Order
of Leopold I
(1832-Present)
Knight
The Order of
Leopold I is the oldest and
highest order of Belgium. It was established in 1832 by King Leopold I
in five grades. It has three divisions; Army, Navy and Civilian.
The Army division
is distinguished
by two crossed swords above the cross and below the suspension crown.
The
Navy division has two crossed anchors, and the civilian division has
only
the crown.
The grades are
the same for all forms
and are listed below in order from highest to lowest:
Grand Cordon
Great Officer
Commander
Officer
Knight
The Knight
Grade is made of silver,
while the other grades are of silver gilt. Medals awarded for military
valor were distinguished by crossed swords attached to the suspension
ribbon
on both the knight and officer grades. The ribbon of the officer grade
is denoted by a rosette, and the commander grade is worn about the
neck.
Grades above Commander are worn as a sash and breast badge.
This particular
example is the Civilian
Order of Leopold I, Knight Grade. It is the 1880-1914 type and has the
French "L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE" (Unity creates power) on the obverse
seal.
The enameling is almost flawless, with the only imperfection on the
obverse
left arm of the cross. It can be seen in the scan as a small brown
spot.
It also came in the original case. The cover has the Belgian Royal
monogram.
The box is not in perfect, but in excellent condition. and the inside
is
maker marked. It reads:
DE VIGNE-HART
GRAVEUR
DE LA MAISON DU ROI
----------------------------------------------------------------------
6, Galerie du
Roi
BRUXELLES
Special thanks to Commandant Pat Van
Hoorebeke of the Royal Army
Museum of Belgium and to Hendrik Meersschaert for providing information
about this medal.
For more information on the Order of Leopold I, click HERE
to go to Hendrik's Medal Corner.
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