Belgium: Knight in the Order of leopold II medal The Order of Leopold II is a military order of Belgium and is named in honor of King Léopold II. The decoration was established in 1900 by Léopold II as king of the Congo Free State and was in 1908, upon Congo being handed over to Belgium, incorporated into the Belgian awards system. The order is awarded for bravery in combat or for meritorious service to the benefit of the Belgian nation. It can be awarded to both Belgians and foreigners. The order has become a long service order and is awarded alternatively with the Order of the Crown as the Order of Leopold is awarded under rarer circumstances. The Order currently stands third after the Order of Leopold (1st) and the Order of the Crown (2nd) in the Belgian honors hierarchy. Unilingual version with the french inscription : " L'union fait la force " This is an old version with a palm with the A monogram original medal