Awards and decorations of Austenasia

The Austenasian honours system comprises the various honorific titles, awards and decorations which can be bestowed by the Empire of Austenasia. Austenasia has five orders of chivalry, as well as one order of merit and some rarely bestowed military awards (consisting of military medals for individuals and battle honours for military units).

The honours system was established by several Acts of Parliament under the Austenasian Constitution of 2008 (mainly Acts 6, 41, 56 and 118). The Monarch is fons honorum for all honours, with the exception of the Order of the Crown Prince, which is bestowed at the sole discretion of the Heir to the Throne.

Orders of chivalry

A person may have only one title from each order of chivalry, the highest awarded. There are five Austenasian orders of chivalry.

The first, the Austenasian Order, was established on 20 September 2008 (mere hours after the founding of the Empire itself) by Act 6 (Honours). A senior order, the Order of the Bullmastiff, was established on 3 January 2009 by Act 41 (Additional Honours), and two others - the Glorious Order of St. John, the highest in precedence; and the Order of the Crown Prince, the lowest in precedence - were established on 31 January later that month by Act 56 (Orders of Chivalry). It was in this latter Act of Parliament that these four orders of chivalry were set out in their current form. They were joined on 21 May 2016 by the Order of Saint Constantine, which ranks just below the Glorious Order of St. John.

The four most senior orders have the Monarch as their Sovereign; only they can bestow honours from that order. The least senior, the Order of the Crown Prince, is unique amongst all Austenasian honours in that its fount of honour is the Heir to the Throne.

Due to a provision in Act 6 (Honours), which was passed in 2008 and has never officially been repealed, the granting of an honour could technically be vetoed by the unanimous consent of the Prime Minister and the House of Representatives. It is unclear whether this would also apply to honours from the Order of the Crown Prince, as Act 6 only refers to the Monarch. This provision - which has never been exercised - has arguably fallen into desuetude, if only due to the ambiguities surrounding the opportunities for its use.

Glorious Order of St. John

The Glorious Order of St. John has three grades, the holders of all of which can be referred to as knights. Established on 31 January 2009, a total of thirty five people have been made members since its founding. The grades in the order are thus:

Knight/Dame Companion (KCJ/DCJ), with a maximum quota of 12 members
Knight/Dame of Honour (KHJ/DHJ)
Knight/Dame of Virtue (KVJ/DVJ)

Order of Saint Constantine

The Order of Saint Constantine has two grades, the holders of both of which can be referred to as knights. Established on 21 May 2016, a total of twenty four people have been made members since its founding. The order is unique in three respects: first, it also functions as a charitable organisation; second, membership is open only to baptised Christians; and third, it is the only order the recipients of which do not receive post-nominals. The grades in the order are thus:

Knight/Dame Imperial
Knight/Dame

Order of the Bullmastiff

The Order of the Bullmastiff has five grades, the holders of all of which can be referred to as knights. Established on 3 January 2009, a total of thirty eight people have been made members since its founding. Prior to April 2016, when the fifth grade was established, all the grades of knighthoods in this order had maximum quotas; this resulted in the order being "full" from September 2010 to January 2013, September 2013 to May 2014, and September 2015 to April 2016 due to there being no more spaces available. The Order is the only Austenasian order of chivalry to have a mascot, a bullmastiff appointed as such for life by the Monarch. The grades in the order are thus:

Knight/Dame of Carothan (KOC/DOC), with a maximum quota of 2 members
Knight/Dame of Rose (KOR/DOR), with a maximum quota of 4 members
Knight/Dame of Edd (KOE/DOE), with a maximum quota of 4 members
Knight/Dame of Molossers (KOM/DOM), with a maximum quota of 6 members
Knight/Dame (KOB/DOB)

Austenasian Order

The Austenasian Order, the oldest and largest Austenasian order of chivalry, has five grades, the holders of the two most senior of which can be referred to as knights. Established on 20 September 2008 mere hours after the foundation of the Empire itself, a total of one hundred and thirty seven people have been made members since its creation. The order is unique in that it is the only Austenasian order of chivalry in which no grade has a maximum quota. The grades in the order are thus:

Imperial Knight/Dame (IKA/IDA)
Knight/Dame Commander (KCA/DCA)
Commander (CAO)
Officer (OAO)
Member (MAO)

Order of the Crown Prince

The Order of the Crown Prince has four grades, the holders of all but the least senior of which can be referred to as knights. Established on 31 January 2009, a total of forty eight people have been made members since its founding. The grades in the order are thus:

Supreme Companion of the Heir (SCH), with a maximum quota of 1 member
Knight/Dame Protector of the Crown Prince (KPP/DPP), with a maximum quota of 12 members
Knight/Dame of the Crown Prince (KCP/DCP)
Squire of the Crown Prince (SCP)

