Ordre national du Mérite facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ordre national du Mérite |
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![]() Sash, badge and star of a Grand Cross
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Awarded by the President of France | |
Type | Order of merit |
Established | 3 December 1963 |
Ribbon | Blue |
Awarded for | Distinguished civil or military achievements |
Status | Active |
Grand Master | President Emmanuel Macron |
Grades | Grand Cross Grand Officer Commander Officer Knight |
Statistics | |
First induction | 1963 |
Precedence | |
Next (higher) | Military Medal |
Next (lower) | National Recognition Medal for Victims of Terrorism |
Related | Order of Agricultural Merit Order of Maritime Merit |
![]() Grand-croix ![]() Officier ![]() Chevalier Ribbon bars of the order |
The Ordre national du Mérite (which means National Order of Merit) is a special French award. The President of France gives this award to people who have done great things. It was started on December 3, 1963, by President Charles de Gaulle.
This award was created for two main reasons. First, it replaced many smaller awards given by different government groups. Second, it offered an award for achievements that were important but perhaps not quite at the level of the very famous Legion of Honour. The Legion of Honour is usually given to French citizens for truly exceptional service. Today, about 185,000 people are members of this order. Over 50 years, more than 306,000 people have received or been promoted within it.
Contents
History of the National Order of Merit
The National Order of Merit has about 185,000 members today. Over its 50-year history, more than 306,000 people have been honored. An interesting rule is that half of the people who receive this award must be women.
Why the Order Was Created
Before 1963, many different French government groups gave out their own special awards. The National Order of Merit was created to bring all these awards under one main system. This made the awards simpler and more organized.
It replaced many older awards, including some from France's former colonies. These older awards recognized achievements in specific areas like trade, public health, or sports. The new National Order of Merit became a single award for all kinds of important civil or military achievements.
How the Order Works
Rules for Receiving the Award
Both French citizens and people from other countries can receive the National Order of Merit. It is given for excellent achievements in military or civilian life. These achievements are important, but they are usually not as high-level as those needed for the Legion of Honour.
The President of the French Republic is the main leader of the order. He or she is called the Grand Master. The President chooses all the members, usually based on advice from the French government. The order shares an office and a leader (called a Chancellor) with the Legion of Honour. Every Prime Minister of France automatically becomes a Grand Cross of the order after serving for six months.
Different Levels of the Order
The National Order of Merit has five different levels, just like the Legion of Honour. These levels show how important a person's achievements are and how long they have been a member.
- Three Ranks:
- Knight (Chevalier): This is the first level. To become a Knight, a person must be at least 35 years old. They also need to have done at least 10 years of public service and shown "distinguished merits." For military officers, this usually means 15 years of good service.
- Officer (Officier): To move up to Officer, a person must have been a Knight for at least 5 years. For military officers, this means 7 years as a Knight.
- Commander (Commandeur): To become a Commander, a person must have been an Officer for at least 5 years.
- Two Higher Dignities:
- Grand Officer (Grand Officier): This is a very high level. To reach it, a person must have been a Commander for at least 3 years.
- Grand Cross (Grand-Croix): This is the highest level of the order. To become a Grand Cross, a person must have been a Grand Officer for at least 3 years.
The Insignia (Badges and Medals)
The National Order of Merit has special badges, stars, and ribbons that members wear. These items show their level in the order. The famous French artist Max Leognany designed them.
- Knight – wears a medal on the left side of their chest.
- Officer – wears a medal with a small flower-like decoration (called a rosette) on the left side of their chest.
- Commander – wears a medal on a ribbon around their neck.
- Grand Officer – wears a medal with a rosette on the left side of their chest, plus a special star on the right side of their stomach.
- Grand Cross – wears a wide ribbon (called a sash) from their right shoulder to their left hip. They also wear a star on the left side of their stomach.
The medal of the order is a blue, six-pointed star with laurel leaves between its points. It looks like a Maltese cross. The front of the medal shows the head of Marianne, who is a symbol of the French Republic. Around her head are the words République française (French Republic). The back of the medal has crossed French flags and the name of the order with its founding date.
The star (also called a plaque) is worn by Grand Officers and Grand Cross members. It is a twelve-pointed sunburst shape. The center of the star also shows the head of Marianne, surrounded by the words République française and the order's name.
