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Order of the Oak Crown

{{Short description|Heraldic order of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg}}

{{More citations needed|date=October 2015}}

{{Infobox order

|title = Order of the Oak Crown
{{small|{{native name|fr|Ordre de la Couronne de chêne}}
{{native name|de|Eichenlaubkronenorden}}
{{native name|lb|Eechelaafkrounenuerden}}}}

|image = 250px

|caption = Grand Cross set of the order

|awarded_by = Grand Duke of Luxembourg

|type = Chivalric order with five grades

|motto = {{lang|fr|Je maintiendrai}} ("I will maintain")

|day = Only awarded on Grand Duke's Official Birthday (23 June), which is also the National Holiday

|eligibility = Eligible to members of government, deputies, state councillors, civil servants, elected representatives and personnel of municipal administrations, key players of the economic, social, cultural or sport sectors as well as to volunteers. Can also be awarded to foreigners.

|for = Luxembourg citizens who performed outstanding civil and military services, as well for distinguished artists who made outstanding achievements.

|status = Currently constituted

|head_title = Grand Master

|head = Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg

|head2 = Luc Frieden

|head2_title = Chancellor

|commander =

|grades = Grand Cross, Grand Officer, Commander, Officer, Knight

|former_grades = Knight Grand Cross, Knight of the Star, Knight Commander

|established = 29 December 1841

|first_induction =

|last_induction =

|total =

|recipients =

|individual =

|higher = Order of Adolphe of Nassau

|lower = Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

|image2 = 80px

|caption2 = Ribbon bar of the order

}}

The Order of the Oak Crown ({{langx|fr|Ordre de la Couronne de chêne}}, {{langx|de|Eichenlaubkronenorden}}, {{langx|lb|Eechelaafkrounenuerden}}) is an order of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

History

The Order of the Oak Crown was established in 1841 by Grand Duke William II, who was also King of the Netherlands. At that time, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the Kingdom of the Netherlands were in personal union in which both nations shared the same person as their respective head of state, though remaining as two distinct and independent nations. Although the order was legally a Luxembourgish honour, it was often used by William II and his successor, King-Grand Duke William III, as a house order of the Nassau dynasty to reward Dutch subjects, beyond the control of the Dutch government.

William II conferred membership of the order on fewer than 30 recipients. His successor, William III, liked the ability to confer membership of this order at his sole discretion, and awarded 300 decorations on the day of his investiture alone. In the following years, hundreds of additional awards of the order were made. Indeed, there were so many recipients in the Kingdom of the Netherlands itself that the order was widely (and falsely) regarded as a Dutch honour.

Membership of the Order of the Oak Crown ceased to be awarded to Dutch subjects in 1890, when Queen Wilhelmina, as the only remaining member of the House of Orange-Nassau, succeeded her father as new Queen of the Netherlands. Since the Erneuter Erbverein, the Salic Law-based house-treaty between the two branches of the House of Nassau (the junior branch of Orange-Nassau and the senior branch of Nassau-Weilburg (present-day Luxembourg-Nassau)), did not allow women to succeed to the throne of Luxembourg as long as male heirs of the House of Nassau (in both branches) existed, the throne of Luxembourg went to a German relative of the new Dutch queen, also her maternal great-uncle Adolphe, Duke of Nassau, who became Grand Duke of Luxembourg at age 73. The Order of the Oak Crown remained a solely Luxembourgish honour; subsequently, the Netherlands established the Order of Orange-Nassau instead.

Since the accession of Grand Duke Adolphe, the order has been primarily used as an award for Luxembourgish citizens, although membership has occasionally been conferred on foreigners, mainly on members of foreign royal families or on eminent foreigners with Luxembourgish ancestors.

The Grand Duke of Luxembourg is the Grand Master of the order.

Grades and insignia

File:Orde van de Eikenkroon op rokkostuum.jpg

File:Oak crown officer.jpg

File:Guido Oppenheim Medail Chevalier Couronne de Chêne 1926.jpg

= Origin =

After the abdication of King-Grand Duke William I in 1841, his successor William II granted Luxembourg a written anti-liberal constitution (called the Charter) in order to strengthen his authority over the country. At the same occasion, he established the Order of the Oak Crown with the idea to be able to reward loyal supporters of his regime in liberal-minded Luxembourg.Gilbert Trausch, Le Luxembourg à l'époque contemporaine, p27ff, Publisher Bourg-Bourger, Luxembourg 1981

The badge, the ribbon, and the (then) four-class hierarchy of the order were inspired by the Russian Order of St. George. This was probably due to the fact that William II was married to a daughter of Emperor Paul I of Russia, and that he had received the Order of St. George for his meritorious command in the Battle of Waterloo.

= Grades =

Nowadays, the order consists of five grades:

  1. Grand Cross – wears the badge on a sash on the right shoulder, and the plaque on the left chest;
  2. Grand Officer – wears the badge on a necklet, and the plaque on the left chest;
  3. Commander – wears the badge on a necklet;
  4. Officer – wears the badge on a chest ribbon with rosette on the left chest;
  5. Knight – wears the badge on a chest ribbon on the left chest;

plus gilt, silver and bronze medals, who wear the medal on a chest ribbon on the left chest.

align=center class=wikitable width=60% style="margin:1em auto;"

