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 Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis is a dynastic order of chivalry founded 5 April 1693 by King Louis XIV, named after Saint Louis. It was intended as a reward for exceptional officers, notable as the first decoration that could be granted to non-nobles. By the authorities of the French Republic, it is considered a predecessor of the Legion of Honour, with which it shares the red ribbon.
Anwar is the English transliteration of two Arabic names commonly used in the Arab world by both Arab Christians and Muslims: the male given name ʼAnwar (أنور), meaning "luminous" or the female given name ʼAnwār (أنوار), meaning "a collection of lights". In Arabic, Anwar is also a comparative adjective with the meaning of "more enlightened".
Commander, or Knight Commander, is a title of honor prevalent in chivalric orders and fraternal orders.
The Order of Glory was a Tunisian honorary order founded in 1835 by Al-Mustafa ibn Mahmud the Bey of Tunisia. The order was awarded until the constitutional role of the Bey was abolished following 1957.
The Decoration of the Lily was a French medal created by the Bourbon Restoration in 1814.
The Royal Order of Cambodia was a colonial order of chivalry of French Cambodia, and is still in use as an order of chivalry in the present-day Kingdom of Cambodia.
A colonial order of chivalry was an order of chivalry awarded by European colonial states in Africa and Asia for those who conquered and administered their territories. They were sometimes adopted by post-colonial successor states, or remained one of the former imperial power's orders of chivalry. The orders of the states of the Commonwealth are not colonial orders, and owe their existence to their nations' personal union with the United Kingdom or to their own governments or parliaments.
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 Order of Agricultural Merit is an order of merit bestowed by the French Republic for outstanding contributions to agriculture. When it was created in 1883, it was second in importance only to the Legion of Honour within the French order of precedence.
The Ordre du Mérite Maritime is a French order established on 9 February 1930 for services rendered by seafarers to recognise the risks involved and the services rendered by seamen, and reflect the important economic role of the Merchant Navy to the country. The order was reorganized in 1948, and again by decree on 17 January 2002.
The Ordre du Mérite Saharien was established in 1958 as a reward for social, scientific, economic or administrative services rendered by French or foreign persons who participated in the development of Saharan regions. The medal is fashioned in the form of the Agadez Cross, a traditional emblem of the Tuareg clans inhabiting the area of the former Sultanate of Agadez in Agadez, Niger.
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.
The Order of Kim Khánh was an Order of Merit of the Empire of Vietnam. The order was abolished when Vietnam became a republic.
The Order of Military Merit, which was initially known as the Institution of Military Merit, was a French military order that was created on 10 March 1759 by King Louis XV for non-Catholic military officers who had assisted the French state.
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.
H. M. Cassime (1900–1986) was a Tamil-born businessman and mayor of Pondicherry. He served as mayor from 15 September 1956 to 3 November 1961 during the period of the merger of Pondicherry from French India to the Republic of India.
Known for a long time as the President’s medal, the Honour medal of Foreign Affairs is a state decoration bestowed by the French Republic in the form of an honour medal for work. It was originally created by a Royal decree of 28 July 1816 as a single grade medal to reward acts of courage displayed by French nationals on foreign soil. An 1861 Imperial decree saw it be split into the silver and gold grades. The year 1887 saw the addition of swords to the medal for award to both French or allied military personnel for acts of courage in favour of the French in time of war. Although still bestowed in wartime for courage, the modern award is now aimed at rewarding civil servants of the ministry for Foreign Affairs.
The Ordre du Mérite militaire was a ministerial order of merit of France created on 22 March 1957 to recognize the contributions of active members of the military reserves during times of peace. The order was administered and awarded the Ministry of Defence. The order was created to replace the Croix des services militaires volontaires established in 1934. Holders of the Cross were made members of the Ordre du Mérite militaire, bronze holders as knights, silver holders as officers, and gold holders as commanders.
The Ordre du Mérite combattant was a ministerial order of merit of France created on 14 September 1953 to reward individuals who distinguished themselves by their service and dedication in the management of the moral and material interests of veterans and war victims. These individuals' applicable service could be working in the Ministry of Veterans and War Victims or for organizations and associations who work for veterans. The order was administered and awarded the Ministry of Veterans and War Victims.
France 
