France - July Monarch (1830-1848): Order of the Legion d'Honneur, Knight 5th Class, with gold bust of King Henry IV, silver and enamels. With old silk ribbon.
Condition: with the usual slight loss to enamel work conducive with wear on the points and the oak wreath, overall Very Fine.
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (French: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (Ordre impérial de la Légion d'honneur), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil, and currently comprises five classes. Established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, it has been retained (with occasional slight alterations) by all later French governments and regimes. The order's motto is Honneur et Patrie ("Honour and Fatherland"); its seat is the Palais de la Legion d’Honneur next to the Musee d’Orsay, on the left bank of the Seine in Paris. The order is divided into five degrees of increasing distinction: Chevalier (Knight), Officier (Officer), Commandeur (Commander), Grand officier (Grand Officer) and Grand-croix (Grand Cross).
Following the overthrow of the Bourbons in favour of King Louis-Phillippe of the House of Orleans, the Bourbon monarchy's orders were once again abolished and the Order of the Legion d'Honneur in 1830 was restored as the paramount decoration of the French nation. The insignia was drastically altered, with the reverse of the cross now displaying tricolour flags. In 1847, there were 47,000 members.
