Order of Orange Nassau - Definition

Order of Orange-Nassau Knight's Medal

The Order of Orange-Nassau is an order of the Netherlands which was first created in 1890 by Queen Emma. The Order has two divisions, civil and military, the former denoted by a wreath on the badges, and the latter by crossed swords on both the badges and the stars. The Order of Orange-Nassau can therefore be considered the Dutch equivalent of the Order of the British Empire.

By the time of the Second World War, the Order of Orange-Nassau was issued in six classes. There was also an Orange-Nassau Medal which was issued in the grades of gold, silver, and bronze.

In 1945, the following classes and grades existed for the Order of Orange-Nassau

• Knight Grand Cross
• Grand Officer
• Commander
• Officer
• Knight
• Member
• Gold Medal
• Silver Medal
• Bronze Medal

The Order of Orange-Nassau was bestowed to both members of the Netherlands military and members of foreign services who had helped liberate the Netherlands from Nazi Germany occupation. The Order of Orange-Nassau was considered junior to the Order of William. In the modern age, the Orange-Nassau is still an active military decoration of the Netherlands.