Kundgjørelse om Oprettelsen af Ridderordenen «Den norske Løve»

Proclamation of the foundation of the Order of the Norwegian Lion

Kundgjørelse om Oprettelsen af Ridderordenen «Den norske Løve»

Fastsatt 21. januar 1904 med hjemmel i Grundloven § 23.

Kongelig Kundgjørelse (udfærdiget i Ordenskapitel) om Oprettelse af Ridderordenen «Den norske Løve».

Vi Oscar, o.s.v. Gjøre vitterligt: Vi har fundet det tjenligt i Henhold til Grundlovens § 23 at oprette en Ridderorden, hvilken Vi, til Hukommelse af de berømmelige Minder, der knytter sig til Norges ældgamle Rigsvaaben, har besluttet at kalde Den norske Løve.

Denne Orden, for hvilken Vi herved erklærer Os som Herre og Stormester, og der skal indehaves af alle arveberettigede Prinser af Vort Hus, bestaar kun af én Klasse, hvis Antal af øvrige norske Riddere ikke skal overstige tolv. Disse kan alene udvælges blandt dem, der allerede forud har erholdt St. Olafs Ordens Storkors og derhos enten har indlagt sig særlige Fortjenester i Statens høieste Stillinger eller iøvrigt har udmærket sig ved en for Fædrelandet ærefuld Daad eller Virksomhed. Ordenen kan ogsaa tildeles andre end Nordmænd, men isaafald kun Statsoverhoveder, Medlemmer af regjerende Huse eller vedkommende Staters øverste Værdighedsbærere.

En Beskrivelse af Ordenens Insignier medfølger.

Den nye Ordens Indstiftelse vil nødvendiggjøre Udarbeidelsen af fælles Statuter for de Kongelige norske Ridderordener, og vil saadanne Statuter i sin Tid blive forelagte Ordenskapitlet.

Beskrivelse af «Den norske Løve»'s Insignier.

1. Sølvstjerne med Straaler, udgaaende i 8 Spidse, i dens Midte en høirød, emaljeret Glob, hvorpaa Rigsvaabenets Løve, Globen indfattet af en Guldring, og denne atter omgiven i symmetrisk Gruppering af fire gyldne Løver afverlende med fire gyldne, kronede Begyndelsesbogstaver af den Kongelige Stifters Navn. Denne Stjerne bæres paa det venstre Bryst.
2. Skulderbaand, vatret, mørkeblaat, med brede høirøde Kanter, der adskilles fra Baandets Midte ved to smalere, hvide Striber. Til dette Baand, som bæres fra høire til venstre, er fæstet
3. en emaljeret Medaljon af oval Form, indfattet af en Guldring, hvorover en gylden Kongelig Krone. Medaljonens Glob er høirød, og paa dens Bagside er anbragt med gyldne Bogstaver den Kongelige Stifters personlige Valgsprog: «Over Dybet mod Høiden».
4. Gylden Ordenskjæde, sammensat af 9 kronede Navnechifre og 8 Løver, som de ovenfor beskrevne, skiftevis og forbundne ved slyngede Ornamenter. Under Kjæden, som bæres om Halsen, hænger den under c beskrevne kronede Medaljon. Denne Kjæde anlægges, naar særskilt naadigt Bestemmelse derom gives, istedetfor Skulderbaandet.

Source

Norsk Lovtidende, 2den Afdeling, 1904, pp. 17–18 («The Norwegian Legal Gazette», 2nd Department, 1904, pp. 17–18).

The Editor's comments

The Order of the Norwegian Lion has not been conferred on anyone since the union between Norway and Sweden was dissolved in 1905. Until then the Order was, to my knowledge, conferred to the following (awarding date in green):

• HM Oscar II, King of Sweden and Norway (1829–1907) (21 January 1904)
• HRH Gustaf, Crown Prince of Sweden and Norway (1858–1950) (21 January 1904)
• HRH Prince Carl of Sweden and Norway (1861–1951) (21 January 1904)
• HRH Prince Eugen of Sweden and Norway (1865–1947) (21 January 1904)
• HRH Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden and Norway (1882–1973) (21 January 1904)
• HRH Prince Wilhelm of Sweden and Norway (1884–1965) (21 January 1904)
• HRH Prince Erik of Sweden and Norway (1889–1918) (21 January 1904)
• HIM Wilhelm II, German Emperor (1859–1941) (27 January 1904)
• HIM Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria, Apostolic King of Hungary (1830–1916) (5 April 1904)
• HM Christian IX, King of Denmark (1818–1906) (10 September 1904)
• HE Mr. Émile Loubet, President of the French Republic (1838–1929) (1 December 1904)

According to the official website of the Royal House of Norway, the Royal Decree of 21 January 2004 was repealed by «court resolution» (Hoffresolusjon) of 11 March 1952, but the decision was never published in the Norwegian Legal Gazette. The statutes of the Order of the Norwegian Lion were included in Norges Statskalender (the Norwegian State Calendar) up to and including the issue of 1951. The royal court belives that the absence of the statutes in the Calendar was a sign that the order didn't exist anylonger. The Royal Decree of 21 January 1904 would nevertheless be regarded as statute-barred.

The regulations was published in the Order Chapter on 22 August 1904, cf. Norsk Statskalender 1905 (the Norwegian State Calendar 1904). King Oscar II was not listed as Knight of the Lion Order in the calendar, but as he was the Grand Master until the union dissolution, one could gather that he was still a Knight also after the break-up.

Crown Prince Gustaf succeeded his father as King of Sweden in 1907. Prince Gustaf Adolf succeeded his father, King Gustaf V, in 1950. King Gustaf VI Adolf was the last person to have the Lion Order when he died in 1973.

Mr. Émile Loubet was President of the French Republic from 18 February 1899 until 18 February 1906. He was the first President, since the proclamation of the Third Republic in 1871, to finish his full term, cf. http://www.georgetown.edu/guieu/chronology.htm [dead link. Ed.]

Translation of the Royal Proclamation above might come later. The modification of the rules of the St. Olaf's Order will be published at my website later on.

Sources

• Messages by Mr. Torkel N. Kvaal, posted at The Scandinavian Royals Message Board, Thursday 28 December 2000 and e-mail 3 January 2001
• Various issues of the Norwegian State Calendar (Norges Statskalender)
• The official website of the Royal House of Norway

• Documents related to the Royal House of Norway

• The Norwegian Royal House page

• Hoelseth's Royal Corner

• The main site

This page was last updated on Saturday 2 February 2013
(first published at http://www.geocities.com/dagtho/res19040121-1.html on Thursday 28 December 2000).

© 2000–2013 Dag Trygsland Hoelseth