Order of Military Merit (France)

Order of Military Merit
Ordre du Mérite Militaire
Knight's Cross of the Order
Awarded by the Kingdom of France King of France
TypeMeritorious award
Established10 March 1759
Country France
Royal houseHouse of France
MottoLatin: Pro virtute bellica
EligibilityNon-Catholic military officers
Awarded forMilitary merit
StatusTemporarily abolished in 1830 by the July Revolution of France
FounderLouis XV of France
Precedence
Next (higher)Order of Saint Michael
EquivalentOrder of Saint Louis
Awarded to Catholics


The Order of Military Merit, which was initially known as the Institution of Military Merit (French: Institution du Mérite militaire), was a French military order that was created on 10 March 1759 by King Louis XV for non-Catholic military officers who had assisted the French state.[1]

  1. ^ "Les ordres et décorations de mérite sous l'Ancien Régime" (PDF). musee-legiondhonneur.fr. Le Musée de la Légion d’honneur. Retrieved 1 May 2012.[permanent dead link]