Orders, decorations, and medals of the Netherlands

Last updated

Grand cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion. Ster van de Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw.jpg
Grand cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion.

In the Dutch honours system, most orders are the responsibility of ministers of the Netherlands Government. The house orders, however, are awarded at the discretion of the Dutch monarch alone.

Contents

Over the centuries, hundreds of medals, decorations for merit or valour and orders of knighthood have been instituted by the successive governments of the Netherlands. The oldest were founded by the counts of Holland. Their successors, the House of Burgundy, founded the famous Order of the Golden Fleece. This order still exists in Spain and in the Austrian imperial House.

The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands did not possess an order of knighthood. Instead so called "Beloningspenningen", golden medals on golden chains, were given as gifts to ambassadors and successful admirals.

In 1781 a medal called the "Doggersbank medaille" was awarded to the officers who took part in the Battle of the Dogger Bank against the British fleet. It was the first modern Dutch decoration.

The Batavian Republic, founded after the French invasion of 1795, did not institute any orders or medals.

The Kingdom of Holland was founded in 1805 to provide a throne for Napoleon's younger brother Lodewijk Napoleon Bonaparte. The "King of Holland" founded an "Orde van de Unie", (English: Order of the Union, later dubbed "Order of Holland" then "Royal Order of Holland").

The first king of the Netherlands, William I, founded the Military Order of William and a civilian order, the Order of the Netherlands Lion.

His successors founded several orders of merit and some two hundred medals, stars and crosses. The Netherlands never established a colonial order for the Dutch East Indies.

The order of wear of Dutch Honours is published in the Official Gazette of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The orders, decorations and medals are listed in that order below. [1]

Orders of chivalry and similar distinctions

House orders

State awards

Awards for bravery

Awards for merit

Commemorative awards for military operations

Awards for faithful service

Commemorative medals and awards for skill

Other officially recognised knightly orders

The Dutch government allows the following orders of chivalry [2] to be worn on military uniforms:

Decorations instituted by H.R.H. Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands

Awards from Dutch private organizations

Awards from international organizations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen Máxima of the Netherlands</span> Queen of the Netherlands since 2013

Máxima is Queen of the Netherlands as the wife of King Willem-Alexander.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilhelmina of the Netherlands</span> Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 to 1948

Wilhelmina was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World War I, the Dutch economic crisis of 1933 and World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess Margriet of the Netherlands</span> Dutch princess (born 1943)

Princess Margriet of the Netherlands is the third daughter of Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard. As an aunt of the reigning monarch, King Willem-Alexander, she is a member of the Dutch Royal House and currently eighth and last in the line of succession to the throne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pieter van Vollenhoven</span> Dutch royal

Pieter van Vollenhoven Jr. is the husband of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and a member, by marriage, of the Dutch royal house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont</span> Queen of the Netherlands from 1879 to 1890

Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont was Queen of the Netherlands and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg as the wife of King-Grand Duke William III. An immensely popular member of the Dutch Royal Family, Queen Emma served as regent for her daughter, Queen Wilhelmina, during the latter's minority from 1890 until 1898.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange</span> Current heir apparent to the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange is the heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the constituent countries of Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military Order of William</span> Oldest and highest honor of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

The Military William Order, or often named Military Order of William, is the oldest and highest honour of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is named after St. William of Gellone (755–814), the first Prince of Orange. Its motto is Voor Moed, Beleid en Trouw. The chivalric order was established on 30 April 1815 by King William I and was presented for feats of excellent bravery on the battlefield and as a meritorious decoration to senior military officers. Comparable with the French Légion d’Honneur but far less often awarded, it is open to everyone regardless of rank or nobility—not only to Dutch military, but also to foreigners. To date, membership in the Order is extremely rarely awarded, and only for exceptional bravery in battle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Order of the Netherlands Lion</span> Dutch order of chivalry

The Order of the Netherlands Lion, also known as the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands is a Dutch order of chivalry founded by King William I of the Netherlands on 29 September 1815.

