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The Order of Leopold was established on July 11, 1832, after a month of contentious debates in Belgian Parliament. It was named to honour King Leopold I, and it has remained the highest-ranking decoration in Belgium since its creation. It is conferred upon Belgian citizens and foreigners in recognition of brave military service and other meritorious services rendered to the state.

There are two models of the Grand Officer Breast Star which differ in the obverse inscription. The inscription of both models translates to “Strength in Unity,” but it appears on the first model in French, and on the second model in French and Dutch.

The Royal and Military Order of St. Hermenegildo (Real y Militar Orden de San Hermenegildo) was established by King Fernando VII/Ferdinand VII on November 28, 1814, after the end of the Peninsular War. It was founded in recognition of Spanish and foreign military personnel who defeated the Napoleonic army, after four year of conflict, and reconstituted Ferdinand's VII reign.

Leopold I was the first King of the Belgians, reigning from July 1831 until 1865. Prior to his rule, Leopold was commissioned with the Imperial Russian Army and fought during the Napoleonic Wars. Following Napoleon's defeat, Leopold relocated to the United Kingdom and married Princess Charlotte of Wales. Charlotte died one year after the marriage the result of a stillborn childbirth, but Leopold retained his status in Britian.

After the Greek War of Indpendence, Leopold was offered the throne of Greece under the 1830 London Protocol, however, believing it too precarious, he turned it down. In 1831, he accepted the throne of Belgium, as the British-backed candidate.

During his rule, he encouraged economic modernisation and was a key compontent in Belgium's first railway in 1835. He also played an important role in stopping the spread of hte Revolutions of 1848 into Belgium. Leopold died in 1865, and was suceeded by his son, Leopold II.

The Order of Leopold was established on July 11, 1832, after a month of contentious debates in Belgian Parliament. It was named to honour King Leopold I, and it has remained the highest-ranking decoration in Belgium since its creation. It is conferred upon Belgian citizens and foreigners in recognition of brave military service and other meritorious services rendered to the state.

The Order of the Nile was instituted on April 14th, 1915, by Sultan Hussein Kamel, as the Kingdom of Egypt's highest State honour. The Order is conferred upon Egyptian Nationals and other foreigners in recognition of exceptionally valuable, distinguished, or meritorious public service to the Nation or throne. Both civilian and military service is eligible for the award.

J.E Caldwell & Co was founded by James Emmot Caldwell in 1839, and was a major jewellery retailer and silversmith located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The firm became a partnership of Bennett & Caldwell and was redesignated to J.E. Caldwell & Co in 1841. In 1876, the company exhibited at The Centennial Exposition.

Can you name one of the companies that eventually purchased Caldwell & Co?

The Royal Order of the Lion was established by King Leopold II on April 9th, 1891 as a celebration of his own 56th birthday. It was originally created as an Order of the Congo Free State, but it was later integrated into the national hierarchy of decorations in Belgium after the Congo Free State ceased to exist as a private domain of King Leopold II in 1908. The Order was discontinued in 1962 following the declaration of Congolese independence in 1960.

The Country of the Month is Belgium! Follow the link in our bio to learn about Belgium's Orders and Medals. Be sure to check in on our social pages - plenty will be posted over the next few weeks!

The Order of St. Hubert was first established in 1444 by Duke Gerhard VII of Jülich-Berg to commemorate a battle won on November 3, the feast day of Saint Hubert. Originally, the order was open for both male and female recipients. The order commemorated the spiritual conversion of St. Hubert (the patron saint of hunters, mathematicians, metalworkers, and opticians). In 1476, William III, the son of Duke Gerhard, renewed the order and established regulations in both Latin and German.

See decorations in all classes on MedalBook! Link in Bio!

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The Air Crew Europe Star was instituted by King George VI in May, 1945 to reward British and Commonwealth members of the Royal Air Force and Army for airborne service in operational flights over Europe between September 3, 1939, and June 5, 1944 (the outbreak of war until the start of the D-Day Normandy invasion). The Bronze Star was awarded to Royal Airforce personnel in recognition of 2 months of service as well as to Army personnel in recognition of 4 months of aircrew duties, with at least 2 months of operational flights service and 1 operational sortie.

