Military Merit Order (France)
The Military Merit Order (Institution du Mérite militaire) was on March 10, 1759 by King Louis XV. Donated by France and intended to reward foreign officers of the Protestant faith who had rendered services to the monarchy and the French state.
history
At the beginning of the 18th century, around twenty regiments , made up entirely of foreigners, were under the French flag. Up to this point in time, the French system of orders only knew orders for which the Catholic faith (the state religion at the time) was a prerequisite. Since most of the members were of the Protestant faith, it became necessary to found a new order. This is how the Order of Military Merit arose, which was strongly based on the existing Ordre royal et militaire de Saint-Louis .
Before being accepted into the order, every knight had to take the following oath on the king:
“ Je m'engage à être fidèle à Sa Majesté, à ne point me départir de l'obéissance qui lui est due, et à ceux qui commandent sous ses ordres; à garder et défendre de tout mon pouvoir son honneur, son autorité, ses droits et ceux de sa couronne; à ne point quitter son service pour en prendre aucun chez les princes étrangers, sans son agrément par écrit; à lui révéler tout ce qui viendra à ma connaissance contre sa personne et son état; et à me comporter en tout comme le doit un vertueux et vaillant chevalier. "
On August 13, 1785, Louis XVI. the order with a capital of 32,000 livres . From this amount, the owners of the Grand-Croix received a one-off grant of 4,000 each, commanders 3,000 each and chevaliers a sum of between 200 and 800 livres.
With a decree of January 1, 1791, the Order of Military Merit and the Ordre de Saint-Louis were combined to form the Décoration militaire , the obligatory oath was abolished and, from September 26, 1791, was awarded regardless of the denomination . After the republic was proclaimed, the order was abolished by decree of October 15, 1792. Louis XVIII however, loaned him on in exile and reinstated him in his old rights after his accession to the throne on November 28, 1814. From this point onwards it could be awarded to all officers who were not of the Catholic faith. The last awards were made in 1829 and the order has been considered extinct since 1830.
Order classes
The order is divided into three classes and the number of members was regulated. By decree of November 28, 1814, the number of owners was increased.
- Grand croix - 2/4 carriers
- Commandeur - 4/8 carrier
- Chevalier - unlimited
Order decoration
The medal is a golden eight-pointed Maltese cross with a white enamelled border. The cross tips are covered with small golden balls and a golden lily is attached to each cross corner . A high oval medallion rests in the middle of the cross . This is enamelled in red and shows a vertical sword . The medallion is surrounded by a blue enamelled ring with the golden inscription PRO VIRTUTE BELLICA (For honorable fight). On the back is a laurel wreath with the inscription LUDOVICUS XV. INSTITUIT seen in 1759 .
With the merging of the Military Merit Order and the Ordre de Saint-Louis, only the inscription on the back of the medallion changed to LUD. XV. INST. 1759.
Carrying method
Grand-croix and Commandeur wore the award on a sash from right shoulder to left hip. The grand croix also included an enlarged order sign without enamel as a breast star . Chevalier decorated the medal on the ribbon on the left side of the chest.
The order initially had a dark blue ribbon and was given a red ribbon by decree of November 28, 1814.
literature
- André Damien: Les Ordres de Chevalerie et les Décorations , Éditions Mémoire et Documents, ISBN 2-914611-05-6
- Perrot, Aristide Michel: From the Order of the Garter to the Legion of Honor: the historical knight and Order of Merit of Europe , The bibliophile paperbacks, Nachdr. D. German edition Leipzig 1821 Dortmund: Harenberg, 1980. P. 305, ISBN 3-88379-220-9