The Order of the African Star ( nl, Orde van de Afrikaanse Ster; french: Ordre de l'Étoile africaine) was established by

Leopold II of Belgium * german: link=no, Leopold Ludwig Philipp Maria Viktor , house = Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , father = Leopold I of Belgium , mother = Louise of Orléans , birth_date = , birth_place = Brussels, Belgium , death_date = ...

on 30 December 1888, in his capacity as ruler of the

Congo Free State ''(Work and Progress) , national_anthem = Vers l'avenir , capital = Vivi Boma , currency = Congo Free State franc , religion = Catholicism (''de facto'') , leader1 = Leopo ...

, and was awarded for services to Congo and for the "promotion of African civilisation in general". It was incorporated into the Belgian honours system on 10 October 1908 following the annexation of the Congo Free State by

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. The motto of the Order is "''Travail et progrès''" (french: Labour and progress, link=no; nl, Arbeid en vooruitgang, link=no). The

King of the Belgians Belgium is a constitutional, hereditary, and popular monarchy. The monarch is titled king or queen of the Belgians ( nl, Koning(in) der Belgen, french: Roi / Reine des Belges}, german: König(in) der Belgier) and serves as the country's h ...

is its Grand Master; although the Congo is no longer a Belgian colony, it is still considered to be a Belgian Order by tradition. The Order of the African Star is theoretically awarded by

royal decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for ...

with approval by the

Council of Ministers A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

. Following the independence of Congo in 1960, the Order of the African Star is no longer awarded, although it officially still exists.

Classes

The Order of the African Star is administered by the FPS Foreign Affairs and has five classes and three medals: #''Grand Cross'', which wears the badge on a sash on the right shoulder, plus the star on the left chest; #''Grand Officer'', which wears the badge on a necklet and a smaller star on the left chest; #''Commander'', which wears the badge on a necklet; #''Officer'', which wears the badge on a ribbon with rosette on the left chest; #''Knight'', which wears the badge on a ribbon on the left chest; # ''Medals in Gold, Silver and Bronze'' on a ribbon on the left chest.

Notable recipients

;Grand Crosses *

Albert I of Belgium Albert I (8 April 1875 – 17 February 1934) was King of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 until his death in 1934. Born in Brussels as the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders and Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-S ...

Albert II of Belgium , house = Belgium , father = Leopold III of Belgium , mother = Astrid of Sweden , birth_date = , birth_place = Stuyvenberg Castle, Laeken, Brussels, Belgium , death_date = , death_place = , signature = Albert II of Belgium Signat ...

Baudouin of Belgium Baudouin (;, ; nl, Boudewijn Albert Karel Leopold Axel Maria Gustaaf, ; german: Balduin Albrecht Karl Leopold Axel Maria Gustav. 7 September 1930 – 31 July 1993), Dutch name Boudewijn, was King of the Belgians from 17 July 1951 until his de ...

Prince Charles, Count of Flanders nl, Karel Theodoor Hendrik Anton Meinrad , image = Karel van België Charles de Belgique Karl von Belgien.jpg , image_size = 230px , spouse = Jacqueline Peyrebrune , issue = Isabelle , birth_date = , birth_place = Bruss ...

Leopold III of Belgium Leopold III (3 November 1901 – 25 September 1983) was King of the Belgians from 23 February 1934 until his abdication on 16 July 1951. At the outbreak of World War II, Leopold tried to maintain Belgian neutrality, but after the German invasi ...

Jan Smuts Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts, (24 May 1870 11 September 1950) was a South African statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various military and cabinet posts, he served as prime minister of the Union of South Af ...

;Grand Officers ;Commanders ;Officers ;Knights *

Paul Costermans Paul-Marie-Adolphe Costermans (2 April 1860 – 9 March 1905) was a Belgian soldier and colonial civil servant. After a brief career in the Belgian Army, Costermans enlisted for service in the military of the Congo Free State, the ''Force Publique ...

;Gold Medals ;Silver Medals * Kristian Løken ;Bronze Medals ;Unknown Classes *

Yuri Gagarin Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin; Gagarin's first name is sometimes transliterated as ''Yuriy'', ''Youri'', or ''Yury''. (9 March 1934 – 27 March 1968) was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who became the first human to journey into outer space. Tr ...

Armand Huyghé Armand Christophe Huyghé (11 July 1871 – 2 March 1944), later knighted Armand Huyghé de Mahenge, was a Belgian career soldier. He is best known for his service in the Belgian Congo during World War I, where he succeeded Charles Tombeur as com ...

Insignia

The ''Badge'' of the order is a white enamelled five-pointed star with blue borders, surrounded by a crown of green enamelled palm leaves. The central disk shows a gold star on blue enamelled background surrounded by a gold ring displaying the motto of the order: ''Travail et Progrès'' (work and progress). The reverse is similar to the obverse but with a central disc of red enamel with a stylised 'double L' crowned Leopold II monogram superimposed. The whole badge is topped by a royal crown linked to the ribbon. The ''Plaque'' is a 10-pointed star, with (for Grand Cross) alternating faceted golden points and rayed silver points, or (for Grand Officer) made of plain silver with alternating faceted points and rayed points. The central disc shows the obverse of the badge, including the surrounding green enamelled palm leaves, and in the top the 'double L' Leopold II monogram. The whole plaque is topped by a royal crown. The ''Medal'' is round in gold, silver and bronze versions, with a suspension in the form of a royal crown with two pendelia and a ribbon ring. The obverse shows a finely ribbed central area with bead surround, with a star superimposed. The surrounding circlet carries the motto of the order: ''Travail et Progrès'' (work and progress) - the later issues are bilingual including the Dutch ''Arbeid en Vooruitgang'' in the lower half of the circlet. The reverse is a stylised 'double L' crowned Leopold II monogram within a palm wreath. The ''Ribbon'' of the order is azure blue with a large central pale yellow stripe. When awarded in war time, the ribbon of the Order may be adorned with a silver of gold palm. The ''

Ribbon bar A medal ribbon, service ribbon or ribbon bar is a small ribbon, mounted on a small metal bar equipped with an attaching device, which is generally issued for wear in place of a medal when it is not appropriate to wear the actual medal. Each cou ...

'' of the order is worn on the semi-formal dress uniform.

Award Conditions

The Order of the African Star was awarded for especially meritorious service of any field performed in the

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964. Colo ...

and, "promotion of African civilisation in general". Its award was rare, and though on behalf of the King, it required the approval of the

References

* Royal Decree of 26 March 1953 Creating Palms for the Order of the African Star and the Royal Order of the Lion when Awarded in War Time (''Moniteur Belge'' of 14 April 1953) * Borné A.C., ''Distinctions honorifiques de la Belgique, 1830-1985'' (Bruxelles: 1985) * Van Hoorebeke P., ''175 Ans de l'Ordre de Léopold et les Ordres Nationaux Belges'' (MRA: 2007)

External links