Victor Nordquist

Heraldry, phaleristics, orders, and more…

Category: Orders

  • European Parliament to establish European Order of Merit

    European Parliament to establish European Order of Merit

    In anticipation of the 75th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, the European Parliament has announced the creation of the European Order of Merit – marking the first civil distinction of its kind to be instituted by an EU institution.

    This new honour aims to recognise individuals who have made outstanding contributions to European integration and the promotion of shared European values. While nearly all EU member states – except Ireland, which does not maintain a national system of orders – award honours through their respective national orders, the European Union itself has, until now, lacked a comparable symbolic distinction. The European Order of Merit is designed to fill this void, offering recognition at the supranational level.

    Nominations to the order may be submitted by the Presidents of the European Parliament, the European Council, and the European Commission, as well as by heads of state or government and speakers of national parliaments from EU member states. Each year, up to 20 laureates may be appointed by a selection committee composed of the President of the European Parliament, two Vice-Presidents, and four eminent European figures.

    The inaugural conferral ceremony is expected to take place in 2026.

    Read more in the factsheet provided by the EU.

  • Historic First: Sweden Awards the Military Cross

    Historic First: Sweden Awards the Military Cross

    Today, H.M. The King has made the formal decision to award the Military Cross of the Order of the Sword – for the first time ever. It is also the first time that any decoration of the Order of the Sword – excluding royalty – is awarded to a woman. The medals will be presented during the Veterans Day celebration on May 29 at the Maritime Museum in Stockholm.

    After the end of the Second World War, a committee conducted a thorough review of what awards Sweden would require in the event of war. In the 1952 revision of the statutes of the Royal Orders of Knighthood, the War Cross of the Order of the Sword was introduced to be awarded for bravery in battle in three classes. However, it was never awarded before the 1975 reform of the Swedish orders, which placed the Royal Orders of Knighthood and associated decorations in abeyance for Swedish citizens. From 1995 to 2023, the Armed Forces awarded medals with a ribbon bearing a sword, indicating bravery in combat.

    Through the reform of 2023, Swedish citizens can once again be awarded orders. As part of the reform, the War Cross of the Order of the Sword was changed to the Military Cross of the Order of the Sword, to be awarded for bravery in battle during war or warlike situations involving armed conflict.

    In both status and form, the Military Cross corresponds to, for example, the Valour Cross in Denmark or the War Cross in Norway.

    Simple design?

    The insignia of the Military Cross is a simplified version of the Knight’s Cross of the Order of the Sword, set atop a horizontal sword. It is worn on the Order of the Swords’s usual ribbon yellow and blue ribbon, and adorned with an upright sword.

    While its design may seem modest compared to other insignia, this simplicity is intentional — the decoration is meant to be rapidly manufactured in times of war

    Criteria for the Military Cross

    The decoration comes in three classes. From the 2023 statutes of the Royal Orders of Knighthood:

    1st class, in gold, is awarded for personal bravery in battle under exceptional danger to one’s own life, while also demonstrating extraordinary perseverance and determination in the execution of assigned duties. The award may also be given for exceptionally meritorious leadership of a unit in combat under extremely difficult conditions.

    2nd class, in silver, is awarded for personal bravery or resolute and courageous action carried out in combat under danger to one’s own life.

    3rd class, in bronze, is awarded for resolute and courageous action carried out in combat.

    Recipients of the Military Cross of the Order of the Sword

    The five recipients were nominated within the Swedish Armed Forces, and after review by the Supreme Commander’s medal committee, the Supreme Commander submitted a recommendation to the government. The government supported the nominations, and H.M. The King, upon the government’s recommendation, made the formal decision.

    Among the recipients are Major Anders Eckerberg and Lieutenant Colonel Liridona Dauti, both recognized for their remarkable conduct during a firefight in Afghanistan in 2011. Eckerberg, as company commander, led his unit under severe conditions with notable personal courage, earning the Military Cross in silver. Dauti’s actions in the same battle were pivotal to enabling Eckerberg to continue his command—she too is awarded the Military Cross in silver. Dauti is allegedly also the first woman to ever receive a decoration of the Order of the Sword, excluding royalty.

    Three additional recipients, whose identities remain classified due to the nature of their service, are also being honored: one with the Military Cross in gold and two in silver.

    Source: Kungl. Maj:ts Orden

  • Royal Orders to exceptional Swedes

    Royal Orders to exceptional Swedes

    The Royal Orders of Knighthood announced on April 30, 2025, the award of royal orders to several Swedish citizens for exceptional contributions in areas such as justice, science and medicine, cultural heritage, and defense.

    Order of the Sword

    The Order of the Sword is awarded to military personnel for significant contributions in the field of defense.

    Lieutenant Colonel Marcus Sandqvist – Knight 1st Class
    For significant contributions during ongoing war as Deputy Defense Attaché to Ukraine.

    Major Harald Glans – Knight 1st Class
    For significant contributions during the earthquake disaster in Turkey in 2023.

    Corporal Henrik Lindqvist – Medal of the Sword in Silver
    For skillful and decisive actions in warlike conditions during the Armed Forces’ international missions.

    Order of the Polar Star

    The Order of the Polar Star is awarded for personal contributions to Sweden or Swedish interests, particularly in public service.

    Former Supreme Court Justice Bertil Bengtsson – Commander Grand Cross
    For an outstanding lifelong contribution to the Swedish judiciary.

    Former National Archivist Erik Norberg – Commander 1st Class
    For highly distinguished service as National Archivist and within academia.

