The Order of the Crown of Italy (Italian: Ordine della Corona d'Italia or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate the unification of Italy in 1861.[1] It was awarded in five degrees for civilian and military merit. Today the Order of the Crown has been replaced by the Order of Merit of Savoy and is still conferred on new knights by the current head of the house of Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples.
Order of the Crown of Italy Ordine della Corona d'Italia | |
---|---|
Awarded by The Head of the Italian Royal Family | |
Type | Dynastic Order of Knighthood |
Established | 20 February 1868 |
Royal house | House of Savoy |
Eligibility | Military, civilian |
Awarded for | Meritorious Service or Achievement |
Status | Rarely constituted |
Founder | King Victor Emmanuel II |
Grand Master | Prince Emanuele Filiberto, Prince of Venice |
Chairman of the Council | Vacant |
Grades | Knight Grand Cross Grand Officer Commander Officer Knight |
Precedence | |
Next (higher) | Royal Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus |
Next (lower) | Royal Civil Order of Savoy Royal Military Order of Savoy |
Ribbon bar |
The order has been suppressed by law since the foundation of the Republic in 1946. However, Umberto II did not abdicate his position as fons honorum and it remained under his Grand Mastership as a dynastic order. While the continued use of those decorations conferred prior to 1951 is permitted in Italy, the crowns on the ribbons issued before 1946 must be substituted for as many five pointed stars on military uniforms.[2]
The various degrees of the order, with corresponding ribbons, were as follows:
Ribbon | Class (English) | Class (Italian) | Manner of wear |
---|---|---|---|
Knight Grand Cross | Cavaliere di Gran Croce decorati del Grande Cordone | Badge on sash on right shoulder, plus star on left chest | |
Grand Officer | Grande Ufficiale dell'Ordine della Corona d'Italia | Star on left chest | |
Commander | Commendatore dell'Ordine della Corona d'Italia | Badge on necklet | |
Officer | Ufficiale dell'Ordine della Corona d'Italia | Badge on ribbon with rosette on left chest | |
Knight | Cavaliere dell'Ordine della Corona d'Italia | Badge on ribbon on left chest |
Medals | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Kingdom of Italy | ||||
Knight | Officer | Commander | Grand Officer | Knight Grand Cross |
Italian Republic and Savoy House | ||||
Knight | Officer | Commander | Grand Officer | Knight Grand Cross |
Members of the order have included:
- Gold cross - Silver cross
According to International Commission for Orders of Chivalry the Order of Merit is also known as the Merit of Savoy
Under their section: chivalric institutions founded by the head of a formerly reigning dynasty, the Order has been defined as the following since their 2016 register:[8]
ITALY
House of Savoy (Catholic)
Merit of Savoy
Founded: H.R.H. Crown Prince Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy, Prince of Piedmont and Prince of Naples 23 January 1988.
Ribbon: Blue with a broad white centre stripe.
Grand Master: H.R.H. Crown Prince Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy, Prince of Piedmont and Prince of Naples (Vittorio Emanuele IV, Titular King of Italy) (b. 1937).
As of the year 2000 there are/were 1453 recipients of the Order of Merit.[9]