The ribbon for the medal is a solid blue color. For Officers and higher levels, a rosette is added to the ribbon. For Commanders, Grand Officers, and Grand Cross members, the rosette has special silver or gold bars.
Ordre national du Mérite Ribbons | ||||
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![]() Knight |
![]() Officer |
![]() Commander |
![]() Grand Officer |
![]() Grand Cross |
Buttonhole Ribbons
People can also wear smaller ribbons on their lapels or buttonholes to show they are members of the order. These small ribbons look different for each level.
Knight | Officer | Commander | Grand Officer | Grand Cross |
Famous People Who Received the Award
Many well-known people, both French and from other countries, have been honored with the National Order of Merit. This list includes actors, scientists, politicians, and military leaders.
French Citizens
- Charles Aznavour, actor, composer, songwriter and singer
- Sophie Béjean, University president
- Jean-Paul Belmondo, actor
- Arnaud Beltrame, gendarme officer
- Juliette Benzoni, novelist
- Claude Bessy, dancer
- Françoise Cachin, art historian and curator
- Marie-Lise Chanin, physicist
- Jacques Charpentier, composer
- René Clair, writer and filmmaker
- Yves Coppens, anthropologist
- Jacques Cousteau, oceanographer
- Jean Delay, psychiatrist and author
- Alain Delon, actor
- Gérard Depardieu, actor and filmmaker
- Georges Descrières, actor
- Catherine Destivelle, rock climber and mountaineer
- Christian Dumas, biologist
- Laurent Fabius, former Prime Minister of France, politician
- Isabelle Dhordain, journalist and music critic
- Erol Gelenbe, rank of Commander, computer scientist and professor
- President Charles de Gaulle, statesman
- Jacques Gounon, CEO of Groupe Eurotunnel
- Philippe Gurdjian, racing driver and motorsport promoter
- Aline Heitaa-Archier, educator and Marquesan language advocate
- Isabelle Huppert, actress
- Catherine Jeandel, scientist
- Jean-Baptiste Kempf, software developer/entrepreneur (chevalier)
- Patrick Kron, corporate executive
- General André Lalande, military officer
- Robert Lecou, politician
- Héloïse Adélaïde Letissier, singer and musician
- Thierry Lhermitte, actor and comedian
- Sarah Maldoror, filmmaker and activist
- Marcel Marceau, actor and mime
- Frédéric Mazzella, entrepreneur
- President François Mitterrand, statesman
- Cécile Pelous, philanthropist
- Cathérine Picart, biophysicist and bioengineer.
- Francis Pollet, general officer
- Madeleine Riffaud, poet and war correspondent
- Teddy Riner, World and Olympic champion judoka
- Jean-Pierre Rives, sculptor
- Jean-Marc de La Sablière, diplomat
- José-Alain Sahel, ophthalmologist and scientist
- Alice Saunier-Seité, geographer, politician
- Sylvie Tellier, television personality, businesswoman, and beauty pageant titleholder
- Sylvie Vartan, singer
- Dominique Meyer, médical researcher
- Cédric Villani, mathematician
- Emmanuelle Wargon, politician
- Claire Wyart, neuroscientist (chevalier)
- Michèle Bellon, former President of the Directorate ERDF (chevalier)
- Sabine Aubert, conductor
Foreign Nationals
- Siti Hartinah, First Lady of Indonesia
- Sudharmono, Vice President of Indonesia
- Poniman, Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army
- Tyasno Sudarto, Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army
- Rudini, Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army
- Achmad Tahir, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to France
- Prabowo Subianto, Commander of Army Strategic Reserve Command of Indonesia
- Andika Perkasa, Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces
- Hadi Tjahjanto, Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning of Indonesia
- Ginandjar Kartasasmita, Speaker of Indonesia Regional Representative Council
- Muhammad Noer, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to France
- Fadjar Prasetyo, Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Air Force
- Queen Aishwarya of Nepal
- T. K. Ann, industrialist, legislator and sinologist (Hong Kong)
- Tina Arena, musician and actress (Australia)
- Sir John Barbirolli, conductor and cellist (UK)
- Lamia Moubayed Bissat, Lebanese civil servant.
