Orders, decorations, and medals of France

This is a list of some of the modern orders, decorations and medals of France. Some, like the Legion of Honour, are awarded to both the armed forces and civilians. Others are decorations of a pure civilian or military character. Only four of the 19 Ministerial orders have survived the reform of the French system of decorations in 1963. The others were replaced by the Ordre national du Mérite.

The Grand Chancery of the Legion of Honour classifies the national system of honours of France into two categories: those honours awarded on behalf of the President of the Republic and ministerial honours. The orders and decorations presented on behalf of the president are the Legion of Honour, Order of Liberation, Military Medal, National Order of Merit, and National Medal of Recognition for victims of terrorism. The ministerial honours include French military decorations, the existing ministerial orders, ministerial awards for acts of courage and honor medals, and commemorative medals.^[1]

National orders

Legion of Honour	Order of Liberation	National Order of Merit

Ministerial orders

Order of Academic Palms	Order of Arts and Letters	Order of Agricultural Merit	Order of Maritime Merit

Military decorations

Military Medal	War Cross (1914–1918)	War Cross (1939–1945)	War Cross for foreign operational theaters	Cross for Military Valour	Medal of the Gendarmerie nationale

Resistance Medal	Escapees' Medal	Volunteer combatant's cross 1914–1918	Volunteer combatant's cross	Cross of the resistance volunteer combatant	Combatant's Cross

Aeronautical Medal	Overseas Medal	Medal for voluntary military service	National Defence Medal	Medal for the War Wounded	Military Health Service honour medal

Rewards for acts of courage and ministerial honour medals

Honour medal for courage and devotion	Honour medal for penitentiary administration	Honour medal of Aeronautics	Honour medal of Foreign Affairs	Honour medal of agriculture	Insignia for wounded civilians

Honour medal for railways	Honour medal for Indirect Taxation	Regional, departmental and municipal honour medal	Customs honour medal	Honour medal for water and forests	Honour medal of teaching of the first degree

Medal of the French Family	Honour medal for youth, sports and associative engagements	Honour medal for merchant seamen and fisheries	Medal of Mines	Honour medal for civilian personnel of the defense ministry	Honour medal of the National Police

Honour medal for post and telecommunications	Honour medal for judicial protection of youth	National Recognition Medal of Victims of Terrorism	Honour medal for Health and Social Affairs	Honour medal for firefighters	Medal for internal security

Honour medal for judicial services	Honour medal for music and chorale societies	Medal of Tourism	Honour medal for road transport	Honour medal for work	Honour medal for public works

Commemorative medals

19th century

Saint Helena Medal	Commemorative medal of the 1859 Italian Campaign	Commemorative medal of the 1860 China Expedition	Commemorative medal of the 1862 Mexico Expedition	Commemorative medal of the 1870–1871 War

First Madagascar campaign medal 1883	Tonkin Expedition commemorative medal 1883–1885	Dahomey Expedition commemorative medal 1892	Second Madagascar campaign medal 1894–1895	Colonial Medal

1900–1914

1901 China expedition commemorative medal	Morocco commemorative medal (1909)

First World War (1914–1918)

1914–1918 Inter-Allied Victory medal	1914–1918 Commemorative war medal	Dardanelles campaign medal	Orient campaign medal

Medal of French Gratitude	Medal for civilian prisoners, deportees and hostages of the 1914-1918 Great War	Medal for victims of the invasion

Between the two wars (1918–1939)

Syria-Cilicia commemorative medal

Second World War (1939–1945)

1939–1945 Commemorative war medal	1943–1944 Italian campaign medal	Medal of a liberated France

Commemorative medal for voluntary service in Free France	Deported for acts of resistance medal	Interned for acts of resistance medal	Political deportee's medal	Political internee's medal	Recusant's insignia

After 1945

United Nations operations in Korea commemorative medal	Indochina Campaign commemorative medal	Middle East operations commemorative medal	North Africa Security and Order Operations Commemorative Medal	North Africa medal

United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon medal	Medal of the Nation's Gratitude	French commemorative medal	Medal for the Military Protection of the Territory
Médaille de la FINUL (recto)

Territorial order

Order of Tahiti Nui

Abolished or dormant decorations

Royal orders

Order of the Holy Spirit	Order of Saint Michael	Order of Saint Louis	Order of Military Merit

Ministerial orders

Order of Combatant Merit	Order of Military Merit	Order of Civil Merit	Order of Social Merit	Order of Working Merit

Order of Touristic Merit	Order of the National Economy	Order of Commercial & Industrial Merit	Order of Artisanal Merit	Order of Public Health

Order of Postal Merit	Order of Sporting Merit

Colonial orders

Indochinese Order of Merit	Saharan Order of Merit	Order of the Black Star	Order of the Star of Anjouan	Order of Nichan el Anouar

Order of the Dragon of Annam	Royal Order of Cambodia

Rewards for acts of courage and ministerial honour medals

Departmental and municipal honour medal

See also

• Historical orders, decorations, and medals of France
• Ribbons of the French military and civil awards
• List of honours of France awarded to heads of state and royalty

References

1. "The national system". Grand Chancery of the Legion of Honor. Retrieved 25 January 2017.