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PLEASE FOLLOW OUR E BAY STORESEE ALL PICSSALE SEE OUR STOREPLEASE READ WHOLE ADDLegion of HonourNational Order of the Legion of Honour
Ordre national de la Légion d'honneurCurrent version of the Grand Cross of the order given by PresidentRené Cotyto Dutch Prime MinisterWillem DreesAwarded byPresident of FranceTypeOrder of meritEstablished19 May 1802CountryFranceMottoHonneur et patrie("Honour and Fatherland")EligibilityMilitary and civiliansAwarded forExcellent civil or military conduct
delivered, upon official investigationFounderNapoleon BonaparteGrand MasterEmmanuel Macron,President of FranceGrand ChancellorFrançois LecointreSecretary-GeneralJulien Le GarsClasses(in 2010)
- 1Grand-maître
- 67 Grand(s)-croix
- 314 Grand(s) officier(s)
- 3,009 Commandeur(s)
- 17,032 Officier(s)
- 74,384 Chevalier(s)
StatisticsFirst induction15 July 1804PrecedenceNext (higher)NoneNext (lower)
- Order of Liberation
(ceased 24 January 1946)[1]
Order'sstreamer
Grand-croix
Grand-officier
Commandeur
Officier
Chevalier
Ribbon barsof the order
TheNational Order of the Legion of Honour(French:Ordre national de la Légion formerly theRoyal Order of the Legion of Honour(Ordre royal de la Légion d'honneur), is the highest Frenchorder of merit, bothmilitaryandcivil. Established in 1802 byNapoleon Bonaparte, it has been retained (with occasional slight alterations) by all later French governments and regimes.
The order'smottoisHonneur et Patrie("Honour and Fatherland"); itsseatis thePalais de la Légion d'Honneurnext to theMusée d'Orsay, on the left bank of theSeineinParis.[a]Since 1 February 2023, the Order's grand chancellor has been retired GeneralFrançois Lecointre, who succeeded fellow retired GeneralBenoît Pugain office.
The order is divided into five degrees of increasing officier(Grand Officer) andGrand-croix(Grand Cross).
History[edit]This sectionneeds additional citations forverification.Please helpimprove this articlebyadding citations to reliable sourcesin this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources:"Legion of 2021)(Learn how and when to remove this template message)Consulate[edit]
During theFrench Revolution, all of the Frenchorders of chivalrywere abolished and replaced withWeapons of Honour. It was the wish ofNapoleon Bonaparte, theFirst Consul, to create a reward to commend civilians and soldiers. From this wish was instituted aLégion d'honneur,[2]a body of men that was not an order ofchivalry, for Napoleon believed that France wanted arecognition of meritrather than a new system of nobility. However, theLégion d'honneurdid use the organization of the old French orders of chivalry, for example, theOrdre de Saint-Louis. The insignia of theLégion d'honneurbear a resemblance to those of theOrdre de Saint-Louis, which also used a red ribbon.[3]
Napoleon originally created this award to ensure political loyalty. The organization would be used as a façade to give political favours, gifts, and concessions.[4]TheLégion d'honneurwas loosely patterned after aRoman legion, withlegionaries,officers, commanders, regional "cohorts" and a grand council. The highest rank was not a Grand Cross but aGrand aigle(Grand Eagle), a rank that wore the insignia common to a Grand Cross. The members were paid, the highest of them extremely generously:
- 5,000francsto agrand officier,
- 2,000 francs to acommandeur,
- 1,000 francs to anofficier,
- 250 francs to alégionnaire.
Napoleon famously declared, "You call these baubles, well, it is with baubles that men are led... Do you think that you would be able to make men fight by reasoning? Never. That is good only for the scholar in his study. The soldier needs glory, distinctions, rewards."[5]This has been often quoted as "It is with such baubles that men are led." Napoleon was also occasionally noted after a battle to ask who the bravest man in a regiment was, and upon the regiment declaring the individual, the Emperor would take the Legion d'Honneur of his own coat and pin it on the chest of the man.[6]
The order was the first modernorder of merit. Under the monarchy, such orders were often limited to Roman Catholics, allknightshad to be noblemen, and military decorations were restricted toofficers.[citation needed]TheLégion d'honneur, however, was open to men of all ranks and professions; only merit or bravery counted. The new legionnaire had to be sworn into theLégion d'honneur. All previous orders were Christian, or shared a clear Christian background, whereas theLégion d'honneuris a secular institution. The badge of theLégion d'honneurhas five arms.
