Order of the Lion and the Sun
Encyclopedia
The Order of the Lion and the Sun was instituted by Fat’h Ali Shah of the Qajar Dynasty
in 1808 to honour foreign officials (later extended to Persians) who had rendered distinguished services to Persia. In 1925, under the Pahlavi dynasty
the Order continued as the Order of Homayoun with new insignia, though based on the Lion and Sun motif. This motif was used for centuries by the rulers of Persia, being formally adopted under Mohammad Shah
.
The order was senior to the Order of the Crown
. It was issued in five grades.
was the first foreign recipient in 1810. Other foreign recipients include:
Qajar dynasty
The Qajar dynasty was an Iranian royal family of Turkic descent who ruled Persia from 1785 to 1925....
in 1808 to honour foreign officials (later extended to Persians) who had rendered distinguished services to Persia. In 1925, under the Pahlavi dynasty
Pahlavi dynasty
The Pahlavi dynasty consisted of two Iranian/Persian monarchs, father and son Reza Shah Pahlavi and Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi The Pahlavi dynasty consisted of two Iranian/Persian monarchs, father and son Reza Shah Pahlavi (reg. 1925–1941) and Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi The Pahlavi dynasty ...
the Order continued as the Order of Homayoun with new insignia, though based on the Lion and Sun motif. This motif was used for centuries by the rulers of Persia, being formally adopted under Mohammad Shah
Mohammad Shah Qajar
Mohammad Shah Qajar was king of Persia from the Qajar dynasty .- Rise to power :...
.
The order was senior to the Order of the Crown
Order of the Crown (Iran)
The Order of the Crown was founded in 1900 by Sjah Mouzaffar ud-Din of the Qajar dynasty.The first Shah from the Pahlavi dynasty reformed the order after his coronation. The ribbon was changed into skyblue and cornyellow. A collar was added to the five classes of the order...
. It was issued in five grades.
Foreign Recipients
Major-General Sir John MalcolmJohn Malcolm
Major-general Sir John Malcolm was a Scottish soldier, statesman, and historian-Early life:Born at Burnfoot, Dumfriesshire, Malcolm was the son of George Malcolm, a gentleman farmer of Eskdale and Burnfoot. Jock, as he was then known, was one of the four Malcolm brothers who attained knighthoods...
was the first foreign recipient in 1810. Other foreign recipients include:
- Richard Colley (Wellesley), Marquess WellesleyRichard Wellesley, 1st Marquess WellesleyRichard Colley Wesley, later Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, KG, PC, PC , styled Viscount Wellesley from birth until 1781, was an Anglo-Irish politician and colonial administrator....
(1811) - Sir Gore OuseleyGore OuseleySir Gore Ouseley, 1st Baronet GCH , was a British entrepreneur, linguist and diplomat. He was born in 1770 and died at Hall Barn Park, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire in 1844...
(1770–1844), British ambassador to Persia and oriental scholar (1812) - Major-General Sir Henry Lindsay-Bethune (1787–1851), Commander of Persian infantry regiments (1816)
- General Aleksey Petrovich YermolovAleksey Petrovich YermolovAleksey Petrovich Yermolov , or Ermolov , was a Russian Imperial general of the 19th century who commanded Russian troops in the Caucasus War.-Early life:...
- Sir Robert Ker PorterRobert Ker PorterRobert Ker Porter , noted artist, author, diplomat and traveler. Known today for his accounts of his travels in Spain, Portugal and Russia, he also served as the British consul in Venezuela...
(1777–1842), artist and diplomat (1819) - Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (1821)
- Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Henry Willock, British Envoy to Persia 1815-1826 (1826)
- Lieutenant-Colonel Sir John Kinnear Macdonald, British Envoy to Persia 1826-1830 (1828)
- Sir John McNeillJohn McNeill (diplomat)Sir John McNeill, GCB, PC, FRSE, FRAS was a Scottish surgeon and diplomat.-Early life:McNeill was born at Oronsay House, Argyll...
, British Envoy to Persia 1836-1842 (1833) - Sir Mancherjee Merwanjee BhownagreeMancherjee BhownagreeSir Mancherjee Merwanjee Bhownagree, KCIE, was a British Conservative Party politician of Indian Parsi heritage...
KCIE - Sir George HayterGeorge HayterSir George Hayter was a notable English painter, specialising in portraits and large works involving in some cases several hundred individual portraits...
(1792–1871), British Portrait Painter - Armand TrousseauArmand TrousseauArmand Trousseau was a French internist. His contributions to medicine include Trousseau sign of malignancy, Trousseau sign of latent tetany, Trousseau-Lallemand bodies , and the truism, "use new drugs quickly, while they still work."-Biography:A native of Tours, Indre-et-Loire, Armand Trousseau...
- Marshal Francois Achille BazaineFrançois Achille BazaineFrançois Achille Bazaine was a French General and from 1864, a Marshal of France, who surrendered the last organized French army to the Prussians during the Franco-Prussian war. He was the first Marshal who had started as a legionnaire and like the great Marshals of the First Empire, he had risen...
(1811–1888), Marshal of France - Seth ApcarApcar familyFor more than a century the Apcar family was prominent in commerce and industry in India.Aratoon Apcar was the founder of Apcar & Co in 1809 and Senior Member until his death, 54 years later. He came to India in 1795, first to Mumbai and then to Kolkata in 1830...
- Sir Albert Abdullah David SassoonAlbert Abdullah David SassoonSir Albert Abdullah David Sassoon, 1st Baronet, KCB, CSI, , a British Indian philanthropist and merchant, was born a Jew in Baghdad, a member of a family that had lived there since the beginning of the 16th century, having been expelled from Spain in the 1490s. He was named Abdullah at birth, but...
(1889) - General Sir Albert Houtum-SchindlerAlbert Houtum-SchindlerGeneral Sir Albert Houtum-Schindler was a scholar of Persia and an employee of the Persian government.- Career :...
- Karl Georg Graf Huyn (1909)
- Edward Granville BrowneEdward Granville BrowneEdward Granville Browne , born in Stouts Hill, Uley, Gloucestershire, England, was a British orientalist who published numerous articles and books of academic value, mainly in the areas of history and literature...
(1922) - Major-General Sir Frederick SykesFrederick SykesAir Vice-Marshal The Right Honourable Sir Frederick Hugh Sykes GCSI, GCIE, GBE, KCB, CMG was a military officer, British statesman and politician....
In literature
- Anton ChekhovAnton ChekhovAnton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
has a short story titled The Lion And The Sun. The story is about a mayor who had "long been desirous of receiving the Persian order of The Lion and the Sun".http://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/ac/jr/140.htm