| Order of the White Eagle Order Orła Białego | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Awarded by thePresident of Poland (previouslyKing of Poland) | |
| Type | Single grade order |
| Established | 1 November 1705 |
| Country |  Poland |
| Motto |
|
| Eligibility | All |
| Status | Currently awarded |
| Grand Master | President of Poland Karol Nawrocki |
| Statistics | |
| Total inductees | 355 (since 1921) |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | none – highest award |
| Next (lower) | Order Virtuti Militari |
 The ribbon bar of the Order | |
TheOrder of the White Eagle (Polish:Order Orła Białego) is the highest honour of theRepublic of Poland and formerly theSecond Polish Republic and thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and one of the oldest state decorations in the world still in use. It was officially instituted on 1 November 1705 byAugustus II the Strong, King of Poland andElector of Saxony, and bestowed on eight of his closest diplomatic and political supporters.[1] It has since been awarded to the most distinguishedPoles for their merits and occasionally to the heads of state of foreign countries.
The Order of the White Eagle is attached to an azure sash slung over the left shoulder to the right side. The star of the Order, formerly embroidered, is worn on the left side of the chest.[2] Unlike other Polish high decorations, the Order of the White Eagle does not have different classes or crosses.
The badge of the Order of the White Eagle was originally a redenamel oval gold medal with an image of the Polish white eagle on its front side, and theroyal cypher ofAugustus II the Strong over crossed swords on the obverse, worn on a light blue ribbon. The white eagle badge was replaced by aMaltese cross badge in 1709. By 1713 it was worn from the neck, with a bluesash, and astar. Augustus limited the number of knights to 72, but only conferred the Order 40 times before his death in 1733. His son,Augustus III, however, awarded the Order more than three hundred times. Augustus may have been inspired to found the Order by the example ofPeter the Great's recent founding of the RussianOrder of Saint Andrew (of which he himself had been made one of the first knights by the Russian emperor), and above all by the example of the prestigious FrenchOrder of the Holy Spirit, with which the light blue ribbon, and the star with a bird, have a strong resemblance, and which had also inspired Peter the Great'sOrder of Saint Andrew.
Initially, the creation of the Order was strongly opposed by many of the Polish nobility, since membership in the Order conferred a distinction which violated the traditional equality of all Polish nobles. Since the Order had no patron saint, Augustus II made 2 August the feast of the Order. His son,Augustus III, however, changed the Order'sfeast day to 3 August.
Under theThird Partition of Poland in 1795, the Order was abolished. It was renewed in 1807 as the highest award of theDuchy of Warsaw, created byNapoleon Bonaparte. From 1815 to 1831, it was awarded in theCongress Kingdom of Poland.
After Russian troops put down thePolish uprising of 1830-31 in Congress Poland, the Order of the White Eagle was officially "annexed" byNicholas I, and on 17 November 1831 became part of the Russian Imperial honors system. The insignia of this newImperial Russian Order of the White Eagle was modified to more closely resemble those of Russian orders. It remained in this form until theRussian Revolution of 1917, in which the Russian Empire fell.
The Order of the White Eagle officially became Poland's highest decoration by act ofParliament of 4 February 1921, and the insignia was redesigned. During the interbellum (1921-1939), the Order was awarded to 24 Polish citizens and 87 foreigners, among whom were 33 monarchs and heads of state, 10 prime ministers and 15 other ministers of state, and 12 members of royal families.
After 1948, when thePolish People's Republic came into existence, the Order of the White Eagle was no longer awarded, but it was never officially abolished. It was also used by thePolish Government in Exile. Following the collapse ofCommunism, the Order was once again reinstated on 26 October 1992, the Polish Government-in-Exile having already presented the seal and archives of the Order toLech Wałęsa. The first person to be awarded the White Eagle after its reinstatement was PopeJohn Paul II.[3] ThePresident of Poland as the country's head of state is the Grand Master of the Order.[4]
The 1713 badge was a Maltese cross enameled red with white borders with diamonds set in each of the balls at the eight points of the cross and with diamond set rays appearing between each of the points of the cross, i.e., a larger longer ray between each arm of the cross and a smaller ray between each of the two points of these arms. In the centre of the cross was a white enamelled eagle in high relief with spread wings and facing left and with a diamond set royal crown on its head. At the top of the cross between the two top points was a diamond studded semi-circular link through which passed a diamond studded ring through which, in turn, passed the light-blue ribbon from which it was worn. The reverse side of this Maltese cross was enamelled white with red borders and had at its center an oval gold medallion with the founder's crownedroyal cypher above two crossed swords taken from his arms as theArch-Marshall of the Holy Roman Empire.
Thestar of the order consisted of an eight-pointed gold star with straight rays which bore a red-bordered white enamelledcross pattée with golden rays between the arms and with a goldenrosette at its centre. The arms of this cross pattée bore the motto "Pro Fide, Lege et Rege" (For Faith, Law and the King) in golden letters.
TheKing of Poland could also wear the cross from a collar of 24 alternating links of white enameled eagles, crowned and holding scepters and orbs, and dark blue enameled ovals, surrounded by gold rays, bearing alternatively full-length enamelled images of the Virgin Mary crowned, dressed in pink and pale blue and supporting the Christ Child on her left arm and holding a gold scepter in her right hand and the letters of her name, "MARIA", arranged into a stylized monogram in white enamel. This collar was made for the coronation ofStanisław II Augustus, the last King of Poland, but the coat of arms of the founder, Augustus the Strong, show the cross of the Order hanging from a collar of a very different design.
.jpg)
Thebadge of the order consisted of a goldcrowned double-headed eagle enamelled in black, with a cross superimposed upon its chest: this was a goldMaltese cross enamelled in red with white enamel outline and golden rays between the arms. A white enamel crowned eagle with spreadwings, facing left (thecoat-of-arms of Poland) was superimposed on the cross. On its reverse side the double-headed eagle bore in the center of its back a diminutive red-bordered white-enamelled cross pattée with a goldrosette at its center gold rays between its arms. The black double-headed eagle hung by its two crowned heads from an enamelledRussian imperial crown, which, in turn, hung from a dark blue silkmoire ribbon.
Thestar of the order consisted of an eight-pointed gold star with straight rays; the central golden disc bore a red-bordered white enamelled cross pattée with a goldenrosette at its center and golden rays between the arms, surrounded by a blue enamel ring bearing the motto "Pro Fide, Lege et Rege" (For Faith, Law and the King).[5]
Thebadge of the order consists of a goldMaltese cross enamelled in red with white enamel outline and with goldenpalmette-like rays between the arms. A white enamel crowned eagle with spreadwings, facing left (thecoat-of-arms of Poland) is superimposed on the cross. It is worn on a plain light blue sash. This design clearly reflects a return to the essential design of the 1713 badge, but without the diamonds of the earlier badge. The reverse side of the badge bears the same Maltese Cross with golden rays as the front side and this cross bears the same design as that of the star of the order (see below), except that the arms of the cross are not enamelled red, i.e., only the outline of the cross and its central disc with its surrounding oak wreath are enamelled. Thestar orplaque of the order consists of an eight-pointed silver star with straight rays, with agoldMaltese cross, enamelled in red with white enamel outline and with goldenpalmette-like rays between the arms, superimposed upon it. The motto of the order, "Za Ojczyznę i Naród" ("For Fatherland and Nation"), appears on the arms of the cross. The central disc is in white enamel with the monogram "RP" (Rzeczpospolita Polska) surrounded by a green enamelled oak wreath.
The following lists some of those invested with the Order, in recognition of significant service to Poland, whether military or civilian.