Legion of Honour ribbonsKnight (Chevalier)OfficerCommanderGrand OfficerGrand Cross (Grand-Croix)First Empire[edit]
In a decree issued on the10PluviôseXIII(30 January 1805), a grand decoration was instituted. This decoration, a cross on a largesashand a silver star with an eagle, symbol of the Napoleonic Empire, became known as theGrand aigle(Grand Eagle), and later in 1814 as theGrand cordon(big sash, literally "big ribbon"). After Napoleon crowned himselfEmperor of the Frenchin 1804 and established theNapoleonic nobilityin 1808, award of theLégion d'honneurgave right to the title of "Knight of the Empire" (Chevalier de l'Empire). The title was made hereditary after three generations of grantees.
Napoleon had dispensed 15 golden collars of theLégion d'honneuramong his family and his senior ministers. This collar was abolished in 1815.
Although research is made difficult by the loss of the archives, it is rumoured that three women who fought with the army were decorated with the order:Virginie Ghesquière,Marie-Jeanne Schellingand anun, SisterAnne Biget.[b]
TheLégion d'honneurwas prominent and visible in the French Empire. The Emperor always wore it, and the fashion of the time allowed for decorations to be worn most of the time. The king ofSwedentherefore declined the order; it was too common in his eyes. Napoleon's own decorations were captured by thePrussiansand were displayed in theZeughaus(armoury) in Berlin until 1945. Today, they are in Moscow.
The Legion of Honour under the Empire
- FirstLégion d'Honneurinvestiture, 15 July 1804, atSaint-Louis des InvalidesbyJean-Baptiste Debret(1812)
- A depiction of Napoleon making some of the first awards of the Legion of Honour, at a camp nearBoulogneon 16 August 1804
- AsEmperor,Napoleonalways wore theCrossand Grand Eagle of the Legion of Honour.[citation needed]
- Embroidered insignia of the Legion of Honour, detail of Napoleon's uniform of colonel of the Chasseurs à cheval of theImperial Guard
Restoration of the Bourbon King of France in 1814[edit]This sectiondoes notciteanysources.Please helpimprove this sectionbyadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(August 2022)(Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Louis XVIIIchanged the appearance of the order, but it was not abolished. To have done so would have angered the 35,000 to 38,000 members. The images of Napoleon and his eagle were removed and replaced by the image of KingHenry IV, the popular first king of theBourbonline. Three Bourbonfleurs-de-lysreplaced the eagle on the reverse of the order. A king's crown replaced the imperial crown. In 1816, the grand cordons were renamed grand crosses and the legionnaires became knights. The king decreed that the commandants were now commanders. TheLégion d'honneurbecame the second-ranking order of knighthood of the French monarchy, after theOrder of the Holy Spirit.
July Monarchy[edit]Louis Philippe I, King of the French, wearing the sash and star of the Grand Cross, as well as the Officers Cross of the orderJean-François Arsène Klobbreceipent of the Legion of Honour
Following the overthrow of the Bourbons in favour of KingLouis Philippe Iof theHouse of Orléans, the Bourbon monarchy's orders were once again abolished and theLégion d'honneurwas restored in 1830 as the paramount decoration of the French nation. The insignia were drastically altered; the cross now displayedtricolour flags. In 1847, there were 47,000 members.
Second Republic[edit]
Yet another revolution in Paris (in 1848) brought a new republic (the second) and a new design to theLégion d'honneur. A nephew of the founder,Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, was elected president and he restored the image of his uncle on the crosses of the order. In 1852, the first recorded woman,Angélique Duchemin, an old revolutionary of the 1789 uprising against the absolute monarchy, was admitted into the order. On 2 December 1851, President Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte staged acoup d'étatwith the help of the armed forces. He made himselfEmperor of the Frenchexactly one year later on 2 December 1852, after a successfulplebiscite.
Second Empire[edit]
An Imperial crown was added. DuringNapoleon III's reign, the first American was admitted:Thomas Wiltberger Evans, dentist of Napoleon III.
