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The Order of the House of Orange (Dutch: ''Huisorde van Oranje''), sometimes referred to as the House Order of Orange, is a
Grand Cross
# 
Grand Officer
# 
Commander
# 
Officer
# 
Knight
#Knight 2nd. Class (since 1908)
# 
The Golden Medal for Art and Science (equal in rank to a Grand Officer and very rare)
# The Golden Medal for Initiative and Ingenuity (since 1917, equal in rank to a Grand Officer and very rare)
# 
The Silver Medal for Art and Science (equal in rank to an Officer and rare)
# The Silver Medal for Initiative and Ingenuity (since 1917, equal in rank to an Officer and rare)
#Dame of Honour
#Golden Cross of Merit
#Silver Cross of Merit
# 
Golden Medal of Honour
# 
Silver Medal of Honour
# 
Bronze Medal of Honour
#Medal for saving lives from deadly peril (since 1910)
# 
The Bronze Medal for Art and Science. (equal in rank to a knight and rare)
The number does not indicate a rank within the Order. The Dame of Honour was neither inferior nor superior to another grade; however the highest rank was the Grand Cross. The insignia vary considerably amongst these awards; however, they all share the same orange ribbon, symbolizing the
Grand Cross (''Grootkruis'') - badge may be worn on a sash on the right shoulder, plus an 8-pointed star on the left chest;
# Grand Honorary Cross (''Groot erekruis'') - wears the badge on a necklet;
# Honorary Cross (''Erekruis'') - wears the badge on a ribbon on the left chest.
Every subject of the King (or Queen) of the Netherlands, apart from the members of the Royal House (see note), can be awarded the Cross of Honour. Once awarded, the recipient can be promoted to a higher grade of the House Order after three years.
''Note: The Royal House (Koninklijk Huis) is a rather complex definition within Dutch constitutional theory and Dutch law. It consists of the Monarch, his or her consort, former monarchs and their consorts and those members of his family that have a right to succeed him up to the second degree and their consorts. The Government is responsible for the actions and words of the monarch and in a lesser respect the members of the Royal House. The House is not the same as the Royal Family. The Queen's second son decided not to ask for parliamentary approval for his marriage and lost his right to succeed to the throne, his membership of the Royal House and the title Prince of the Netherlands. He did however retain the style and title of Royal Highness, a Prince of Orange-Nassau and a member of the Royal Family.
dynastic order
A dynastic order, monarchical order, or house order is an order under royal patronage. Such an order is bestowed by, as a legitimate , a sovereign or the head of a once-sovereign ruling family. These are often considered part of the cultural ...
of the House of Orange-Nassau
The House of Orange-Nassau (Dutch: ''Huis van Oranje-Nassau'', ) is the current reigning house of the Netherlands. A branch of the European House of Nassau, the house has played a central role in the politics and government of the Netherlands ...
, the royal family of the Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Neth ...
similar to the Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...
in the United Kingdom. The order was instituted by Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
Wilhelmina (; Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World War ...
on 19 March 1905 and is not subject to ministerial responsibility or influence, but is awarded at the discretion of the Dutch monarch alone.
History
1905 – 1969
In 1905, Queen Wilhelmina felt the need for a House Order because theOrder 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 ...
of the Grand Duchy
A grand duchy is a country or territory whose official head of state or ruler is a monarch bearing the title of grand duke or grand duchess.
Relatively rare until the abolition of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the term was often used in the o ...
of Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small land ...
, used by her father and grandfather to reward Dutch subjects, was no longer available to her, as succession to the throne of Luxembourg was directed by the House treaty of the House of Nassau in a way comparable to the Salic Law
The Salic law ( or ; la, Lex salica), also called the was the ancient Frankish civil law code compiled around AD 500 by the first Frankish King, Clovis. The written text is in Latin and contains some of the earliest known instances of Old ...
within its constitution in 1890.
