The Order of the Crown (french: Ordre de la Couronne, nl, Kroonorde) is a national
order
Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to:
* Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood
* Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...
of the
Kingdom of 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 the ...
. The Order is one of Belgium's highest honors.
History
The Order was established on October 15, 1897 by
King Leopold II
* 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 = ...
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 ...
. The order was first intended to recognize heroic deeds and distinguished service achieved for service in the Congo Free State. In 1908, the Order of the Crown was made a national honour of Belgium, junior to the
Order of Leopold.
Currently, the Order of the Crown is awarded for services rendered to the Belgian state, especially for meritorious service in public employment. The Order of the Crown is also awarded for distinguished artistic, literary or scientific achievements, or for commercial or industrial services in Belgium or Africa.
The Order may also be bestowed to foreign nationals and is frequently awarded to military and diplomatic personnel of other countries stationed in (or providing support to) Belgium. During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the Order of the Crown was extensively authorized for award to Allied military personnel who had helped to
liberate Belgium from the occupation forces of
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
.
The Order of the Crown is 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 ...
.
Classes
The Order of the Crown is awarded in five classes, plus two ''palms'' 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 a star on the left chest, and may also wear the neck badge;
* ''Commander'', which wears the badge on a neck ribbon;
* ''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;
* ''Golden Palms'', which wears a wreath of golden palms on a ribbon on the left chest;
* ''Silver Palms'', which wears a wreath of silver palms on a ribbon on the left chest;
* ''Gold Medal'', who wears the medal on the left chest;
* ''Silver Medal'', who wears the medal on the left chest;
* ''Bronze Medal'', who wears the medal on the left chest.
Insignia
![66-50-F, Medal, Badge, Belgium, Order of the Crown](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/66-50-F%2C_Medal%2C_Badge%2C_Belgium%2C_Order_of_the_Crown.jpg)
The ''badge'' of the Order is a white-enamelled
Maltese cross
The Maltese cross is a cross symbol, consisting of four " V" or arrowhead shaped concave quadrilaterals converging at a central vertex at right angles, two tips pointing outward symmetrically.
It is a heraldic cross variant which developed f ...
with straight rays, in silver for the Knight class and in gold for the higher classes. The obverse central disc has a gold crown on a blue enamelled background; the reverse central disc has the face-to-face monogram "L" (for King Leopold II) on a blue enamelled background. The badge is suspended from a green-enamelled wreath of
laurel
Laurel may refer to:
Plants
* Lauraceae, the laurel family
* Laurel (plant), including a list of trees and plants known as laurel
People
* Laurel (given name), people with the given name
* Laurel (surname), people with the surname
* Laurel (mus ...
and
oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
leaves.
The ''plaque'' for Grand Cross is a faceted silver five-pointed star with golden rays between the branches of the star. The centre shows the obverse of a commander's cross. The plaque for Grand Officer is a faceted five-armed 'Maltese asterisk' (see
Maltese cross
The Maltese cross is a cross symbol, consisting of four " V" or arrowhead shaped concave quadrilaterals converging at a central vertex at right angles, two tips pointing outward symmetrically.
It is a heraldic cross variant which developed f ...
), with golden rays between the arms. The centre shows the obverse of an officer's cross.
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 the royal crown superimposed. The surrounding circlet carries the motto of the Belgian Congo: ''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 usually plain maroon. However, if the order is awarded in special circumstances, the ribbon of the Officer and Knight classes show the following variations:
* Crossed swords are added to the ribbon when awarded in wartime (if the order was awarded during the Second World War or during the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
, a small bar is added to the ribbon mentioning the name of the war);
* The ribbon has a vertical gold border on both sides when awarded for a special act of valour;
* The ribbon has a central vertical gold stripe when awarded for an exceptionally meritorious act;
* A gold star is added to the ribbon when the recipient has been
mentioned in despatches
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 ...
at the national level;
* Silver or gold palms are added to the ribbon when awarded in wartime to military personnel.
Stars, palms, borders or stripes can be awarded together, but these deviations are currently only rarely awarded.
The ribbon of the palms and medals has a vertical white border on both sides as well as a metal pin showing a reduction of the palm or medal.
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, which is worn on the semi-formal dress uniform is:
Despite the fact that, in contrast to the
Order of Leopold, no maritime division of the Order of the Crown exists, some unofficial decorations with crossed anchors under the wreath are known to exist.
Award conditions
Current award conditions of Belgian national orders
National orders are awarded by royal decree at fixed dates: 8 April (
birthday
A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person, or figuratively of an institution. Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts, birthday cards, a birthday party, or a rite of passage.
Many relig ...
of
King Albert I
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 ...
), 15 November (
King's Feast
The King's Feast ( nl, Koningsdag, french: Fête du Roi, german: Festtag des Königs) has been celebrated in Belgium on November 15 since 1866. Since 2001, the Belgian Federal Parliament has held a ceremony in honor of the King, in the presence of ...
), and in some cases on 21 July (Belgian national holiday) to reward meritorious services to the Kingdom of Belgium based on the career path and age of the recipient. A number of different regulations rule the award of national orders for the various ministries. In addition, the national orders may be awarded by the king for especially meritorious deeds. The royal decrees are published in the Belgian official journal, ''
Moniteur Belge''.