Third Republic[edit]Philippe PétainandJohn J. Pershingwere decorated with theGrand-croixof the Legion of Honor, as were several US generals with theCommandeurandChevaliermedal shortly after World War I, in 1919.
In 1870, the defeat of the French Imperial Army in theFranco-Prussian Warbrought the end of the Empire and the creation of theThird Republic(1871–1940). As France changed, theLégion d'honneurchanged as well. The crown was replaced by alaureland oak wreath. In 1871, during theParis Communeuprising, theHôtel de Salm, headquarters of theLégion d'honneur, was burned to the ground in fierce street combats; the archives of the order were lost.
In the second term of PresidentJules Grévy, which started in 1885, newspaper journalists brought to light the trafficking of Grévy's son-in-law, Daniel Wilson, in the awarding of decorations of theLégion d'honneur. Grévy was not accused of personal participation in this scandal, but he was slow to accept his indirect political responsibility, which caused his eventual resignation on 2 December 1887.
DuringWorld War I, some 55,000 decorations were conferred, 20,000 of which went to foreigners. The large number of decorations resulted from the new posthumous awards authorised in 1918. Traditionally, membership in theLégion d'honneurcould not be awarded posthumously.
Fourth and Fifth Republics[edit]
The establishment of theFourth Republicin 1946 brought about the latest change in the design of the Legion of Honour. The date "1870" on the obverse was replaced by a single star. No changes were made after the establishment of theFifth Republicin 1958.
Evolution of the insignia of the Grand Cross of the Legion d'Honneur through Frances various governments and regimes, from the First Empire to the current Fifth RepublicOrganisation[edit]This sectionneeds additional citations forverification.Please helpimprove this articlebyadding citations to reliable sourcesin this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources:"Legion of 2021)(Learn how and when to remove this template message)Legal status and leadership[edit]
The Legion of Honour is a national order of France, meaning a public incorporated body. The Legion is regulated by acivil law code, the "Code of the Legion of Honour and of the Military Medal". While thePresident of the French Republicis the Grand Master of the order, day-to-day running is entrusted to the Grand Chancery (Grande Chancellerie de la Légion d'honneur).
Grand Master[edit]Currentcollarof the Fifth Republic, which is the insignia of theGrand Masterat theÉlysée Palaceduring a presidential inauguration. The collar is usually kept in theMusée de la Legion d'Honneur.
Since the establishment of the Legion, the Grand Master of the order has always been the Emperor, King or President of France.PresidentEmmanuel Macrontherefore became the Grand Master of the Legion on 14 May 2017.[7]
The Grand Master appoints all other members of the order, on the advice of the French government. The Grand Master's insignia is theGrand Collarof the Legion. The President of the Republic, as Grand Master of the order, receives the Collar as part of his investiture, but the Grand Masters have not worn the Collar sinceValéry Giscard d'Estaing.[8]
The Grand Chancery[edit]
The Grand Chancery is headed by the Grand Chancellor (grand chancelier), usually a retired general, as well as the Secretary-General (secrétaire général), a civilian administrator.
- Grand Chancellor:GeneralFrançois Lecointre(since 2023)
- Secretary-General: Julien Le Gars (since 2023)[9]
The Grand Chancery also regulates theNational Order of Meritand themédaille militaire(Military Medal). There are several structures funded by and operated under the authority of the Grand Chancery, like theLegion of Honour Schools(Maisons d'éducation de la Légion d'honneur) and theLegion of Honour Museum(Musée de la Légion d'honneur). The Legion of Honour Schools are élite boarding schools inSaint-Denisand Camp des Loges in the forest ofSaint-Germain-en-Laye. Study there is restricted to daughters, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters of members of the order, themédaille militaireor theordre national du Mérite.[10]
Membership[edit]See also:Lists of Légion d'honneur recipients
There are five classes in the Legion of Honour:
- Chevalier(Knight): minimum 20 years of public service or 25 years of professional activity with "eminent merits"
- Officier(Officer): minimum 8 years in the rank ofChevalier
- Commandeur(Commander): minimum 5 years in the rank ofOfficier
- Grand officier(Grand Officer): minimum 3 years in the rank ofCommandeur
- Grand-croix(Grand Cross): minimum 3 years in the rank ofGrand-officier
The "eminent merits" required to be awarded the order require the flawless performance of one's trade as well as doing more than ordinarily expected, such as being creative, zealous and contributing to the growth and well-being of others.
