Légion d'honneur

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The Légion d'honneur (in English Legion of Honour or Legion of Honor, see spelling differences) is an Order of Chivalry first established by Napoléon Bonaparte, First Consul of the French Republic, on May 19, 1802. It is the most senior Order in France, and appointment to the Legion is a great honour.

The Order has five classes:

Grand-Croix (Grand Cross), formerly grande décoration, grand aigle or grand cordon
Grand Officier (Grand Officer)
Commandeur (Commander), formerly commandant
Officier (Officer)
Chevalier (Knight), formerly légionnaire

The Order's motto is Honneur et patrie.

1 History
2 Composition
3 Insignia
4 Palace and Museum of the Legion of Honour
5 Officers of the Order
6 See also
7 External links

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History

The Order replaced the old Orders of Saint Michael, The Holy Spirit, Saint Louis, Saint Lazarus and Mount Carmel.

The order is conferred upon men and women, either French citizens or foreigners, for outstanding achievements in military or civil life. In practice, in current usage, the order is conferred, in addition to military recipients, to many entrepreneurs, high-level civil servants, sport champions as well as other people with high connections in the executive.

According to some sources, Napoleon declared: On appelle ça des hochets, je sais, on l'a dit déjà. Et bien, j'ai répondu que c'est avec des hochets que l'on mène les hommes. — "We call these children's toys, I know, we've said it already. Well, I replied that it's with children's toys that you lead men." (The French word hochet means a child's rattle). This has been often quoted as "It is with such baubles that men are led."

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Composition

Image:Legion d honneur 1.jpg The President of France is the Grand Master of the Order and appoints all other members of the Order—by convention, on the advice of the Government. Following Continental practice (unlike the British orders), the Legion of Honour has no Sovereign. Its principal officers are the Chancellor and Secretary-General.

The Order has a maximum quota of 75 Grand Cross, 250 Grand Officers, 1,250 Commanders, 10,000 Officers and 113,425 (ordinary) Knights. As of 2000 the actual membership was 61 Grand Cross, 321 Grand Officers, 3,626 Commanders, 22,401 Officers and 87,371 Knights. Appointments of veterans of World War II, French military personnel involved in the North African Campaign and other foreign French military operations, as well as wounded soldiers, are made independently of the quota.

The frenchmen are received in the order to the class of knight. To be promoted to a higher class, one must prove new services to France. The only exception is the President of the Republic, who is made a grand cross de jure upon his accession to the presidency. The foreigners are not received in the order ; instead they are decorated with the insignia of the légion. A foreigner can be decorated directly with the insignia of a higher class.

In 1998, all surviving veterans of World War I from any country who had fought on French soil were made Knights of the Legion if they were not so already, as part of the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the war's end. In December 2004, on the occasion of his 110th birthday, France's oldest surviving veteran of the war, Franklin Flocquet, was promoted to Officer.

Members convicted of severe crimes (crimes in French) are dismissed de jure from the order. Members convicted of lesser felonies (délits in French) can be dismissed too.

Wearing the decoration of the Legion of Honour without having the right to do so is an offense.

Collective appointments can also be made to cities, companies or military units. In case of a military unit, its flag is decorated with the insignia of a knight. It's a different award than the fourragère.

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Insignia

The badge of the Legion is a five-armed 'Maltese Asterisk' (for want of a better description — see Maltese Cross) in gilt (in silver for chevalier) enameled white, with an enameled laurel and oak wreath between the arms. The obverse central disc is in gilt, featuring the head of Marianne, surrounded by the legend République Française on a blue enamel ring. The reverse central disc is also in gilt, with a set of crossed tricolore, surrounded by the Legion's motto Honneur et patrie (Honour and Fatherland) and its foundation date on a blue enamel ring. The badge is suspended by an enameled laurel and oak wreath.

The star (or "plaque") is worn by Grand Cross (in gilt on the left chest) and Grand Officer (in silver on the right chest) respectively; it is similar to the badge, but without enamel, and with the wreath replaced by a cluster of rays in between each arm. The central disc features the head of Marianne, surrounded by the legend République Française and the motto "Honneur et patrie".

The ribbon for the badge is plain red.

In summary,

Grand Cross - wears the badge on a sash on the right shoulder, plus the star on the left chest;
Grand Officer - wears the badge on a ribbon with rosette on the left chest, plus the star on the right chest;
Commander - wears the badge on a necklet;
Officer - wears the badge on a ribbon with rosette on the left chest;
Knight - wears the badge on a ribbon on the left chest.

The badge or star is not worn usually, except at the time of the decoration ceremony or on a dress uniform. Instead, one normally wears the ribbon or rosette on one's suit.

Original Légionnaire insigna (1804)	Late Empire Légionnaire insigna: the front feature Napoleon's profile and the rear, the imperial Eagle. An imperial crown joins the cross and the ribbon.	Louis XVIII era (1814) Knight insigna: the front features Henry IV's profile and the rear, the arms of the French Kingdom (three fleurs de lis). An royal crown joins the cross and the ribbon.	rear of a Republican cross, with two crossed French flags
Fifth Republic Knight insigna: the centre features Marianne's head. A crown of laurel joins the cross and the ribbon.

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Palace and Museum of the Legion of Honour

Image:Premiere-legion-dhonneur.jpg The National Museum of the Legion of Honour (Musée national de la Legion d'Honneur) is housed in the "Hôtel de Salm" on the Left Bank of the River Seine in Paris, otherwise known as the Palais de la Légion d'honneur. It was built between 1782 and 1787 by the architect Pierre Rousseau for the German Prince Frederick III of Salm-Kyrbourg. The revolutionary government nationalised the building, and from 13 May 1804 it became the seat of the newly created Légion d'honneur. It was destroyed by fire under the Paris Commune in 1871, but was reconstructed with the support of funds raised among recipients of the Légion d'honneur and of the military medals which it also commemmorates. An imitation of this building was constructed in San Francisco (the California Palace of the Legion of Honor), and also serves as a museum.