For people who are not Belgian, honours are not published in the Moniteur and bestowed all year round by the foreign office. Recent example is the Grand Cross of ambassador Vershbow.
The ministry responsible for foreign affairs, currently the
Federal Public Service (SPF/FOD) Foreign Affairs, administers the national orders and the minister has the role of advisor in cases not fitting within a regulation.
For the award of national orders for persons to whom no regulation applies or has been adopted, the number of awards is limited every year by decision of the Council of Ministers (''contingent'').
The classes of the national orders are integrated in a ''combined hierarchy'' defined by law, whereby within one class the
Order of Leopold is senior to the Order of the Crown, which is senior to the
Order of Leopold II
The Order of Leopold II is an order of Belgium and is named in honor of King Leopold II. The decoration was established on 24 August 1900 by Leopold II as Sovereign of the Congo Free State and was in 1908, upon Congo being handed over to Belgi ...
. Except in some specific cases, one cannot be awarded a national order at a level below the highest that the recipient has already received (example of an exception: a commissioned officer who becomes a Commander of the Order of Leopold II because of meritorious personal service to the king before he became a Knight of the Order of Leopold may be awarded the latter decoration or that of Officer of the Order of Leopold, although he or she already received a senior decoration in the national orders).
Persons who are the subject of criminal proceedings will usually not be awarded a national order until they are declared not guilty.
Award conditions to military personnel
The Order of the Crown is awarded to military personnel on the basis of their length of service, with the years of training counting for half and the first twelve years of service as member of the flying personnel counting double:
* Grand Officer: Awarded after 38 years of meritorious service to a
general officer
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...
with minimum rank of
lieutenant-general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
;
* Commander: Awarded after 32 years of meritorious service to a
field officer
A senior officer is an officer of a more senior grade in military or other uniformed services. In military organisations, the term may refer to any officer above junior officer rank, but usually specifically refers to the middle-ranking group of ...
with minimum rank of
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
;
* Officer: Awarded after 25 years of meritorious service to a
commissioned officer
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.
Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...
;
* Knight: Awarded after 15 years of meritorious service to a
commissioned officer
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.
Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...
or after 35 years of meritorious service as a
non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...
;
* Golden Palms: Awarded after 25 years of meritorious service to a
non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...
, and after 35 years of service for a
private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
or
corporal
Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...
;
* Silver Palms: Awarded after 30 years of meritorious service for a
private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
or
corporal
Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...
.
For awards to military personnel, there is no minimum age requirement.
Award conditions for long civilian service
The palms and the medals of the Order of the Crown may be awarded to workers in the private sector or contractual employees of the public sector, as well as some public sector employees such as prison supervisors,
ushers
An usher is a person who welcomes and shows people where to sit, especially at a church, theatre or when attending a wedding.
History
The word comes from the Latin ''ostiarius'' ("porter", "doorman") through Norman French, and is a cognate of ...
,
burgomaster
Burgomaster (alternatively spelled burgermeister, literally "master of the town, master of the borough, master of the fortress, master of the citizens") is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief m ...
s,
police commissioners, local
police officer
A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...
s, or members of
town councils
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
.
* Golden Palms: Awarded after 45 years of professional activity, or at the time of retirement after having worked for a minimum of 40 years;
* Gold Medal: Awarded after 35 years of professional activity.
In addition, the Gold Medal, the Silver Palms and the Golden Palms are awarded to the presidents, secretaries and members of the board of directors of representative trade organisations such as
trade unions
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and Employee ben ...
on the basis of the number of members of the organisation, of the length of their membership of the board, and on the length of their tenure on the board.
The Knight's Cross of the Order of the Crown is also awarded to the members of the national an
provincial committees for the promotion of labourwho have reached the age of 42 after a tenure of 10 years (national committee) or 20 years (provincial committee) and, after 30 years of service, to the secretaries of th
provincial committees for the promotion of labourwho have reached the age of 62.
The medal could also be awarded without the rigid 'time in service' criteria to administrators, directors, department heads, artisans, architects, chemists, specialist craftsmen, etc., each case for an award assessed on an individual basis.
The bronze medal appears to have been confined mainly to the
Caucasian
Caucasian may refer to:
Anthropology
*Anything from the Caucasus region
**
**
** ''Caucasian Exarchate'' (1917–1920), an ecclesiastical exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Caucasus region
*
*
*
Languages
* Northwest Caucasian l ...
workers of 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 ...
or
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 ...
for 11 years service, apart from a period—duration unknown—when it was also used in Belgium to reward firemen and rural guards for 40 years' service.
Recipients
Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown
Other
Equivalent orders
Even though orders from different States are not always easy to compare, the Order of the Crown is roughly equivalent to the following orders from other States.
* The British
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
* The French
Ordre National du Mérite
The Ordre national du Mérite (; en, National Order of Merit) 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 esta ...
, which is the second highest French order and has similar classes and award conditions.
