This page is a list of the orders of chivalry and

orders of merit The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by ...

awarded by

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, in the order they were established or incorporated in France, and their origins.

Kingdom of the Franks, Merovingian and Carolingian periods (485–987)

* Order of Saint Remigius 485 (probably a legend) * Order of the Rooster and the Dog 496 (probably a legend) * Order of the Oak 723 (probably a legend)

Kingdom of France, Capetian period (987–1328)

* Order of the Lion 1080 *

Order of Saint Lazarus The Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem, also known as the Leper Brothers of Jerusalem or simply as Lazarists, was a Catholic military order founded by crusaders around 1119 at a leper hospital in Jerusalem, Kingdom of Jerusalem, whose care beca ...

1099 *

Order of the Temple , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

, also known as the Templars, set up in Jerusalem by 7 French knights in 1118. The Order had its headquarters in Paris but was so spread across Europe it cannot be accounted a solely French order * Order of Our Dear Lady of the Poor of Aubrac 1120 *

Order of the Holy Ghost The order of the Holy Ghost (also known as Hospitallers of the Holy Spirit) is a Roman Catholic religious order. It was founded in 1180 in Montpellier by Gui of Montpellier, the son of William VII of Montpellier, for the care of the sick by group ...

1198 *

Order of the Faith and Peace The Order of the Faith and Peace or Order of the Sword was a military order in Gascony in the mid-13th century. The order was first mentioned by Pope Gregory IX in 1231 in a letter to ''magistro militiae ordinis sancti Jacobi ejusque fratribus ...

1229 *

Militia of the Faith of Jesus Christ The Militia or Order of the (Holy) Faith of Jesus Christ ( la, Militia Jesu Christi) was an ephemeral military order founded in Languedoc in or shortly before 1221. It owed its origins probably to Folquet de Marselha, the Bishop of Toulouse; Simon ...

(first half of the 13th century) * Order of the Broom-cod 1234

Kingdom of France, Valois period (1328–1589)

1099 * Order of the Star, also known as the Order of Our Lady of the Noble House 1351 * Order of the Golden Shield (= Order of the Green Shield) - Duke of Bourbon 1369 * Order of Our Lady of the Thistle - Duke of Bourbon 1370 * Order of the Crown - Lord of Coucy 1378 * Order of the Ermine - Duchy of

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

1381 * Order of the Belt of Hope 1389 * Noble Order of Saint George of Rougemont -

Duchy of Burgundy The Duchy of Burgundy (; la, Ducatus Burgundiae; french: Duché de Bourgogne, ) emerged in the 9th century as one of the successors of the ancient Kingdom of the Burgundians, which after its conquest in 532 had formed a constituent part of the ...

1390 * Order of the Porcupine - Duke of Orleans (Valois-Orleans) 1394 * Order of the Passion of Christ 1400 * Order of the White Lady = Emprise de l'Escu vert à la Dame Blanche - Marshal Boucicaut round 1398-1400 * Order of the Hop -

Dukes of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy (french: duc de Bourgogne) was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by France in 1477, and later by Holy Roman Emperors and Kings of Spain from the House of Habsburg ...

round 1400 * Order of the Golden Chains - Duke of Bourbon 1414 * Order of the Greyhound (Order of the Faithfulness) Duchy of Bar 1416 = Order of Hubert - 1423 *

Order of Saint Michael , status = Abolished by decree of Louis XVI on 20 June 1790Reestablished by Louis XVIII on 16 November 1816Abolished in 1830 after the July RevolutionRecognised as a dynastic order of chivalry by the ICOC , founder = Louis XI of France , h ...

- 1469 * Order of the Ladies of the Cord 1498 *

Order of the Holy Spirit , status = Abolished in 1830 after the July RevolutionRecognised as a dynastic order of chivalry by the ICOC , founder = Henry III of France , head_title = Grand Master , head = Disputed: Louis Alphonse, Duke of AnjouJean, Count of Pari ...