The order has a maximum quota of 75 Grand Cross, 250 Grand Officers, 1,250 Commanders, 10,000 Officers, and 113,425 (ordinary) Knights. As of 2010,the actual membership was 67 Grand Cross, 314 Grand Officers, 3,009 Commanders, 17,032 Officers and 74,384 Knights. Appointments of veterans ofWorld War II, French military personnel involved in theNorth African Campaignand other foreign French military operations, as well as wounded soldiers, are made independently of the quota.
Members convicted of a felony (crimein French) are automatically dismissed from the order. Members convicted of a misdemeanour (délitin French) can be dismissed as well, although this is not automatic.
Wearing the decoration of theLégion d'honneurwithout having the right to do so is a serious offence. Wearing the ribbon orrosetteof a foreign order is prohibited if that ribbon is mainly red, like the ribbon of the Legion of Honour. French military personnel in uniform must salute other military members in uniform wearing the medal, whatever theLégion d'honneurrank and the military rank of the bearer. This is not mandatory with the ribbon. In practice, however, this is rarely done.
There is not a single, complete list of all the members of the Legion in chronological order. The number is estimated at one million, including about 2,900 Knights Grand Cross.[11]
French nationals[edit]
French nationals, men and women, can be received into theLégion, for "eminent merit" (mérites éminents) in military or civil life. In practice, in current usage, the order is conferred on entrepreneurs, high-levelcivil servants, scientists, artists, including famous actors and actresses, sportchampions,[c]and others with connections in theexecutive. Members of theFrench Parliamentcannot receive the order, except for valour in war,[12]and ministers are not allowed to nominate their accountants.
Until 2008, French nationals could only enter the Legion of Honour at the class ofChevalier(Knight). To be promoted to a higher class, one had to perform new eminent services in the interest of France and a set number of years had to pass between appointment and promotion. This was however amended in 2008 when entry became possible at Officer, Commander and Grand Officer levels, as a recognition of "extraordinary careers" (carrières hors du commun). In 2009,Simone Veilbecame the first person to enter the Order at Grand Officer level.[13]Veil was a member of theAcadémie française, a formerHealth MinisterandPresident of the European Parliament, as well as anAuschwitzsurvivor. She was promoted to Grand Cross in 2012.
Every year at least five recipients decline the award. Even if they refuse to accept it, they are still included in the order's official membership.[8]The composersMaurice RavelandCharles Koechlin, for example, declined the award when it was offered to them.[14][15]
Non-French recipients[edit]Main articles:List of foreign recipients of the Légion d'Honneur by countryandList of foreign recipients of the Légion d'Honneur by decade
While membership in theLégionis technically restricted to French nationals,[16]foreign nationals who have served France or the ideals it upholds[17]may receive the honour.[18]Foreign nationals who live in France are subject to the same requirements as the French. Foreign nationals who live abroad may be awarded a distinction of any rank or dignity in theLégion. Foreign heads of state and their spouses or consorts of monarchs are made Grand Cross as a courtesy. American and British veterans who served in eitherWorld Waron French soil,[19]or during the 1944 campaigns to liberate France,[20][21]may be eligible for appointment as Chevalier of the Legion of Honour, provided they were still living when the honour was approved.
Collective awards[edit]
Collective appointments can be made to cities, institutions or companies. A total of 64 settlements in France have been decorated, as well as six foreign cities:Liègein 1914,[22]Belgradein 1920,[23]Luxembourg Cityin 1957,Volgograd(the World War II 'Stalingrad') in 1984,[24]Algiersin 2004, andLondonin 2020.[25][26]French towns display the decoration in theirmunicipal coat of arms.
Organisations to receive the honour include theFrench Red Cross(Croix-Rouge Française), theAbbaye de Nôtre-Dame des Dombes(Abbey of Notre-Dame des Dombes), the French National Railway Company (SNCF, Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français), thePréfecture de Police de la Ville de Paris(Prefecture of Police of Paris), and variousGrandes Écoles(National (Elite) Colleges) and other educational establishments.
