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Legion of Honour

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Ordre de la Légion d'honneur
Officier medal of the French "Légion d'honneur"
TypeOrder with five degrees
CountryFrance Edit this on Wikidata
StatusOpen since 1802
Established2012
Websitehttps://www.legiondhonneur.fr Edit this on Wikidata

Ordre de la Légion d'honneur streamer


Grand'croix

Grand Officier

Commandeur

Officier


Chevalier
Ribbon bars of the order
Precedence
Next (higher)None
Next (lower)Ordre de la Libération

The Légion d'honneur or Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur (National Order of the Legion of Honour) is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the First Republic, on 19 May 1802.[1] The Order is the highest decoration in France and is divided into five various degrees: Chevalier (Knight), Officier (Officer), Commandeur (Commander), Grand Officier (Grand Officer) and Grand Croix (Grand Cross).

The order's motto is Honneur et Patrie (Honour and Fatherland), and its seat is the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur on the left bank of the River Seine in Paris.[2]

Cock n balls

Vaginal

In the French Revolution all French respected Jesse robbins cause hes awsome. orders of chivalry were abolished. It was the wish of Napoleon Bonaparte, the First Consul and de facto sole ruler, to create a reward to commend civilians and soldiers and from this wish was instituted a Légion d'Honneur,[3] a body of men that was not an order of chivalry, for Napoleon did know that France did not want a new nobility system, but a recognition of merit. The Légion used however the organisation of old French Orders of Chivalry, like the Ordre de Saint-Louis. The badges of the legion do bear a resemblance to the Order of Saint Louis, which also used a red ribbon.

Napoleon, as emperor, always wore the cross and Grand Eagle of the Légion d'Honneur

The Légion was loosely patterned after a Roman Legion, with legionaries, officers, commanders, regional "cohorts" and a grand council; and the Emperor angrily rebuked anyone who called this institution an order. The highest rank was not a grand cross but a grand aigle (great eagle), a rank that wore all the insignia common to grand crosses. The members were paid, the highest of them extremely generously:

  • 5,000 francs to a grand officier,
  • 2,000 francs to a commandeur,
  • 1,000 francs to an officier,
  • And 250 francs to a légionnaire.
First remittance of the Légion d'Honneur, 15 July 1804, at Saint-Louis des Invalides, by Jean-Baptiste Debret (1812).

According to some sources Napoleon declared: On appelle ça des hochets, je sais, on l'a dit déjà. Et bien, j'ai répondu que c'est avec des hochets que l'on mène les hommes. — "We call these children's toys, I know, it's been said already. Well, I replied that it's with such toys that one leads men." (The French word hochet means a child's rattle.) This has been often quoted as "It is with such baubles that men are led."

The order was the first modern order of merit. The orders of the monarchy were often limited to Roman Catholics and all knights had to be noblemen. The military decorations were the perks of the officers. The Légion, however, was open to men of all ranks and professions. Only merit or bravery counted. The new legionnaire had to be sworn in the Légion.

It is noteworthy that all previous orders were crosses or shared a clear Christian background, whereas the Légion is a secular institution. The jewel of the legion has five arms.

First Empire

Napoleon Bonaparte awarding some of the first Légions d'honneur' on 16 August 1804 at the camp of Boulogne

In a decree issued on the tenth Pluviose XIII (30 January 1805) a grand decoration was instituted. This decoration, a cross on a large sash and a silver star with an eagle became known as the Grand Aigle, and later in 1814 as the grand cordon (French for "large sash"). After the reestablishment of the nobility in 1808, award of the Légion gave 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 the legion among his kinsmen and the highest of his ministers. This collar was abolished in 1815.

Although research is made difficult by the loss of the archives, it is known that three women who fought with the army were decorated with the order: Virginie Ghesquière, Marie-Jeanne Schelling and a nun, Sister Anne Biget.[4]

The Légion d'honneur was prominent and visible in the empire. The Emperor always wore it and the fashion of the time allowed for decorations to be worn most of the time. The king of Sweden therefore refused the order; it was too common in his eyes. Napoleon's own decorations were captured by the Prussians and were displayed in the Zeughaus (armory) in Berlin until 1945. Today, they are in Moscow.