The Cross for Courage and Fidelity is a military award that was established by Queen Emma of the Netherlands by Royal Decree on 7 March 1898. The cross replaced the old Medal for Courage and Fidelity, which had limited prestige and status according to the Netherlands government. The cross is the second highest award of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, preceded only by the Military William Order. The cross was awarded to natives of the Netherlands East Indies that showed exceptional display of bravery and fidelity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld</span> Prince of the Netherlands from 1948 to 1980

Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld was a German nobleman who was Prince of the Netherlands from 6 September 1948 to 30 April 1980 as the husband of Queen Juliana. They were the parents of four children, including Beatrix, who was Queen of the Netherlands from 1980 to 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commemorative Medal of the 1940–1945 War</span> Award

The Commemorative Medal of the 1940–45 War was a military decoration of Belgium. It was established by royal decree of the Prince Regent on 16 February 1945 to recognise Belgian servicemen and women who served during World War II. It was also awarded to members of the Belgian Resistance and members of Belgium's Merchant Navy on the side of the Allies. Later decrees allowed for its award to foreign recipients of the Belgian Croix de Guerre.

The Star for Loyalty and Merit was a civilian award established on 1 January 1894 by Governor-General Carel Herman Aart van der Wijck of the Dutch East Indies. The star replaced the old Medal for Civil Merit, which had limited prestige and status according to the Netherlands government. The star was awarded in gold to "significant and meritorious" natives, and in silver to village chiefs and leaders of the "Eastern foreigner" communities. Dutch (Europeans) were not eligible to receive the star.

Willem Berkhoff was a pastry chef who became the first chairman of the board of directors of the first Dutch Vocational School for Pastry Chefs, established in 1924 in Amsterdam and since 1956 named "De Berkhoff". Berkhoff became well known when he presented a traditional English wedding cake to Queen Wilhelmina (1880–1962) and Prince Henry (1876–1934) on the occasion of their marriage in 1901. Henceforth, the wedding cake became standard issue in Dutch wedding festivities. His "Pâtisserie and Refreshment Room" in the Leidsestraat was a household word in and outside Amsterdam, for over seventyfive years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cross for the Four Day Marches</span> Dutch decoration


The Cross for the Four Day Marches is a Dutch Royal decoration awarded for successful participation in the International Four Days Marches Nijmegen held annually at Nijmegen, The Netherlands. The full title of the decoration is Kruis Voor Betoonde Marsvaardigheid. It is more commonly referred to as the Vierdaagse Cross or Vierdaagsekruis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orderly Medal of the Four Day Marches</span> Award

The Orderly Medal of the Four Day Marches was awarded between in 1965 and 2016 by the KNBLO, or Royal Dutch League for Physical Education, to those who gave support to walkers participating in the International Four Days Marches held annually at Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal and Merciful Society of the Bearer of Medals and Awards of Belgium</span>

The Royal and Merciful Society of Bearers of Medals and Awards of Belgium was founded in 1865. The headquarters of the Royal Society is located in Heule, Belgium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ailke Westerhof</span>

Ailke Westerhof was a Dutch nurse who served in the Red Cross during the Balkan Wars and World War I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ida Veldhuyzen van Zanten</span> Dutch resistance fighter (1911–2000)

Ida Laura Veldhuyzen van Zanten was a Dutch pilot and social worker who was a member of the Dutch resistance during the Second World War and a pilot in the British Air Transport Auxiliary. She was the only woman to receive the Vliegerkruis, the Airman's Cross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Decoration for Order and Peace</span> Award

The Decoration for Order and Peace is a military award of the Netherlands. The medal was established on 12 December 1947 by royal decree of Queen Wilhelmina. The medal commemorates at least three months of service in the Dutch East Indies and adjacent waters during the Indonesian National Revolution. It was awarded to members of the Netherlands Armed Forces and the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army. Recipients who were engaged with hostile parties in a military context could be awarded clasps indicating the year of the action.

References

  1. "Besluit draagvolgorde onderscheidingen". Staatscourant van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden (in Dutch). Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijksrelaties. 18 October 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  2. "The Dutch Honours System" (PDF). lintjes.nl/. Chancellor of the Dutch Orders. Retrieved 15 October 2012.

Literature and sources