The Order of the White Eagle (Serbia)

• Time Period: Pre-WW1, Interwar Period
• Institution: 1883
• Country: Other Countries

Order of the White Eagle was a Royal Order in the Kingdom of Serbia (1883–1918) and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1945) instituted by King Milan I of Serbia on 23 January 1883. In the period between 1883 and 1898 Order of the White Eagle was the highest award in the Kingdom of Serbia.

The Order had five classes and was conferred on Serbian and Yugoslav citizens for achievements in peace or war, or for special merits to the Crown, the state and nation.  In 1898 the Royal Order of Miloš the Great took precedence over the White Eagle and in 1904 the former was replaced by the Order of the Karađorđe’s Star.

After his accession to the throne in 1903, King Peter I of Serbia continued awarding the Order of the White Eagle, but the reverse of the medallion had the year of the proclamation of the Kingdom (1883) instead of the cipher of Milan I.

The Order is conferred by the Crown. Recent awards include last Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of St. John (Fr. Angelo de Mojana di Cologna), as well as posthumous conferment upon three Crown Council Members.

The Order of the White Eagle Design

The Order of the White Eagle is made in silver gilt with red, white and blue enamels. It measures 31.8 mm (w) x 68 mm (h) inclusive of its crown suspension.

The Order had five degrees, and could be awarded with swords for the military services, with or without swords for civil merit. The classes were:

• 1st Class – Grand Cross
• 2nd Class – Grand Officer’s Cross
• 3rd Class – Commander’s Cross
• 4th Class – Officer’s Cross
• 5th Class – Knight’s Cross

The sash of the Order is worn from the left shoulder to the right hip.