White enamel, gilded knobs at the tips of the cross, and a French motto: on 11 August 1938 the Cross of Recognition returned to Latvia’s system of state decorations. It happened when the Law on Orders and Decorations entered into force; until then independent Latvia had only the Order of Lāčplēsis and the Order of the Three Stars. The new, substantially redesigned successor to the old Duchy of Courland and Semigallia order was meant for civilian merit – in public service, society, culture, science, sport, and education.
The restoration of the Cross of Recognition took place under Kārlis Ulmanis’s authoritarian regime as Latvia’s twentieth anniversary approached. Its design combined the heraldry of interwar Latvia with a reference to the Duchy of Courland order founded in Liepāja in 1710.
Related events
- 1920On 11 August 1920 in Riga, Latvia and Russia signed their peace treaty; Article 2 recognized Latvia’s independence unreservedly and renounced Russian claims to Latvian territory.
- 1938On 11 August 1938, when the same orders law came into force, the Order of Viesturs also entered Latvia’s decoration system, especially tied to military and guard-service merit.
- 1994On 11 August 1994 in Riga, President Guntis Ulmanis promulgated the Citizenship Law, defining Latvia’s citizen body and naturalization rules after restored independence.