Order of the Sword
The Royal Order of the Sword (officially: Royal Order of the Sword; Swedish: Kungliga Svärdsorden) is a Swedish order of chivalry and military decoration created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Seraphim and the Order of the Polar Star. The motto of the order is in Latin: Pro Patria (which means "For Fatherland").
| Royal Order of the Sword Kungliga Svärdsorden | |
|---|---|
Badge and star of the order | |
| Awarded by the monarch of Sweden | |
| Type | Five grade order of merit |
| Motto | Pro Patria |
| Eligibility | Military personnel |
| Criteria | Valour during war and service to the Armed Forces during peacetime. |
| Status | Active (since 1 February 2023) |
| Sovereign | King Carl XVI Gustaf |
| Chancellor | Svante Lindqvist |
| Grades | Commander Grand Cross (KmstkSO) Commander 1st Class (KSO1kl) Commander (KSO) Knight 1st Class (RSO1kl) Knight (RSO) |
| Statistics | |
| First induction | 1748 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Royal Order of the Seraphim |
| Next (lower) | Royal Order of the Polar Star |
Ribbon bar of the Order of the Sword | |
Awarded to officers, and originally intended as an award for bravery and particularly long or useful service, it eventually became a more or less obligatory award for military officers after a certain number of years in service. There were originally three grades, Knight, Commander and Commander Grand Cross, but these were later multiplied by division into classes. On 20 December 2022, the Swedish Government published a new regulation that repealed the 1974 regulation, and once again opened the Royal Orders to Swedish citizens again and reactivated the Order of the Sword and the Order of Vasa, which came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.