Restoration of the Bourbon Kings in 1814

Insignia with figure of Henry IV
Certificate

Louis XVIII changed the appearance of the order, but it was not abolished. This would have angered the 35-38,000 members. The images of Napoleon and his eagle were removed and replaced by the image of King Henry IV, the popular first king of the Bourbon line. Three Bourbon Lilies (fleur-de-lys) replaced 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. The legion became the second order of knighthood of the French monarchy, after the Order of the Holy Spirit.

July Monarchy

Louis-Philippe, King of the French, wearing the sash of the order

France's first constitutional monarch, King Louis-Philippe of the House of Orleans, restored the order of the Légion d'honneur in 1830 as the paramount decoration of the French nation. The insignia were drastically altered. The cross now displayed tricolor flags. Louis-Philippe abolished the other orders of the monarchy. In 1847, there were 47,000 members.

Second Republic

Yet another revolt in Paris (1848) brought a new republic and a new design to the Légion d'honneur. A nephew of the founder, Prince Napoleon 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. President Napoleon staged a coup d'état and made himself emperor of the French in 1852.

Second Empire

An Imperial crown was added. During Napoleon III's reign the first American was admitted: Dr. Thomas Wiltberger Evans, dentist of Napoleon III.

Third Republic

In 1870 the defeat of the army in the Franco-Prussian war brought another Republic. As France changed, the Légion d'honneur changed as well. The crown was replaced by a laurel and oak wreath. In 1871, during the Paris Commune, the Hôtel de Salm, headquarters of the Légion, was burned to the ground in street fighting; the archives of the order were lost.

In the second term of Jules Grévy, newspaper journalists brought to light the trafficking of Grévy's son-in-law, Daniel Wilson, in the awarding of decorations of the Légion d'Honneur. Grévy was not accused of personal participation in these scandals, but he was slow to accept his indirect responsibility, which caused his eventual resignation on 2 December 1887.

During the First World War, some 55,000 decorations were conferred, 20,000 of which to foreigners. The large number of decorations results from the new posthumous awards authorised in 1918. Traditionally membership in the Légion could not be awarded posthumously.

Current organisation and officers

The President of the French Republic is the Grand Master of the Order and appoints all other members of the Order—by convention, on the advice of the Government. Its principal officers are the Chancellor and Secretary-General.

Current officers of the Order include:

The Grand Master's insignia is the Grand Collar of the Legion. Only the President of the Republic, as Grand Master of the Order, wears a Grand Collar.

French nationals, men and women, can be received into the légion, for "eminent merit" (mérites éminents) in military or civil life. In practice, in current usage, the order is conferred, in addition to military recipients, to many entrepreneurs, high-level civil servants, sport champions[5] in as well as other people with high connections in the executive. The members of the French Parliament cannot receive the order, except for valour in war, and ministers are not allowed to nominate their accountants.

French nationals initially always enter the légion at the class of chevalier (knight). To be promoted to a higher class, one must prove new services to France and a set number of years must pass between appointment and promotion. The only exception is the President of the Republic, who is made a grand cross de jure upon his accession to the presidency. Foreigners are not admitted in the légion as such, but may be decorated with the insignia of the légion. A foreigner can be decorated directly with the insignia of a higher class. Foreign heads of state and the wives or consorts of monarchs are made Grand Cross as a courtesy.

Another man awarded with the Légion d'honneur was Gustave Camoin- a reporter for Agence France Presse. His award was for reporting the scuttling of the French Fleet off Toulon against the wishes of the Gestapo and Germans. For this, he suffered an all night interrogation by the Gestapo, but they could not harm him as he was a public figure. Camille Papin Tissot a French radio pioneer, experimental physicist, Légion d’honneur en 1901, officier légion d’honneur en 1909.

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 2000 the actual membership was 61 Grand Cross, 321 Grand Officers, 3,626 Commanders, 22,401 Officers and 87,371 Knights.

