Item number: M440

Year: AD 1841-present

The results after XRF testing

Material: Gold and Enamel

Size: 51.0 x 10.8 x 3.2 mm

Weight: 1.35 g

Provenance: Denarius 2025

This is a miniature of the Knight class of the Order of the Oak Crown (Eechelaafkrounenuerden), established in AD 1841 by the Dutch king William II acting in his capacity as Grand Duke of Luxembourg. The miniature was intended to be worn with civilian formal dress (such as evening tailcoat) rather than military uniform.

The badge is a white-enamelled Teutonic Maltese Cross in gold. In the fourth class, an oak-leaf wreath is added between the arms of the cross. The central medallion is green, bearing a crowned Gothic letter “W,” representing the founder William II. The stars of the first and second classes are silver Maltese crosses; from AD 1858 onwards, the star of the Grand Cross was changed to an eight-pointed silver star. All stars carry at the centre the same medallion as the badge, encircled by a red enamel ring without inscription; on the full-size official insignia, this ring bears the legend “Je maintiendrai” (“I shall persevere”), the motto of the House of Nassau-Orange, and is further surrounded by an oak-leaf wreath.

The ribbon is broom-yellow with three green stripes, symbolising the oak forests of Luxembourg and flowering broom bushes. The Knight class of the Order of the Oak Crown is worn as a breast decoration, suspended from the ribbon on the left side of the chest.

In AD 1841, following the abdication of William I, William II, as the new Dutch king and Grand Duke of Luxembourg, sought to strengthen his control over Luxembourg by promulgating an anti-liberal charter that attempted to establish a centralised, authoritarian system and to curtail parliamentary powers. At the same time, acting on behalf of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, he founded the Order of the Oak Crown, intended to reward those within Luxembourg who were loyal supporters of his rule. Although in legal terms the Order constituted an honour of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, during the reigns of William II and William III it was frequently treated as a dynastic decoration of the House of Nassau and conferred as such, not least because it did not fall under the supervision of the Dutch parliament. Today, the Order may be awarded to Luxembourg citizens and to foreigners in recognition of merit in civil or military service, or for outstanding achievement in the arts. The reigning Grand Duke of Luxembourg serves as Grand Master of the Order. Following the introduction of the fourth class (Officer) in AD 1858, the Order now comprises five classes: Grand Cross (wearing the badge on a sash and the star, with the ribbon fitted with a rosette); Grand Officer (wearing the badge on a necklet and the star, with the ribbon fitted with a rosette); Commander (wearing the badge on a necklet, with the ribbon fitted with a rosette); Officer (wearing the badge on the chest, with an oak-leaf wreath between the arms of the cross and the ribbon fitted with a rosette); and Knight (wearing the badge on the chest).

In the same reform of AD 1858, a Medal of Merit was added to the system of the Order of the Oak Crown, issued in three grades—gold, silver, and bronze.

In AD 1815, the European powers reshaped the continental order under the Vienna settlement. Luxembourg was constituted as a Grand Duchy and placed in a personal union with the Netherlands, with the Dutch king William I serving simultaneously as Grand Duke, an arrangement intended to balance great-power interests and border security considerations. In AD 1840, William II succeeded as Dutch king and Grand Duke of Luxembourg. The charter promulgated in AD 1841 sought to concentrate power and restrict parliamentary authority. In AD 1848, a wave of liberal revolutions, beginning in Sicily, spread across Europe, and demands for constitutional revision and expanded rights emerged within Luxembourg as well. As a result, William II ultimately accepted far-reaching constitutional reforms in both Luxembourg and the Netherlands, establishing ministerial responsibility to parliament and limiting royal authority, thereby laying the foundations of parliamentary democracy.

The personal union between the Netherlands and Luxembourg endured until AD 1890, when it was dissolved owing to differences in succession law. The Dutch throne passed to Wilhelmina, the daughter of William III, while Luxembourg, governed by Salic succession, transferred the Grand Ducal title to a collateral branch of the House of Nassau (the Nassau-Weilburg line), bringing the personal union to an end.

物件編號: M440

年代: 公元 1841 年至今

XRF分析結果:

材質: 黃金、琺瑯

尺寸: 51.0 x 10.8 x 3.2 mm

重量: 1.35 g

來源: 第納里烏斯 2025

這是一枚騎士級櫟樹王冠勳章(Eechelaafkrounenuerden)的迷你版，由荷蘭國王威廉二世於公元1841年代表盧森堡大公國設立。迷你版則是用以著非軍服正裝(例如燕尾服)時配戴。

勳章章體為金質白色琺瑯的條頓式馬爾他十字。第四級於十字臂間加飾橡葉花環。中央圓章為綠底，圖樣為上加冠冕之哥德體字母「W」，代表設立者「威廉二世」(William II)。第一級與第二級之星章分別為銀質馬爾他十字，公元1858年起，大十字級星章改為八芒銀星。星章中央皆置有與勳章章體相同之圓章，外環以紅色琺瑯環繞，無銘文，官方版(full size)則書有銘文「Je maintiendrai」(意為「我將堅持」)，為拿騷-奧蘭治家族之格言，並再外圍以橡葉花環環繞。

勳章綬帶為金雀花黃色，其上飾以三道綠色條紋，象徵盧森堡之橡樹森林與盛開之金雀花叢。騎士級櫟樹王冠勳章為綬章，以綬帶佩於左胸前。

公元1841年，荷蘭國王兼盧森堡大公威廉一世退位後，其繼任者威廉二世為了加強對盧森堡的統治，頒布了一部反自由主義的憲法，嘗試建立專制王權體制。同時，他也代表盧森堡大公國設立了櫟樹王冠勳章，旨在獎勵盧森堡中忠於其政權的擁護者。儘管該勳章於法律意義上屬於盧森堡大公國的榮譽，但在威廉二世與威廉三世任內，經常視櫟樹王冠勳章為拿騷王朝的王室勳章，經常頒發以酬勳，因為櫟樹王冠勳章毋須受荷蘭議會的管轄。如今，該勳章可授予盧森堡公民及外國人士，作為對其在文職與軍事服務方面之功績，或於藝術領域具卓越成就之獎勵。當代盧森堡大公為本勳章騎士團之大團長。於公元1858年增設第四級軍官級後，現行設有五等級：

而同年的改革中，於櫟樹王冠勳章體系下增設功績勳章，有金、銀、銅三級。

公元1815年，列強在維也納體系下重塑歐洲秩序。盧森堡被設為「大公國」，並以「君和國」方式由荷蘭國王威廉一世兼任大公，以兼顧列強的均勢安排與邊境安全考量。公元1840年，威廉二世(William II)繼位為荷蘭國王兼盧森堡大公。公元1841年，頒布的憲章(Charter)，嘗試集權專制，縮限議會權力。公元1848年，自西西里島開始，自由主義革命浪潮遍及全歐，盧森堡內部亦出現要求修憲與擴大權利的訴求。因此威廉二世最後於盧森堡與荷蘭，均接受了大幅度憲政改革，使內閣對議會負責、王權受限，奠定議會民主的制度基礎。

荷蘭與盧森堡維持君合國直至公元1890年，由於繼承法的男女權利差異而分離。荷蘭王位由威廉三世之女威廉明娜繼承，而盧森堡適用薩利克繼承法，因此大公位轉由拿騷家族旁支(拿騷-威爾堡系)承襲，君合國遂告終結。