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Orders, decorations, and medals of Sweden

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Orders of Sweden constituting the Royal Order of Knights

The Orders, decorations, and medals of Sweden have a historical basis, reaching back to the 1561 founding of the extinct Order of the Savior. The Royal Order of Knights of Sweden were only truly codified in the 18th century, with their formal foundation in 1748 by Frederick I of Sweden. Significant reforms in 1974 changed the conditions and criteria under which many orders and decorations could be awarded.[1]

In 2019, a parliamentary committee was instructed to establish guidelines on how to re-introduce the Swedish orders, including the Order of the Polar Star, into the Swedish honours system, and how Swedish citizens again can be appointed to Swedish orders.[2] The committee presented its findings in September 2021 and the Government declared that a bill on the subject would be presented to the Riksdag on 19 April 2022. The bill passed the Riksdag by a large majority on 19 June 2022.

On 20 December 2022, the Swedish Government published a new regulation that repealed the 1974 regulation, and once again opened the Royal Orders to Swedish citizens and reactivated the Order of the Sword, Order of the Polar Star and Order of Vasa, which came into effect from 1 February 2023.[3][4]

Chart comparing Swedish medal size scale to millimeters scale

Orders

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Royal orders of knighthood

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Orders of knighthood under royal patronage

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Fraternal orders under royal patronage

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Decorations and medals of the Royal Orders

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  • Seraphim Medal
  • Medal of the Sword
  • Royal Order of Vasa - Silvercross (Vasasign)
  • Medal of the Royal Order of the Polar Star - 8th size
  • Medal of the Royal Order of Vasa in Gold, 5th size
  • Medal of the Royal Order of Vasa in Silver, 5th size

Royal Medals presented by the King

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Royal Medals presented by the Government

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  • Illis Quorum[12]
  • Medal for Commendable Deeds
  • Medal for Civic Virtue
  • Medal for Diligent Reindeer Husbandry

War decorations

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Military medals

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Military medals:[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Orders, Swedish Royal Court Archived 2010-07-22 at the Wayback Machine, date accessed 2011-04-22.
  2. ^ "Dir. 2019:76 Kommittédirektiv Det offentliga belöningssystemet, de allmänna flaggdagarna och utformningen av anslaget till hovet" (PDF) (in Swedish). Government of Sweden. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  3. ^ "Ett offentligt belöningssystem för Sveriges främsta utmärkelser" (Media Release) (in Swedish). Justitiedepartementet, Regeringskansliet. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Förordning om Sveriges främsta utmärkelser" (PDF). Svensk författningssamling (SFS 2022:1800) (in Swedish). Regeringskansliet. 20 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  5. ^ "The Order of the Seraphim - Sveriges Kungahus".
  6. ^ "The Order of the Sword - Sveriges Kungahus".
  7. ^ "The Order of the Polar Star - Sveriges Kungahus".
  8. ^ "The Order of Vasa - Sveriges Kungahus".
  9. ^ "Orders - Sveriges Kungahus".
  10. ^ Kungahuset, The Orders in Sweden
  11. ^ Medals, Swedish Royal Court, date accessed 2011-04-24
  12. ^ Medals and Awards Archived 2013-02-05 at the Wayback Machine, Government of Sweden, 31 August 2010.
  13. ^ Laestadius, Patrik, ed. (2015). Reglemente: uniformsbestämmelser 2015 : Unibest FM 2015 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Swedish Armed Forces. pp. 604–605. SELIBR 19513428. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-08-16. Retrieved 2017-01-23.