by a state, government, royal family, or other sovereign entity to an individual in recognition of military or civil merit. The historical background of the modern honours system of orders of merit may be traced to the emergence of chivalric orders during the Middle Ages.
South African orders, decorations and medals are those military and civilian orders, decorations and medals issued by the Government of South Africa. The following is a (non-exhaustive) list of these:
This page is a list of the orders of chivalry and orders of merit awarded by France, in the order they were established or incorporated in France, and their origins.
The Chilean honours system provides a means for the Government of Chile to reward gallantry, achievement, or service, by both Chileans and non-citizens. The honours system consists of three types of award: orders, decorations and medals. Membership of an Order is conferred to recognise merit in terms of achievement and service. Decorations are conferred to recognise specific deeds of gallantry, bravery, distinguished or meritorious service. Medals are conferred to recognise long and/or valuable service and/or good conduct. Awards to non-citizens are usually only made where the gallantry, achievement or service has advanced Chilean interests in some way. The honours conferred by the Chilean Republic can be divided into two groups: civil and military. Military honours are conferred by the different branches of the Armed Forces of Chile. Civil honours are conferred by the President of Chile or, in some instances, by the government minister relevant to the particular honour.
The orders, decorations, and medals of Malaysia comprise a complex system by which Malaysians and qualified foreigners are honoured by the country's sovereign for actions or deeds that benefit their community or the country at large. Modelled on its British predecessor, the orders, decorations, and medals of Malaysia were created after formation of Malaysia. The honours system came to exist earlier during the time of the Federation of Malaya. During the British colonial times, honours were given under the British honours system. Johor was the first state to institute its own honours on 31 July 1880. Then, the other Malay states did the same.
The Star of South Africa, Grand Cross, post-nominal letters SSA, is the senior decoration of five non-military classes of the Order of the Star of South Africa, a South African Military Order that was instituted by the Republic on 1 July 1975. The Order of the Star of South Africa was discontinued in 2002.
The Star of South Africa, Commander, post-nominal letters CSSA, is the third highest decoration of five non-military classes of the Order of the Star of South Africa, a South African military order that was instituted by the Republic of South Africa on 1 July 1975. The Order of the Star of South Africa was discontinued in 2002.
The Star of South Africa, Grand Officer, post-nominal letters SSAS, is the second decoration of five non-military classes of the Order of the Star of South Africa, a military order that was instituted by the Republic of South Africa on 1 July 1975. The Order of the Star of South Africa was discontinued in 2002.
The Ordre national du Mérite is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's establishment was twofold: to replace the large number of ministerial orders previously awarded by the ministries; and to create an award that can be awarded at a lower level than the Legion of Honour, which is generally reserved for French citizens. It comprises about 185,000 members; 306,000 members have been admitted or promoted in 50 years.
The National Recognition Medal for Victims of Terrorism is a national medal of France awarded to French victims of terrorism. Established by presidential decree on July 12, 2016, it may be awarded to French or foreign nationals who are victims of terrorism in France or abroad. The medal may be awarded to a retroactive date of January 1, 2006. The medal was created to give a proper recognition to the sacrifice of terrorism victims while still maintaining the award criterion of existing national honours such as the Legion of Honor. In Spain there is a similar honour known as the Royal Order of Civil Recognition for Victims of Terrorism.