Table of precedence

Although the five orders of chivalry have a clear order of precedence, most of the grades within each order correspond with another in terms of the precedence held by each one. For example, an Officer of the Austenasian Order and a Squire of the Crown Prince are considered to have the same level of honour in regards to the precedence of their titles. The following table displays the hierarchy of the different grades in Austenasian orders of chivalry:

Glorious Order of St. John	Order of Saint Constantine	Order of the Bullmastiff	Austenasian Order	Order of the Crown Prince
Knight Companion				Supreme Companion of the Heir
Knight/Dame of Honour	Knight/Dame Imperial	Knight/Dame of Carothan
Knight/Dame of Virtue
		Knight/Dame of Rose	Imperial Knight/Dame
		Knight/Dame of Edd
	Knight/Dame	Knight/Dame of Molossers	Knight/Dame Commander	Knight/Dame Protector
		Knight/Dame
				Knight/Dame
			Commander
			Officer	Squire
			Member

Orders of merit

On 5 November 2023, Emperor Jonathan I passed an Imperial Edict creating the Imperial Matrimonial Order as "an order of merit rather than an order of chivalry... with such not considered a knighthood". Although structured in a way that resembles one of the five chivalric orders, it has not been ranked alongside them, and due to being awarded for a very specific purpose can therefore be considered more similar in function to one of the now-abolished civilian medals.

Imperial Matrimonial Order

The Imperial Matrimonial Order has a single grade, that of Member. It is "to be granted at the discretion of the Monarch to those who have substantially assisted with or contributed to the preparations for a wedding of a member of the Imperial Family." On 5 November 2023, Jonathan I inducted twenty two individuals in recognition of their role in helping with his wedding to Empress Hannah one year previously.

Medals

Military Medals

Military Medals are awards given to enlisted members of the Austenasian Armed Forces by the Monarch, usually on the recommendation of the recipient's commanding officer. Military Medals were established on 26 April 2010 by Act 118 (Revised Medals) to provide awards for the soldiers who were fighting during the Austenasian Civil War (although the David Cross, the most senior, had existed since the founding of the Austenasian Army in May 2009), originally as military counterparts to civilian medals (see below). A person can only have one Military Medal at a time, the highest awarded.

The Military Medals in order of precedence and their recipients are thus:

The David Cross (DC) - "for acts of the greatest heroism, courage or self-sacrifice in the name of duty during warfare". Named for the late father of the first Monarch, Emperor Terry I.
- Taras Oliynyk: 14/3/2022 (posthumous). "For his acts of greatest heroism, courage, and self-sacrifice in the name of duty during warfare."
The Warrior Cross (WC) - "for acts of heroism, courage or self-sacrifice in the name of duty during warfare".
- HIH Crown Prince Jonathan: 10/9/2010 - 20/1/2013. "For defending the Empire against its enemies in the Skirmish of Beddington Park, the Skirmish of the Treasury, and the Battle of Carshalton Park". Automatically relinquished upon ascending the Throne.
The Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC) - "for conspicuous gallantry during active operations against the enemy".
- General Sir Ryan Dickinson, KCP: 10/9/2010. "For bravery in the Battle of Carshalton Park".
The Gallantry Cross (GC) - "for gallantry during active operations against the enemy".
- Lieutenant Sir A. Hayes, KOM: 10/9/2010. "For defending the name of the Emperor in the Battle of the Grove".
The Military Cross - "for taking part in active operations against the enemy to the best of one’s ability".
- Lord William K., 2nd Baron of Zephyria: 10/9/2010. "For seeing action in the Skirmish of the Treasury".

Former medals

Before they were abolished by Act 126 (17th Revision to Existing Laws) in September 2010, the Empire did have some rarely awarded civilian medals, established alongside the Austenasian Order by Act 6 (not including the Environmental Star, which was established later, by the aforementioned Act 41). In order of precedence, they and their recipients were:

The Terry Cross (TC) - "for acts of the greatest heroism or of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme danger.". Named for the first Monarch, Emperor Terry I.
- None awarded.
The Imperial Austenasian Red Cross (IRC) - "for exceptional medical services to a member of the Royal [sic] Family".
- HRH Princess Consort Margaret: 26/12/2008. Awarded upon taking care of Princess Caroline of Austenasia when she was ill.
The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) - "for outstanding services to the Empire of Austenasia".
- HRH Crown Prince Jonathan Austen, PM: 20/8/2008. Awarded upon the sending of the Declaration of Independence.
- Sir William K., KOR, CAO: 22/3/2009. Awarded upon the signing of South Kilttown's Treaty of Annexation.
The Imperial Star (IS) - "for outstanding services to the Royal [sic] Family".
- None awarded
The Government Star (GS) - "for outstanding services to the Cabinet [sic] or Prime Minister".
- HRH Crown Prince Jonathan Austen, PM: 22/3/2009. Awarded upon the signing of South Kilttown's Treaty of Annexation.
The Environmental Star (ES) - "for outstanding conservation of the environment".
- None awarded