Learn more here: https://www.medalbook.com/europe/united-kingdom/medals-decorations/campaign-medals/air-crew-europe-star/air-crew-europe-star-1

Otto von Stetten was born on March 16, 1862. Not much is known about his youth and personal life, but in 1915 he married Marie, Baroness von Weinbach. Stetten joined the 3rd Royal Bavarian Chevau-légers of the Bavarian Army as a four-year volunteer. By 1891, Stetten was promoted to First Lieutenant due to his years of training at the Munich Riding School and Bavarian War Academy. In 1895, Stetten was seconded to the General Staff for a year and then served as the personal aide to Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria. He was promoted to Rittmeister in 1896 and assumed command of a Squadron of the 2nd Royal Bavarian Chevau-légers in 1899. By 1902, he was promoted to the rank of Major. He participated in the Battle of Mukden in 1905 during the Russo-Japanese War. After the war, Stetten continued to climb the ranks and in 1913 he was promoted to Generalleutnant. Stetten was appointed the commander of the Bavarian Cavalry Division at the outbreak of WWI. On October 11, 1914, Stetten was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Max Joseph. On November 5, 1914, he was assigned to the temporary command of the II Royal Bavarian Corps and five days later captured Sint-Elooi during the First Battle of Ypres. For his leadership during the Battle of the Somme, Stetten was awarded the Pour le Mérite on September 22, 1916. In 1917, Stetten was promoted to General of the Cavalry. Stetten retired from active service on May 12, 1918 and was awarded the Commander’s Cross of the Military Order of Max Joseph. He was also decorated with the Order of the Rising Sun, Merit Order of the Bavarian Crown, Order of St Michael, Order of the Red Eagle, Order of the Crown, Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class, Military Merit Order and Albert Order.

The Military Max Joseph Order was instituted on January 1, 1806 by Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria. It was established to reward excellent military service and bravery. Following the collapse of the Bavarian monarchy in 1918 the Order became obsolete.

The Merit Order of the Bavarian Crown was instituted on March 19, 1808 by King Maximilian Joseph I. The order was founded as a civil counterpart to the Military Order of Max Joseph to reward civil servants of the state and other foreigners who displayed acts of exceptional merit. Similar to the Military Order of Max Joseph, individuals who received the Merit Order of the Bavarian Crown were permitted to add the title of “Ritter von” to their family name and those who were not already members of the nobility were ennobled.

This firm was founded by Mariano Cejalvo Sanz in 1860.

In 1884, the firm was awarded the title of Supplier to the Royal Family by S.M Alfonso XII.

The company was taken over by Fernando Cejalvo Gonzalo, a descendant of Mariano. He became the first specialist of Spain in enamel of precious metals and enamel paintings.

In 1808, King Max Joseph approved the continuation of the order in the Kingdom of Bavaria and the Commander Cross was added to the order. The Grand Master was selected from the princes of Bavaria.

On January 18, 1837, King Ludwig I changed the order name to the Order of Merit of St. Michael. The appearance of the order was also changed and it was determined that the old version of the order should no longer be awarded. Knights who had been previously awarded the old version of the order were permitted to still wear them.

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The Order of the Holy Crown was founded by Admiral Horthy in 1943, but it was not officially recognized until 1943.

It was conferred upon foreign citizens in recognition of combat and planning aid during wartime, and for meritorious civil and military services that furthered the aims of Hungary.

Oscar Fredrik was born in Stockholm on January 21, 1829 as the third child of Crown Prince Oscar and Josephine of Leuchtenberg. At age eleven, he entered the Royal Swedish Navy as a midshipman. Later, he studied at Uppsala University. As a young adult, he distinguished himself in math, literature and music. Upon the death of his brother on September 18, 1872, Oscar II became King and made the effort of learning Norwegian to better facilitate relations between the two countries. His familial ties and his outspoken personality gained him popularity with other heads of state around Europe. Throughout his life, he remained a strong supporter of the Navy. In 1857, he married Princess Sophia Wilhelmina and together they had four sons. In 1876, the office of the Prime Minister of Sweden was instituted and Louis De Geer became the first Prime Minister. Oscar supported the arts and founded the first open-air museum in 1881, and commissioned a new opera house to be built in 1898. He sponsored several Arctic explorations, including Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld's explorations to the Russian Arctic and Greenland, and Fridtjof Nansen's Polar journey on the Fram. On June 7, 1905, Oscar was dethroned by the Storting and on October 26 he renounced the Norwegian throne. He died in Stockholm on December 8, 1907.

Oscar was decorated with an abundance of national and foreign awards, including the Order of the North Star. The order was instituted by King Frederick I on April 28, 1748. It is conferred upon Swedish citizens and foreigners for achievements in the fields of science, art, and literature, as well as for meritorious service to the state. The Order of the North Star is still awarded in the present day.

Link in bio to learn more about this order!

The Merit Order of the Bavarian Crown was instituted on March 19, 1808 by King Maximilian Joseph I. The order was founded as a civil counterpart to the Military Order of Max Joseph to reward civil servants of the state and other foreigners who displayed acts of exceptional merit. Similar to the Military Order of Max Joseph, individuals who received the Merit Order of the Bavarian Crown were permitted to add the title of “Ritter von” to their family name and those who were not already members of the nobility were ennobled.

The Medallic Art Company was founded in 1903 by Henry Weil, a French sculptor living in New York City. This company considered "America's oldest and largest private mint" specializing in academic awards, medallions and medals for schools and militaria.

In 1972 the company relocated from New York to Danbury, Connecticut; Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 1991 and finally in Dayton, Nevada in 1997.