The Order of Charlemagne is the only civil decoration issued by the government of the Principality of Andorra

Andorra

Andorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, , is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of...

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History

The Order of Charlemagne was created the 7th December 2007 by the Minister of Culture Juli Minoves Triquell

Juli Minoves Triquell

Juli Minoves i Triquell is an Andorran diplomat and author.-Biography:Minoves was educated as an economist and Political Scientist ....

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The name of the order was given to honor the figure of the founder of the Principality of Andorra, Emperor Charlemagne

Charlemagne

Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...

 of the Franks, that gave the sovereignty of land of the Valleys of Andorra to the people that lived there, because they helped him fighting the Saracens. Since then, the name of Charlemagne became a national symbol.

The purpose of the Order of Charlemagne is "to reward the merits of those who have excelled in their field of work and who have made outstanding services to the Andorran State".

Structure

The order is divided in four classes:

• Collar.
• Grand Cross.
• Commander.
• Medal.

The Grand Master of the Order is the Prime Minister of the Principality of Andorra (currently Antoni Martí

Antoni Martí

Antoni Martí Petit is an Andorran architect and politician who is the country's head of government since 11 May 2011, following a parliamentary election in 2011...

) and the Grand Chancellor is the Minister of Culture (currently Albert Esteve).