''Bien mérité de la Patrie'' (French: "Well deserved the recognition of the Fatherland") is a French expression that qualifies national heroes. During the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, the phrase became a formula discerned as an award by the

National Convention The National Convention (french: link=no, Convention nationale) was the parliament of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for the rest of its existence during the French Revolution, following the two-year National ...

to deserving citizens.

History

During the

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

, the Monarchy bestowed awards to deserving subjects in the form of noble titles, precious swords personally awarded by the King, or membership in chivalric orders; in particular, the Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis could be bestowed upon non-nobles. During the

, after the advent of the

First French Republic In the history of France, the First Republic (french: Première République), sometimes referred to in historiography as Revolutionary France, and officially the French Republic (french: République française), was founded on 21 September 1792 ...

, these customs fell in disfavour due to their monarchic connotations, and the anti-egalitarian sentiment of having special titles of nobility or awards that were only available for nobles. Thus, for instance, when Captain

Jean-Baptiste-François Bompart Jean-Baptiste-François Bompart (1757 in Lorient – 1842 in Bagnols) was a French privateer, navy officer and admiral. He was related to the noted Admiral Maxime de Bompart. He took part in the American War of Independence as a young officer. H ...

was awarded a gold medal by the population of New York to commemorate the

action of 31 July 1793 The action of 31 July 1793 was an inconclusive engagement between a British Royal Navy frigate and French frigate off the New Jersey coastline in the first year of the French Revolutionary Wars. The British captain, George Courtenay of HMS ' ...

, he accepted on the condition that he would not have to wear it.Rouvier, p. 280 To fill the requirement with an equalitarian national award, the

developed the practice of passing resolutions by vote, solemnly stating that a deserving citizen, or group of citizen, had ''Bien mérité de la Patrie''. These resolutions were published in ''

Le Moniteur Universel was a French newspaper founded in Paris on November 24, 1789 under the title by Charles-Joseph Panckoucke, and which ceased publication on December 31, 1868. It was the main French newspaper during the French Revolution and was for a long tim ...

'', in a manner similar to being

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

. The practice was pursued under the

French Consulate The Consulate (french: Le Consulat) was the top-level Government of France from the fall of the Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire on 10 November 1799 until the start of the Napoleonic Empire on 18 May 1804. By extension, the term ''The Con ...

, which furthermore instituted the award of

Weapons of Honour Weapons of Honour ( French: Armes d'honneur) are ceremonial weapons awarded for service or assistance to France. History Swords of honour were awarded during the Ancien Régime for exceptional service. On 30 April 1746, Minister of the Navy Maur ...

for the military, and scarfs of honour to civilians. These were replaced by the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

, founded by Bonaparte on 9 May 1802, morphing the award back into an order of chivalry (however, the Legion was awarded without reference to the distinction between noble and non-noble).

Later use

The term "''bien mérité de la Patrie''", or the close "''bien mérité du pays''", is still used in citations awarding the

. For instance, the city of Verdun was awarded the Legion of Honour on 12 September 1916 for The pediment of the

Panthéon The Panthéon (, from the Classical Greek word , , ' empleto all the gods') is a monument in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It stands in the Latin Quarter, atop the , in the centre of the , which was named after it. The edifice was b ...

carries the closely related mention "''Aux grands hommes, la patrie reconnaissante''" ("To its great men, a grateful fatherland").

History

Later use

Notes and references

Notes

References

Bibliography