Established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, it has been retained (with occasional slight alterations) by all later French governments and regimes.

The order's motto is Honneur et Patrie ("Honour and Fatherland"); its seat is the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur next to the Musée d'Orsay, on the left bank of the Seine in Paris.

From this wish was instituted a Légion d'honneur,[2] a body of men that was not an order of chivalry, for Napoleon believed that France wanted a recognition of merit rather than a new system of nobility.

The insignia of the Légion d'honneur bear a resemblance to those of the Ordre de Saint-Louis, which also used a red ribbon.

[4] The Légion d'honneur was loosely patterned after a Roman legion, with legionaries, officers, commanders, regional "cohorts" and a grand council.

Under the monarchy, such orders were often limited to Roman Catholics, all knights had to be noblemen, and military decorations were restricted to officers.

[citation needed] The Légion d'honneur, however, was open to men of all ranks and professions; only merit or bravery counted.

Although research is made difficult by the loss of the archives, it is rumoured that three women who fought with the army were decorated with the order: Virginie Ghesquière, Marie-Jeanne Schelling and a nun, Sister Anne Biget.

A nephew of the founder, Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, was elected president and he restored the image of his uncle on the crosses of the order.

In 1852, the first recorded woman, Angélique Duchemin, an old revolutionary of the 1789 uprising against the absolute monarchy, was admitted into the order.

In 1870, the defeat of the French Imperial Army in the Franco-Prussian War brought the end of the Empire and the creation of the Third Republic (1871–1940).

In 1871, during the Paris Commune uprising, the Hôtel de Salm, headquarters of the Légion d'honneur, was burned to the ground in fierce street combats; the archives of the order were lost.

Grévy was not accused of personal participation in this scandal, but he was slow to accept his indirect political responsibility, which caused his eventual resignation on 2 December 1887.

The Grand Chancery also regulates the National Order of Merit and the médaille militaire (Military Medal).

There are several structures funded by and operated under the authority of the Grand Chancery, like the Legion of Honour Schools (Maisons d'éducation de la Légion d'honneur) and the Legion of Honour Museum (Musée de la Légion d'honneur).

Study there is restricted to daughters, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters of members of the order, the médaille militaire or the ordre national du Mérite.

[11] French nationals, men and women, can be received into the Légion, for "eminent merit" (mérites éminents) in military or civil life.

In practice, in current usage, the order is conferred on entrepreneurs, high-level civil servants, scientists, artists, including famous actors and actresses, sport champions,[c] and others with connections in the executive.

Members of the French Parliament cannot receive the order, except for valour in war,[12] and ministers are not allowed to nominate their accountants.

[13] Veil was a member of the Académie française, a former Health Minister and President of the European Parliament, as well as an Auschwitz survivor.

The military distinctions (Légion d'honneur à titre militaire) are awarded for bravery (actions de guerre) or for service.

Bravery awards lessen the time needed for the award—in fact decorated servicemen become directly chevaliers of the Légion d'Honneur, skipping the Ordre du Mérite.

The central disc in the centre has also changed to reflect the political system and leadership of France at the time.

The obverse central disc is in gilt, featuring the head of Marianne, surrounded by the legend République Française on a blue enamel ring.

The reverse central disc is also in gilt, with a set of crossed tricolores, surrounded by the Légion's motto Honneur et Patrie ('Honour and Fatherland') and its foundation date on a blue enamel ring.

The central disc features the head of Marianne, surrounded by the legend République Française ('French Republic') and the motto Honneur et Patrie.

The badge or star is not usually worn, except at the time of the decoration ceremony or on a dress uniform or formal wear.

For less formal occasions, recipients wear a simple stripe of thread sewn onto the lapel (red for chevaliers and officiers, silver for commandeurs).