Orders, decorations, and medals of Belgium

Belgium has established numerous orders of knighthood, decorations and medals since its creation in 1830. Below is a list of those awards. The order of precedence is difficult to establish as Belgium does not keep an up-to-date listing with dormant and active awards. However, André Borné has established such a list[1] that is used as a basis.

## National orders[edit]

Orders displayed on a white background are active; those on a grey background are dormant or no longer awarded.

Order of Leopold | Order of the African Star | Royal Order of the Lion | Order of the Crown | Order of Leopold II

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## Current awards and decorations[edit]

### Military awards[edit]

Military decoration for exceptional service or acts of bravery or extraordinary devotion | Military Cross | Military Decoration for faithful service | Cross of honour for service abroad | Commemorative medal for armed humanitarian operations | Commemorative medal for foreign missions or operations | Commemorative medal for missions or operations regarding the operational defense of the territory | Meritorious service medal

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### Civilian awards[edit]

Civil Decoration for acts of bravery, selfsacrifice and philanthropy | Carnegie hero fund medal | Civil Decoration for long service | Labour decoration | Laureate of labour

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### Military marching medals[edit]

Commemorative medal for the European remembrance and friendship march | Commemorative medal 'Yser march'

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## Historical awards and decorations[edit]

These medals and decorations are currently no longer awarded.

### Belgian Revolution (1830–31)[edit]

Merit medal of the civil guard | 1830 Star of honour | Iron cross and iron medal | 1830 volunteers commemorative cross

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### World War I (1914–1918)[edit]

Medals are shown in order of precedence.

War cross '14-'18 | Yser medal | Fire cross | Maritime decoration of the War | Civil decoration of the War | King Albert medal | Queen Elisabeth medal | Volunteer combatant medal

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Victory medal '14-'18 | Commemorative medal of the War '14-'18 | Commemorative medal of the African campaigns '14-'17 | Medal of the political prisoner '14-'18 | Deportees cross '14-'18 | Colonial commemorative medal | Medal of the national committee for aid and nourishment | Medal for the national restoration | Liège Medal

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### World War II (1940–1945) and the Korean War (1954)[edit]

Medals are shown in order of precedence.

War cross '40-'45 | Armed resistance medal | Political prisoner's cross '40-'45 | Civil decoration '40-'45 | Escaper's cross | Medal of Belgian gratitude '40–'45 | Medal of the war volunteer '40-'45 | Commemorative medal of the war '40-'45 | Foreign operational theatres commemorative medal

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Prisoner of war medal '40-'45 | Maritime medal | Commemorative medal of the Ethiopian campaign '40-'41 | African war medal '40-'45 | Civilian resistance medal | Civilian disobedience medal | Colonial war effort medal '40–'45 | Military combatant medal '40-'45 | Medal for resistance against nazism in the annexed territories | World War II Recruiting centres medal

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### Other medals and awards[edit]

Awards and medals listed below are either obsolete or have never been awarded.

War cross | The service star | The meritorious service medal for native chiefs | The royal household medal | The native service medal | The Arab campaign medal

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The medal for sports merit | The medal for family merit | The medal for agricultural and artisanal merit | The medal for services rendered

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### Commemorative medals[edit]

Commemorative medal of the visit to Brazil | Commemorative medal 1870-1871 | Commemorative medal of the 100 anniversary of the national independence | Commemorative Decoration of the 50th Anniversary of the creation of the railroads | Commemorative medal of the reign of King Leopold I | Commemorative medal of the reign of King Leopold II | Commemorative medal of the reign of King Albert I | Commemorative decoration for the 50th anniversary of the Ostend-Dover Line | Commemorative medal of the VIIth olympics

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Commemorative medal for the 75th anniversary of the telegraph service | Commemorative medal for the 100th anniversary of the telegraph service | Commemorative medal for the 75th anniversary of the Belgian postal services | Commemorative medal for the 100th anniversary of the Belgian postal services | Commemorative medal for Congo | Commemorative cross of the House of King Albert | Commemorative decoration for the 50th anniversary of the Royal donation fund | Medal for the 50th anniversary of Belgian Congo

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## Belgian Red Cross[edit]

Order of the Belgian red cross | Blood donor's medal | Cross of honour of the Belgian red cross '40-'45 | Red cross decoration '40-'45 | Commemorative medal 22 March Red Cross Flemish Brabant

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## See also[edit]

