Order of Lāčplēsis
The Order of Lāčplēsis (also Lāčplēsis Military Order, Lāčplēša Kara ordenis), the first and the highest Latvian military award, was established in 1919 on the initiative of Jānis Balodis, the Commander of the Latvian Army during the Latvian War of Independence. The Lāčplēsis Order is awarded in the first, second and third class. Initially, a holder of the order had to be a recipient of the third class before being promoted to a higher class.
Also recorded as LKo · Order of the Bearslayer
Order of Lāčplēsis
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- Name
- Order of Lāčplēsis Lāčplēša Kara ordenis
- Period
- 1919
- Region
- Latvia
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wikidata · Q1019203 · wikipedia · Order of Lāčplēsis
In this article
Overview
Overview
It was named after the Latvian epic hero, Lāčplēsis.
Recorded constituent parts are Cross of the Order of Lāčplēšis, 1st class, Cross of the Order of Lāčplēšis, 2nd class and Cross of the Order of Lāčplēšis, 3rd class. It is associated with Latvia. The record gives 1919 as its date of establishment or first appearance.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Order of Lāčplēsis Lāčplēša Kara ordenis • Type — 3 class Order • Status — No longer awarded • Established — 11 November 1919 • Firstawarded — 11 November 1920 • Lastawarded — 1 November 1928 • Total Awarded — 2146 • Higher — None • Lower — Order of the Three Stars • Caption2 — Ribbon of the Order
History
History
The first award ceremony took place on the Esplanade Square in Riga on 11 November 1920, with President Jānis Čakste personally presenting the decorations to the seven highest-ranking commanders of the Latvian Army, General Pēteris Radziņš, Colonels Mārtiņš Peniķis, Krišjānis Berķis, Jūlijs Jansons and Jānis Apinis and Lieutenant Colonels Oskars Dankers and Jānis Puriņš. Between 1919 and 1928 the first class was conferred on 11 persons. The second class was awarded to 61 persons (18 Latvians and 43 foreigners). The third class was conferred on 2072 persons (1600 soldiers of the Latvian army, 202 former Latvian riflemen and 271 foreigners). Among the recipients are 136 Estonians, 11 Lithuanians, 47 Germans, 15 Russians, 9 Poles, 4 Jews and 3 Belarusians. Three women – Valija Vesčūnas-Jansone, Līna Čanka, and Elza Žiglevica were holders of the third class of the decoration. The Military Order of Lāčplēsis was also awarded to foreigners, both common soldiers and high ranking generals and political leaders. Among them were the Commander of the Estonian Army General Johan Laidoner, Pierwszy Marszałek Polski Naczelnik Państwa Józef Piłsudski, Edward Rydz-Śmigły, King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, Prime Minister Benito Mussolini, King Albert I of Belgium, and French Marshal Ferdinand Foch. The fortress of Verdun was also awarded the Lāčplēsis Military Order for the heroism of it defenders during World War I. • Order of Lāčplēsis classes • Order of Lāčplēsis First Class — Order of Lāčplēsis 2nd Class — Order of Lāčplēsis 3rd Class
Identity
Identity
Order of Lāčplēsis is associated with Latvia.
Chronology
Dated record
Chronology
The full dated record · 1 entries
1919
Order of Lāčplēsis first recorded.
Description
The medal of the Lāčplēsis Military Order is a white enameled Thunder and Fire Cross (Latvian left facing swastika) with red and golden edging. In the centre of the obverse there is a medallion with picture of the folk hero Lāčplēsis wrestling with a bear. On the reverse side there is the date 11 November 1919, the date when the Latvian Army expelled the troops of Pavel Bermondt-Avalov from Riga. With the date is also engraved motto of the order "Par Latviju" (For Latvia). Edges of the cross were engraved with initials H.B., the trademark of silversmith Hermanis Banks. The emblem of the order was designed by J. Līberts. The holders received also a diploma, designed by Rihards Zariņš, with a brief description of their achievements.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Order of Lāčplēsis, revision 1350303791 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Exhibition "The Lāčplēsis Military Order" ← National History Museum of Latvia. lnvm.lv.
- 2.Ārzemju kaŗaspēku L.k.o.k saraksti L.k.o.k.
- 3.Latvijas Radio. Elza Žiglevica - one of three women to earn the Order of Lāčplēsis. Latvian Public Broadcasting. 4 November 2019.
- 4.Modris Šēnbergs. Holders of the "Lāčplēsis" Military Order. arhivi.gov.lv.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 1
- cite book
References
Citations
References
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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