Throughout the ages hundreds of medal

Medal

A medal, or medallion, is generally a circular object that has been sculpted, molded, cast, struck, stamped, or some way rendered with an insignia, portrait, or other artistic rendering. A medal may be awarded to a person or organization as a form of recognition for athletic, military, scientific,...

s, decorations for merit or valour and orders of knighthood have been instituted by the successive governments of the Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

. The oldest of these were founded by the counts of Holland. Their successors of the House of Burgundy

Duke of Burgundy

Duke of Burgundy was a title borne by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, a small portion of traditional lands of Burgundians west of river Saône which in 843 was allotted to Charles the Bald's kingdom of West Franks...

 founded the famous Order of the Golden Fleece

Order of the Golden Fleece

The Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...

. This order still exists in Spain and in the Austrian imperial House.

The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands did not possess an order of knighthood. Instead so called "Beloningspenningen", golden medals on golden chains, were given as gifts to ambassadors and successful admirals.

In 1781 a medal called the "Doggersbank-medaille" was awarded to the officers that partook in the battle of the Doggersbank against the English fleet. It was the first modern Dutch decoration.

The Batavian Republic

Batavian Republic

The Batavian Republic was the successor of the Republic of the United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on January 19, 1795, and ended on June 5, 1806, with the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the throne of the Kingdom of Holland....

 was founded after the French invasion of 1795. It did not institute an order or medals.

The Kingdom of Holland

Kingdom of Holland

The Kingdom of Holland 1806–1810 was set up by Napoleon Bonaparte as a puppet kingdom for his third brother, Louis Bonaparte, in order to better control the Netherlands. The name of the leading province, Holland, was now taken for the whole country...

 was founded in 1805 to provide a throne for Napoleon's younger brother Lodewijk Napoleon Bonaparte

Louis Bonaparte

Louis Napoléon Bonaparte, Prince Français, Comte de Saint-Leu , King of Holland , was the fifth surviving child and the fourth surviving son of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino...

. The "King of Holland" founded an "Orde van de Unie", (English: Order of the Union

Order of the Union

The Order of the Union was a chivalric order established in 1806 by Louis Napoleon, younger brother of Napoleon I, for the Kingdom of Holland. The order was abolished in 1811 when the French Empire absorbed the Kingdom of Holland...

, later dubbed "Order of Holland" then "Royal Order of Holland").

The first king of the Netherlands William I of the Netherlands

William I of the Netherlands

William I Frederick, born Willem Frederik Prins van Oranje-Nassau , was a Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg....

 founded a military order the Military Order of William, and a civilian order and the Order of the Netherlands Lion.

His successors founded several orders of merit and some two hundred medals, stars and crosses. The Netherlands never founded a colonial order for their Indian empire.

Decorations and medals

• Cross for Courage and Fidelity
  Cross for Courage and Fidelity
  The Cross for Courage and Fidelity is a military award that was established by Queen Emma of the Netherlands by Royal Decree on 7 March 1898. The cross replaced the old Medal for Courage and Fidelity, which had limited prestige and status according to the Netherlands government...
  
  
• Honorary Sabre
  Honorary Sabre
  The Honorary Sabre is one of the highest military awards for bravery in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Only knights of the Military William Order are eligible to receive this sabre...
  
  
• Dutch Cross of Resistance
  Dutch Cross of Resistance
  The Verzetskruis 1940–1945 is one of the highest possible decorations that exist within the Kingdom of the Netherlands....
  
   (Verzetskruis 1940–1945)
• Honorary Medal for Charitable Assistance
  Honorary Medal for Charitable Assistance
  The Honorary Medal for Charitable Assistance was created at 18 June 1822 and is after the Military William Order the oldest decoration for bravery in the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
  
  
• Honorable Mention
  Honorable Mention
  The Honorable Mention was an important Military awards and decorations of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for those who distinguished themselves by acts of high bravery, but weren't eligible yet for the highest accolade of the Military William Order...
  
   (Eervolle Vermelding)
• Bronze Lion
  Bronze Lion
  The Bronze Lion is a high Royal Dutch award, intended for servicemen who have shown extreme bravery and leadership in battle favouring The Netherlands; in some special cases it can however be awarded to Dutch or foreign civilians. It was first created in 1944 and has since been issued 1210 times...
  
   (Bronzen Leeuw)
• Resistance Star East Asia
  Resistance Star East Asia
  The Resistance Star East Asia was created by royal decree on 26 October 1948 by Queen Juliana to honor those the Dutch subjects in the Netherlands East Indies who showed strength of mind, determination, or solidarity, and performed praiseworthily help for Dutchmen that were made prisoner of war or...
  
   (Verzetsster Oost-Azië)
• Bronze Cross
  Bronze Cross
  Bronze Cross may refer to:* Bronze Cross of the Netherlands* Bronze Cross of the Philippines* Bronze Cross certification of the Royal Life Saving Society of Canada* Bronze Cross of Rhodesia...
  
   (Het Bronzen Kruis)
• Cross of Merit
  Cross of Merit
  There are hundreds of decorations that bear the name "Cross of Merit". As a rule a cross of merit is higher than a medal but not as esteemed as the grade of Knight in an order of merit.- The Netherlands :...
  
