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 Médaille militaire is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, after the Legion of Honour, a civil and military order, and the Order of Liberation, a Second World War-only order. The Médaille militaire is therefore the most senior entirely military active French decoration.
The Order of the Crown is a national order of the Kingdom of Belgium. The Order is one of Belgium's highest honors.
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the Ordre national du Mérite was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant contributions to the arts, literature, or the propagation of these fields.
The Gulf and Kuwait Medal was a campaign medal created in 1990 to recognize members of the Canadian Forces who had directly participated in the Gulf War, either in the hostilities themselves or during the troop build-up prior to the invasion of Iraq. It is, within the Canadian system of honours, the third highest of the war and operational service medals.
This is a list of the ribbons of the French military and civil awards.
The Royal Order of the Lion was established by King Leopold II of Belgium on 9 April 1891, in his capacity as ruler of the Congo Free State, and was awarded for services to the Congo and its ruler that did not deserve the award of the Order of the African Star, and were not necessarily performed from within Belgian Congo.
The Decoration of the Lily was a French medal created by the Bourbon Restoration in 1814.
The Musée national de la Légion d'honneur et des ordres de chevalerie is a French national museum of orders of merit and orders of chivalry. It is located in the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur beside the Musée d'Orsay at 2, rue de la Légion-d'Honneur, in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France. It is open daily except Monday and Tuesday; admission is free. The nearest métro and RER stations are Musée d'Orsay, Solférino, and Assemblée Nationale.
The Volunteer Combatant's Cross 1914–1918 is a French decoration that recognizes those who volunteered to serve on the front in a combat unit during World War I. When the 1914–1918 Commemorative war medal (France) was established, it was anticipated that a clasp bearing the words, "ENGAGÉ VOLONTAIRE", would be worn on its ribbon for those who had freely and voluntarily enlisted in the French Armed Forces for combat service. While the clasp was produced, it was short-lived due to parliament demanding the establishment of a special insignia to distinguish the special merit of the voluntary combatant.
The National Defence Medal is a French military decoration. It was created by Charles Hernu, Minister of Defence and established by decree on 21 April 1982. It rewards particularly honourable service rendered by military personnel for their participation in operational activities. The medal has three levels: Gold, Silver and Bronze.
The Military Health Service honour medal is a French decoration created 30 August 1962. The medal recognizes individuals who have contributed or lent their support to the French Defence Health service and were particularly marked by their services or their dedication. It is presented in four different levels: gold, vermeil, silver, and bronze. It may be awarded to members of the military as well as civilians.
The Medal for Voluntary Military Service is a French military decoration established on 13 March 1975 by decree 75-150. It was established in three grades to recognize voluntary military service in the reserves.
Paul-Frédéric Rollet (1875–1941) was a French Army Général who led in the Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion RMLE, and was the 1st Inspector of the Foreign Legion, a post which he created under his intentions. Rollet accumulated 41 years of military service out of which 33 were in the Legion and also planned the 100th anniversary of the legion on Camerone day of 30 April 1931. Consequently, he was responsible for creating many of the Legion's current traditions.
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.
Admiral Georges Cabanier was a French Naval Officer and Admiral, in addition to Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honour.
Hervé Charpentier is a Général d'armée of the French Army.
The Military Medal of Annam, also known as the Military Medal of Emperor Đồng-Khánh; officially the Military and Native Guard Merit Medal, was a short lived Order of Merit of the French protectorates of Annam and Tonkin within the federation of French Indochina. The Military Medal of Annam was awarded to Annamese and Tonkinese soldiers of the Tirailleurs indochinois, the Garde indigène de l'Annam er du Tonkin, and other Indochinese military forces as well as police officers in the Garde Civil indigène for distinguished action or serious wounds.
The Medal of Merit of the Civil Guard is a decoration of Belgium. It was established on 18 November 1830 and was awarded to members of the Belgian Civil Guard for distinguished service.
Orders, decorations, and medals of Algeria include:
France 
