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Order of the Falcon
Icelandic order of chivalry From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Order of the Falcon (Icelandic: Hin íslenska fálkaorða) is the only order of chivalry in Iceland, founded by King Christian X of Denmark and Iceland on 3 July 1921.[1] The award is awarded for merit for Iceland and humanity and has five degrees. Nowadays, appointments are made on the nomination of the President of Iceland and that of a "five-member council."
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History and appointments
Christian X, the King of Denmark, ruled Iceland until 17 June 1944. During his royal visit to Iceland in 1921, King Christian X issued the royal decree founding the Icelandic Order of the Falcon.[1] When Iceland became a republic, new statutes were incorporated for the Order on 11 July 1944. The Republic of Iceland replaced the King by an elected President of Iceland who is the designated Grand Master of this Order. It may be awarded to both Icelanders and citizens of other countries for achievements in Iceland or internationally.[1] A five-member council makes recommendations on awards to the Grand Master, who then grants the award. However, the Grand Master may award the Order without recommendations from the Order Council.[2] The Grand Master and the Chairman of the Order Council then sign the Letters Patent, which are presented to the awards's recipients.
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Classes


The Order has five classes:[3]
- Collar with Grand Cross Breast Star (Keðja ásamt stórkrossstjörnu), only for heads of state
 - Grand Cross (Stórkross)
 - Grand Knight's Cross with Star (Stórriddarakross með stjörnu)
 - Grand Knight's Cross (Stórriddarakross)
 - Knight's Cross (Riddarakross)
 
Insignia
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The collar is gilded metal; it consists of links bearing the Icelandic coat-of-arms and blue-enamelled discs bearing the white falcon.
The badge consists of a gilt cross, enamelled in white, with a blue-enamelled central disc bearing the white falcon.
The star is a silver, eight-pointed star. For the Grand Cross class it has the badge of the Order superimposed upon it. For the Grand Knight with Star class it has a blue-enamelled central disc bearing the white falcon.
The ribbon is blue with white-red-white border stripes. It is worn on the left shoulder.
In summary:
- Collar with Grand Cross Breast Star – wears the badge on a collar plus a star on the left chest;
 - Grand Cross – wears the badge on a sash on the left shoulder, plus a star on the left chest;
 - Grand Knight's Cross with Star – wears the badge on a necklet, plus a star on the left chest;
 - Grand Knight's Cross – wears the badge on a necklet;
 - Knight's Cross – wears the badge on a chest ribbon.
 
