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The Italian honours system is a means to reward achievements or service to the Italian Republic, formerly the
Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...
, including the
Italian Social Republic The Italian Social Republic (, ; RSI; , ), known prior to December 1943 as the National Republican State of Italy (; SNRI), but more popularly known as the Republic of Salò (, ), was a List of World War II puppet states#Germany, German puppe ...
.


Orders of chivalry


Italian Republic

There are five orders of knighthood awarded in recognition of service to the Italian Republic. Below these sit a number of other decorations, associated and otherwise, that do not confer knighthoods. The degrees of knighthood, not all of which apply to all orders, are Knight (''Cavaliere'' abbreviated ''Cav.''), Officer (''Ufficiale'' abbreviated ''Uff.''), Commander (''Commendatore'' abbr. ''Comm.''), Grand Officer (''Grand'Ufficiale'', abbr. ''Gr. Uff.''), Knight Grand Cross (''Cavaliere di Gran Croce'', abbr. ''Cav. Gr. Croce'') and Knight Grand Cross with cordon (''Cavaliere di Gran Croce con cordone''). Italian citizens may not use within the territory of the Republic honours or distinctions conferred on them by non-national orders or foreign states, unless authorised by
Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...
. The use of awards of the
Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...
(including the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre) is to be authorized by Presidency of the Council of Ministers, while the use of those of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, enjoying formal recognition in Italy, do not need any authorization to boast. The Royal House of Savoy, Italy's former Royal Family, also continues to bestow knighthoods in three orders of chivalry previously recognised by the
Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...
. In fact, Umberto II, the last King of Italy did not abdicate, and so he preserved his '' fons honorum'': today the Grand Mastership of the orders remain under the prerogatives of Head of the House of Savoy, claimed between Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples and Aimone, Duke of Aosta. Today these continue merely as dynastic orders of the Royal House in exile. While their bestowal is suppressed by law in Italy, the use of those decorations conferred prior to 1951 is recognised, exclusive of any right of precedence in official ceremonies.Law No. 178 of 3 March 1951
''Istituzione dell'Ordine "Al Merito della Repubblica Italiana" e disciplina del conferimento e dell'uso delle onorificenze'' (Institution of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic and discipline of the conferment and the use of honours), published in Gazzetta Ufficiale No. 73, 30 March 1951 (in Italian). However the Savoy orders, are theoretically recognized by the
Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...
amongst others, for example the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus were recognized by papal bull of
Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...
Gregory XIII, where he bestowed upon Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy and his Savoy successors, the right to confer this knighthood in perpetuity. The House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies from the
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies () was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1861 under the control of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, Bourbons. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by popula ...
additionally continues to bestow knighthoods, including the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George which is fully recognised by the Italian republic. Also the Houses of Bourbon-Parma and Habsburg-Tuscany continues to do so.


The Kingdom of Italy

The Sardinian orders of the Most Holy Annunciation, of Saints Maurice and Lazarus and the Military and Civil orders of Savoy were continued on the
unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century Political movement, political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, annexation of List of historic states of ...
in 1861. These were augmented during the Liberal period by the Order of the Crown of Italy, the Chivalrous Order of Agricultural, Industrial and Commercial Merit, the Colonial Order of the Star of Italy and later, by the Civil and Military Order of the Roman Eagle. In contrast to the Republican orders, the feminine style ''Dama'' is used for women. The
Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...
, usually transmitted by male
primogeniture Primogeniture () is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn Legitimacy (family law), legitimate child to inheritance, inherit all or most of their parent's estate (law), estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some childre ...
, was similar to a British baronetcy but older. These ''Cavaliere Ereditario'' were not, however, members of an order of chivalry.


The Kingdom of two Sicilies


Decorations


Italian Republic


Medals


Medals of Merit

* War Merit Cross * Army Cross of Merit * Navy Cross of Merit * Air Force Cross of Merit * Carabinieri Cross of Merit * Financial Guard Cross of Merit * Civil Merit Cross * Labour Merit Star * Medal of Merit for Culture and Art


Service medals

* Maurician medal


See also

*
Nobility of Italy The Italian nobility (Italian language, Italian: ''Nobiltà italiana'') comprised individuals and their families of the Italian Peninsula, and the islands linked with it, recognized by the sovereigns of the Italian city-states since the Middle Age ...
* Italian honorifics *
Order (distinction) An order is a visible honour awarded by a sovereign state, monarch, dynastic house or organisation to a person, typically in recognition of individual merit, that often comes with distinctive insignia such as collars, medals, badges, and ...
* List of honours of Italy awarded to heads of state and royalty


Footnotes


References


External links


Presidenza della Repubblica – Le Onorificenze

Ordini dinastici della Real Casa di Savoia
{{Italy topics *
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...