Appointments of veterans of the Second World War, French military personnel involved in the North African Campaign and other foreign French military operations, as well as wounded soldiers, are made independently of the quota.

File:Frank Buckles at 106.jpg
Frank Buckles the last surviving American soldier of the First World War is seen here wearing the chevalier's insignia

In 1998, all surviving veterans of the First World War from any allied country who had fought on French soil were made Knights of the Légion if they were not so already, as part of the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the war's end. In December 2004, on the occasion of his 110th birthday, France's oldest surviving veteran of the war, Maurice Floquet, was promoted to Officer. On 9 and 16 March 2009, Harry Patch and Henry Allingham were also promoted to Officer.

Members convicted of a felony (crime in French) are dismissed de jure from the order. Members convicted of a misdemeanor (délit in French) can be dismissed too.

Wearing the decoration of the Légion d'honneur without having the right to do so is an offence. Wearing the ribbon or rosette of a foreign order of knighthood is prohibited if that ribbon is mainly red, like the ribbon of the Légion.

French military members in uniform must salute other military members in uniform wearing the medal, whatever the Légion d'honneur rank and the military rank of the bearer. This is not mandatory with the ribbon. However, in practice, this is rarely done.

Collective appointments can also be made to cities, institutions, companies, or military units. In the case of a military unit, its flag is decorated with the insignia of a knight, which is a different award than the fourragère. Cities proudly display the decoration in their coat of arms.

Twenty-one schools, mainly higher educations schools providing the bulk of reserve officers during World Wars, were awarded the Légion d'honneur. They share this distinction with the Red Cross, the abbey of Our Lady of Dombes and the state-railway company SNCF.

Classes and insignia

The five classes wearing their respective insignia (gentlemen): 1 - Chevalier; 2 - Officier; 3 - Commandeur; 4 - Grand Officier; 5 - Grand Croix.

The order has five classes:

  • Two dignities :
    • Grand'croix (Grand cross) formerly grande décoration, grand aigle or grand cordon: badge affixed to sash worn over the right shoulder, with star displayed on left breast.
    • Grand Officier (Grand Officer): badge worn on left breast suspended from a ribbon, with star displayed on right breast.
  • Three ranks :
    • Commandeur (Commander) formerly commandant: badge around neck suspended from ribbon necklet.
    • Officier (Officer): badge worn on left breast suspended from a ribbon with a rosette.
    • Chevalier (Knight) formerly légionnaire: badge worn on left breast suspended from ribbon.

The sitting President of the Republic, as grand master of the order, wears the Grand Collar of the Légion, which is presented to him upon his investiture.

The badge of the Légion is a five-armed "Maltese Asterisk" (for want of a better description — see Maltese Cross) in gilt (in silver for chevalier) enameled white, with an enameled laurel and oak wreath between the arms. The obverse central disc is in gilt, featuring the head of Marianne, surrounded by the legend République Française on a blue enamel ring. The reverse central disc is also in gilt, with a set of crossed tricolores, surrounded by the Légion's motto Honneur et Patrie (Honour and Fatherland) and its foundation date on a blue enamel ring. The badge is suspended by an enameled laurel and oak wreath.

The star (or "plaque") is worn by the Grand Cross (in gilt on the left chest) and the Grand Officer (in silver on the right chest) respectively; it is similar to the badge, but without enamel, and with the wreath replaced by a cluster of rays in between each arm. The central disc features the head of Marianne, surrounded by the legend République Française (French Republic) and the motto Honneur et Patrie.

The ribbon for the medal is plain red.

The badge or star is not worn usually, except at the time of the decoration ceremony or on a dress uniform or formal wear. Instead, one normally wears the ribbon or rosette on one's suit.

