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.

National orders

Legion of Honour	Order of Liberation	National Order of Merit
File:Legion Honneur Chevalier ribbon.svg	File:Ordre de la Liberation 2nd ribbon.svg	File:Ordre national du Merite Chevalier ribbon.svg

Ministerial orders

Order of Academic Palms	Order of Arts and Letters	Order of Agricultural Merit	Order of Maritime Merit
File:Palmes academiques Chevalier ribbon.svg	File:Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Chevalier ribbon.svg	File:Ordre du Merite agricole Chevalier 1999 ribbon.svg	File:Ordre du Merite maritime Chevalier ribbon.svg

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
File:Medaille Militaire dite de la 4e Republique, fabrication officielle Monnaie de Paris (France).jpg
File:Medaille militaire ribbon.svg	File:Croix de Guerre 1914-1918 ribbon.svg	File:Croix de Guerre 1939-1945 ribbon.svg	File:Croix de Guerre des Theatres d'Operations Exterieurs ribbon.svg	File:Croix de la Valeur Militaire ribbon.svg	File:Medaille de la Gendarmerie Nationale ribbon.svg

Resistance Medal	Escapees' Medal	Volunteer combatant's cross 1914–1918	Volunteer combatant's cross	Cross of the resistance volunteer combatant	Combatant's Cross
File:Medaille de la Resistance ribbon.svg	File:Medaille des Evades ribbon.svg	File:Croix du Combattant Volontaire 1914-1918 ribbon.svg	File:Croix du Combattant Volontaire 1939-1945 ribbon.svg	File:Croix du Combattant Volontaire de la Resistance ribbon.svg	File:Croix du Combattant (1930 France) ribbon.svg

Aeronautical Medal	Overseas Medal	Medal for voluntary military service	National Defence Medal	Medal for the War Wounded	Military Health Service honour medal
File:Medaille de l'Aeronautique ribbon.svg	File:Medaille d'Outre-Mer (Coloniale) ribbon.svg	File:Medaille des Services Militaires Volontaires Bronze ribbon.svg	File:Medaille de la Defense Nationale Bronze ribbon.svg	File:Medaille (Insigne) des Blesses Militaires ribbon.svg	File:Medaille d'honneur du Service de Sante des Armees Bronze ribbon.svg

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
	File:Medaille-d-honneur-de-l-administration-penitentiaire-bronze.png			File:MÉDAILLE D’HONNEUR AGRICOLE Frankrijk.jpg
	File:Medaille d'honneur de l'аdministration penitentiaire Bronze ribbon.svg			File:Medaille d'honneur Agricole.svg	File:Medaille (Insigne) des Blesses Civils ribbon.svg

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
File:Medaille d'honneur (universel-2) ribbon.svg	File:Médaille Contributions Indirectes.svg		File:Medaille d'honneur des douanes ribbon.svg	File:Medaille d'honneur des eaux et forets ribbon.svg	File:Medaille d'honneur de l'enseignement du premier degre ribbon.svg

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
File:Medaille de la Famille Francaise Bronze ribbon.svg	File:Medaille de la Jeunesse et des Sports Bronze ribbon.svg	File:Medaille d'honneur des marins du commerce ribbon.svg	File:Ruban de la Médaille des Mines.svg	File:Medaille d'honneur (universel-3) ribbon.svg	File:Medaille d'honneur de la Police nationale ribbon.svg

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
File:Medaille d'honneur des postes et telegraphes Bronze (1902) ribbon.svg	File:Medaille d'honneur de la protection judiciaire de la jeunesse Bronze ribbon.svg	File:Médaille nationale de reconnaissance aux victimes du terrorisme ribbon.svg	File:Medaille d'honneur de la sante et des affaires sociales Bronze ribbon.svg		File:Médaille de la sécurité intérieure (France) échelon bronze.svg

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
File:Medaille d'honneur des services judiciaires Bronze ribbon.svg	File:Medaille d'honneur des societes musicales et chorales Bronze ribbon.svg	File:Medaille du Tourisme Bronze ribbon.svg	File:Medaille d'honneur (universel-2) ribbon.svg	File:Medaille d'honneur (universel-3) ribbon.svg	File:Medaille d'honneur (universel-2) ribbon.svg

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
File:Medaille de Sainte-Helene ribbon.svg	File:Medaille commemorative de la Campagne d'Italie 1859 ribbon.svg	File:Medaille commemorative de l'expedition de Chine ribbon.svg	File:Medaille commemorative de l'expedition du Mexique ribbon.svg	File:Medaille commemorative de la guerre 1870-1871 ribbon.svg

First Madagascar campaign medal 1883	Tonkin Expedition commemorative medal 1883–1885	Dahomey Expedition commemorative medal 1892	Second Madagascar campaign medal 1894–1895	Colonial Medal
File:Medaille commemorative de Madagascar (1886 et 1896) ribbon.svg	File:Medaille commemorative de l'expedition du Tonkin ribbon.svg	File:Medaille commemorative de l'expedition du Dahomey ribbon.svg	File:Medaille commemorative de Madagascar (1886 et 1896) ribbon.svg	File:Medaille d'Outre-Mer (Coloniale) ribbon.svg