(1578) * Order of the Christian Charity 1589

Kingdom of France, Bourbon period (1589–1793)

1099 *

(1469) *

(1578) *

Order of the Yellow Ribbon The Order of the Yellow Ribbon was founded in 1600 in Nevers by French-Italian nobleman Charles III, Duke of Nevers, nephew of the French king Henry III, and knights would be imposed very peculiar tasks. Details and insignia They would have ...

1600 *

Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel The Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was founded in 1608 by Pope Paul V at the request of King Henry IV of France. History According to the official version recorded in the bull of Pope Paul V setting up the Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, ...

(1606) * United Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Saint Lazarus 1608 * Order of the Knights Bannerets 1609 * Order of Saint Magdalene 1614 * Order of the Annunciation 1619 * Order of the Celestial Blue Ribbon of the Holy Rosary 1645 * Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis (1693) * Order of the Bee 1703 * Order of the Terrace 1716 * Order of the Banner 1723 * Order of Military Merit also ''Institution du Military Merit'' (1759) *

Order of the Rose The Imperial Order of the Rose ( pt, Imperial Ordem da Rosa) was a Brazilian order of chivalry, instituted by Emperor Pedro I of Brazil on 17 October 1829 to commemorate his marriage to Amélie of Leuchtenberg. On 22 March 1890, the order was can ...

1780 On January 1, 1791, the Order of Saint Louis and the Order of Military Merit were merged into the Military Decoration (French: ''Décoration militaire'') by the Convention, the revolutionary parliament.

French First Republic (1793–1804)

Revolutionary France 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 ...

abolished all chivalric orders of the monarchy in 1793. There were nevertheless decorations such as medals and

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 ...

Consulate of Napoleon Bonaparte (1800–1804)

*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 ...

was not, strictly speaking, a chivalric order at the time of its institution, since

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

did not like knighthood orders and the Legion of Honour had to be a "real" legion with legionaries, officers and commanders. Nevertheless, at the time of its institution, the Legion of Honour had all the hallmarks of a chivalric order except the name.

French First Empire (1804–1814, 1815)

(1802) *

Order of the Iron Crown The Order of the Iron Crown ( it, link=no, Ordine della Corona Ferrea) was an order of merit that was established on 5 June 1805 in the Kingdom of Italy by Napoleon Bonaparte under his title of Napoleon I, King of Italy. The order took its name ...

(1805) *

Order of the Reunion The Order of the Reunion (french: link=no, Ordre de la Réunion) was an order of merit of the First French Empire, set up to be awarded to Frenchmen and foreigners to reward services in the civil service, magistracy and army, particularly those fro ...

(1811)

Kingdom of France, Bourbon Restoration (1814, 1815–1830)

(1469) *

(1578) * United Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Saint Lazarus 1608 * Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis (1693) * Order of the Academic Palms (1808) * Order of the Saint Sepulchre in Jerusalem (1814) * Décoration du Lys 1814 * Decoration of the Armband of Bordeaux (French: "Décoration du Brassard de Bordeaux" 1814) *

(from 1815 also a formal knighthood order but no more the first of French decorations.) * Hunting Order of St. Hubert (1815) * Décoration de la Fidélité (1816)

Kingdom of France, July Monarchy (1830–1848)

from 1830 the first in rank among French decorations and knighthood orders. * Order of the Cross of July, (French: "Ordre de la Croix de Juillet"), established in 1830 by the "Bourgeois King"

Louis Philippe I Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate monarch of France. As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, he distinguished himself commanding troops during the Revolutionary Wa ...

