• Source: Order of Merit

The Order of Merit (French: Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order remains the personal gift of its Sovereign—currently Edward VII's great-great-grandson Charles III—and is restricted to a maximum of 24 living recipients from the Commonwealth realms, plus honorary members. While all members are awarded the right to use the post-nominal letters OM and wear the badge of the order, the Order of Merit's precedence among other honours differs between countries.




History


In around 1773, George III considered establishing an order of knighthood to be called the "Order of Minerva" with membership restricted to 24 distinguished artists and authors. Knights would be entitled to the post-nominal letters KM, and would wear a silver nine-pointed breast star with the image of Minerva at its centre, along with a "straw-coloured" sash worn across the chest from the right shoulder. The motto of the Order would be "Omnia posthabita scientiae" (in Latin, 'Everything comes after science'). Once the King's proposal was made public, however, arguments within intellectual circles over who would be most deserving of the new order grew so heated that George ultimately dropped the idea, though he briefly reconsidered it in 1789; on 6 February of that year, he revised the design of the order, with the breast star to have sixteen points, the motto to be the Latin for "Learning improves character" and with membership to include distinguished scientists. Following the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, First Lord of the Admiralty Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham and William Pitt exchanged correspondence concerning the possible creation of an order of merit, though nothing came of the idea.
Later, Queen Victoria, her courtiers, and politicians alike, thought that a new order, based on the Prussian order Pour le Mérite, would make up for the insufficient recognition offered by the established honours system to achievement outside public service, in fields such as art, music, literature, industry and science. Victoria's husband, Albert, Prince Consort, took an interest in the matter; it was recorded in his diary that he met Sir Robert Peel on 16 January 1844 to discuss the "idea of institution of a civil Order of Merit" and, three days later, he conferred with the Queen on the subject.
Though nothing came of the idea at the time, the concept did not wither and, more than 40 years later, on 5 January 1888, Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury submitted to the by then long-widowed Queen a draft constitution for an Order of Merit in Science and Art, consisting of one grade split into two branches of knighthood: the Order of Scientific Merit, for Knights of Merit in Science, with the post-nominal letters KMS, and the Order of Artistic Merit, for Knights of Merit in Art, with the post-nominal letters KMA. However, Frederic Leighton, President of the Royal Academy of Arts, advised against the new order, primarily because of its selection process.

It was Victoria's son Edward VII who eventually founded the Order of Merit on 26 June 1902 (the date for which his coronation had been originally scheduled) as a means to acknowledge "exceptionally meritorious service in Our Navy and Our Army, or who may have rendered exceptionally meritorious service towards the advancement of Art, Literature and Science". All modern aspects of the order were established under his direction, including the division for military figures.
From the outset, prime ministers attempted to propose candidates or lobbied to influence the monarch's decision on appointments. But, the Royal Household adamantly guarded information about potential names. After 1931, when the Statute of Westminster came into effect and the Dominions of the British Empire became independent countries within the empire, equal in status to the UK, the Order of Merit continued as an honour open to all these realms and, in many, became a part of their newly developing national honours systems. The order's statutes were amended in 1935 to include members of the Royal Air Force and, in 1969, the definition of honorary recipients was expanded to include members of the Commonwealth of Nations that are not realms.
The order has always been open to women, Florence Nightingale being the first woman to receive the honour, in 1907. Several individuals have refused admission into the Order of Merit, including Rudyard Kipling, A. E. Housman, and George Bernard Shaw. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, remains the youngest person ever inducted into the Order, having been admitted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1968, when he was 47 years old.
Robin Eames, Baron Eames represented the order at the coronation of Charles III and Camilla on 6 May 2023.




Eligibility and appointment


All citizens of the Commonwealth realms are eligible for appointment to the Order of Merit. There may be, however, only 24 living individuals in the order at any given time, not including honorary appointees, and new members are personally selected by the reigning monarch of the realms, currently Charles III, with the assistance of his private secretaries; the order has thus been described as "quite possibly, the most prestigious honour one can receive on planet Earth." Within the limited membership is a designated military division, with its own unique insignia; though it has not been abolished, it is currently unpopulated, Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma having been the last person so honoured.
Honorary members form another group, to which there is no numerical limit, though such appointments are rare; individuals from countries in the Commonwealth of Nations that are not headed by King Charles are therefore considered foreigners, and thus are granted only honorary admissions, such as Nelson Mandela (South Africa) and Mother Teresa (India).
Upon admission into the Order of Merit, members are entitled to use the post-nominal letters OM and are entrusted with the badge of the order.




