Kingdom of Italy
The Sardinian orders of the Most Holy Annunciation, of Saints Maurice and Lazarus and the Military and Civil orders of Savoy were continued on the unification of Italy in 1861. These were augmented during the Liberal period by the Order of the Crown of Italy, the Chivalrous Order of Agricultural, Industrial and Commercial Merit, the Colonial Order of the Star of Italy and later, by the Civil and Military Order of the Roman Eagle. In contrast to the Republican orders, the feminine style Dama is used for women.
The Knight Bachelor, usually transmitted by male primogeniture, was similar to a British baronetcy but older. These Cavaliere Ereditario were not, however, members of an order of chivalry.
| Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation |
|---|
| The origins of the Ordine supremo della Santissima Annunziata date from 1362, when Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy, instituted the Order of the Collar, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Eventually, it became a requirement for a person to have already received the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus before being admitted. The highest ranking honour of the Kingdom of Italy and limited to 20 Knights; it continues to be awarded by the Sovereign Head of the order, the head of the House of Savoy, in recognition of "eminent services in high military positions, to those who have distinguished themselves in senior positions in the civil service and to those who, as private citizens, have brought distinction upon Italy as exemplary benefactors of the nation or of mankind or have rendered particularly noteworthy services to house." |
| Military and Religious Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus |
| The Ordine militare e religioso dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro was formed in 1572 by a union of the original Order of Saint Maurice (1434) and the Italian foundation of the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem (1142). Eventually, it became a requirement for a person to have already received the Order of the Crown of Italy in at least the same degree before being admitted. The order continues to be awarded by its Grand Master, for "significant contributions to science, literature, the arts, industry, trade, scholarship and research, the liberal arts, the professions, public service and other worthy fields of endeavour, which bring honour and greatness to the House of Savoy and benefits to humanity."
The formerly associated Maurician Medal for Military Merit of ten lustrums (fifty years), established in 1839, was one of the few medals not suppressed by the Republic, becoming the Maurician Medal of Merit for ten lustrums military career in 1954. |
| Order of the Crown of Italy |
| The Ordine della Corona d'Italia was founded in 1868 by King Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate unification. The order was awarded more liberally than the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus and could be conferred on non-Catholics as well. It continued to be awarded for civilian and military merit by the head of the former Royal house in exile (acting as King of Italy) until the demise of the last reigning monarch in 1983. It was replaced by his successor with the Order of Merit (falling within the Civil Order) of Savoy in 1988. |
| Civil Order of Savoy |
| The Ordine Civile di Savoia was founded in 1831 by the King of Sardinia, Charles Albert, Duke of Savoy, to reward those virtues not belonging to the existing Military Order of Savoy. Admission, limited to 70 Italians, was in the personal gift of the monarch and, as such, it continues to be awarded, rarely, by the head of the House of Savoy to those who "have by their long and diligent efforts, become outstanding members of society, or who have contributed greatly to the common good," among the scientists, lettered, administrators, engineers, architects, artists, authors and publishers of discoveries and to the teachers of sciences and letters and the managers of education. |
| Colonial Order of the Star of Italy |
| The Ordine coloniale della Stella d'Italia was founded in 1914 by King Vittorio Emanuele III, to reward soldiers deployed in the colony of Libya. It had fallen into abeyance by 1943, when Allied forces re-took the colonies of Italian North Africa. |
| Order of the Roman Eagle |
| The Fascist Ordine civile e militare dell'Aquila Romana founded in 1942 with civil and military divisions was formally abolished in 1944; although it continued to be awarded in the short-lived Italian Social Republic with, from February to April 1945, the Order of the Patron Saints of Italy. |
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