[3] In the first half of 1921 the Constitutional Assembly of Latvia began to discuss introducing the first national awards and decorations.

A proposed design and statutes of a three-class Order of the Wreath of Oak (Latvian: Ozola Vainaga ordenis) was rejected by the assembly (especially by the Social Democrats and their leader Brūno Kalniņš), arguing that before the Constitution was approved, it could not be clear whether a democratic country such as Latvia should have orders in the first place.

[4] After the end of the Soviet occupation of Latvia, the Order was re-established on 25 October 1994, with the first recipients being awarded on November 7.

The reverse side features a gilded medallion with inscriptions "Per aspera ad astra", "Latvijas Republika — 1918. g. 18. novembris" (English: Republic of Latvia - 18 November 1918) and '1994'.

It has ten gilded links with alternately chiseled images of three stars, fire-crosses, and fasces supported by a lion and griffin.