Insignia



The insignia consists of a badge, which consists of a golden crown from which is suspended a red enamelled cross pattée, itself centred by a disk of blue enamel, surrounded by a laurel wreath. The obverse of the badge's central disk bears the words FOR MERIT in gold lettering, while the reverse bears the royal cypher of the reigning monarch in gold. The insignia for the military grouping is distinguished by a pair of crossed swords behind the central disk.
The ribbon of the Order of Merit is divided into two stripes of red and blue. The neck ribbon is 50mm in width, while the ribbon bar width is the standard British 32mm size for military or civilian wear. Men wear their badges on a neck ribbon (as a necklet), while women wear theirs on a ribbon bow pinned to the left shoulder, and aides-de-camp may wear the insignia on their aiguillettes.
Since 1991, the insignia must be returned upon the recipient's death.




Current members






= Sovereign

=




= Substantive members

=




= Honorary members

=
There have been no honorary members of the Order of Merit since the death of the last such member, Nelson Mandela, in December 2013.




= Officers

=
Secretary and Registrar: Robin Janvrin, Baron Janvrin




Order of wear


As the Order of Merit is open to the citizens of 15 countries, each with their own system of orders, decorations, and medals, the order's place of precedence varies from country to country. While, in the United Kingdom, the order's postnominal letters follow those of Knights and Dames Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, membership in the Order of Merit itself gives members no place in any of the orders of precedence in the United Kingdom. However, Stanley Martin says in his book The Order of Merit 1902–2002: One Hundred Years of Matchless Honour, that the Order of Merit is the pinnacle of the British honours system. Similarly, though it was not listed in the Canadian order of precedence for honours, decorations, and medals until December 2010, Christopher McCreery, an expert on Canadian honours and secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, stated that the Order of Merit was the highest civilian award for merit a Canadian could receive.
Some orders of precedence are as follows:




Notes






Citations






References


Martin, Stanley (2007). The Order of Merit: One Hundred Years of Matchless Honour. New York City: I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd. ISBN 978-1-86064-848-9.




External links



Order of Merit (cabinetoffice.gov.uk)
What is the Order of Merit? (thegazette.co.uk)
Order of Merit (royal.uk)
"Merit, Order of" . Collier's New Encyclopedia. 1921.
"Merit, Order of" . New International Encyclopedia. 1905.
World Awards – Order of Merit
• Source: Order of merit

An order of merit is an honorific order that is conferred by a state, government, royal family, or other sovereign entity to an individual in recognition of military or civil merit. The historical background of the modern honours system of orders of merit may be traced to the emergence of chivalric orders during the Middle Ages.
Orders of merit may be bestowed as official awards by states, or as dynastic orders by royal families. In the case of modern republics, an order of merit may constitute the highest award conferred by the state authority.




