Orders, decorations, and medals of the Netherlands
Image:Ster van de Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw.jpg|thumb|Grand cross of the Order of the [Netherlands Lion].
In the Dutch honours system, most orders are the responsibility of ministers of the Netherlands Government. The house orders, however, are awarded at the discretion of the Dutch monarch alone.
Over the centuries, hundreds of medals, decorations for merit or valour and orders of knighthood have been instituted by the successive governments of the Netherlands. The oldest were founded by the counts of Holland. Their successors, the House of Burgundy, founded the famous Order of the Golden Fleece. This order still exists in Spain and in the Austrian imperial House.
The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands did not possess an order of knighthood. Instead so called "Beloningspenningen", golden medals on golden chains, were given as gifts to ambassadors and successful admirals.
In 1781 a medal called the "Doggersbank medaille" was awarded to the officers who took part in the Battle of the Dogger Bank against the British fleet. It was the first modern Dutch decoration.
The Batavian Republic, founded after the French invasion of 1795, did not institute any orders or medals.
The Kingdom of Holland was founded in 1805 to provide a throne for Napoleon's younger brother Lodewijk Napoleon Bonaparte. The "King of Holland" founded an "Orde van de Unie",.
The first king of the Netherlands, William I, founded the Military Order of William and a civilian order, the Order of the Netherlands Lion.
His successors founded several orders of merit and some two hundred medals, stars and crosses. The Netherlands never established a colonial order for the Dutch East Indies.
The order of wear of Dutch Honours is published in the Staatscourant. The orders, decorations and medals are listed in that order below.
Orders of chivalry and similar distinctions
- Military William Order, founded on 30 April 1815 by King William I
- 55px Cross for Courage and Fidelity
- Honorary Sabre
- Dutch Cross of Resistance
- 55px Honorary Medal for Charitable Assistance
- 40px Order of the Netherlands Lion, founded on 29 September 1815 by King William I
- Order of Orange-Nassau, founded on 4 April 1892 by the Queen regent Emma
House orders
- Order of the Gold Lion [of the House of Nassau], founded on 31 March 1858 by King-Grand Duke William III
- Order of the House of Orange, instituted by Queen Wilhelmina in 1905, reorganized by Queen Juliana in 1969
- Order for Loyalty and Merit, established as a separate group of the House Order of Orange by Queen Juliana in 1969
- Order of the Crown, established as a separate group of the House Order of Orange by Queen Juliana in 1969
State awards
Awards for bravery
Awards for merit
- Medal of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute
- Museum Medal
- Flood Disaster Medal
- De Ruyter Medal
- Medal of the Red Cross
- Medal of Recognition 1940-1945
- Decoration of Merit in gold or silver
Commemorative awards for military operations
- Silver Memorial Cross 1813-15, awarded 1865
- Expedition Cross
- Aceh Medal
- Lombok Cross
- War Commemorative Cross
- Resistance Commemorative Cross
- Decoration for Order and Peace
- New Guinea Commemorative Cross
- Mobilisation War Cross 1940-1945
- Cross for Law and Liberty, for Korean service 1950-53
- Commemorative Medal UN Peace Operations
- Commemorative Medal Multinational Peace Operations
- Commemorative Medal Peace Operations
- Commemorative Medal for Humanitarian Assistance in Disasters
- Kosovo Medal
Awards for faithful service
- in gold, silver or bronze
- Decoration for Loyal Volunteer Service in the Coast Guard
- Volunteer Medal Public Safety
Commemorative medals and awards for skill
- Queen Wilhelmina Inauguration Medal, 1898
- Wedding Medal of Queen Wilhelmina and Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, 1901
- Commemorative Medal of the Second Hague Peace Conference 1907
- Royal Silver Wedding Medal, 1926
- Honor Guard Commemorative Medal, 1933
- Wedding Medal of Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard, 1937
- Queen Juliana Inauguration Medal, 1948
- Royal Silver Wedding Medal of Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard, 1962
- Wedding Medal of Princess Beatrix and Claus van Amsberg, 1966
- Queen Beatrix Inauguration Medal, 1980
- Netherlands Antilles Visit Medal, 1980
- Wedding Medal of Willem-Alexander and Máxima Zorreguieta, 2002
- King Willem-Alexander Inauguration Medal, 2013
- Caribbean Part of the Kingdom Visit Medal, 2013
- Commemorative Medal for State Visits
- Rietkerk Medal
- Navy Foreign Service Medal
- Army Foreign Service Medal
- Marechaussee Foreign Service Medal
- Air Force Foreign Service Medal
- Voluntary Police Commemorative Medal 1948–98
- Master-Sharpshooter on Rifle of the Royal Navy
- Master-Gunner on Rifle of the Royal Navy
- Royal Medal of Shooting Contests
- Medal for First Class Sharpshooters
- KNIL awards
Other officially recognised knightly orders
The Dutch government allows the following orders of chivalry to be worn on military uniforms:- Sovereign Military Order of Malta
- Order of Saint John in the Netherlands
- Teutonic Order, Bailiwick of Utrecht
Decorations instituted by H.R.H. Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands
Awards from Dutch private organizations
- Carnegie Hero Fund Medal
- Mobilisation Cross 1914-1918
- Cross for the Four Day Marches
- Medal for Proven Athletic Skill of the Dutch Olympic Committee
- National Pentathlon Cross of the Dutch Sports Federation
- Military Performance Event Cross of the Royal Dutch Reserve Officers Association
- Eleven cities cross, medal for those who completed the Eleven cities long-distance skating tour
Awards from international organizations
- United Nations Medal
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal
- Western European Union Medal
- Multinational Force and Observers Medal
- European Community Monitor Mission Medal
- CSDP Medal
- Baltic Air Policing Medal
Literature and sources
- W.F. Bax, "Ridderorden, eereteekenen, draagteekens en penningen, betreffende de Weermacht van Nederland en Koloniën ", 1973
- H.G. Meijer, C.P. Mulder en B.W. Wagenaar, "Orders and Decorations of the Netherlands", 1984
- C.H. Evers, "Onderscheidingen", 2001
- J.H. van Zelm van Eldik, "Moed en Trouw", 2003
- O Schutte, De Orde van de Unie", 1985