  • Original Légionnaire insignia (1804).
    Original Légionnaire insignia (1804).
  • Late Empire Légionnaire insignia: the front feature Napoleon's profile and the rear, the imperial Eagle. An imperial crown joins the cross and the ribbon.
    Late Empire Légionnaire insignia: the front feature Napoleon's profile and the rear, the imperial Eagle. An imperial crown joins the cross and the ribbon.
  • Louis XVIII era (1814) Knight insignia: the front features Henry IV's profile and the rear, the arms of the French Kingdom (three fleurs de lis). A royal crown joins the cross and the ribbon.
    Louis XVIII era (1814) Knight insignia: the front features Henry IV's profile and the rear, the arms of the French Kingdom (three fleurs de lis). A royal crown joins the cross and the ribbon.
  • Rear of a Republican cross, with two crossed French flags.
    Rear of a Republican cross, with two crossed French flags.
  • Fifth Republic Knight insignia: the centre features Marianne's head. A crown of laurels joins the cross and the ribbon.
    Fifth Republic Knight insignia: the centre features Marianne's head. A crown of laurels joins the cross and the ribbon.
  • Current medal for the officer class, decorated with a rosette.
    Current medal for the officer class, decorated with a rosette.
  • Chiang Kai-shek's Légion d'honneur plaque. In his days the plaque was made of silver.
    Chiang Kai-shek's Légion d'honneur plaque. In his days the plaque was made of silver.
  • Chiang Kai-shek's Légion d'honneur. This is the reverse of his Grand Cross.
    Chiang Kai-shek's Légion d'honneur. This is the reverse of his Grand Cross.
  • The insignia of a Grand Cross. Nowadays the star of a Grand Cross is gilt. The silver star is the Grand Officer's badge.
    The insignia of a Grand Cross. Nowadays the star of a Grand Cross is gilt. The silver star is the Grand Officer's badge.

The Order and Foreign recipients

File:Josip Broz Tito Légion d'honneur.jpg
Yugoslav President Marshal Josip Broz Tito wearing the sash of the Grand'croix while greeting Queen Elisabeth II in 1972.

Technically, membership in the Légion is restricted to French nationals.[6] Foreign nationals who have served France or the ideals it upholds[7] may, however, receive a distinction of the Légion, which is nearly the same thing as membership in the Légion. Foreign nationals who live in France are submitted to the same requirements as Frenchmen.

Foreign nationals who live abroad may be awarded a distinction of any rank or dignity in the Légion:

United States

Individuals
`Abd al-Qādir al-Jazā'irī wearing the sash of the Légion d'honneur in 1860

The individuals listed below are among the approximately 10,000 Americans who have received the decoration.

Institutions/Organizations

United Kingdom

Australia

  • General Sir John Monash was decorated with the Grand Officer during the First World War.
  • Nancy Wake was decorated Légion d’honneur (Chevalier 1970; Officier 1988), she is one of the most decorated Allied servicewomen of World War II serving as a Resistance commander in France.

Hong Kong

Portugal and Brazil

José Paranhos, Viscount of Rio Branco. Wearing the sash of the Légion d'honneur and other orders in 1880.

Turkey

  • Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Founder of Turkey, while he was in The Members of the Mediterranean Forces Command Director of Operations in 11.03.1914. Because of its success at the rank of lieutenant colonel, was honored with the rank of Chevalier.
  • Hicri Fişek (Turkey), professor of international Law, received Chevalier 1964; Officier 1975.

Other Countries

Janab JM Abdul Aziz of Saigon wears the Legion on his right among other Orders

By year

  • 1964
  • Hicri Fişek (Turkey), professor of international Law, received Chevalier 1964; Officier 1975.
  • 1984
  • 1987
  • 1990
  • 1995
  • 1996
  • 1997
  • Pete Goss (U.K.), MBE, yachtsman who rescued fellow competitor Raphaël Dinelli in the 1996 Vendée Globe sailing race.[22]
  • Pedro Almodóvar (Spain), Spanish film director, who received two Oscar's, in 1999 (All about my mother) and 2001 (Talk to her).
  • 1999
  • 2000
  • Péter Medgyessy (Hungary).
  • Julia Child (U.S.), introduced French cuisine and cooking to 'mainstream Americans' 1960s, Cordon-Bleu Chef, cookbooks author, and media personality-celebrity.
  • Ravi Shankar (India), composer, musician, Sitar maestro, artist.
  • 2001
  • 2002
  • 2003
  • 2004
  • 2005
  • Robert Parker (U.S.), the American pre-eminent wine critic, received the title of Officier.
  • E. Sreedharan Indian Technocrat known for Konkan Rail and Delhi Metro Rail Projects.
  • Franco Venturini, Italian journalist and expert in international politics.
  • 2006
  • 2007
  • 2008

