Item number: M557-1
Reference number: Borna Barac I#196; ODEC#143
Year: AD 1845-1918
Material: Silver-Gilt and Enamel
Provenance:
1. Leu Numismatik 2025
2. Reza Najafi Collection
This is a miniature version of the Order of Leopold, the full-size decoration having been instituted on 11 July AD 1832 by King Leopold I. It constitutes one of the three extant national orders of knighthood of the Kingdom of Belgium, being concurrently the nation’s oldest and highest-ranking distinction. Originally established to honour the valiant conduct of military personnel and civilians during the war of independence and the foundation of the state, the Order serves to reward civil and military officials who have rendered eminent service to the Belgian Crown and the nation. It may likewise be conferred upon foreign nationals who have fostered friendly relations with Belgium, recognising distinguished merit across the civil, military, and maritime spheres.
The badge is designed as an eight-pointed Maltese cross with four white-enamelled arms terminating in eight gold spheres, between which is intertwined an enamelled wreath of oak and laurel leaves. The obverse central medallion features a dark blue enamelled ground bearing a raised gold figure of the Belgian Lion rampant, an ancient heraldic emblem of the Duchy of Brabant that forms the central charge of the national coat of arms. Encircling this is a red-enamelled ring inscribed in gold lettering with the motto “L’UNION FAIT LA FORCE” (“Unity Makes Strength”), the national motto adopted shortly after the accession of King Leopold I.
On the reverse, the central medallion presents a dark ground bearing the golden monogram “LL RR I“, the royal cypher of the founding monarch, King Leopold I (with subsequent issues bearing variant cyphers such as “LL RR” or “LL RR II”), bordered by a red-enamelled ring with chased gold ornamentation. The cross is suspended from a royal crown by a gold mount without intermediate devices, signifying the civil division of the Order. The military division is distinguished by crossed swords placed between the cross and the crown, whilst the maritime division incorporates crossed anchors. The accompanying riband is made of rich poppy-red (ponceau) moiré silk, worn as a grand cordon (sash), necklet, or breast ribbon (with or without a rosette) according to the recipient’s class.
The historical foundation of the Order was forged in the turmoil of national liberation. In September AD 1830, a revolution broke out in Brussels against Dutch dominion, leading to the proclamation of Belgian independence and the drafting, in early AD 1831, of a progressive constitution that synthesised liberal democratic principles with constitutional monarchy. King Leopold I was subsequently invited to take the throne. Soon after his inauguration, the Dutch army violated the armistice and launched the sudden Ten Days’ Campaign; under the direct command of the King and with the timely intervention of allied French forces, the Belgian armed forces and civic guards fought resolutely to preserve their newly established sovereignty. Following the pacification of the realm, this premier order was established by statute pursuant to Article 76 of the Constitution, replacing the temporary distinctions of the Provisional Government. To preserve the memory of these early patriots and state builders, the government compiled the Golden Book of the Order of Leopold (Le Livre d’Or de l’Ordre de Léopold), conceived as an open tribute to civic virtue in deliberate contrast to the exclusionary patrician Golden Book of medieval Venice. The earliest conferrals of the insignia took place directly amidst the crucible of battle. In December AD 1832, during the arduous Siege of Antwerp, King Leopold I visited the frontline trenches under intense artillery bombardment. There he came upon a wounded French sapper, Pierre Ausseil, lying on a stretcher, whose leg had been severed by gunfire during the assault on the Lunette Saint-Laurent. Approaching the wounded man, the King remarked, “My friend, you are severely wounded.” Ausseil, unaware of the sovereign’s identity, replied: “Yes, General, but it was my duty, for my country and my comrades,” and cried out, “Vive la France!” Leopold I immediately unpinned a newly struck Knight’s cross and affixed it to Ausseil’s chest with his own hands, immortalising the brave soldier in the Golden Book as the Order’s celebrated first knight.
In its initial institutional structure of AD 1832, the Order of Leopold was modelled upon the hierarchy of the French Legion of Honour, comprising four classes: Grand Cordon, Commander, Officer, and Knight. As the state administration matured and international diplomatic protocol necessitated exact reciprocity with other European powers, the Belgian Parliament passed a statute on 28 December AD 1838 establishing the intermediate class of Grand Officer, thereby expanding the Order into a five-class hierarchy and introducing its distinctive faceted silver Maltese breast star. Subsequent statutory decrees in AD 1839 further regulated promotional seniority, conditions of service, rules of wear, and division-specific requirements.
During the twentieth century, the profound scale and severity of both World Wars prompted the introduction of an elaborate system of wartime devices and emblems. Personnel who distinguished themselves in frontline combat were awarded the Order with crossed metal swords affixed to the riband; non-combatants rendering exceptional war services received ribands bearing a central gold stripe, whilst conspicuous bravery was indicated by gold border stripes, and mentions in dispatches were marked with bronze or silver palm leaves and stars displaying the cypher of the reigning monarch. Furthermore, in accordance with the constitutional evolution towards institutional bilingualism, a statutory reform in AD 1951 modified the obverse legend to include both French and Dutch (“L’UNION FAIT LA FORCE – EENDRACHT MAAKT MACHT”), establishing the contemporary standard form of the insignia.