   (Kruis van Verdienste)
• Airman's Cross
  Airman's Cross
  The Airman's Cross is an important military decoration of the Kingdom of the Netherlands created in 1941. The cross is meant for those Dutch military, who displayed during one of more flights in an aircraft, initiative, courage and perseverance against the enemy or during hostile actions...
  
   (Vliegerkruis)
• Medal of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute
  Medal of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute
  The Medal of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, or shortly KNMI Medal, is a royal decoration awarded by the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute to those officers or captains of the Dutch merchant navy who exceptionally supported the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute by...
  
  
• De Ruyter Medal
• Museum Medal
  Honorary Medal for Merits toward Museum Collections
  The Honorary Medal for Merits toward Museum Collections , also named as Museum Medal , is one of the oldest civil decorations of the Netherlands. It was created by royal decree on 26 June 1817 by King William I of the Netherlands. The decree describes the following "Erepenning voor blijken van...
  
  
• Flood Disaster Medal
  Flood disaster Medal
  The Decoration for acknowledgement of excellent deeds performed during a flood disaster , usually named Flood disaster Medal , was created by royal decree on 27 March 1855 by King William III of the Netherlands. The medal is intended for those civilians who have shown zeal, courage, leadership, and...
  
  
• Medal of the Red Cross
• Medal of Recognition 1940-1945
• Decoration of Merit
  Decoration of Merit
  The Decoration of Merit is an important military decoration for bravery in the Netherlands The medal was established by the Dutch minister of defence Wim van Eekelen on 16 April 1987...
  
  
• Expedition Cross (Ereteken voor Belangrijke Krijgsbedrijven)
• Lombok Cross (Lombokkruis)
• War Commemorative Cross (Oorlogsherinneringskruis)
• Resistance Cross (Verzetsherdenkingskruis)
• Medal of Peace and Order (Ereteken voor Orde en Vrede)
• New Guinea Commemorative Cross (Nieuw-Guinea Herinneringskruis)
• Mobilisation War Cross (Mobilisatie-Oorlogskruis)
• Cross Law and Liberty (Kruis voor Recht en Vrijheid)
• Commemorative Medal UN Peace Operations (Herinneringsmedaille VN-Vredesoperaties)
• Commemorative Medal Multinational Peace Operations (Herinneringsmedaille Multinationale Vredesoperaties)
• Remembrance Medal Peace Operations (Herinneringsmedaille Vredesoperaties)
• Commemorative Medal for Humanitarian Assistance in Disasters (Herinneringsmedaille voor Humanitaire Hulpverlening bij Rampen)
• Kosovo Medal (Kosovo-medaille)
• Officer's Cross (Onderscheidingsteken voor Langdurige Dienst als officier)
• Badge for Long, Honest and Loyal Service (Onderscheidingsteken voor Langdurige, Eerlijke en Trouwe Dienst)
• Badge for Loyal Volunteer Service for the Navy and Coast Guard (Onderscheidingsteken voor trouwe dienst bij de Militaire (Marine) Kustwacht voor vrijwillig dienende militairen beneden de rang van officier)
• Volunteer Medal Public Safety (formerly called Volunteers Medal )
• Inauguration Medal 1898
• Royal Wedding Medal 1901
• Royal Wedding Silver Medal 1926
• Honor Guard Commemorative Medal 1933
• Royal Wedding Medal 1937
• Inauguration Medal 1948
• Royal Wedding Silver Medal 1962
• Royal Wedding Medal 1966
• Inauguration Medal 1980
• Netherlands Antilles Visit Medal 1980
• Royal Wedding Medal 2002
• Commemorative Medal for State Visits
• Commemorative Medal of the Second Hague Peace Conference 1907
• Master-Sharpshooter on Rifle of the Royal Navy
• Master-Gunner on Rifle of the Royal Navy
• Royal Medal of Shooting Contests
• Medal for First Class Sharpshooters
• KNIL awards
• Rietkerk Medal
• Navy Foreign Service Medal
• Army Foreign Service Medal
• Marechaussee Foreign Service Medal
• Air Force Foreign Service Medal
• Commemorative Medal Voluntary Police 1948-1998

Other approved medals

• Carnegie Hero Fund Medal
  Carnegie Hero Fund
  The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, also known as Carnegie Hero Fund, was established to recognize persons who perform extraordinary acts of heroism in civilian life in the United States and Canada, and to provide financial assistance for those disabled and the dependents of those killed saving or...
  
  
• The Cross for the Four Day Marches
  Cross for the Four Day Marches
  The Cross for the Four Day Marches is an official Dutch decoration awarded for successful participation in the International Four Days Marches Nijmegen held annually at Nijmegen, Netherlands. The full title of the decoration is the Cross for Marching Proficiency...
  
  (Vierdaagse)

External links

• http://www.onderscheidingen.nl/nl/medailles/dapperheid/mrd.html

• Descriptions on http://www.onderscheidingen.nl/nl/medailles/dapperheid/mrd.html

Literature and sources

• W.F. Bax, "Ridderorden, eereteekenen, draagteekens en penningen, betreffende de Weermacht van Nederland en Koloniën (1813-heden)", 1973
• H.G. Meijer, C.P. Mulder en B.W. Wagenaar, "Orders and Decorations of the Netherlands", 1984
• C.H. Evers, "Onderscheidingen", 2001
• J.H. van Zelm van Eldik, "Moed en Trouw", 2003
• O Schutte, De Orde van de Unie" , 1985