Royal Order of Vasa Kungliga Vasaorden | |
---|---|
Awarded by the monarch of Sweden | |
Type | Five grade order of merit |
Established | 1772 |
Royal house | Bernadotte |
Eligibility | Swedish and foreign citizens |
Awarded for | Services to agriculture, mining, art, trade, industry, crafts and education. |
Status | Active (since 1 February 2023) |
Sovereign | King Carl XVI Gustaf |
Chancellor | Svante Lindqvist [1] |
Grades | Commander Grand Cross (KmstkVO) Commander 1st Class (KVO1kl) Commander (KVO) Knight/Member 1st Class (RVO1kl) Knight/Member (RVO) |
Statistics | |
First induction | 1772 |
Last induction | 21 March 2024 [2] |
Precedence | |
Next (higher) | Royal Order of the Polar Star |
Next (lower) | Order of Charles XIII |
Ribbon bar of the order |
The Royal Order of Vasa (Kungliga Vasaorden) is a Swedish order of chivalry founded on 29 May 1772 by King Gustav III. It is awarded to Swedish citizens for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. It is the most junior Swedish honour.
The order was founded on 29 May 1772 by King Gustav III. Its name is derived from the House of Vasa. Membership was unrestricted by birth or education, as opposed to the other orders which were reserved for nobility, military personnel or the learned professions. During the union between Sweden and Norway, the Order of Vasa was often awarded to Norwegians until the Order of Saint Olav was founded in 1847.
Following significant reforms to the Swedish honours system in 1974, the Order of Vasa and the Order of the Sword were considered dormant and membership in the Order of the Seraphim and the Order of the Polar Star were restricted to foreigners and, after 1995, the royal family.
In 2019, a parliamentary committee was instructed to establish guidelines on how to re-introduce the Swedish orders, including the Order of Vasa, into the Swedish honours system and how Swedish citizens again can be appointed to Swedish orders. [3] The committee presented its findings in September 2021 and the Government has declared that a bill on the subject will be presented to the Riksdag on 19 April 2022. Following the passage of the bill by a large majority on 19 June 2022, on 20 December 2022, the Swedish Government published a new regulation that repealed the 1974 regulation, and once again opened the Royal Orders to Swedish citizens again and reactivated the Order of the Sword and the Order of Vasa, which came in effect from 1 February 2023. [4] [5] [6]
On 21 March 2024, the order was awarded for first time since 1974 to among others, the members of ABBA. [7]
The Swedish royal barge Vasaorden takes its name from the order.
The Order had five classes:
Before 2023, clergymen and women were not called Knight, but instead made a Ledamot av andliga ståndet ("Member of the Cloth") for priests or a Ledamot ("Member") for Women. However, since 2023, the order make no difference between men and women. [8]
Additionally, the Badge of Vasa and the Vasa Medal, were both worn on a ribbon on the left chest.
Ribbon bars | ||||
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Commander Grand Cross | Commander 1st Class | Commander | Knight 1st Class | Knight |
Year | Name | Citizenship | Main occupation | Grade |
---|---|---|---|---|
21 March 2024 [9] | Antonia Ax:son Johnson | Sweden | Director | Commander Grand Cross (KmstkVO) |
Benny Andersson | Artist | Commander First Class (KVO1kl) | ||
Agnetha Fältskog | Artist | Commander First Class (KVO1kl) | ||
Anni-Frid Lyngstad (Reuss) | Artist | Commander First Class (KVO1kl) | ||
Björn Ulvaeus | Artist | Commander First Class (KVO1kl) | ||
Eva Rydberg | Actress | Commander (KVO) | ||
Bettan Byvald | Socionom | Knight First Class (RVO1kl) | ||
Thomas Sjöström | Business Area Manager | Knight (RVO) |