* The Luxembourg
Order of the Oak Crown
The Order of the Oak Crown (french: Ordre de la Couronne de chêne, german: Eichenlaubkronenorden, lb, Eechelaafkrounenuerden) is an order of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
History
The Order of the Oak Crown was established in 1841 by Grand ...
, which is the third highest Luxembourgian order and has similar classes.
* The Dutch
Order of Orange-Nassau
The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands.
The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...
, which is the third Dutch national order and has similar classes.
* The
Royal Norwegian Order of Merit
The Royal Norwegian Order of Merit (Norwegian: ''Den Kongelige Norske Fortjenstorden'' (Bokmål) or ''Den Kongelege Norske Fortenesteordenen'' (Nynorsk)) was instituted by King Olav V in 1985. It is awarded to foreigners, Norwegian citizens livin ...
, which is currently the second highest Norwegian order and has similar classes.
* The Swedish
Order of Vasa
The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry, awarded to citizens of Sweden for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. It was instituted on 29 May 1772 by King Gustav III. It was u ...
, which is the second highest Swedish order awarded more widely than to Heads of State and has similar classes. Prior to 1975, the Swedish
Order of the Polar Star
The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim.
The Order of the ...
would be equivalent to the Order of the Crown instead.
See also
Grand Masters :
*
Leopold II -
Albert I -
Leopold III -
Baudouin -
Albert II-
Philippe
Recipients :
*
:Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)
*
:Grand Officers of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)
*
:Commanders of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)
*
:Officers of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)
*
:Knights of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)
*
:Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)
The other Belgian orders :
*
Order of Leopold (Belgium)
The Order of Leopold ( nl, Leopoldsorde, french: Ordre de Léopold, ) is one of the three current Belgian national honorary orders of knighthood. It is the oldest and highest order of Belgium and is named in honour of its founder, King Le ...
*
Order of the African Star
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 on 30 December 1888, in his capacity as ruler of the Congo Free State, and was awarded for services to ...
*
Royal Order of the Lion
The Royal Order of the Lion (french: Ordre Royal du Lion; nl, Koninklijke orde van de Leeuw) was established by King Leopold II of Belgium on 9 April 1891, in his capacity as ruler of the Congo Free State, and was awarded for services to t ...
*
Order of Leopold II
The Order of Leopold II is an order of Belgium and is named in honor of King Leopold II. The decoration was established on 24 August 1900 by Leopold II as Sovereign of the Congo Free State and was in 1908, upon Congo being handed over to Belgi ...
Lists :
*
*
List of military decorations
This list of military decorations is an index to articles about notable military decorations. It is organized by country in alphabetical order and in order of precedence.
Note that there are many pages which overlap the domain of this page, includi ...
Gallery
File:Order of the Crown of Belgium - Grand Cross badge.png, Grand Cross badge.
File:Order of the Crown of Belgium - Grand Cross set of insignia.png, Grand Cross set of insignia.
File:Order of the Crown of Belgium - Grand Cross in case.png, Grand Cross in case.
File:Order of the Crown of Belgium - Grand Cross set.png, Grand Cross set.
File:Order of the Crown of Belgium - Grand Cross star.png, Grand Cross star.
File:Crown Order Knight Belgium.jpg, Knights Class with swords.
File:Crown Order Officer Belgium.jpg, Officer Class.
File:Crown Order commander.jpg, Commander Class.
File:Medal, order (AM 2001.25.349-1).jpg, Knights Class (obverse)
File:Medal, order (AM 2001.25.349-2).jpg, Knights Class (reverse)
References
* Royal Decrees of 15 October 1897 and 25 June 1898 Creating the Order of the Crown
* Law of 1 May 2006 on the Award of Honours in the National Orders (''Moniteur Belge'' of 24 October 2006)
* Royal Decree of 13 October 2006 Defining the Rules and Procedure for the Award of Honours in the National Orders (''Moniteur Belge'' of 24 October 2006)
* Royal Decree of 24 January 1994 Creating the Insignia of Two Crossed Swords topped by a Bar Showing the Mention ''Korea''
* Royal Decree of 18 April 1983 Creating the Insignia of Two Crossed Swords topped by a Bar Showing the Millesimes ''40-45''
* Royal Decree of 24 June 1919 Creating gold borders, gold stripes and gold stars for the National Orders Awarded in War Time (''Moniteur Belge'' of 11–12 August 1919)
* Royal Decree of 15 November 1915 Creating Palms for the National Orders Awarded in War Time (''Moniteur Belge'' of 28–30 November and 1–4 December 1915)
* Belgian military regulation A83 on Military Decorations
* Belgian military regulation DGHR-REG-DISPSYS-001 of 20 February 2006
* Belgian Ministry of Labour (SPF Emploi, Travail et Concertation Sociale), ''Clés pour les décorations du travail'' (Brussels: 2008)
* 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
Order of the Crown(in French)
Website BONNE & VERBEKE (in Dutch)
Website Ethesis (in Dutch)
{{Belgium honours
Orders, decorations, and medals of Belgium
Crown (Belgium), Order of the
Crown (Belgium), Order of the
Colonial orders of chivalry
Military awards and decorations of Belgium
Awards established in 1897
1897 establishments in Belgium
Long service medals