| Order of the White Eagle | |
|---|---|
Order of the White Eagle |
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| Awarded by Kingdom of Serbia Kingdom of Yugoslavia |
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| Type | State Order (1883-1945) House Order (after 1945) |
| Eligibility | Serbian/Yugoslav citizens and foreign nationals. |
| Awarded for | Peace or wartime merit or significant services rendered to the Crown, State and Nation. |
| Statistics | |
| Established | 23 January 1883 |
| First awarded | 1883 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Order of Milosh the Great (before 1903) Order of the Karađorđe's Star (after 1903) |
| Next (lower) | Order of the Cross of Takovo (before 1903) Order of The Yugoslav Crown (Kingdom of Yugoslavia) |
Grand Cross
Great officer |
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Order of the White Eagle was a Royal Order in the Kingdom of Serbia (1883 - 1918) and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918 - 1945). King Milan I of Serbia instituted the Order of the White Eagle on 23 January 1883, concurrently with the Order of St. Sava. The Order had five classes and was conferred on Serbian and Yugoslav citizens for achievements in peace or war, or for special merits to the Crown, the state and nation. In the period between 1883 and 1898 Order of the White Eagle was the highest award in the Kingdom of Serbia. In 1898 the Royal Order of Miloš the Great took precedence over the White Eagle and in 1904 the former was replaced by the Order of the Karađorđe's Star.[1]
After his accession to the throne in 1903, King Peter I of Serbia continued awarding the Order of the White Eagle, but the reverse of the medallion had the year of the proclamation of the Kingdom (1883) instead of the cipher of Milan I.
The white eagle with wings displayed was re-established as the State Arms of Serbia, symbol descended from the Emperors of Byzantium. The order had a War Merit Division, with crossed swords between the Royal Crown and eagle's heads, that was introduced in 1915, and conferred for conspicuous bravery of the officers in the field.
The Order is conferred by the Crown. Recent awards include last Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of St. John (Fr. Angelo de Moiana da Cologna), as well as posthumous conferment upon three Crown Council Members.
The order was disestablished in 1945, with the end of the monarchy but the status of a decoration continued in SFRY[2] for the War Merit Division of this decoration.
The Order of the White Eagle had five degrees, and could be awarded with swords for the military services, with or without swords for civil merit. The Order was organized into five classes:
| Order of the White Eagle | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Cross/First Class | Great Officer/Second Class | Commander/Third Class | Officer/Fourth Class | Knight/Fifth Class | |
| Order of the White Eagle with Swords | |||||
| Grand Cross/First Class | Great Officer/Second Class | Commander/Third Class | Officer/Fourth Class | Knight/Fifth Class | |