Dva najstarija reda za zasluge ; The Two Oldest Orders of Merit
Koncem 17. i početkom 18. stoljeća dolazi do velikih promjena u skoro svim europskim državama. One su se odrazile na daljnji razvoj viteških vladarskih redova i uvjetovale nastanak redova za vojne zasluge. U Francuskoj, Rusiji, Prusiji i Austriji uspostavljene su apsolutističke monarhije, zasnovane na novoj koncepciji vlasti. Radi ostvarenja svojih političkih ciljeva zaštite i obrane države, odnosno osvajanja tuđeg teritorija, kao i kontinuiteta svoje vlasti, europski apsolutistički vladari organiziraju stalne oružane snage: stajaće najamničke vojske, spremne na brzu intervenciju. Zapovijedanje stajaćom plaćeničkom vojskom prelazi u ruke vladara, koji više nije zavisan o volji i ambicijama svojih vazala. Tako je postignut glavni preduvjet za ostvarenje djelotvorne političke moći. Apsolutistički vladari 17. i 18. stoljeća tražili su načine kako da privežu uza se vojsku i mirno produže svoju vlast. Dodjeljujući vojnim zapovjednicima plemićke titule, novčane nagrade i ordene, a vojnicima novčane nagrade i medalje, zadobili su vlast nad vojskom, a samim tim i nad državom. Vojsku treba stalno stimulirati, ne samo kad dobiva bitke, nego i kad ih gubi, jer se iscrpljena i malodušna vojska može okrenuti protiv svoga gospodara. Jedan od načina stimuliranja vojske jest nagrađivanje hrabrih i sposobnih vojnika jer plaću dobivaju i oni koji nemaju te vrline. Tako su nastale medalje za vojne zasluge, a nešto kasnije i redovi za vojne zasluge. Novi redovi za zasluge više nisu ekskluzivni kao stari viteški redovi koji su bili rezervirani za najviši sloj aristokracije. Liberalizacijom pristupa redu, red prestaje biti institucija i postaje znak; institucija se pomalo gubi, a njezin znak postaje glavna značajka reda. Prvi red za zasluge – Kraljevski i vojnički red sv. Louisa (l'Ordre royal et militaire de Saint-Louis) osnovao je 5. travnja 1693. francuski kralj Louis XIV. (*1638. – †1715.), u čast zaštitniku Francuske. Glavni uvjet za ulazak u red bio je da je kandidat odlično služio posljednjih deset godina u francuskoj vojsci ili mornarici. Kasnije se taj rok povećao na dvadeset godina. Tako je prvi put časnicima koji nisu bili aristokratskog podrijetla omogućeno da postanu članovima reda. Unatoč svemu, novi se red nije posve oslobodio tradicije. Broj osoba koje su smjele ući u red bio je striktno ograničen. Pristupiti redu mogli su samo časnici katoličke vjere. Red je imao tri stupnja: 1. Veliki križ, 2. Komander, 3. Vitez. Primjer francuskog Reda sv. Louisa slijedile su i druge europske monarhije. Ruski car Petar I. (*1672. - †1725.) osnovao je 30. kolovoza 1698. Red sv. apostola Andrije Prvozvanoga. Pretpostavlja se da je car Petar I. nakon povratka s diplomatske misije po Zapadnoj Europi 1698. godine htio imati viteški red po uzoru na europske redove. Sudeći prema odlikovanim osobama, orden se u početku dodjeljivao za iznimne zasluge za Rusko Carstvo, za vojne podvige ili za građanske zasluge. Godine 1720. car Petar I. odredio je da se odlikovanje dodjeljuje: "jednima kao nagrada za vjernost, hrabrost i razne zasluge učinjene Nama i domovini, a drugima da potaknu sve plemenite i herojske vrline (.)". Orden je imao samo jedan stupanj, a broj vitezova bio je ograničen na dvanaest osoba iz Rusije i dvanaest iz inozemstva, dakle, ukupno na dvadesetčetiri osobe. ; At the end of the seventeenth and the beginning of the eighteenth century, there were great changes in almost all European countries. This was reflected on the further development of chivalric dynastic orders and led to the creation of orders of military merit. Absolutist monarchies were founded in France, Russia, Prussia and Austria, based on the new concept of ruling. To realise their political goals – the protection and defence of the state, conquest of outside territories, and also the continuity of their rule - European absolutist rulers established permanent armed forces: standing professional armies ready for quick intervention. The standing army was under the command of the monarch, who no longer depended on the will and ambitions of his vassals. This was the main precondition for realising effective political power. The absolutist rulers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries sought ways to tie the army to themselves and to peacefully prolong their rule. By awarding noble titles, prizes in money and orders to the military commanders, and prize money and medals to the soldiers, they gained authority over the army, and thus also over the state. The army needed constant stimulation, not only when it won battles, but also when it lost, because an exhausted and faint-hearted army could turn against its master. One of the ways to stimulate the army was to reward the bravest and ablest soldiers, because even the soldiers who did not have these qualities were paid. This is how military medals of merit were created, and somewhat later also orders of military merit. The new orders of merit were no longer exclusive as were the old chivalric orders, which were reserved for the highest members of the aristocracy. By opening access to the order, it stopped being an institution and became a sign; the institution was slowly lost and its sign became the main characteristic of the order. The first order of merit – the Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis (l'Ordre royal et militaire de Saint-Louis), was founded on 5 April 1693 by King Louis XIV (1638-1715) of France in honour of Saint Louis, the patron saint of France. The main condition for being inducted was for the candidate to have given excellent service in the French army or navy in the last ten years. Later that term increased to twenty years. In this way officers who were non-nobles got the chance of becoming members of an order. The order had three degrees: 1. Great Cross, 2. Commander, 3. Knight. Other European monarchies followed the example of the French Order of Saint Louis. The Russian Tsar Peter I (1672-1725) founded the Order of St Andrew the Apostle the First-Called on 30 August 1698. It is thought that Tsar Peter I, after returning from a diplomatic mission in Western Europe in 1698, wanted to have a chivalric order modelled on the European orders. Judging from the persons who received the order, at first it was awarded only for exceptional merit for the Russian Empire, for military feats or for civil merit. The order had only one degree, and the number of knights was limited to twelve from Russia and twelve from abroad, a total of twenty-four persons.