liment.ge

  • Alain Frecon (U.S.), Honorary Consul of France, Minnesota.[42]
  • 2009
  • 2010
  • Tony Fernandes, AirAsia and Lotus F1 director, Officier of the Legion d'Honneur for contribution to the aviation industry.
  • Michael Schumacher, seven-time Formula One World Champion Mercedes GP driver, Officier of the Legion d'Honneur.
  • Ralph Lauren, founder of Polo Ralph Lauren, Chevalier of the Legion d'Honneur.
  • Wesley J. Souliere, (U.S.) Second Lieutenant, 26th Yankee Division, awarded for his "...Courage and devotion to freedom".
  • Violette Verdy (France), Serbian humanitarian, widow of the late Prime Minister of Serbia Zoran Đinđić "because of her active work at the foundation she heads".[50]
  • Sergey Viktorovich Chemezov, General Director of Russian Technologies State Corporation, Rostekhnologii (the company about the company) , Officer of the Legion d'Honneur for a hefty contribution to Russian-French cooperation in high-tech production.
  • Gilbert Pritzel, (U.S.)Staff Sergeant U.S. Army Third Infanty Division, awarded for his courage in the face of the enemy and his help in the liberation of France.

Locations associated with the Order

A grand total of 68 cities and villages, amongst them Liège in 1914, Belgrade in 1920, Luxembourg in 1957 and Stalingrad (today's Volgograd) in 1984 were decorated, as were 51 regiments and the Military School of Autun.

The Order has its own élite boarding schools in Saint-Denis and Les Loges in the forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. A thousand children and grandchildren of the members of the order are educated there. Study there is restricted to daughters, grand-daughters, and great-grand-daughters of members of the order, the Médaille militaire or the Ordre national du Mérite.[54]