* List of honours of Belgium awarded to heads of state and royalty

## References[edit]

1. ^ Borné A.C., 1985, Distinctions honorifiques de la Belgique, 1830-1985 (Brussels)

* Quinot H., 1950, Recueil illustré des décorations belges et congolaises, 4e Edition. (Hasselt)
* Cornet R., 1982, Recueil des dispositions légales et réglementaires régissant les ordres nationaux belges. 2e Ed. N.pl., (Brussels)
* Borné A.C., 1985, Distinctions honorifiques de la Belgique, 1830–1985 (Brussels)
* Van Hoorebeke, 2007, P., 175 Ans de l'Ordre de Léopold et les Ordres Nationaux Belges (MRA Brussels)
* André Borné, 1982, Honneur au travail: Distinctions honorifiques pour les travailleurs 1830–1980, (Brussels)

## Further reading[edit]

* Clark, Samuel (2016). Distributing Status: The Evolution of State Honours in Western Europe. Montreal: McGill-Queen's university press. ISBN 9780773546844.

## External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Awards of Belgium.

* page on diplomatie.belgium.be
* [1]

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Orders, decorations, and medals of Belgium

National orders|

* Order of Leopold
* Order of the African Star
* Royal Order of the Lion
* Order of the Crown
* Order of Leopold II

Pre–1914|

* Civic Guard Merit Medal
* 1830 Star of Honour
* Iron Cross
* 1830 Volunteers' Commemorative Cross
* 1870–71 Commemorative Medal
* Service Star

World War I|

* War Cross 1914–18
* Fire Cross 1914–1918
* Yser Cross and Medal
* Volunteer Combatant's Medal 1914–1918
* Commemorative Medal of the 1914–1918 War
* Commemorative Medal of the 1914–1917 African Campaigns
* Liège Medal
* Maritime Decoration 1914–1918
* Political Prisoner's Medal 1914–1918
* Deportees' Cross 1914–1918
* 1914–1918 Medal for National Restoration
* King Albert Medal
* Queen Elisabeth Medal
* Inter-Allied Victory Medal 1914–1918
* Civic Decoration 1914–1918
* Commemorative Medal of the National Committee for Aid and Food

World War II
& Korean War|

* War Cross 1940–45
* Maritime Medal 1940–1945
* 1940–1945 Military Combatant's Medal
* Volunteer's Medal 1940–1945
* 1940–1945 African War Medal
* 1940–1945 Colonial War Effort Medal
* Abyssinian Campaigns Commemorative Medal
* Resistance Medal 1940–1945
* Civilian Resistance Medal
* Civilian Disobedience Medal
* Political Prisoner's Cross 1940–1945
* Prisoner of War Medal 1940–1945
* Escapees' Cross 1940–1945
* Medal for Resistance against Nazism in the Annexed Territories
* Medal of the Recruiting Centers 1940
* Medal of Belgian Gratitude 1940–1945
* Commemorative Medal of the 1940–1945 War
* Foreign Operational Theatres Commemorative Medal

Current
military awards|

* Military Decoration for exceptional service, bravery or exceptional devotion
* Military Cross
* Military Decoration for faithful service
* Cross of Honour for Military Service Abroad
* Commemorative Medal for Armed Humanitarian Operations
* Commemorative Medal for Foreign Operations or Missions
* Commemorative medal for missions or operations regarding the operational defense of the territory
* Meritorious Service Medal

Current
civilian awards|

* Civil decoration for acts of bravery, selfsacrifice and philanthropy
* Civil decoration for faithful service
* Labour Decoration
* Laureate of labour

Commemorative
medals|

* Commemorative Decoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Creation of the Railroads
* Commemorative Medal of the Reign of King Leopold II
* Commemorative Medal for the 75th Anniversary of the Belgian Postal Service
* Centenary of National Independence Commemorative Medal
* Commemorative Medal for the Centenary of the Telegraphic Service
* Commemorative Medal for the 100th Anniversary of the Belgian Postal Service
* Commemorative Medal of the Reign of King Albert I
* Commemorative Medal for the "European March of Memory and Friendship"
* "Four Days of the Yser" Commemorative Medal

Belgian Red Cross|

* Order of the Belgian Red Cross
* Blood Donour's Medal
* 1940–1945 Cross of Honour of the Belgian Red Cross
* 1940–1945 Belgian Red Cross Decoration

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