French Second Republic (1848–1852)

1802

French Second Empire (1852–1870)

1802 * Order of the Public Instruction (French:"Ordre l’Instruction Publique") 1866

French Third Republic (1870–1945)

1802 * Order of the Public Instruction 1866 The French Republic possessed in Asia, Africa and America a large

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

empire. For the purposes of this huge area, a number of " Colonial orders of knighthood" were established or incorporated. They were : *

Royal Order of Cambodia The Royal Order of Cambodia ( km, គ្រឿងឥស្សរិយយសព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា; french: Ordre royal du Cambodge) was a colonial order of chivalry of French Cambodia, and is still in use ...

(French:"Ordre Royal du Cambodge" (1864) * Order of the Star of Anjouan (French:"Ordre de l'Étoile d'Anjouan" (1874) * Order of the Dragon of Annam (French:"Ordre du Dragon d'Annam" (1886) * Order of Nichan El-Anouar (French:"Ordre du Nichan El-Anouar" (1887) *

Order of the Black Star The Order of the Black Star (''Ordre de l'Étoile Noire'') was an order of knighthood established on 1 December 1889 at Porto-Novo by Toffa, future king of Dahomey (today the Republic of Benin). Approved and recognised by the French government ...

(French:"Ordre de l'Étoile Noire" (1889) In addition, the Governor-General of French Indo-China established in 1900 : * Order of the Merit of Indochina (French:Ordre du Mérite Indochinois"). France had also not enough in the fatherland with the Legion of Honor. The various ministries therefore proposed that they themselves managed and issued orders to: * National Order of Agricultural Merit (French: "l'Ordre du Mérite Agricole") 1883 * Order of Maritime Merit (French:"Ordre du Mérite Maritime") 1930 * Order of the Social Merit (French:"Ordre du Mérite social") 1936 * Order of Public Health (French:"Ordre de la Santé publique") 1938 * Orde of the Commercial Merit (French:"Ordre du Mérite commercial") (1939)
which was renamed in 1961 "Order of the Commercial and Industrial Merit". In 1940, a French government was formed in exile . They suggested a knighthood order as: *

Order of Liberation The Order of Liberation (french: Ordre de la Libération) is a French Order which was awarded to heroes of the Liberation of France during World War II. It is a very high honour, second only after the ''Légion d’Honneur'' (Legion of Honour ...

established in 1940 by Charles de Gaulle in London. The France-remaining government of Marshal

Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Pétain (24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), commonly known as Philippe Pétain (, ) or Marshal Pétain (french: Maréchal Pétain), was a French general who attained the position of Marshal of France at the end of Worl ...

, the so-called "Vichy government", proposed 2 knighthood orders: * National Order of Labour (French: "Ordre National Du Travail" 1942 *

Order of the Francisque The Order of the Gallic Francisque () is an order and medal which was awarded by the Vichy Regime, the Nazi-aligned government of France during World War II. The order was created by the ''arrêtés'' of 26 May 1941, the law of 16 May 1941 and ...

(French: "Ordre de la francisque") 1941

French Fourth Republic (1945–1958)

The Fourth Republic knew a very large quantity of knighthood orders and decorations. There were in 1945 16 knighthood orders. The traditional position of the Legion of Honour as highest and most prominent award remained formally intact but the French ministers founded for use in homeland and overseas no less than 11 new orders. *

1802 *

1940 The French ministries kept on establishing Ministerial Orders so there were finally 19 : * Order of the Public Instruction (''Ordre de l’Instruction Publique''), 1866; renamed in 1955 to ''

Ordre des Palmes Académiques A suite, in Western classical music and jazz, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/ concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes and grew in scope to comprise up to five dances, sometimes with ...

'' (Order of the Academic Palms) *

Order of Agricultural Merit The Order of Agricultural Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite agricole) 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 ...