- Béji Caïd Essebsi, President of Tunisia
- Jovanka Broz, First Lady of Yugoslavia
- Empress Emerita Michiko of Japan
- Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom
- King Juan Carlos I of Spain
- Queen Sofia of Spain
- Queen Letizia of Spain
- Frederick, Crown Prince of Denmark
- Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark
- Charles Chibitty, US Army, Comanche Code Talker, WW II (US)
- General Wesley Clark, military officer (US)
- Martine Djibo, educator and politician (Ivory Coast)
- Felix Ermacora, politician and expert on human rights (Austria)
- Mizuho Fukushima, politician and member of the House of Councillors (Japan)
- Sivaji Ganesan, actor (India)
- King Gyanendra of Nepal
- Kamal Haasan, actor (India)
- Bruce Jackson, writer and photographer (US)
- Saša Janković, Serbian lawyer and politician
- General James L. Jones, USMC, military officer and diplomat (US)
- Ameer Al-Aidroos, Ambassador of Yemen to France (2006–2008)
- Nasser Kamel, Ambassador of Egypt to France (2006–2012)
- Queen Komal of Nepal
- Ara Babloyan, politician, pediatrician, President of the National Assembly of Armenia
- Narek Sargsyan, architect, Minister of Urban Development of Armenia
- Vigen Sargsyan, politician, Defence Minister of Armenia
- Anu Lamp, actress, translator and instructor (Estonia)
- Roméo LeBlanc, journalist and statesman (Canada)
- Vice-Admiral Ron Lloyd CMM CD Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy
- Andreas Maislinger, Founder Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service
- Queen Máxima of the Netherlands
- John McManners, clergyman and historian (UK)
- Yvette Jaggi, Swiss national councillor and mayor of Lausanne
- Professor Mari Miura, political scientist, Sophia University (Japan)
- Villoo Morawala-Patell, corporate executive (India)
- Njoroge Mungai, Cabinet Minister for Foreign Affairs and Businessman (Kenya)
- Professor Kathleen O'Flaherty, academic, University College Cork (Ireland)
- Sigurður Pálsson, Icelandic poet, author and translator
- Priya Paul, Entrepreneur (India)
- Goffredo Petrassi, Italian Composer and Conductor.
- Joseph W. Pfeifer, Director of the Center for Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness, Fire Department of New York (United States)
- General Jay Raymond, Chief of Space Operations (USSF) & Commander (USSC) (US)
- Michela Schiff Giorgini, Italian Egyptologist
- Léopold Sédar Senghor, poet, politician and cultural theorist (Senegal)
- Mohammad-Reza Shajarian, Iranian Classical Music Vocalist and Maestro
- Admiral Sumner Shapiro, USN, intelligence officer
- Queen Sonja of Norway
- Queen Silvia of Sweden
- Dubravka Stojanović, historian, Serbia
- Christel Takigawa, Announcer of Japan
- Surya Bahadur Thapa, Prime Minister of Nepal
- Marshal Josip Broz Tito, statesman (Yugoslavia)
- Ignacio Fernández Toxo, President of ETUC (Spain)
- Princess Galyani Vadhana, Princess of Naradhiwas (Thailand)
- Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden
- King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands
- General Anthony Zinni, USMC, military officer (US)
- General Mark A. Milley, US Army, 20th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (US)
- John T. Preston, M.I.T. lecturer
- Rohini Godbole, Indian Institute of Science Honorary Professor
- Carolyn Steyn, Philanthropist and founder of 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day (South Africa)
- Julia Child, Chef
- Major-General Kelvin Khong, Singapore Armed Forces, Chief of Air Force (Singapore)
- Rear Admiral Aaron Beng, Singapore Armed Forces, Chief of Navy (Singapore)
- Tahsin Saraç, poet and statesman (Turkey)
- James R. Allen Us Air Force General
Images for kids
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Commandant Jacques Cousteau, a Grand-Croix of the Ordre national du Mérite.
See also
In Spanish: Orden Nacional del Mérito (Francia) para niños
- List of Foreign recipients of the Ordre national du Mérite
- Order (decoration)
- Ribbons of the French military and civil awards
- State decoration