Battle honours

Battle honours were established by Act 140 (Military Reform) in January 2011, and are the awarding to a military unit the right "to emblazon the name of a military encounter on its flags, standards, uniforms, or other accessories where ornamentation is possible... as official acknowledgement for their achievements in specific wars or operations of a military campaign". They are unique amongst all Austenasian honours in that, as well as being awarded to a group of people rather than to an individual, they have almost always been bestowed by Parliament, with only Legion I Britannica's battle honour of London 2011 having been bestowed by the Monarch alone to date.

The battle honours which have been awarded so far are as follows:

Midget Base 2002-2004 - awarded to Centuria II Midgetae (now Centuria II Ruscimiae) on 9/4/2011 "in recognition of the military prowess demonstrated during the Invader Attacks on their base".
Rebel Side 2003 - awarded to Centuria II Midgetae (now Centuria II Ruscimiae) on 9/4/2011 "in recognition of the military prowess demonstrated during the Midget Civil War and subsequent Battle of the Push Bench Gang".
Quiet Area 2003 - awarded to Centuria II Midgetae (now Centuria II Ruscimiae) on 9/4/2011 "in recognition of the military prowess demonstrated during Midget Master Daniel (I)'s attempted conquest of the Quietarians".
Grove Park 2004 - awarded to Centuria II Midgetae (now Centuria II Ruscimiae) on 9/4/2011 "in recognition of the military prowess demonstrated during the final battle against the Girly Gang".
Lower Playground and Line 2005 - awarded to Centuria II Midgetae (now Centuria II Ruscimiae) on 9/4/2011 "in recognition of the military prowess demonstrated during the successful expansion of the Midget Empire under the early reign of Midget Master Jonathan (II)".
Patioed Pathway 2005 - awarded to Centuria II Midgetae (now Centuria II Ruscimiae) on 9/4/2011 "in recognition of the military prowess demonstrated during the successful conquest of the Patioed Pathway".
Green Wrythe Lane 2005 - awarded to Centuria II Midgetae (now Centuria II Ruscimiae) on 9/4/2011 "in recognition of the military prowess demonstrated during the Second Boys vs Girls War".
Rushy Meadow 2006 - awarded to Centuria II Midgetae (now Centuria II Ruscimiae) on 9/4/2011 "in recognition of the military prowess demonstrated by the successful defeat of the Midget Hunters".
Muschamp Alley 2006 - awarded to Centuria II Midgetae (now Centuria II Ruscimiae) on 9/4/2011 "in recognition of the military prowess demonstrated by the successful defeat of Muschamper forces".
Upper Playground 2006 - awarded to Centuria II Midgetae (now Centuria II Ruscimiae) on 9/4/2011 "in recognition of the military prowess demonstrated during the final war of expansion under the reign of Midget Master Jonathan (II)".
Wrythe 2009 - awarded to Legio I Britannica on 13/1/2011 "in recognition of the part it played in successfully defending the Prime Minister’s Office against British invaders during the Skirmish of the Treasury".
Commius Flats 2009 - awarded to Centuria I Wrythiae on 13/1/2011 "in recognition of its successful invasion of Commius Flats".
Carshalton Park 2010 - awarded to Legio II Augusta on 13/1/2011 "in recognition of its victory against rebel forces in the Battle of Carshalton Park during the Austenasian Civil War".
Grove Park 2010 - awarded to Centuria I Wrythiae on 13/1/2011 "in recognition of its victory against British Carolinians in the Battle of the Grove during the Austenasian Civil War".
Orly 2010 - awarded to Centuria II Zephyriae on 13/1/2011 "in recognition of its service against the Tsardom of Orly during the War of the Orlian Reunification".
Wrythe 2010 - awarded to Centuria II Midgetae (now Centuria II Ruscimiae) on 9/4/2011 "in recognition of the military prowess demonstrated during the successful attack on Wrythe [now known to be a fabrication] which resulted in the Counsellors of State giving Imperial Consent to Act 138". The only battle honour to be rescinded, having been withdrawn on 28 August 2013 over one and a half years after it was revealed the battle for which it was awarded never took place.
Tincomarus Department 2011 - awarded to Cohors I Declana (now Cohors I Theodosia) on 7/3/2011 "in recognition of the part it played in successfully occupying Tincomarus Department".
London 2011 - awarded to Legio I Britannica on 29/3/2013 "in recognition of its mobilisation to protect Austenasia during the riots in Britain that summer, acknowledging the valued role and important part it played in assuaging worries of Austenasian residents despite not seeing actual combat".