Order of Adolphe of Nassau

Order of Adolphe of Nassau Ordre d'Adolphe de Nassau
Cross with necklet of a Commander of the Crown
Awarded by Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Award of
Type	Chivalric order with eight degrees
Motto	VIRTUTE
Awarded for	The award recognises those persons that have performed meritorious actions or heroic deeds in the name of Luxembourg
Status	Currently constituted
Sovereign	His Royal Highness Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg
Chancellor	Henri Ahlborn
Grades	Grand Cross, Grand Officer, Commander of the Crown, Commander/Cross of Honour for Ladies, Officer of the Crown, Officer, Knight of the Crown, Knight
Statistics
Established	8 May 1858 1858 - 1866 (Order of Duchy of Nassau) 1890 - present (as Luxembourgian Order)
Precedence
Next (higher)	Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau
Next (lower)	Order of the Oak Crown
Ribbon bar of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau

The Civil and Military Order of Merit of Adolphe of Nassau (French: Ordre du Mérite Civil et Militaire d'Adolphe de Nassau) was founded as a chivalric order of the Duchy of Nassau by Adolphe of Nassau in 1858 in honor of his namesake and ancestor, Adolf, Count of Nassau, the only member of the House of Nassau to have been Roman King of Germany. After the duchy of Nassau was annexed by Prussia in 1866 and Adolphe became Grand Duke of Luxembourg in 1890, he revived the order as an order of merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The award recognises those persons that have performed meritorious actions or heroic deeds in the name of Luxembourg.

The Order consists of eight grades, with two crosses and three medals attached to the order:

Members belong to either the Civil or the Military Division. The Grand Duke of Luxembourg is the Grand Master of the Order.

The Order of Adolphe of Nassau may also be issued to foreigners and is common as a diplomatic order. The decoration was issued as well in World War II to a handful of Allied officers who had helped liberate Luxembourg from the rule of Nazi Germany. Because of the small size of Luxembourg, and its minor role as a campaign theater, the Order of Adolphe of Nassau was not issued as frequently as other major World War II orders, such as the Croix de Guerre.

"Honorary distinctions of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg" :

By statute of the order, princes and princesses of the Grand-Ducal House of Luxembourg are Grand Crosses of the Order by birth, but they don't wear the order decoration until they are 18 years old.