    Physician Agneta Wikman – Knight 1st Class
    For significant contributions in clinical immunology and transfusion medicine.

    County Antiquarian Majvor Östergren – Knight 1st Class
    For significant contributions as County Antiquarian in Gotland County.

    Strategic Purchaser Sara Ålbrink – Knight
    For significant contributions as Strategic Purchaser at the Swedish Armed Forces.

    Order of Vasa

    The Order of Vasa is awarded for achievements in private enterprise and other sectors of society.

    Director Marie Ehrling – Commander 1st Class
    For highly distinguished contributions to Swedish business.

    Court Singer Nina Stemme – Commander 1st Class
    For highly distinguished contributions as an opera singer.

    Director Gunilla Arhén – Commander
    For distinguished contributions to women’s leadership.

    Former Opera Director Ole Wiggo Bang – Commander
    For distinguished contributions as leader of Wermland Opera.

    Actress Marie Göranzon Malmsjö – Commander
    For distinguished contributions as an actress.

    Doctor of Technology, honoris causa, Håkan Lans – Commander
    For distinguished contributions as an inventor.

    Director Crister Stark – Commander
    For distinguished contributions to business and the agricultural sector.

    Director Karin Bodin – Knight 1st
    For significant contributions to Swedish business.

    Journalist Ulf Elfving – Knight 1st Class
    For significant contributions as a journalist and broadcaster.

    Physician Ingrid Le Roux – Knight
    For important contributions to the dissemination of Swedish expertise in healthcare for vulnerable women and children.

    Business Developer Staffan Braw – Badge of Vasa
    For great voluntary commitment to society.

    Photographer Kim Norman – Badge of Vasa
    For great voluntary commitment to society.

    The awards will be presented at a ceremony at the Royal Palace in Stockholm on May 28, 2025. Before 1975 each royal order had their own investiture ceremony. When the royal orders were reinstated in 2023, this practice was not restored – instead, a new state ceremony was created in which all recipients of all orders are awarded.

  • Bishop of the Royal Orders of Knighthood

    Bishop of the Royal Orders of Knighthood

    The Order Bishop* was an official and officiant within the Royal Orders of Knighthood in Sweden. The office was established on November 24, 1783, by Gustav III in preparation for his trip to Italy, in favor of the royal court chaplain Carl Edvard Taube. A key reason for this decision was that Taube, as a bishop in Rome, would be able to administer the evangelical sacrament of the Eucharist for the King, which he did during Easter in 1784. The position replaced the previous role of Preacher in the Royal Orders of Knighthood.

    Carl Edvard Taube, the first bishop of the Royal Orders of Knighthood. From Wikimedia Commons.

    One could be consecrated as an Order Bishop without being a diocesan bishop, and the office was never mentioned or regulated in church law. The duties of the Order Bishop included conducting services and preaching in the Royal Chapel in Stockholm on the major feast day of the Order of the Seraphim (Serafimerorden) and delivering commemorative speeches for knights buried in the Riddarholm Church, the church of the Order of the Seraphim. In service, the Order Bishop wore a special dress adorned with the insignia of the Order of the Seraphim – see picture below.

    Cope and mitra for the order bishop. From Wikimedia Commons.

    After Taube, the position was typically filled by one of the diocesan bishops. When Archbishop Anton Niklas Sundberg refused in 1880 to consecrate the royal court chaplain Frithiof Grafström, appointed by Oscar II, he contributed to the office remaining vacant after Grafström’s death. The office officially ceased to exist in 1952.

    Bishop of the Royal Orders of Knighthood 1785–1883

    • Carl Edvard Taube, 1783–1785
    • Lars Benzelstierna, 1785–1800
    • Johan Gustaf Flodin, 1800–1808
    • Gustaf Murray, 1809–1825
    • Johan Olof Wallin, 1825–1837
    • Carl Adolph Agardh, 1837–1859
    • Christopher Isac Heurlin, 1859–1860
    • Thure Annerstedt, 1860–1880
    • Frithiof Grafström, 1880–1883

    *I have yet to find an English translation of the original Swedish term “ordensbiskop”. In French it is “L’Évêque des Ordres” and in German “Ordensbischof”.

    Source: Wikipedia

  • The Seraphim Toll for Princess Birgitta of Sweden

    The Seraphim Toll for Princess Birgitta of Sweden

    On Sunday, December 15, 2024, a Seraphim Toll was held at Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm to honor Her Royal Highness Princess Birgitta, who passed away on December 4, 2024, at the age of 87.

    The Order of the Seraphim is conferred upon members of the Swedish Royal House and, by recommendation of the government, upon heads of state or individuals of equivalent status in connection with state visits.

    Princess Birgitta was appointed as a Member of the Royal Order of the Seraphim on March 22, 1952. As part of the tradition of the Order, when a Knight or Member is conferred the honor, a heraldic coat of arms – a seraphim shield – is proposed and subsequently painted by the Chapter of the Orders.

    Since the beginning of the 19th century, Riddarholmen Church has been the designated church of the Order of the Seraphim. The seraphim shields of deceased knights and members are displayed in the church, while shields of living knights and members are kept at the Royal Palace.

    On the day of the funeral, the coat of arms of the deceased is solemnly transferred from the Royal Palace to Riddarholmen Church. The Seraphim Toll (Swedish: Serafimerringning), as this tradition is known, takes place between noon and 1 p.m., during which the great bell of the church tolls continuously for one hour, in reverence of the life and service of the departed.

    Photo: Alexandru Baboş Albabos, Wikimedia Commons

    Source: Royal Orders of Knighthood