Back Královský řád lva Czech Löwenorden (Belgien) German Leijonan kuninkaallinen ritarikunta Finnish Ordre royal du Lion French Királyi Oroszlánrend Hungarian Ordine Reale del Leone Italian Koninklijke Orde van de Leeuw (België) Dutch Order Lwa (Belgia) Polish Королевский орден Льва Russian
| Royal Order of the Lion | |
|---|---|
 Royal Order of the Lion, 5th class (knight) | |
| Awarded by the King of the Belgians | |
| Type | National order of merit |
| Established | 9 April 1891 |
| Country | Kingdom of Belgium |
| Motto | Travail et progrès (French) |
| Awarded for | Services to Congo and its ruler |
| Status | No longer awarded |
| Grand master | Philippe of Belgium |
| Grades | Grand Cross, Grand Officer, Commander, Officer, Knight |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Order of the African Star |
| Next (lower) | Order of the Crown |
The Royal Order of the Lion (French: Ordre Royal du Lion; Dutch: Koninklijke orde van de Leeuw) was established by King Leopold II of Belgium on 9 April 1891, in his capacity as ruler of the Congo Free State, and was awarded for services to the Congo and its ruler that did not deserve the award of the Order of the African Star, and were not necessarily performed from within Belgian Congo.
The order was incorporated into the Belgian honours system following the annexation of the Congo Free State by Belgium in 1908. The motto of the order is Travail et progrès ("Labour and progress"). The King of the Belgians is its Grand Master, with the order awarded by Royal Decree. Following the independence of Congo-Léopoldville in 1960, the order is no longer current, although the wording of its statutes permitted awards after this, for example for services rendered before independence.[1]
- ^ Hieronymussen 1970, pp. 153–154.