1900–1914

1901 China expedition commemorative medal	Morocco commemorative medal (1909)
	File:Medaille commemorative du Maroc ribbon.svg

First World War (1914–1918)

1914–1918 Inter-Allied Victory medal	1914–1918 Commemorative war medal	Dardanelles campaign medal	Orient campaign medal
File:Medaille victoire inter alliee FRANCE recto.jpg
File:World War I Victory Medal ribbon.svg	File:Medaille commemorative de la Guerre 1914-1918 ribbon.svg	File:Medaille commemorative des Dardanelles ribbon.svg	File:Medaille commemorative des Operations du Moyen-Orient ribbon.svg

Medal of French Gratitude	Medal for civilian prisoners, deportees and hostages of the 1914-1918 Great War	Medal for victims of the invasion
File:Medaille de la Reconnaissance Francaise Bronze ribbon.svg	File:Medaille des prisonniers civils, deportes et otages de la Grande Guerre 1914-1918 ribbon.svg	File:Medaille des Victimes de l'Invasion ribbon.svg

Between the two wars (1918–1939)

Syria-Cilicia commemorative medal
File:Medaille commemorative de Syrie-Cilicie (Levant) ribbon.svg

Second World War (1939–1945)

1939–1945 Commemorative war medal	1943–1944 Italian campaign medal	Medal of a liberated France
File:Medaille commemorative de la Guerre 1939-1945 ribbon.svg	File:Medaille commemorative de la Campagne d'Italie ribbon.svg

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
File:Medaille commemorative des Services Volontaires dans la France Libre ribbon.svg	File:Medaille de la Deportation pour faits de Resistance ribbon.svg	File:Medaille de l'Internement pour faits de Resistance ribbon.svg	File:Medaille de la Deportation Politique ribbon.svg	File:Medaille de l'Internement Politique ribbon.svg	File:Medaille (Insigne) du Refractaire ribbon.svg

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
File:Medaille commemorative des Operations des Nations Unies en Coree ribbon.svg	File:Medaille commemorative de la Campagne d'Indochine ribbon.svg	File:Medaille commemorative des Operations du Moyen-Orient ribbon.svg	File:Medaille commemorative des Operations de securite et de Maintien de l'ordre ribbon.svg

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)
		File:Medaille commemorative Francaise ribbon.svg

Territorial order

Order of Tahiti Nui
File:Ordre de Tahiti Nui Chevalier ribbon.svg

Abolished or dormant decorations

Royal orders

Order of the Holy Spirit	Order of Saint Michael	Order of Saint Louis	Order of Military Merit
File:Ordre du Saint-Esprit Chevalier ribbon.svg	File:Ordre de Saint-Michel Chevalier ribbon.svg	File:Ordre Royal et Militaire de Saint-Louis Chevalier ribbon.svg

Ministerial orders

Order of Combatant Merit	Order of Military Merit	Order of Civil Merit	Order of Social Merit	Order of Working Merit
File:Ordre du Merite combattant Chevalier ribbon.svg	File:Ordre du Merite militaire Chevalier ribbon.svg	File:Ordre du Merite civil Chevalier ribbon.svg	File:Ordre du Merite social Chevalier ribbon.svg	File:Ordre du Merite du travail Chevalier ribbon.svg

Order of Touristic Merit	Order of the National Economy	Order of Commercial & Industrial Merit	Order of Artisanal Merit	Order of Public Health
File:Ordre du Merite touristique Chevalier ribbon.svg	File:Ordre de l'Economie nationale Cavalier ribbon.svg	File:Ordre du Merite Commercial et Industriel Chevalier ribbon.svg	File:Ordre du Merite artisanal Chevalier ribbon.svg	File:Ordre de la Sante publique Chevalier ribbon.svg

Order of Postal Merit	Order of Sporting Merit
	File:Medal, order (AM 2014.7.13-18).jpg
File:Ordre du Merite Postal Chevalier ribbon.svg	File:Ordre du Merite sportif Chevalier ribbon.svg

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
File:Ordre du Merite Indochinois ribbon.svg	File:Ordre du Merite Saharien Chevalier ribbon.svg	File:Ordre de l'Etoile Noire Chevalier ribbon.svg	File:Ordre de l'Etoile d'Anjouan Chevalier ribbon.svg	File:Ordre du Nichan el-Anouar Chevalier ribbon.svg

Order of the Dragon of Annam	Royal Order of Cambodia
File:Ordre du Dragon d'Annam (par le Gouvernement Francais) Chevalier ribbon.svg	File:Ordre Royal du Cambodge Chevalier ribbon.svg

Rewards for acts of courage and ministerial honour medals

Departmental and municipal honour medal
File:Medaille d'honneur departementale et communale Argent ribbon.svg

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