Order of Prince Henry (Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique)

The Order of Prince Henry the Navigator ( _pt. Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique) is a Portuguese National Order of Knighthood created on June 2, 1960, to commemorate the fifth centenary of the death of the Infante Henrique, commonly known in English as Henry the Navigator, fifth son of King João I and Queen Filipa de Lencastre. Minor reforms of the constitution of the Order occurred in 1962 and 1980. [ [http://www.ordens.presidencia.pt/ordem_nacional_infante.htm Ordem do Infante D. Henrique | Ordens Nacionais | Ordens Honoríficas Portuguesas ] ]

It is a five-tier order, whose titles are awarded for relevant services to Portugal and for services in the expansion of the Portuguese culture, its history and its values (with a particular focus on its maritime history). The number of members in each grade is restricted by its constitution, and titles are attributed by special decree by the Grand Master of the Order, i.e. the President of the Republic of Portugal.

The order includes five classes; in decreasing order of seniority, these are:
* Grand Collar ("Grande Colar" - GColIH)
* Grand Cross ("Grã-Cruz" - GCIH)
* Grand Officer ("Grande-Oficial" - GOIH)
* Commander ("Comendador" - ComIH)
* Officer ("Oficial" - OIH)
* Knight / Dame ("Cavaleiro" / "Dama" - CavIH / DamIH)

There also exist a Silver Medal ("Medalha de Prata" - MedPIH) and Gold Medal ("Medalha de Ouro" - MedOIH).

Ribbons and medals are characterized by equal stripes of blue, white and black (either horizontal or vertical) and a ruby-enamelled golden Jerusalem cross. The stars of Grand Officer and Grand Cross bears the inscription "Talant de bie~ faire".

Membership to the Order can be granted by the President of his own initiative, or as a result of suggestions made by his Ministers, or following suggestion by the Council of the Order.

Grand Collars of the Order as of May 2008

* HM Juan Carlos I of Spain, on April 17, 1978
* Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, President of the Republic of France, on October 21, 1978
* HM King Baudouin Albert Charles Léopold Axel Marie Gustave of Belgium, on August 24, 1982
* Samora Moisés Machel, President of the People's Republic of Mozambique, on August 30, 1982
* Hosni Mubarak, President of the Republic of Egypt, on August 19, 1983
* His Most Eminent Highness Angelo de Mojana di Cologna, Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, on September 2, 1983
* François Miterrand, President of the Republic of France, on September 29, 1983
* Rudolf Kirchschlager, President of the Republic of Austria, on April 18, 1984
* HM Queen Margaret of Denmark, on November 1, 1984
* HGDH Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, on January 29, 1985
* Aristides Pereira, President of the Republic of Cape Verde, on January 31, 1986
* HM King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, on January 31, 1987
* Richard von Weizsacker, President of the Republic of Germany, on June 19, 1989
* Francesco Cossiga, President of the Italian Republic, on June 19, 1990
* His Most Eminent Highness Fra Andrew Willoughby Ninian Bertie, Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, Most Humble Guardian of the Poor of Jesus Christ, on June 29, 1990
* Christos Sartzetakis, President of the Republic of Greece, on November 4, 1991
* Brunó Ferenc Straub, President of the Republic of Hungary, on November 4, 1991
* HM Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, on December 14, 1991
* Mauno Henrik Koivisto, President of the Republic of Finland, on November 4, 1991
* Joaquim Alberto Chissano, President of the Republic of Mozambique, on April 27, 1993
* HM King Hassan II of Morocco, on February 18, 1994
* Lech Walesa, President of the Republic of Poland, on March 3, 1995
* Nelson Mandela, President of the Republic of South Africa, on March 9, 1996
* Aleksander Kwaśniewski, President of the Republic of Poland, on March 3, 1995
* HIM Akihito, Emperor of Japan, on June 24, 1998
* Roman Herzog, President of the Republic of Germany, on May 21, 1999
* Jacques Chirac, President of the Republic of France, on July 8, 1999
* Constantinos Stephanopoulos, President of the Republic of Greece, on February 21, 2000
* HM King Albert II of Belgium, on February 21, 2000
* Milan Kucan, President of the Republic of Slovenia, on May 17, 2000
* António Manuel Mascarenhas Gomes Monteiro, President of the Republic of Cape Verde, on August 1, 2000
* General Vasco Joaquim Rocha Vieira, on August 9, 2001
* Pedro Pires, President of the Republic of Cape Verde, on May 28, 2002,
* Arnold Ruutel, President of the Republic of Estonia, on July 30, 2003
* Vaira Vike Freiberga, President of the Republic of Latvia, on August 12, 2003
* HM King Harald V of Norway, on March 31, 2004
* Heinz Fischer, President of the Austrian Republic, on April 21, 2005

Reference

ee also

*Honorific orders of Portugal

External links

* [http://www.ordens.presidencia.pt/ Honorific orders of Portugal]
* [http://www.ordens.presidencia.pt/ordem_nacional_infante_lista.htm List of the Grand Collar of the Order of Infante D. Henrique]