National orders of merit


Order of Merit of the Bavarian Crown, established in 1808 by the Kingdom of Bavaria
National Order of Merit (Paraguay), established in 1865
Order of Agricultural Merit (France), established in 1883
Order of Merit, a Commonwealth order established in 1902 by King Edward VII
Order of the Cross of Liberty (Finland), established in 1918
Order of the White Rose of Finland, established in 1919
Order pro Merito Melitensi, established in 1920 as a state decoration by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta
Order of Merit (Lebanon), established in 1922 as the highest honour of the Republic of Lebanon
Order of the Three Stars, established in 1924 as the highest honour of the Republic of Latvia
Order of Civil Merit, Spain, established in 1926
National Order of Honour and Merit (Haiti), established in 1926
Order of Merit (Portugal), established in 1927, known by its current name since 1976
Order of Merit (Chile), established in 1929
Ordre du Mérite Maritime, established in 1930
Order of Merit of the Principality of Liechtenstein, established in 1937
Military Order of Merit (Iran), established in 1937
Order of the Lion of Finland, established in 1942
Order of Civil Merit (Bulgaria), established in 1891, reestablished in 2003
Order of Military Merit (Bulgaria), established in 1900, reestablished in 2003
Legion of Merit, established by the United States Government in 1942
National Order of Merit (Brazil), established in 1946
Order of Civic Merit of Laos, established in 1950
Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, established in 1951 as the highest honour of the Italian Republic
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, established in 1951 as the highest honour of the Federal Republic of Germany
Order of Merit of the Austrian Republic, established in 1952 as the highest honour of the Austrian Republic
Order of Civil Merit of the Syrian Arab Republic, established in 1953
Order of Merit (Egypt), established in 1953
Ordre des Palmes Académiques, established in 1955 by the French Republic for excellence in education
Order of Central African Merit, established in 1959 as the highest civil decoration of the Central African Republic
Order of Merit (Sudan), established in 1961
Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, established in 1961
National Order of Merit (Mauritania), established in 1961
Ordre national du Mérite (France), established in 1963
Order of Merit (Jamaica), established in 1968
Order of Ivory Merit, established in 1970
National Order of Merit (Gabon), established in 1971
Order of Merit (Cameroon), established in 1972
Order of Merit (Malaysia), established in 1975 as the highest honour of Malaysia
Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, established in 1974
National Order of Merit (Algeria), established in 1984
Royal Norwegian Order of Merit, established in 1985
National Order of Merit (Malta), established in 1990 as the highest honour of the Republic of Malta
Order of Merit and Management, established in 1990
Order of Merit of the Republic of Turkey, established in 1990
Hungarian Order of Merit, established in 1991
Order of Work Glory, established in 1992
Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", established in 1994 for the Russian Federation
Order of Merit (Ukraine), established in 1996
Order of Merit of the Bahamas, established in 1996
New Zealand Order of Merit, established in 1996
Order of Merit (Antigua and Barbuda), established in 1998
Order For Merit (Romania), a Romanian order, established in 2000
Order of Merit of the Police Forces (Canada), established in 2000
Order for Merits to Lithuania, established in 2002
National Order of Merit (Bhutan), established in 2008
Tuvalu Order of Merit was founded 2016 as the highest honour of Tuvalu
Order of Honour (Greece)
National Order of Merit (Guinea)
National Order of Merit (Ecuador)
Order of Civil Merit (France)
Order of Civil Merit (South Korea)
Pour le Mérite (1740–1918), the highest order of merit of the Kingdom of Prussia founded in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia
Order of Saint Michael (Bavaria) (1693–1918), founded in 1693 by Archbishop-Elector Joseph Clemens of Bavaria of Cologne as a military order, from 1837 an order of merit of the Kingdom of Bavaria
Indian Order of Merit (1837–1947), a military and civilian decoration of British India
Order of Merit of Samoa (established 1992)




Dynastic orders of merit


Order of Merit of Savoy, established in 1988 by the House of Savoy
Order of Merit of the Portuguese Royal House, established in 1993 by the House of Braganza
Royal Order of Merit of Prince Uchicho, established in 2012 by the House of Pinedo




See also


Order (distinction)
Order of Military Merit (disambiguation), a number of separate orders
Order of Naval Merit (disambiguation), a number of separate orders
Cross of Merit (disambiguation), a number of separate decorations
Medal of Merit (disambiguation), a number of separate decorations
Socialist orders of merit




References

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• FIFA Order of Merit
• Orde Merit
• Bintang Jasa Republik Italia
• Indian Order of Merit
• Moerdiono
• Siti Hartinah
• Abdullah II dari Yordania
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• Order of the Companions of Honour
• B. J. Habibie
• Order of Merit
• Order of merit
• New Zealand Order of Merit
• PDC Order of Merit
• Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
• Order of Merit (Portugal)
• Order of Civil Merit
• Hungarian Order of Merit
• Order "For Merit to the Fatherland"
• Order of Merit (Jamaica)