Order of Leopold II
The order of Leopold II was founded on August 24, 1900 by King Leopold II of Belgium as a civil and military merit order for the Congo state . In 1908 he was part of the Belgian order.
It can be given to anyone as a reward for service rendered to the reigning monarch and as a token of personal benevolence.
Order classes
The order consists of five classes and a medal of merit in three levels ( gold , silver and bronze )
-
Grand Cross
-
Grand Officer
-
commander
-
officer
-
Knight
- Merit Medal
-
gold -
silver -
bronze
-
Order decoration
The medal is a golden Maltese cross that is worn on a royal crown . Between the arms of the cross there is a wreath of palm trees. In the black enamel medallion , the Belgian lion can be seen with the inscription L´UNION FAIT LA FORCE - EENDRACHT MAAKT MACHT (unity makes you strong). A crowned L (Leopold) on the reverse .
Carrying method
The grand cross is worn with a sash from the left shoulder to the right hip and a ten-pointed breast star with alternating brilliant rays in silver and smooth rays in gold. The Grand Officer's Cross is a five-armed breast star. Commanders wear the medal as neck medals , officers and knights on a ribbon on their left chest. Officers also have a rosette on the ribbon. The knight's medal is made of silver.
The ribbon is blue with a black central stripe.
particularities
Military persons who were honored in the daily orders of the First and Second World War wear a palm tree with the initials A ( Albert ) or L ( Leopold ) on the ribbon of the IV and V classes .
literature
- Paul Ohm Hieronymussen: Handbook of European Orders in Color. Universitas, Berlin 1975, ISBN 3-8004-0948-8 .
