Order of the Oak Crown

Order of the Oak Crown Ordre de la couronne de Chêne
Officer's cross with ribbon of the Order of the Oak Crown
Awarded by Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Type	Chivalric order with five grades
Motto	JE MAINTIENDRAI
Day	Only awarded on Grand Duke's Official Birthday (23 June)
Eligibility	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.
Status	Currently constituted
Sovereign	His Royal Highness Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg
Chancellor	Jean-Claude Juncker
Grades (w/ post-nominals)	Grand Cross, Grand Officer, Commander, Officer, Knight
Former grades	Knight Grand Cross, Knight of the Star, Knight Commander, Knight
Established	29 December 1841
Precedence
Next (higher)	Order of Adolphe of Nassau
Next (lower)	Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Ribbon bar of the order

The Order of the Oak Crown (French: Ordre de la couronne de Chêne) is an Order of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

History

The Order of the Oak Crown was instituted by the Grand Duke-King William II, in 1841. At that time, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the Kingdom of the Netherlands were in personal union; although the Order was technically a Luxembourgian award, it was often used by William II and his successor, Grand Duke-King William III, as a house order to reward Dutch subjects, beyond the control of the Dutch government.

William II conferred the order on fewer than 30 recipients. His successor, William III, liked the ability to confer this Order on his sole discretion, and dispersed 300 decorations on the day of his coronation alone. In the following years hundreds of additional appointments in the Order were made. Indeed, there were so many recipients in the Netherlands itself that the Order was widely regarded as a Dutch decoration.

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 the Queen of the Netherlands. As the constitution of Luxembourg, which followed the Salic Law, did not allow women to succeed the throne, the throne of Luxembourg went to a German relative of the queen, Adolphe, Duke of Nassau, who subsequenly became the next grand duke. The Order of the Oak Crown remained a Luxembourgian award; the Netherlands established the Order of Orange-Nassau instead.

Since the accession of Grand Duke Adolphe, the Order has been primarily an award for Luxembourgers, though it has occasionally been conferred upon foreigners, mainly on members of foreign Royal families or notable foreigners of Luxembourger descent.

The Grand Duke of Luxembourg is the Grand Master of the Order.

Grades and Insignia

Origin

When first established in 1841, the Order of the Oak Crown was constituted in a hurry, as the Grand Duke wanted to establish the Order before the Grand Duchy was granted a codified constitution (as it was in 1848).^{[citation needed]} The badge, the ribbon, and the (then) four-class structure of the order were inspired by the Russian Order of St. George. This was probably because William II was married to a daughter of the Czar, and that he had received the Order of St. George after his gallant command at the Battle of Waterloo.

Grades

Nowadays the Order consists of five grades:

1. Grand Cross - wears the badge on a sash on the right shoulder, and the plaque on the left chest;
2. Grand Officer - wears the badge on a necklet, and the plaque on the left chest;
3. Commander - wears the badge on a necklet;
4. Officer - wears the badge on a chest ribbon with rosette on the left chest;
5. 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.

Cross of a Knight in the Order of the Oak Crown

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.

Selection of recipients

• Floris Adriaan van Hall
• François Altwies
• Jean Bernard
• Alphonse Berns
• Charles, Count of Limburg Stirum
• Charles, Prince of Wales
• Augustin Dumon-Dumortier
• Hugo Gernsback
• Bernard ter Haar
• Dennis Hastert
• Jean Hengen
• Auguste Laval
• Henry J. Leir
• Josy Linkels
• Astrid Lulling
• Nicolas Majerus
• Perle Mesta
• Jean-Baptiste Nothomb
• Pierre Notting
• Samuel Sarphati
• Otto Schily
• Émile Servais
• Ludwig Freiherr von und zu der Tann-Rathsamhausen
• Joseph Weyland
• Jean Hirtz

External links

• Honorary distinctions of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg - Official website of the Luxembourg gouvernement