- Time Period: Interwar Period
- Institution: 13 April 1932
- Country: Portugal
The Order of the Colonial Empire (or Ordem do Império Colonial in Portuguese) was a Portuguese honor established on 13 April 1932. This colonial order of knighthood recognized the services of soldiers and civilians in the Portuguese colonies in Asia and Africa.
The Order was composed of five grades:
Grand Cross: Wore the badge on a sash over the right shoulder and the star on the left chest.
Grand Officer: Wore the badge on a necklet and the star on the left chest.
Commander: Wore the badge on a necklet and the star on the left chest.
Officer: Wore the badge on a ribbon with a rosette on the left chest.
Knight: Wore the badge on a ribbon on the left chest.
The Commander grade was removed during the 1960s, and the Order itself was discontinued following the Carnation Revolution in 1974.
The Order of the Colonial Empire Design
The badge featured an enamel Cross of the Order of Christ, silver for Knights and gilt for higher grades, with the lesser Coat of Arms of Portugal in enamel and gilt at the center.
The star was an eight-pointed faceted star, gilt for Grand Cross and Grand Officer, and silver for Commander, with the badge of the Order at the center.
The ribbon of the Order was red with black central and edge stripes.
