Item number: M299

Year: AD 1830-1848

Material: 18ct Gold and Enamel

Size: 114.9 x 41.9 x 6.7 mm

Weight: 26.3 g

Provenance: Dixons Medals 2024

This is the full size order of the Legion of the Honour, which belongs to the officer class from the July Monarchy period in France. The Legion of Honour, instituted in AD 1802 during Napoleon Bonaparte’s first consulship, serves as a merit-based order designed to commend individuals—both military and civilian—for their outstanding service to the nation. Its inception aimed to reinforce the legitimacy of his rule, with conceptual roots traceable to Louis XIV’s establishment of the Order of Saint Louis and the Saint Louis Medal in AD 1693.

The obverse of the order features the portrait of Henry VI, who was nominally the King of France in AD 1422, symbolising royal authority. Surrounding the portrait is the inscription “HENRI IV.” The reverse side depicts crossed tricolour flags, symbolising France. The outer circle on the reverse bears the inscription “Honneur aet Patrie” (Honour and Fatherland). Surrounding the central emblem is a white-enamelled five-pointed star, incorporating design concepts from the Maltese cross and the insignia of the historical French orders of chivalry. Encircling the star are green enamel laurel leaves and oak leaves. The top of the order is adorned with a crown-shaped suspension, connecting it to a red ribbon tied with a rosette.

The Legion of Honour consists of five hierarchical ranks corresponding to military positions: Knight (chevalier), Officer (officier), Commander (commandeur), Grand Officer (grand officier), and Grand Cross (grand-croix). This particular order is identified as the Officer‘s badge, discernible from the order’s material and the design of the upper clasp (where the ribbon is attached).

In July AD 1830, France experienced the July Revolution, which, over the course of three days, expelled the restored Bourbon monarchy that had returned following the Napoleonic Wars. After the revolution’s success, the provisional government sought a sympathetic member from the Bourbon family’s cadet branch, choosing Louis-Philippe from the House of Orléans, who supported the revolution, to serve as a constitutional monarch, thus initiating the July Monarchy, which lasted for 18 years.

After AD 1846, Louis-Philippe’s rule grew increasingly conservative, and France’s international standing began to decline. Consequently, in AD 1848, the February Revolution erupted, forcing Louis-Philippe to abdicate, leading to the establishment of the Second Republic.

“You call these baubles, well, it is with baubles that men are led… I don’t believe that the French people love liberty and equality; the French have not changed in ten years of revolution; they are what the Gauls were, proud and light. They have only one feeling, honour: therefore, one must feed that feeling, they need distinctions… Do you think that you would be able to make men fight by reasoning? Never. That is good only for the scholar in his study. The soldier needs glory, distinctions, rewards.” 

From the above statement, it can be seen that Napoleon had a deep understanding of and valued the importance of decorations for his soldiers. He considered them a crucial means of boosting the morale of his troops. As a result, Napoleon particularly favoured having his soldiers and officers carry these decorations at all times. 

Throughout history, the Legion of Honour has rewarded outstanding military and civilian achievements. However, only those awarded military or similar distinctions from the Legion of Honour are entitled to special privileges, such as receiving a national pension. Despite this, the annual subsidy received by recipients is not sufficient to make them wealthy. Those honoured with the Legion of Honour must spend a larger amount each year to acquire and maintain the insignia, including regularly paying fees to the Legion of Honour’s management committee. Therefore, the retirement pension alone is not enough to make the recipients wealthy; instead, receiving the Legion of Honour brings prestige only. 

The table at the bottom of the page compares the annual retirement pensions of recipients of the Legion of Honour at various ranks between the early 20th century and the present day. 

物件編號: M299

年代: 公元 1830-1848 年

材質: 18ct金和琺瑯

尺寸: 114.9 x 41.9 x 6.7 mm

重量: 26.3 g

來源: 迪生獎章 2024

此枚為法國七月王朝時期的官方版軍官級榮譽軍團勳章。榮譽軍團是拿破崙擔任第一執政時公元1802年創設的勳位，頒予對國家有功績的軍人和平民，旨在希望能夠強化自身的統治合法性，其概念構想發源於路易十四在公元1693年建立的聖路易騎士團和聖路易勳章。 

公元1830年，路易-菲利普一世登基為國王之後，根據憲章確立榮譽軍團為法國唯一的榮譽組織。 路易-菲利普一世將這枚勳章廣泛授予由平民組成的「國民衛隊」以及社會各行各業的傑出人士。

勳章正面為象徵王權，於公元1422年名義上是法國國王的亨利六世肖像，外圈是「HENRI IV」字樣。背面則為交叉的三色國旗，背面的外圈銘文打印「榮譽與祖國」(Honneur et Patrie)。圍繞勳章中心的是白色分岔的五角星，此種概念吸收了馬爾他十字和法國舊騎士團的勳章設計，周圍環繞的是綠色琺瑯製造的月桂葉和橡樹葉。勳章頂部以一頂皇冠作為掛飾，銜接帶有花結的紅色綬帶。

榮譽軍團成員分為五種勳位級別，對應到五個軍階，分別是騎士級 (chevalier)、軍官級(officer)、指揮官級commander、大軍官級(grand officer)、和大十字級(grand cross) 。此枚勳章為襟綬的軍官級勳章(掛章)，從勳章的材質和帶上的花結可判斷。 

公元1830年7月，法國發生七月革命，以三天的時間趕走拿破崙戰爭後復辟的波旁王朝。革命勝利之後，臨時政府找上波旁家族的旁系，來自奧爾良家族且同情革命的路易-菲利普一世擔任立憲君主，展開七月王朝為期18年的統治。公元1846年以後，路易-菲利普一世的統治逐漸趨向保守，且法國的國際地位逐漸下滑。因此公元1848年，法國爆發二月革命迫使路易-菲利普一世下台，進入第二共和國時期。

拿破崙一世曾說過這麼一段名言:

「你管這些東西(勳章)叫小玩意兒，嗯，正是有了這些小玩意兒，人們才被引導……我不相信法國人熱愛自由和平等；在十年的革命中，法國人並未改變；他們就像高盧人一樣，驕傲和光榮。他們只有一種感情，那就是榮譽：因此，我們必須滿足這種感情，他們需要榮譽。……你認為你能透過推理讓人們戰鬥嗎？絕不。這只對研究中的學者有好處。士兵需要榮耀、榮譽、獎勵。”」 

從上面這段宣言可以看到，拿破崙十分了解且重視勳章之於他的士兵們的重要性，將其作為一種鼓舞士兵們士氣的重要方式，也因此拿破崙尤其喜愛讓他的士兵和軍官們時刻配帶著這些勳章。 

一直以來，榮譽軍團都獎勵傑出的軍事及民事成就，不過只有軍事或類似身分授予的榮譽軍團勳章才有權享有國家退休金的特殊待遇，不過比起每年得到的補助金，受勳者每年需要花更大量的金額添購徽章，並定期支付費用給榮譽勳位管理會，因此，這筆退休金並不足以使受勳者致富，獲頒榮譽軍團勳章只會帶來聲望。 

下方的表格是過去20世紀初和現代的榮譽軍團勳章各勳位受勳者的年退休金的比較。