If a holder is promoted to a higher rank, the lower rank's insignia must be returned. The insignia are retained during the recipient's lifetime, but they must be returned to the Icelandic Government upon the recipient's death.
Notable recipients
Politicians and heads of state
 Halla Tómasdóttir (current President of Iceland)
 Guðni Th. Jóhannesson (former President of Iceland)
 Guðni Ágústsson (former Minister of Agriculture)
 Jóhannes Jóhannesson (First Chairman of the order council)
 Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson (former President of Iceland)
 Vigdís Finnbogadóttir (former president of Iceland; first popularly elected female president in the world)
 Lennart Meri (former President of Estonia)
 Dalia Grybauskaitė (former President of Lithuania)
 Alexander Stubb (President of Finland)
 Sauli Niinistö (former President of Finland)
 Tarja Halonen (former President of Finland)
 Martti Ahtisaari (former President of Finland)
 Mauno Koivisto (former President of Finland)
 Urho Kekkonen (former President of Finland)
 Juho Kusti Paasikivi (former President of Finland)
 Kyösti Kallio (former President of Finland)
 Frank-Walter Steinmeier (current President of Germany)
 Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (Awarded 1963), Royal Consort of Elizabeth II
 Elizabeth II (former Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms) Awarded in 1963
 Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands
 Carl XVI Gustav (King of Sweden)
 Silvia (Queen of Sweden)
 Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden
 Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland
 Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland
 Princess Sofia, Duchess of Värmland
  Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland[4]
 Christopher O'Neill[4]
 Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson
 Albert II (former King of Belgium)
 Juan Carlos I of Spain (former King of Spain)
 Sofía (former Queen of Spain)
 Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo
 Infanta Cristina of Spain
 Margrethe II (former Queen of Denmark)
 Frederik X (King of Denmark)
 Mary (Queen of Denmark)
 Prince Joachim of Denmark
 Princess Marie of Denmark
 Princess Benedikte of Denmark
 Harald V (King of Norway)
 Sonja (Queen of Norway)
 Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway
 Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway
 Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway
 Princess Märtha Louise of Norway
 Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner
 Janis Johnson (Canadian Senator, Manitoba) Awarded 2000
 Lisa Murkowski (United States Senator, Alaska)[5]
Artists and entertainers
 Björk Guðmundsdóttir (singer, songwriter), 1997
 Helga Bachmann (actress)
 Ragga Gísla (singer, composer, actor), 2012[6]
 Ólöf Pálsdóttir (sculptor), 1970
 Steinunn Thorarinsdottir (sculptor)
 Vladimir Ashkenazy (pianist, conductor)
 Stefán Karl Stefánsson (actor, singer), 2018
 Edda Björgvinsdóttir (actress), 2018
 Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir (actress), 2023
 Erling Bløndal Bengtsson (cellist)
 Brad Leithauser (writer, poet, scholar), awarded 2005.
 Victor Borge (Børge "Victor" Rosenbaum) (concert pianist, entertainer)
 Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson, Icelandic composer, awarded 1993.
 Jónas Jónasson (composer, radio host), 2006
 Páll Ísólfsson (organist, composer, radio host), 1940[7]
Scholars
 George P. L. Walker (Volcanologist)
 Andrew Wawn (Philologist)
 Thorbergur Thorvaldson, cement chemist, awarded 1939.
 Unnur Anna Valdimarsdóttir, Professor of Epidemiology, University of Iceland, awarded 2023.
 A. R. Taylor, Professor of medieval English, Old Norse and modern Icelandic Studies, University of Leeds, awarded 1963
 Rory McTurk, Professor of Icelandic Studies, University of Leeds, awarded 2007
 Mark Watson, archaeologist, dog breeder and benefactor, awarded 1965
 William Paton Cleland (Surgeon)[8]
 Anders Grubb, Professor of Clinical Chemistry, University of Lund, awarded 2007 for research on Icelandic hereditary diseases
 John Lindow, Professor Emeritus of Old Norse and Folklore at University of California, Berkeley, awarded 2018 for scholarly contributions in the area of Icelandic medieval literature.
 Carol J. Clover, Professor of Medieval Studies (Early Northern Europe) and American Film at the University of California, Berkeley.
 Lee M. Hollander, translator of Kierkegaard and academic.
 Sigrún Árnadóttir, awarded the Knight's Cross for the translation of several books to Icelandic including Alfie Atkins and for her contributions to Icelandic children's culture.
Other
 Friðrik Skúlason (computer scientist), 2018
 Guðmundur Kjærnested (Commander, Icelandic Coast Guard)
 Iceland men's national handball team (Silver medalists in handball at the 2008 Summer Olympics)
 Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson (chief goði of the Ásatrúarfélagið), 2018
 Monika Helgadóttir (farmer), 1953
 Orri Vigfússon (Chairman of the North Atlantic Salmon Fund)
 Sunna Olafson Furstenau (Founder/Pres Icelandic Roots; Þjóðræknisfélag Ísland, INL in USA & Canada), 2017
 Anna Kisselgoff (Columbia Univ.) Awarded 2002
 David Architzel (Vice Admiral, US Navy)
 James L. Kauffman, Vice-admiral during World War II
 John W. White, USAF General, Commander Iceland Defense Force
 William S. Key, Major General during World War II
 Pike Ward, fisherman who started and developed the Icelandic fishing industry, awarded 1936
 Sir Arthur Young, police officer
 Beverly Arason-Gaudet, (President, Icelandic National League of North America), 2019
 Antti Tuuri (Writer) translated some Icelandic sagas
 Koča Popović (Colonel General, YPA)
 Signy Stefansson Eaton, socialite and philanthropist of Icelandic descent
Leonor Beleza, lawyer, former Minister of Health and 1st President of the Champalimaud Foundation
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Notes
External links
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