Military awards[edit]Notice of posthumous award of theCroix de Chevalierto Lieutenant Robert Léon Tessier—Mort pour la France("Died for France") inWorld War I
The military distinctions (Légion d'honneur à titre militaire) are awarded for bravery (actions de guerre) or for service.
- award for extreme bravery: theLégion d'Honneuris awarded jointly with amention in dispatches. This is the top valour award in France. It is rarely awarded, mainly to soldiers who have died in battle.
- award for service: theLégionis awarded without any citation.
French service-members[edit]
For active-duty commissioned officers, the Legion of Honour award for service is achieved after 20 years of meritorious service, having been awarded the rank ofChevalierof theOrdre National du Mérite. Bravery awards lessen the time needed for the award—in fact decorated servicemen become directly chevaliers of theLégion d'Honneur, skipping theOrdre du Mérite. NCOs almost never achieve that award, except for the most heavily decorated service members.
Collective military awards[edit]
Collective appointments can be made to military units. In the case of a military unit, its flag is decorated with the insignia of a knight, which is a different award from thefourragère. Twenty-one schools, mainly schools providing reserve officers during the World Wars, were awarded the Légion d'Honneur. Foreign military units can be decorated with the order, such as theU.S. Military Academy.
The Flag or Standard of the following units was decorated with the Cross of a Knight of the Legion of Honour:[d]
- 1st Foreign Regiment
- 1st Marine Artillery Regiment
- 1st Marine Infantry Regiment
- 1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment
- 1st Photographic Technical Unit(USAAFForward-deployed Reconnaissance Unit)
- 1st ParachuteChasseurRegiment
- 1st Regiment of AfricanChasseurs
- 1st Regiment of AlgerianTirailleurs
- 1st Regiment of Riflemen
- 1st Regiment of SenegaleseTirailleurs
- 1st Train Regiment
- 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment
- 2nd Marine Infantry Regiment
- 2nd Regiment of AlgerianTirailleurs
- 2nd Regiment ofZouaves
- 3rd Algerian Infantry Regiment
- 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment
- 3rd Regiment ofZouaves
- 4th Tunisian Tirailleurs Regiment
- 4th Regiment ofZouaves
- Joint 4th Regiment ofZouavesandTirailleurs
- 7th Algerian Infantry Regiment
- 8th Infantry Regiment
- 8th Zouaves Regiment
- 9th Regiment ofZouaves
- 11th Marine Artillery Regiment
- 23rd Infantry Regiment
- 23rd Marine Infantry Regiment
- 24th Marine Infantry Regiment
- 26th Infantry Regiment
- 30th Battalion ofChasseurs
- 43rd Marine Infantry Regiment
- 51st Infantry Regiment
- 57th Infantry Regiment
- 112th Line Infantry Regiment (French infantry regiment consisting of mostly Belgians, known as "The Victors ofRaab")
- 137th Infantry Regiment
- 152nd Infantry Regiment
- 153rd Infantry Regiment
- 298th Infantry Regiment
- Fighter Squadron 1/30Normandie-Niemen
- Fusiliers Marins(Naval Infantry)
- MoroccanGoumier
- Paris Fire Brigade
- Régiment d'infanterie-chars de marine(Colonial Infantry Regiment of Morocco). Book of the regiment will be fighting its most decorated emblem of the French army.
Classes and insignia[edit]The five classes wearing their respective insignia (gentlemen): 1:Chevalier; 2:Officier; 3:Commandeur; 4:Grand-officier; 5:Grand-croix
The order has had five levels since the reign of King Louis XVIII, who restored the order in 1815. Since the reform, the following distinctions have existed:
- Three ranks:
Chevalier(Knight): badge worn on left breast suspended from ribbon
- Officier(Officer): badge worn on left breast suspended from a ribbon with arosette
- Commandeur(Commander): badge around neck suspended from ribbon necklet
Two dignities:Grand officier(Grand Officer): badge worn on left breast suspended from a ribbon (Officer), with star displayed on right breast
Grand-croix(Grand Cross), formerlyGrande décoration,Grand aigle, orGrand cordon: the highest level; badge affixed to sash worn over the right shoulder, with star displayed on left breast
