The Ordre de l'Union Parfaite was created by Queen consort Sophie Magdalene of Denmark and Norway on 7 August 1732 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of her happy marriage with

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Christian VI of Denmark and Norway. It was given to both men and women. Its motto was ''In felicissimæ Unionis Memoriam'' ("In Commemoration of the Happiest aritalUnion"). Conferral of the Order ceased after the death of the Queen on 7 May 1770. The French name can be translated as ''Order of the Perfect Union'' or ''Order of Friendship''. The use of French was not unusual in the eighteenth century royal

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

court or in Sophie Magdalene's

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

homeland, where other such examples exist, such as the Ordre pour le Mérite and the Ordre de la Sincérité.

Insignia

130px, Badge, Ordre de l'Union Parfaite The

badge A badge is a device or accessory, often containing the insignia of an organization, which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service, a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath (e.g., police and ...

or "jewel" of the Order was a white enamelled cross, each arm of which was capped by a golden

crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

. Between the arms, a golden

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

lion bearing a golden, white-shafted

halberd A halberd (also called halbard, halbert or Swiss voulge) is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. The word ''halberd'' is cognate with the German word ''Hellebarde'', deriving from ...

alternated with a red-enamelled, golden-headed

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 sq ...

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...

. A blue oval medallion, encircled by

diamonds Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, bu ...

, imposed on the center of the cross displayed the crowned intertwined monograms of Sophie Magdalene and Christian VI. The

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...

ribbon was dark blue, edged with silver (the ribbon has become discolored over the centuries, but the original hue can still be seen in numerous painted portraits of the recipients). Gentlemen wore the cross in a left buttonhole of their coats. Ladies bore it on their left breasts.

Recipients

Men

* Count Frederik von Ahlefeldt (1770) * Count Frederik Carl Christian Ulrik Ahlefeldt (1770) * Count

Christian Conrad Danneskiold-Laurvig Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρισ ...

(1758) *

Friedrich Carl, Duke of Holstein-Plön Friedrich may refer to: Names * Friedrich (surname), people with the surname ''Friedrich'' * Friedrich (given name), people with the given name ''Friedrich'' Other * Friedrich (board game), a board game about Frederick the Great and the Seven Year ...

(by 1759)Carsten Porskrog Rasmussen, ''Die Fürsten des Landes: Herzöge und Grafen von Schleswig, Holstein und Lauenburg''; Neumünster, Germany: Wachholtz Verlag, 2008; page 304. * Gustav Grüner (1751) * Count Carl von Hesse-Cassel (31 March 1759) * Count Frederick von Hesse-Cassel (31 March 1759) * Count Christian Christoffer Holck (1764) * Baron Adam Christopher Holsten * Poul Vendelbo de Løvenørn (1739) * Volrad August von der Lühe (1747) * Count

Adam Gottlob Moltke Count Adam Gottlob von Moltke (10 November 171025 September 1792) was a Danish courtier, statesman and diplomat, and Favourite of Frederick V of Denmark. Moltke was born at Riesenhof in Mecklenburg. His son, Joachim Godske Moltke, and his gra ...

(1747) * Frederik Christian von Møsting (1763) * Count Frederik von Oertz (1761) * Johann Christoph von Reitzenstein * Claus Reventlow (1751) * Count Ditlev Reventlow (1756) * Count Conrad Detlev Reventlow (1750) * Mogens Rosenkrantz (1763) * Baron Holger Rosenkrantz (1767) * Baron Verner Rosenkrantz (1763) * Andreas Rosenpalm * Count Hans Schack (1735-1796) (1763) * Count Werner von der Schulenburg (1750) * Baron Georg Wilhelm von Søhlenthal (1738) * Henrik Stampe (1770) * Christian von Støcken (1761) * Frederik Christian von Qualen (1768) * Baron Frederik Wilhelm Wedel-Jarlsberg (1763) * Adam Levin von Witzleben (1732) * Frederick Louis von Woyda (1767)

Women

Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern (Danish: ''Juliane Marie''; 4 September 1729 – 10 October 1796) was Queen of Denmark and Norway from 1752 to 1766 as the second consort of King Frederick V of Denmark and Norway. She was mother to ...

* Louise Friderica von Boyneburg of the House of Hambach * Birgitte Sofie Gabel (1764) * Christine Sophie von Gähler (née von Ahlefeldt) (1765) * Amalie Juliane von Günterrode * Christine Armgard, Duchess of Holstein-Plön (by 1759) * Countess Anna Joachima Danneskiold-Laurvig (née von Ahlefeldt) * Louise Charlotte of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (1764) * Dorothea Christine, Princess of Denmark (by 1759) *

Charlotte Elisabeth Henriette Holstein Charlotte Elisabeth Henriette Holstein née ''zu Inn- und Knyphausen'' (3 February 1741 – 18 May 1809, Vallø) was a Danish noblewoman. She served as Overhofmesterinde to Denmark's queen consort Caroline Matilda of Great Britain in 1770-1772. Li ...

(1770) * Karen Huitfeldt (1755) * Sophia Magdalena Krag Juel Vind *

Margrethe von der Lühe Margrethe von der Lühe (16 February 1741– 1 October 1826) was a Danish courtier; ''overhofmesterinde'' to the queen of Denmark–Norway, Caroline Matilda of Great Britain, from 1768 to 1770, and the queen dowager, Juliana Maria of Brunswick ...

(1768) * Eleonora Marie von Lüttichau * Margrethe Marie Thomasine Numsen * Anna Susanna von der Osten * Charlotte Dorothea Reventlow (née Scheel von Plessen) * Birte Rosenkrantz * Countess Anna Sophie Schack * Princess Wilhelmina Augusta of Schleswig-Holstein-Nordborg-Pløens (1749) * Charlotte Amalie Skeel (1750) * Margarete Giedde Vind * Frederica of Württemberg

Sources

* *

Footnotes

{{reflist 18th century in Denmark Union Parfaite, Order of