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.
Awarded for
Luxembourg citizens who performed outstanding civil and military services, as well for distinguished artists who made outstanding achievements.
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
Officer's cross
Knight's cross
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.[1]
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:
Grand Cross – wears the badge on a sash on the right shoulder, and the plaque on the left chest;
Grand Officer – wears the badge on a necklet, and the plaque on the left chest;
Commander – wears the badge on a necklet;
Officer – wears the badge on a chest ribbon with rosette on the left chest;
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.
Ribbon bars
Grand Cross
Grand Officer
Commander
Officer
Knight
Gold medal; later, Gilt medal
Silver medal
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
This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
^Gilbert Trausch, Le Luxembourg à l'époque contemporaine, p27ff, Publisher Bourg-Bourger, Luxembourg 1981
External links
Legislative texts (French & German) :
Mémorial A n° 1 du 3 January 1842, (Foundation of the Order)
Mémorial A n° 37 du 16 July 1845, (Decorations of the Order must be returned after death or promotion)
Mémorial A n° 1 du 6 January 1855, (Costs of the Order)
Mémorial A n° 6 du 23 February 1858, (Creation of the rank of Officer)
Mémorial A n° 28 du 5 November 1872, (Gold medal replaced by a silver-gilt medal)
Mémorial A n° 56 du 24 August 1876, (Return and wearing of decorations)
– Official website of the Luxembourg gouvernement
January 31, 2023
order, crown, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, october, 2015. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Order of the Oak Crown news newspapers books scholar JSTOR October 2015 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Order of the Oak Crown French Ordre de la Couronne de chene German Eichenlaubkronenorden Luxembourgish Eechelaafkrounenuerden is an order of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Order of the Oak CrownOrdre de la Couronne de chene French Eichenlaubkronenorden German Eechelaafkrounenuerden Luxembourgish Grand Cross set of the orderAwarded by Grand Duke of LuxembourgTypeChivalric order with five gradesEstablished29 December 1841MottoJe maintiendrai I will maintain EligibilityEligible 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 Awarded forLuxembourg citizens who performed outstanding civil and military services as well for distinguished artists who made outstanding achievements StatusCurrently constitutedGrand MasterHenri Grand Duke of LuxembourgChancellorXavier BettelGradesGrand Cross Grand Officer Commander Officer KnightFormer gradesKnight Grand Cross Knight of the Star Knight CommanderPrecedenceNext higher Order of Adolphe of NassauNext lower Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of LuxembourgRibbon bar of the order Contents 1 History 2 Grades and insignia 2 1 Origin 2 2 Grades 2 3 Insignia 3 Recipients 4 References 5 External linksHistory EditThe 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 Edit Officer s cross Knight s cross Origin Edit 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 1 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 Edit Nowadays the order consists of five grades Grand Cross wears the badge on a sash on the right shoulder and the plaque on the left chest Grand Officer wears the badge on a necklet and the plaque on the left chest Commander wears the badge on a necklet Officer wears the badge on a chest ribbon with rosette on the left chest 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 Ribbon bars Grand Cross Grand Officer Commander Officer Knight Gold medal later Gilt medal Silver medal Bronze medalInsignia Edit The badge of the order is a gilt cross pattee 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 moire 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 EditThis is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources Grand CrossesShinzo Abe Alexander Prince of Orange Alexis Prince of Bentheim and Steinfurt Anne Princess Royal Beatrix of the Netherlands Joseph Bech Prince Bernhard of Saxe Weimar Eisenach 1792 1862 Xavier Bettel Otto von Bismarck Anibal Cavaco Silva Charles XV Charles Augustus Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe Weimar Eisenach 1844 1894 Charles III of the United Kingdom Charlotte Grand Duchess of Luxembourg Princess Christina of the Netherlands Winston Churchill Francesco Cossiga Charles de Broqueville Theophile de Lantsheere Laurentius Nicolaas Deckers Rudolf von Delbruck Edouard Descamps Augustin Dumon Dumortier Dwight D Eisenhower Giustino Fortunato 1777 1862 Prince Frederick of Prussia 1794 1863 Hans Globke