| Military William Order Militaire Willems-Orde | |
|---|---|
 Knight Military William Order 4th class medal (post 2000 model) | |
Awarded by  King of the Netherlands | |
| Type | Chivalric order with four degrees |
| Established | 30 April 1815 |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Motto | Voor Moed, Beleid en Trouw (For Bravery, Leadership and Loyalty) |
| Awarded for | Performing acts of excellent Bravery, Leadership and Loyalty in battle. |
| Status | Currently constituted |
| Grand Master | King Willem-Alexander |
| Chancellor | Major general H. Morsink[1] |
| Grades | Knight Grand Cross Commander Knight 3rd class Knight 4th class Orange Lanyard (unit award) |
| Statistics | |
| First induction | William Frederick, Prince of Orange |
| Last induction |  Major Roy de Ruiter |
| Total inductees | 5,877 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | None (highest) |
| Next (lower) | Cross for Courage and Fidelity |
 Ribbon bar of Knight Grand Cross  Ribbon bar of Commander  Ribbon bar of Knight 3rd class  Ribbon bar of Knight 4th class | |
The Military William Order, or often named Military Order of William (Dutch: Militaire Willems-Orde, abbreviation: MWO), is the oldest and highest honour of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is named after St. William of Gellone (755–814), the first Prince of Orange.[2][3] Its motto is Voor Moed, Beleid en Trouw (For Bravery, Leadership and Loyalty). The chivalric order was established on 30 April 1815 by King William I and was presented for feats of excellent bravery on the battlefield and as a meritorious decoration to senior military officers. Comparable with the French Légion d’Honneur but far less often awarded, it is open to everyone regardless of rank or nobility—not only to Dutch military, but also to foreigners. To date, membership in the Order is extremely rarely awarded, and only for exceptional bravery in battle.
In the spring of 1940 it was decided that civilians would receive the Order for heroic acts in the resistance. After the liberation of the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies, several men and one woman from the resistance were awarded it.
- ^ "De Kanselarij der Nederlandse Orden" [Chancellery of the Netherlands' Orders]. Chancellery of the Dutch Orders (in Dutch). Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ "Willem de Heilige". Dutch public broadcasting organization KRO (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 31 December 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
- ^ "Newsletter no. 5.2" (PDF). Museum of the Chancery of Dutch orders (in Dutch). 2018.