(''l'Ordre du Mérite Agricole'') 1883 * Order of Maritime Merit (''Ordre du Mérite Maritime'') 1930 * Order of the Social Merit (''Ordre du Mérite social'') 1936 * Order of Public Health (''Ordre de la Santé publique'') 1938 * Order of the Commercial Merit (''Ordre du Mérite commercial'') 1939 * Order of the Artisanal Merit (''Ordre du Mérite artisanal'') 1948 * Order of the Touristic Merit (''Ordre du Mérite touristique'') 1949 * Order of the Postal Merit (France) (''Ordre du Mérite postal'') 1953 * Order of the Warrior Merit (''Ordre du Mérite combattant'') 1953 * Order of National Economy (''Ordre de l'Economie nationale'') 1954 * Order of the Sportive Merit (''Ordre du Mérite sportif'') 1956 * Order of the Labour Merit (''Ordre du Mérite du Travail'') 1957 * Order of the Military Merit (''Ordre du Mérite militaire'') 1957 * Order of the Civil Merit (''Ordre du Mérite civil'') 1957 * Order of Arts and Letters) (''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'') 1957 * Order of the Saharian Merit (''Ordre du Mérite saharien'') 1958 The French Republic knew following a decree of 1 September 1950 two "Orders of Overseas France" (''Ordres de la France d'Outre-mer'') : *

1889 * Order of the Star of Anjouan 1874 The two Orders were a heritage of the

time during which the decorations of the colonized states such as Dahomey and the Comores were included in the French orders system. The French government awarded the Order of the Black Star in Europe until 1 January 1964. The decolonisation and restructuring of the French colonial empire, one speaks now of the "

French Union The French Union () was a political entity created by the French Fourth Republic to replace the old French colonial empire system, colloquially known as the " French Empire" (). It was the formal end of the "indigenous" () status of French subj ...

", made necessary other adaptations in the French knighthood orders. Three other colonial Orders incorporated in it since 1896, namely the

(Cambodja), the Order of the Dragon of Annam (Vietnam) and the Order of Nichan El-Anouar (Somaliland) became therefore on 1 September 1950 "Orders of Associated States of the French Union" (''Ordres des États Associés de l'Union Française''). The French government didn't award these honors themselves anymore. In 1963 the granting of the two French Overseas Orders were also discontinued. In their place, the new " National Order of Merit" was awarded. This Order replaced fifteen of the ministerial orders so that a much clearer decoration policy became possible.

French Fifth Republic (1958–present)

1802 *

1940 The 19 Ministerial Orders - which all knew three grades Commander, Officer and Knight - were each administered by a Board which was chaired by the relevant Minister. The fragmentation of the honors system was perceived as malpractice because a clear policy was not possible.
Fifteen of these orders were abolished by the first president of the Fifth Republic, Charles de Gaulle on 1 January 1964 and were replaced by the National Order of Merit but the three following were kept: * Order of the Academic Palms (1808 or 1955) * National Order of Agricultural Merit (French: "l'Ordre National du Mérite Agricole") * Order of Maritime Merit (French: "l'Ordre du Mérite Maritime") The Order of Arts and Letters (French: "Ordre des Arts et des Lettres"), established in 1956, was also maintained. A new development is that on 5 June 1996, the Order of Tahiti Nui (French: "l'Ordre de Tahiti Nui") was established by the

Assembly of French Polynesia The Assembly of French Polynesia (french: Assemblée de la Polynésie française, Tahitian: Te apo'ora'a rahi o te fenua Mā'ohi) is the unicameral legislature of French Polynesia, an overseas country of the French Republic. It is located at Plac ...

(French: "Assemblée de Polynésie française"), the local French Polynesian parliamentary assembly.

Sources

Gustav Adolph Ackermann Gustav Adolph Ackermann (16 January 1791 – 19 February 1872) was a German lawyer and author of a notable book on European knightly orders. Ackermann was born in Auerbach in Vogtland, Saxony. He was ''Königlich Sachsischer Appelationsrat'' oyal ...

, '' Ordensbuch, Sämtlicher in Europa blühender und erloschener Orden und Ehrenzeichen''. Annaberg, 1855
Google Books
(Former orders of France : p. 205-214) {{Orders, decorations, and medals of France