Guillaume Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg Camille Gutt Dennis Hastert Henri Grand Duke of Luxembourg Prince Henry of the Netherlands 1820 1879 Jean Grand Duke of Luxembourg Jos van Kemenade Thanat Khoman Thanom Kittikachorn Marie Pierre Kœnig Frits Korthals Altes Auguste Baron Lambermont Edmond Leburton Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque Charles de Limburg Stirum Ludwig Wilhelm Prince of Bentheim and Steinfurt Joseph Luns Sicco Mansholt Marcellin Marbot Princess Margriet of the Netherlands Jaime de Marichalar Wilfried Martens Desire Joseph Mercier Joannes Josephus van Mulken Nursultan Nazarbayev Jean Baptiste Nothomb Oscar II Pieter Oud Maurice de Patoul Pels Rijcken Jan Jacob Rochussen Josef van Schaik Emil von Schlitz Poul Schluter Willem Scholten Emmanuel Servais Walter Bedell Smith Dirk Stikker Ludwig Freiherr von und zu der Tann Rathsamhausen Inaki Urdangarin Achille Van Acker Victor van Strydonck de Burkel Pieter van Vollenhoven Frans Weisglas Wilhelmina of the Netherlands Willem Alexander of the Netherlands William Prince of Wied Johan Witteveen August zu EulenburgGrand OfficersJozias van Aartsen Francois Altwies Hubert Biermans Theo Bot Hans van den Broek Piet Bukman Leon Delacroix Jean Hengen Clarence R Huebner Dolf Joekes Henk Kamp Marga Klompe Rudolf de Korte Henk Korthals Ernest Krings Pierre Lardinois Auguste Laval Astrid Lulling Lunsford E Oliver Johan Remkes Carl Romme Bauke Roolvink Onno Ruding Job de Ruiter Norbert Schmelzer Emile Speller Kees Staf Edzo Toxopeus Anne Vondeling Berend Jan van Voorst tot VoorstCommandersVictor Abens Willem Albarda Marie Claude Beaud Laurens Jan Brinkhorst Bill Davidson businessman Wim Deetman Anthony van der Eb Jean Favier Rudi Fuchs Leendert Ginjaar Emile Haag Aloyse Hentgen Harold Hinde Jan Kohout Cornelis Kruseman Rene van der Linden Peter Maurer Leon Metz Liz Mohn Jan Willem Louis van Oordt Jean Baptiste Piron Mikhail Mikhailovich Pleshkov Gerard Veringa Joris Voorhoeve Joseph WeylandOfficersFather Jean Bernard Hugo Gernsback Jean Marie Halsdorf Joseph Hollman Oscar Koch Nicolae Petrescu Comnen Salomon Verveer Henk Vonhoff Tjerk Westerterp Piet van Zeil Knights Jules Mersch Daniel Nordlander Aat van Rhijn Jean SoupertGold Gilt Medal Silver Medal Bronze Medal Ridders Obsolete Christoffel Bisschop Jan Willem van Borselen Arie Johannes LammeUnknown ClassClare Hibbs Armstrong Alphonse Berns Remy Eiffes Floris Adriaan van Hall Berend Heringa Henry J Leir Perle Mesta Pierre Notting Theodore Pescatore Nico Ries Samuel Sarphati Nicolaas Scheltema Otto Schily Emile Servais Thaksin Shinawatra Albertus Willem Sijthoff Jan Szembek diplomat Grand Cross set of the order The Grand Cross star and sash The star of the order Augustine Dumon Dumortier wearing the Grand Cross of the order back when the Grand Cross star resembled the Grand Officer of today Close up of the Grand Cross badge Grand Cross set The Grand Cross sash badge and star of the order Grand Cross Grand Cross Grand Cross badge showing the royal monogram of William II Close up of the Grand Cross star Grand Cross set from the early 20th Century The Grand Cross set of Dutch Prime Minister Willem Drees Grand Cross set by Arthus Bertrand References Edit Gilbert Trausch Le Luxembourg a l epoque contemporaine p27ff Publisher Bourg Bourger Luxembourg 1981External links EditLegislative texts French amp German Memorial A n 1 du 3 January 1842 Arrete royal grand ducal du 29 decembre 1841 Litt A portant institution pour le Grand Duche du Luxembourg d un Ordre de la Couronne de Chene Foundation of the Order Memorial A n 37 du 16 July 1845 Arrete royal grand ducal du 8 juillet 1845 N 1395 statuant que les insignes de l ordre de la Couronne de Chene doivent etre renvoyes a la Chancellerie d Etat a La Haye apres le deces des membres de l ordre Decorations of the Order must be returned after death or promotion Memorial A n 1 du 6 January 1855 Arrete royal grand ducal du 2 septembre 1854 concernant les frais de l Ordre de la Couronne de chene Costs of the Order Memorial A n 6 du 23 February 1858 Arrete royal grand ducal du 5 fevrier 1858 modifiant celui du 29 decembre 1841 portant institution de l Ordre de la Couronne de Chene Creation of the rank of Officer Memorial A n 28 du 5 November 1872 Arrete royal grand ducal du 28 octobre 1872 concernant les insignes de l Ordre de la Couronne de chene Gold medal replaced by a silver gilt medal Memorial A n 56 du 24 August 1876 Circulaire du 21 aout 1876 Ordre de la Couronne de chene Return and wearing of decorations Honorary distinctions of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Official website of the Luxembourg gouvernement Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Order of the Oak Crown amp oldid 1135921214, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
