Order of the White Eagle (Poland)

Order of the White Eagle
*Order Orła Białego*
Order of the White Eagle; Order Orła Białego;
Awarded by the President of Poland; (previously King of Poland)
Type	Single grade order
Established	1 November 1705
Country	Poland
Motto	PRO FIDE, LEGE ET REGE; (For Faith, Law and King); ZA OJCZYZNĘ I NARÓD; (For Fatherland and Nation);
Eligibility	All
Status	Currently awarded
Grand Master	President of Poland; Andrzej Duda
Statistics
Total inductees	355 (since 1921)
Precedence
Next (higher)	none - highest award
Next (lower)	Order Virtuti Militari
	; The ribbon bar of the Order; ;

The Order of the White Eagle (

Elector of Saxony, and bestowed on eight of his closest diplomatic and political supporters.^[1] It has since been awarded to the most distinguished Poles

for their merits and to the highest-ranking representatives of foreign countries.

The Order of the White Eagle is attached to a purple ribbon slung over the left shoulder to the right side. The star of the Order, formerly embroidered, is worn on the left side of the chest.[2]

History

Augustus the Strong wearing the original Order of the White Eagle with an embroidered Grand Cross. Portrait by Louis de Silvestre

from around 1718

The badge of the Order of the White Eagle was originally a red

Order of Saint Andrew

.

Initially, the creation of the Order was strongly opposed by many of the Polish nobility, since membership in the Order conferred a distinction which violated the traditional equality of all Polish nobles. Since the Order had no patron saint, Augustus II made 2 August the feast of the Order. His son, Augustus III, however, changed the Order's feast day to 3 August.

Stanisław II Augustus

with collar of the Order of the White Eagle

Under the

Napoleon Bonaparte. From 1815 to 1831, it was awarded in the Congress Kingdom of Poland

.

After Russian troops put down the

Russian Revolution of 1917

, in which the Russian Empire fell.

The Order of the White Eagle officially became Poland's highest decoration by act of Parliament of 4 February 1921, and the insignia was redesigned. During the interbellum (1921-1939), the Order was awarded to 24 Polish citizens and 87 foreigners, among whom were 33 monarchs and heads of state, 10 prime ministers and 15 other ministers of state, and 12 members of royal families.

After 1948, when the

John Paul II.^[3] The President of Poland as the country's head of state is the Grand Master of the Order.^[4]

1713 Insignia

The 1713 badge was a Maltese cross enameled red with white borders with diamonds set in each of the balls at the eight points of the cross and with diamond set rays appearing between each of the points of the cross, i.e., a larger longer ray between each arm of the cross and a smaller ray between each of the two points of these arms. In the centre of the cross was a white enamelled eagle in high relief with spread wings and facing left and with a diamond set royal crown on its head. At the top of the cross between the two top points was a diamond studded semi-circular link through which passed a diamond studded ring through which, in turn, passed the light-blue ribbon from which it was worn. The reverse side of this Maltese cross was enamelled white with red borders and had at its center an oval gold medallion with the founder's crowned

Augustus the Strong of Poland-Saxony