See also

References

  1. ^ French, translatable as "Legion of Hono(u)r" (see spelling differences), but known as the Légion d'honneur to avoid confusion with similarly named decorations (e.g. the Philippine Legion of Honour)
  2. ^ The award for the French Legion of Hono(u)r is known by many titles, also depending on the five levels of degree: Knight of the Legion of Honour; Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur; Officer of the Legion of Honour; Officier de la Légion d'honneur; Commander of the Legion of Honour; Commandeur de la Légion d'honneur; Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour; Grand Officier de la Légion d'honneur; Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour; Grand'Croix de la Légion d'honneur. The word "honneur" is often capitalised, as in the name of the palace Palais de la Légion d'Honneur.
  3. ^ Pierre-Louis Roederer, "Speech Proposing the Creation of a Legion of Honour", Napoleon: Symbol for an Age, A Brief History with Documents, ed. Rafe Blaufarb (New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008), 101-102.
  4. ^ The first recorded women's award is 1851, under Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte.
  5. ^ All Olympic Gold Medal winners are awarded the Légion.
  6. ^ Légion Code, article 16
  7. ^ Les étrangers qui se seront signalés par les services qu’ils ont rendus à la France ou aux causes qu’elle soutient, Légion Code, art. 128
  8. ^ Batra, Ravi (2005); Greenspan's Fraud: How Two Decades of His Policies Have Undermined the Global Economy. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 1-4039-6859-4. OCLC 57169884. See p.3.
  9. ^ "Speechless", The Spokesman-Review, 16 March 1984
  10. ^ "People: Brad Pitt, Jerry Lewis, Red Hot Chili Peppers", New York Times, 17 March 2006
  11. ^ Bravest of the Brave, Mark Seaman. O'Mara Books Ltd. London 1997. p 233.
  12. ^ http://www.rohcollections.org.uk/record.aspx?ref=8980&collection=Ninette%20de%20Valois%20Bequest&row=5&searchtype=collection
  13. ^ "Honorary distinction", Consulate-General of France in Hong Kong and Macau, consulfrance-hongkong.org, Retrieved 10-07-07
  14. ^ Brazilian Senate (Official Website) Senator Rodrigo Augusto da Silva
  15. ^ Brazilian Senate (Official Website) Senator José Paranhos, Viscount of Rio Branco
  16. ^ Brazilian Senate (Official Website) Pedro de Araújo Lima, Marquis of Olinda
  17. ^ Palm Beach Civic Association, palmbeachcivic.org
  18. ^ [1]
  19. ^ Richard Jenrette, nndb.com
  20. ^ "University of Sydney Arts Handbook". University of Sydney, usyd.edu.au. Retrieved 2 August 2008.
  21. ^ "Consulat général de France à Sydney", ambafrance-au.org. Retrieved 2 August 2008.
  22. ^ Andrew Bray (23 March 1997). "Goss hero to French nation". The Independent. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  23. ^ BBC News, news.bbc.co.uk
  24. ^ Mini biography of Guadalupe Loaeza, biosstars.us
  25. ^ Video Chirac décore Poutine - Chirac, Poutine, Légion, d'honneur, Elysée - Dailymotion Share Your Videos, dailymotion.com Template:Fr icon
  26. ^ [2]
  27. ^ BBC news about Amitabh Bachchan's award of the Légion d'honneur, news.bbc.co.uk
  28. ^ Hindustantimes.com
  29. ^ BBC news about Clint Eastwood's award of the Légion d'honneur, news.bbc.co.uk
  30. ^ GGN news about David Lynch's award of the Légion d'honneur, globalgoodnews.com
  31. ^ Lee, Hyo-won (28 November 2007). "France to Award Director Im Kwon-taek". The Korea Times. Retrieved 4 December 2007.
  32. ^ UC.in.th Template:Th icon
  33. ^ Ambafrance-th.org Template:Th icon
  34. ^ Amref.fr
  35. ^ Sarkozy tells Peres France is Israel's true friend - Israel News, ynetnews.com
  36. ^ "Sarkozy décore le président du Botswana pour sa bonne gouvernance", afp.oogle.com, 20 March 2008 Template:Fr icon.
  37. ^ Samuel, Henry (18 March 2008). "Nicolas Sarkozy to honour Ellen MacArthur - Telegraph". London: Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 28 December 2008.
  38. ^ France honors wartime service of Charles Durning, bhcnp.org
  39. ^ MSN article about Spielberg receiving the honour, entertainment.uk.msn.com
  40. ^ a b AFP: Légion d'honneur: Ingrid Betancourt, Dany Boon et Sonia Rykiel distingués, afp.google.com
  41. ^ Giorgio Armani, officer de la Légion d'Honneur, vogue.fr
  42. ^ Frenchculture.org
  43. ^ Milva - La France en Italie, 11 September 2009.
  44. ^ Vogue.co.uk
  45. ^ JKR receive the Legion of Honor award from French president
  46. ^ Décoration de Mme J.K. ROWLING, romancière, elysee.fr
  47. ^ France-Amerique.com
  48. ^ "French honour for Dame Carol", Liama Abaijah, The National, 13 February 2009. thenational.com
  49. ^ "Décoration de Dame Carol Kidu", French embassy to Papua New Guinea, 12 February 2009. ambafrance-pg.org
  50. ^ a b c B92 editor-in-chief, Đinđić widow get top French accolade, b92.net
  51. ^ The Lafayette Daily Advertiser, Veterans Day 2009: Remembering our heroes
  52. ^ Marines.mil
  53. ^ Lopez, Manny (6 March 2010). "Rancho Bernardo: Man receives French medal for WWII service". North County Times. Escondido, California: Lee Enterprises. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
  54. ^ Melh.info
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