, eligibility = Non-Catholic military officers , for = Military merit , status = Temporarily abolished in 1830 by the

July Revolution The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution (french: révolution de Juillet), Second French Revolution, or ("Three Glorious ays), was a second French Revolution after French Revolution, the first in 1789. It led to ...

of France , founder =

Louis XV of France Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...

, higher =

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 ...

, same =

Order of Saint Louis The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis (french: Ordre Royal et Militaire de Saint-Louis) is a dynastic order of chivalry founded 5 April 1693 by King Louis XIV, named after Saint Louis (King Louis IX of France). It was intended as a re ...

, lower = , image2 = , caption2 = The Order of Military Merit, which was initially known as the Institution of Military Merit (french: Institution du Mérite militaire), was a French military order that was created on 10 March 1759 by King

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...

for non-Catholic military officers who had assisted the French state.

History

There were by the 18th Century regiments of Swedish, German, and Swiss troops in service to France, the most famous of which were the Swiss Guards. Since many of these regiments' officers were

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

, they were ineligible for conferral with Roman Catholic orders of chivalry such as the

. King Louis XV initially created the ''Institution du Mérite militaire'' as an award, but not as an order, because French orders were exclusive Catholics. The three classes of the ''Institution du Mérite militaire'', which were decreed in 1785, were Knight, Commander or Gran Cordon and Grand Cross, the latter limited to four and two receivers, respectively. King Louis was careful to promote the prestige of the award by appointing the most talented officers. One of the first Grand Crosses was received by

William Henry, Prince of Nassau-Saarbrücken William Henry, Prince of Nassau-Saarbrücken (6 March 1718 – 24 July 1768), was Prince of Nassau-Saarbrücken from 1741 until his death. Life William Henry was born in Usingen, the fifth son of William Henry of Nassau-Usingen Born and P ...

. In 1791, 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 conside ...

, the Order of Military Merit was incorporated into the Order of St. Louis to create a single '' Décoration Militaire'', to which King

Louis XVIII of France Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in ...

made appointments until he on 28 November 1814 reinstituted the Order of Military Merit, and increased the number of available Grand Crosses to four and the number of available Grand Cordons to eight, and changed the colour of their sash to that of the Order of St. Louis.

Decoration

#Knight #Commander #Grand Cross

Notable recipients

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-American naval captain who was the United States' first well-known naval commander in the American Revolutionary War. He made many friends among U.S political elites ( ...

Johann de Kalb Johann von Robais, Baron de Kalb (June 19, 1721 – August 19, 1780), born Johann Kalb, was a Franconian-born French military officer who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was mortally ...

* Axel von Fersen *

Curt von Stedingk Curt Bogislaus Ludvig Kristoffer von Stedingk (26 October 1746 – 7 January 1837) was a count of the von Stedingk family, and a successful Swedish army officer and diplomat who played a prominent role in Swedish foreign policy for several decade ...

* Władysław Grzegorz Branicki * Charles-Daniel de Meuron * Sir James Leith (Knight Grand Cordon) * Thomas Moody (1779 - 1849) (Knight) *

Richard Clement Moody Richard Clement Moody Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Military Merit of France (13 February 1813 – 31 March 1887) was a British governor, engineer, architect and soldier. He is best known for being the founder and the first Lieutenant ...

(Knight Grand Cross) John Paul Jones by Charles Wilson Peale, c1781.jpg, John Paul Jones wearing the Order of Military Merit (by Charles Wilson Peale, c. 1781) Johann de Kalb.jpg, Johann de Kalb wearing the Order of Military Merit James Leith, by Charles Picart (1780-1837).jpg, Sir James Leith

References

{{reflist Military Merit Military Merit