The current Orders of chivalry and honours in Denmark were instituted on 1 December 1693 when King Christian V of Denmark signed statutes establishing the two orders. This was resulted from moved in 1660 to break the nobility (absolutism).

The statutes were amended in 1958 by a Royal Ordinance so that both men and women could be members of the Orders.

The Order of the Elephant

The Order of the Elephant has one class: Knight of the Elephant.

Symbols

The symbols are in four parts:

The badge: The badge is the elephant made of white-enamelled gold. It is about 5cm high. On its back the elephant is bearing a watch tower; in front of the tower a Moor is sitting holding a golden spear; on the right side of the elephant there is a cross of diamonds and on the left the elephant bears the monogram of the bestowing monarch.

The collar: The collar of the Order is of gold. It consists of alternating elephants and towers. On the cover of the elephants there is a D which stands for Dania, mediaeval Latin for Denmark.

The star: The star of the Order is an eight-pointed silver star. At its center there is a red medallion with a cross, surrounded by a laurel wreath in silver. It is worn on the left side of the chest.

The sash: The sash of the Order is of light-blue silk moiré and 10 cm wide. It is placed on the left shoulder with the elephant resting against the right hip. The collar is not worn when the sash is used.

Upon the death of a Knight of the Elephant, the insignia of the Order must be returned.

Membership

The Danish monarch is the head of the order. The order may also be bestowed on foreign heads of state. (Queen Elizabeth II of England is a member.)

Previous non-royal members have included:

• General Dwight David Eisenhower (1945)
• Field Marshall Sir Bernard Law Montgomery (1945)
• Sir Winston Randolph Churchill (1950)
• Professor Vilhelm Thomsen (1912)
• Hans Niels Andersen (1919)
• Professor Niels Bohr (1947)
• Mærsk McKinney Møller (2000)

The Order of Dannebrog

The Danish monarch is the head of the Order of the Dannebrog.

The Order of the Dannebrog was instituted in 1671. The Order was only to comprise 50 noble Knights in one class plus the Master of the Order, i.e. the King, and his sons. In 1808, the Order was reformed and divided into four classes, with the ranks:

• Grand Commander class
• First Order class
  • Grand Cross
  • Commander 1st Degree
• Second Order class
  • Commander
  • Knight 1st Degree
• Third Order class
  • Knight

• The Cross of Honour is also awarded.

Modern Usage

Today, the Order of Dannebrog is a means of honouring and rewarding the faithful servants of the modern Danish state for meritorious civil or military service, for a particular contribution to the arts, sciences or business life or for those working for Danish interests.

Symbols

The badge of the Order of the Dannebrog is a white and red-enamelled Dannebrog cross, for the Knights in silver and for everyone else in gold. The cross hangs in the crowned monogram of the bestowing monarch. On its front, the cross bears the crowned monogram of Christian V as well as the motto of the Order: Gud og Kongen (God and the King). On the reverse, the crowned monograms of Valdemar II Sejr, Christian V and Frederik VI, as well as the years 1219, 1671 and 1808, their years of ascending the Danish throne. In each of the four angles of the cross a royal crown has been placed.

The Grand Commander class has been reserved to persons of princely origin, and not more than seven Orders are bestowed. The Grand Commanders wear the badge on a necklet (gentlemen) or on a bow (ladies). An eight-pointed silver star is worn on the left side of the chest.

The insignia of the Grand Cross class consist of the badge, the star of the Order (the same as for Grand Commanders), the collar and the sash. The collar of the Order is of gold and the sash is white with a red border. The sash is draped from the right shoulder to the left hip.

Commanders 1st Degree and Commanders wear the badge on the necklet (gentlemen) or on a bow (ladies). Commanders 1st Degree also wear a breast cross.

Knights 1st Degree and Knights wear their cross on a chest ribbon (gentlemen) or on a bow (ladies). Knights 1st Degree have a rosette on the chest ribbon or bow.

The Cross of Honour of the Dannebrog is awarded to Danes on whom the Order of the Dannebrog has already been bestowed. It is also worn by the individual members of the royal family. Its badge is all in silver and it is worn on a ribbon (gentlemen) or bow (ladies) with rosette.

The insignia of the Order must be returned upon the death of the holder.

External Links

• Danish chivalry - Embassy to USA (http://www.denmarkemb.org/chivalry.html)
• Official web site of the Danish Monarchy (http://kongehuset.dk/) English version (http://kongehuset.dk/english/) See official photographs showing blue sash of Order of the Elephant.