- Time Period: Pre World War I
- Institution: 9 April 1891
- Country: Belgium
The Royal Order of the Lion (Ordre Royal du Lion / Koninklijke orde van de Leeuw) was established on 9 April 1891 by King Leopold II of Belgium in his capacity as ruler of the Congo Free State. It 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 honors system following the annexation of the Congo Free State by Belgium. The motto of the Order is “Labour and progress”.Following the independence of Congo-Léopoldville in 1960, the Royal Order of the Lion is no longer awarded.
The Royal Order of the Lion Design
The badge is a white enamel Rupert cross with a perimeter channel of blue enamel and the angles filled with filigree. The central disc depicts the crowned Belgian lion on a blue enamel background surrounded by a silver ring with the motto of the Congo Travail et Progrès and a scalloped channel of blue enamel. The reverse is similar to the obverse but with a red central disca and the crowned royal monogram “L/S/L”. The suspension is a pivoting royal crown and ring.
The medal is round, with a suspension in the form of a royal crown with two pendilia and a ribbon ring. The obverse bears a finely ribbed central area with bead surround and a royal lion, plus the motto of the Belgian Congo: Travail et Progrès (work and progress). The reverse is a stylized ‘double L’ crowned Leopold II monogram within a palm wreath.
The ribbon is amaranth purple, with narrow pale yellow edge stripes bordered with pale blue. It may be adorned with a silver or gold palm when awarded in wartime.
