Order of Skanderbeg

Order of Skanderbeg Urdhëri i Skënderbeut
Grand Officer's set of the Order
Awarded by Head of the House of Zogu
Type	Dynastic Order
Royal house	House of Zogu
Awarded for	Distinguished services rendered to the Crown and achievements in every field of the society.
Status	Currently constituted
Sovereign	Crown Prince Leka of Albania
Grades	Grand Cross, Grand Star Grand Cross, Special Class Grand Cross Grand Officer Commander Officer Knight/Dame
Precedence
Next (higher)	Order of Fidelity
Next (lower)	Order of Bravery

The Order of Skanderbeg (Albanian: Urdhëri i Skënderbeut) was instituted in 1925 as an Order of Merit of the Albanian Republic. It was replaced by the Communist government in 1945 and replaced by a new award of the same name. Skanderbeg is the national hero of the Albanian people.

The Albanian Royal family maintain the order of Skanderbeg, which has only been awarded to a select number of people since the fall of the monarchy in 1939. This order should not be mistaken with the current Republican orders given by the head of the Albanian state.

The Communist version of the Order was created on 13 October 1945 with three classes. The medal design included an image of Skanderbeg on a five pointed star and the ribbons were red with 1 to 3 blue stripes according to class of award.

It was awarded to officers of the Albanian Peoples Army and the Ministry of Internal Affairs as a recognition of services to the country and the people for the organization, modernisation and reinforcement of the armed forces.

The president and later king of Albania, Ahmet Zogu founded the order as an order with four grades. After the Italian annexation of Albania his successor, Victor Emanuel III, King of Italy and of Albania, Emperor of Ethiopia, added a fifth grade, Officer, in 1940.

In 1945 the People's Republic of Albania decided to replace the order. In that same year a new order with the same name was founded, along the lines of the Socialist Orders of Merit, with three grades. It was awarded until the fall of Albanian Communism in 1990. Another honorary award bearing Skanderbeg's name, also known as the Order of Skanderbeg, has been instituted by the current Albanian Republic.