The Order of the House of Orange had a very complex nomenclature
Nomenclature (, ) is a system of names or terms, or the rules for forming these terms in a particular field of arts or sciences. The principles of naming vary from the relatively informal conventions of everyday speech to the internationally agr ...
, with 18 different classes and medals:
# Grand Cross
# Grand Officer
# Commander
# Officer
# Knight
#Knight 2nd. Class (since 1908)
# The Golden Medal for Art and Science (equal in rank to a Grand Officer and very rare)
# The Golden Medal for Initiative and Ingenuity (since 1917, equal in rank to a Grand Officer and very rare)
# The Silver Medal for Art and Science (equal in rank to an Officer and rare)
# The Silver Medal for Initiative and Ingenuity (since 1917, equal in rank to an Officer and rare)
#Dame of Honour
#Golden Cross of Merit
#Silver Cross of Merit
# Golden Medal of Honour
# Silver Medal of Honour
# Bronze Medal of Honour
#Medal for saving lives from deadly peril (since 1910)
# The Bronze Medal for Art and Science. (equal in rank to a knight and rare)
The number does not indicate a rank within the Order. The Dame of Honour was neither inferior nor superior to another grade; however the highest rank was the Grand Cross. The insignia vary considerably amongst these awards; however, they all share the same orange ribbon, symbolizing the House of Orange
The House of Orange-Nassau (Dutch: ''Huis van Oranje-Nassau'', ) is the current reigning house of the Netherlands. A branch of the European House of Nassau, the house has played a central role in the politics and government of the Netherlands ...
.
More than 3200 decorations were conferred between 1905 and 1969, mostly to Court Dignitaries, the Queen's household, and doctors and lawyers who could choose between sending a bill for their services or a decoration in the House Order.
Reorganisation of the order in 1969
By court decree on 30 November 1969,Queen Juliana
Juliana (; Juliana Louise Emma Marie Wilhelmina; 30 April 1909 – 20 March 2004) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 until her abdication in 1980.
Juliana was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Sh ...
decided to reorganise the Order to bring it more in line with the ever more egalitarian spirit of the Dutch society. As a result, the order is now divided into four semi-independent groups:
# The House Order
#The Order for Loyalty and Merit
The Order for Loyalty and Merit ( nl, Orde van Trouw en Verdienste) is a house order of the Dutch Royal House of Orange-Nassau
The House of Orange-Nassau ( Dutch: ''Huis van Oranje-Nassau'', ) is the current reigning house of the Netherlan ...
#Honorary medals
## The Honorary medal for Arts and Science
## The Honorary medal for Initiative and Ingenuity
# The Order of the Crown
The House Order today
Since the reorganisation in 1969 the House Order itself has these grades: # Grand Cross (''Grootkruis'') - badge may be worn on a sash on the right shoulder, plus an 8-pointed star on the left chest;
# Grand Honorary Cross (''Groot erekruis'') - wears the badge on a necklet;
# Honorary Cross (''Erekruis'') - wears the badge on a ribbon on the left chest.
Every subject of the King (or Queen) of the Netherlands, apart from the members of the Royal House (see note), can be awarded the Cross of Honour. Once awarded, the recipient can be promoted to a higher grade of the House Order after three years.
''Note: The Royal House (Koninklijk Huis) is a rather complex definition within Dutch constitutional theory and Dutch law. It consists of the Monarch, his or her consort, former monarchs and their consorts and those members of his family that have a right to succeed him up to the second degree and their consorts. The Government is responsible for the actions and words of the monarch and in a lesser respect the members of the Royal House. The House is not the same as the Royal Family. The Queen's second son decided not to ask for parliamentary approval for his marriage and lost his right to succeed to the throne, his membership of the Royal House and the title Prince of the Netherlands. He did however retain the style and title of Royal Highness, a Prince of Orange-Nassau and a member of the Royal Family.
References
External links
* {{Dutch honours 1905 establishments in the Netherlands