! colspan=15| Ribbon bars

valign=top align=center colspan=3| 80px
Grand Cross

|valign=top align=center colspan=3| 80px
Grand Officer

|valign=top align=center colspan=3| 80px
Commander

|valign=top align=center colspan=3| 80px
Officer

|valign=top align=center colspan=3| 80px
Knight

valign=top align=center colspan=5| 80px
Gold medal; later, Gilt medal

|valign=top align=center colspan=5| 80px
Silver medal

|valign=top align=center colspan=5| 80px
Bronze medal

= Insignia =

  • The badge of the order is a gilt cross pattée, enamelled in white; the Officer class has a green enamelled oak wreath between the arms of the cross. The central disc bears the crowned monogram "W" (for William) on a green enamel background.
  • The plaque of the order is (for Grand Cross) an eight-pointed faceted silver star, or (for Grand Officer) a faceted silver Maltese Cross. The central disc bears the crowned monogram "W" (for William) on a green enamel background, surrounded by a red enamel ring with the motto Je Maintiendrai ("I Will Maintain", now the national motto of the Netherlands), in turn surrounded by a green enamelled oak wreath.
  • The medal of the order is in an octagonal shape, with the motif of the badge of the Order without enamel on the obverse, and an oak wreath without enamel on the reverse.
  • The ribbon of the order is yellow-orange moiré with three dark green stripes. The colors are said to be inspired by the oak forests and the fields of rue of the Luxembourg countryside.

Recipients

{{Dynamic list}}

{{Div col|colwidth=15em|rules=|gap=4em}}

;Grand Crosses

;Grand Officers

;Commanders

;Officers

;Knights

;Gold/Gilt Medal

;Silver Medal

;Bronze Medal

;Ridders (Obsolete)

;Unknown Class

{{Div col end}}

File:Order of the Oak Crown 2.png|Grand Cross set of the order.

File:Order of the Oak Crown 3.png|The Grand Cross star and sash.

File:Order of the Oak Crown 7.png|The star of the order.

File:Aug Dumon-Dumortier.jpg|Augustine Dumon-Dumortier wearing the Grand Cross of the order back when the Grand Cross star resembled the Grand Officer of today.

File:Order of the Oak Crown 8.png|Close-up of the Grand Cross badge.

File:Order of the Oak Crown 4.png|Grand Cross set.

File:Order of the Oak Crown 1.png|The Grand Cross sash, badge and star of the order.

File:Order of the Oak Crown 6.png|Grand Cross.

File:Order of the Oak Crown 5.png|Grand Cross.

File:Order of the Oak Crown grand cross badge (Luxembourg 1970) - Tallinn Museum of Orders.jpg|Grand Cross badge showing the royal monogram of William II.

File:Order of the Oak Crown grand cross star (Luxembourg 1970) - Tallinn Museum of Orders.jpg|Close-up of the Grand Cross star.

File:Luxembourg, Ordre de la Couronne de Chêne - Grand Croix (2).jpg|Grand Cross set from the early 20th Century

File:Luxemburgse ridderorde (Orde van de Eikenkroon), ontvangen door Willem Drees, NG-2003-48.jpg|The Grand Cross set of Dutch Prime Minister Willem Drees

File:Order of the Oak Crown 11.png|Grand Cross set by Arthus Bertrand.

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • Legislative texts (French & German) :
  • Mémorial A n° 1 du 3 January 1842, [https://web.archive.org/web/20160303174554/http://www.legilux.public.lu/leg/a/archives/1842/0001/a001.pdf#page=1 Arrêté royal grand-ducal du 29 décembre 1841, Litt. A, portant institution, pour le Grand-Duché du Luxembourg d'un Ordre de la Couronne de Chêne.] (Foundation of the Order)
  • Mémorial A n° 37 du 16 July 1845, [https://web.archive.org/web/20140714205940/http://www.legilux.public.lu/leg/a/archives/1845/0037/a037.pdf#page=1 Arrêté royal grand-ducal du 8 juillet 1845, N° 1395, statuant que les insignes de l'ordre de la Couronne de Chêne doivent être renvoyés à la Chancellerie d'État à La Haye après le décès des membres de l'ordre] (Decorations of the Order must be returned after death or promotion)
  • Mémorial A n° 1 du 6 January 1855, [https://web.archive.org/web/20160303170609/http://www.legilux.public.lu/leg/a/archives/1855/0001/a001.pdf#page=10 Arrêté royal grand-ducal du 2 septembre 1854 concernant les frais de l'Ordre de la Couronne de chêne] (Costs of the Order)
  • Mémorial A n° 6 du 23 February 1858, [https://web.archive.org/web/20140714154750/http://www.legilux.public.lu/leg/a/archives/1858/0006/a006.pdf#page=1 Arrêté royal grand-ducal du 5 février 1858 modifiant celui du 29 décembre 1841, portant institution de l'Ordre de la Couronne de Chêne] (Creation of the rank of Officer)
  • Mémorial A n° 28 du 5 November 1872, [https://web.archive.org/web/20160303204304/http://www.legilux.public.lu/leg/a/archives/1872/0028/a028.pdf#page=2 Arrêté royal grand-ducal du 28 octobre 1872 concernant les insignes de l'Ordre de la Couronne de chêne.] (Gold medal replaced by a silver-gilt medal)
  • Mémorial A n° 56 du 24 August 1876, [https://web.archive.org/web/20140714161018/http://www.legilux.public.lu/leg/a/archives/1876/0056/a056.pdf#page=10 Circulaire du 21 août 1876 – Ordre de la Couronne de chêne.] (Return and wearing of decorations)
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20170118153440/http://www.gouvernement.lu/1828180/Distinctions_honorifiques-EN.pdf Honorary distinctions of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg] – Official website of the Luxembourg gouvernement

{{Clear}}

{{Luxembourg honours}}

Category:1841 establishments in Luxembourg

Category:Awards established in 1841