Armin named Officer In The Order Of Oranje-Nassau

Written by Marjan on 6 May 2011 in News
Armin officer17 years after his first single was released, Armin was given a Royal Dutch distinction. Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands named him Officer in the Order of Oranje-Nassau! The distinction was handed to him after his set at the CityMoves event in hometown Leiden by the major of Leiden, mayor Lenferink.

For years, Armin has been on top of the international dance scene. He’s praised for his contribution to the promotion of Dutch dance music worldwide and contributing to the music economy. A big congrats to Armin for this incredible accomplishment!

Knights CrossThe Order of Orange-Nassau
The Order of Orange-Nassau (Dutch: Orde van Oranje-Nassau) is a military and civil order of the Netherlands which was created on 4 April 1892 by the Queen regent Emma of the Netherlands, acting on behalf of her under-age daughter Queen Wilhelmina. The Order is a chivalry order open to "everyone who have earned special merits for society". These are people who deserve appreciation and recognition from society for the special way in which they have carried out their activities. The order is comparable with the Order of the British Empire in the UK.

History
In 1841 William II of the Netherlands, as Grand Duke of Luxembourg, created the Order of the Oak Crown. Although this was officially not a Dutch order, honours were regularly conferred on Dutch people. After the death of William III, Luxembourg became an independent state. There was a need for a third order, beside the military Order of William and Order of the Netherlands Lion, so that royal honours could be conferred upon foreign diplomats and people from lower ranks and classes.

During World War II, the Order of Orange-Nassau was bestowed upon both members of the Netherlands military and members of foreign services who had helped liberate the Netherlands from Nazi Germany occupation. In the modern age, the Orange-Nassau is still the most active military and civil decoration of the Netherlands, and ranks after the Order of the Netherlands Lion. The Order is typically awarded each year on the Queen's official birthday (April 30th) with thousands of appointments to the Order made public. The Order is also used to honour foreign princes, ministers, dignitaries and diplomats.

In 1994, the Dutch honours system was extensively revised after almost thirty years of discussion. This revision by law intended to create a more democratic honour system, disconnecting the level of the honours from rank and social status. In principle, since then everyone in Dutch society can be honoured. An honour is only awarded on the basis of special, personal merits for society. Before this revision the Order consisted of five grades with additional Honorary Medals (gold, silver and bronze). The Honorary medals were only affiliated with the Order and bearers were not formally included in the Order. In 1996, the Honorary medals were abolished and replaced by the Member Class of the Order of Orange-Nassau, which is reserved only for Dutch citizens.

Grades
The Order of Orange-Nassau has two divisions, civil and military, the former denoted by a wreath of laurel on the badges, and the latter by crossed swords on both the badges and the stars.

The King or Queen Regnant of the Netherlands is the Grand Master of the Order of Orange-Nassau. In addition to this special grade, the Order of Orange-Nassau is issued in six classes.

The following grades exist for the Order of Orange-Nassau:

1. Grand Cross - badge may be worn on a sash on the right shoulder, plus an 8-pointed star on the left chest;
2. Grand Officer - badge may be worn by men on a necklet, and by women worn on a ribbon tied as a bow at the left chest. Also a 4-pointed star is worn on the left chest;
3. Commander - badge may be worn by men on a necklet, and by women worn on a ribbon tied as a bow at the left chest;
4. Officer - wears the badge on a ribbon with a rosette on the left chest;
5. Knight - wears the badge on a ribbon on the left chest;
6. Member (since 1996) - wears a smaller badge on a ribbon on the left chest;

Honorary Medals in Gold, Silver and Bronze (until 1996) - no longer issued, replaced by grade "Member". Wore the medal on a ribbon on the left chest.

For the grades of Knight and Member, the badges are made only of silver. For the other grades, the silver is gilded. The badges has a diameter of 60 mm for the grades of Grand Cross, Grand Officer and Commander; a diameter of 46 mm for the grades of Officer and Knight; and only 35 mm for the grade Member.

Until 1996, the Order of Orange-Nassau consisted of five grades. In addition, Honorary medals were issued in gold, silver and bronze, which were only affiliated with the Order. The bearers of the medal were not included in the Order. Since 1996, the Honorary medals are not awarded anymore and have been replaced by the 6th grade "Member".

Source: Wikipedia



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