Order of Saint Louis

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this article. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Order of Saint Louis" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Order of Saint Louis Ordre de Saint-Louis
Louis XIV of France
Precedence
Next (higher)	Order of Saint Michael
Equivalent	Order of Military Merit Awarded to non-Catholics
Ribbon of the order

The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis (

(though the Legion of Honour is awarded to military personnel and civilians alike).

Although officially abolished by the government authorities of the

Members

The King was the

was automatically a member as well. The Order had three classes:

• Grand-Croix (Grand Cross)
• Commandeur (Commander)
• Chevalier (Knight)

The entire order included 8 Grand Crosses, 28 Commanders and a variable number of Knights. Officers of the Order included, after the Grand Master, a Trésorier (Treasurer), a Greffier (Registrar) and a Huissier (Gentleman Usher).

The

of Saint Louis, in the residence of the King.

Conditions for being inducted did not include

) was created for the Protestant officers in service of the French king (mainly foreign mercenaries, as French Protestants were not tolerated at the time).

Until the death of Louis XIV, the medal was awarded to outstanding officers only, but it gradually came to be an award that most officers would receive during their career. On 1 January 1791, during the French Revolution, a decree changed the name to décoration militaire ("military decoration"). It was subsequently withdrawn on 15 October 1792.

One of the first acts of

abolished the order, which was never reinstated.

• 
  Comte d'Angiviller depicted wearing the insignia of the Order of Saint Louis with a rosette

  .
• 
  Jean-Baptiste Symon de Solémy wearing the insigna of Chevalier of the order of Saint Louis.
• 
  Rochambeau wearing the sash of Commandeur of the Order of Saint Louis
• 
  Count d'Argenson wearing the insignia of the Order of Saint Louis around his neck, by Hyacinthe Rigaud
• 
  Pierre Victor, Baron de Besenval de Brunstatt in armour, portrayed by Jean-Marc Nattier in 1766, wearing the insignia of Chevalier of the order of Saint Louis
• 
  Gustave Maximilien Juste de Croÿ-Solre

Decree by His Majesty the King Louis XIV of France

Louis, by the grace of God King of France and Navarre, to all present and yet to come, hail.

The officers of our troops have distinguished themselves by so many actions of considerable virtue and courage, in the conquest which it pleased God to bless the justice of our arms, that, ordinary awards becoming insufficient to the affection and the thankfulness which we have for them, we have deemed it necessary to seek new ways to reward their zeal and fidelity.

In this view have we decided to establish a purely military Order to which, in addition to the external marks of honour which are associated to it, we shall guarantee revenues and pensions which shall rise in proportion to them growing more and more worthy through their behaviour.

We have decided that only officers still serving in our troops shall be introduced and that virtue, merit and distinguished service in our armies shall be the only criteria to enter. We shall also in the future give a particular attention to increase the advantages of this order, so that we shall ever have the satisfaction to always be able to grant graces to the officers, and on the other hand, seeing rewards guaranteed by valour, they would every day bear renewed ardour in deserving them by their actions.

In these causes, with the advice of our council, and our certain science, full power and royal authority, we have created, instituted and built, by the present, our military Order with the name of Saint Louis, and with the forms, statutes, ordinances and rules as follow: (...)

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Order of Saint Louis.

• (in French) Ordre Royal et Militaire de Saint-Louis—includes photographs, explanations and a 20,000 name list of recipients
• (in French) Histoire de l'Ordre royal & militaire de Saint-Louis—History of the Order