Order of the White Rose of Finland

The Order of the White Rose of Finland (Finnish: Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunta; Swedish: Finlands Vita Ros’ orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. The President of Finland is the Grand Master of all three orders. The orders are administered by boards consisting of a chancellor, a vice-chancellor and at least four members. The orders of the White Rose of Finland and the Lion of Finland have a joint board.

Order of the White Rose of Finland
  • Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunta
  • Finlands Vita Ros’ orden
Commander of the Order of the White Rose of Finland
Awarded by  Finland
TypeState order
EstablishedJanuary 28, 1919; 105 years ago (1919-01-28)
CountryFinland
SeatHouse of the Estates[1]
RibbonUltramarine
MottoIsänmaan hyväksi ('For the Good of the Fatherland')
EligibilityFinnish nationals and foreigners[2]
CriteriaDistinguished service to the fatherland[2]
StatusCurrently constituted
FounderCarl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim
Grand MasterAlexander Stubb[1]
ChancellorJussi Nuorteva [fi][1]
Vice-ChancellorKari Jordan [fi][1]
Classes
  • Grand Cross
  • First Class Commander
  • Commander
  • First Class Knight
  • Knight
Websiteritarikunnat.fi/language/en
Statistics
First inductionFebruary 12, 1919[3]
Precedence
Next (higher)(Order of the White Rose of Finland is the highest order)
Next (lower)Order of the Cross of Liberty

Ribbon of the Order of the White Rose of Finland

History edit

The Order of the White Rose of Finland was established by Gustaf Mannerheim in his capacity as regent (temporary head of state) on January 28, 1919.[4][5] The name comes from the nine roses argent in the coat of arms of Finland.[6] The order's rules and regulations were confirmed on May 16, 1919,[7] and its present rules date from June 1, 1940. The revised scale of ranks was confirmed most recently in 1985. The original decorations were designed by Akseli Gallen-Kallela. The swastikas of the collar were replaced by fir crosses in 1963, designed by heraldic artist Gustaf von Numers. The honour can be granted for military as well as civilian merit.

Insignia edit

The ribbon for all classes is ultramarine, as it is found in the flag of Finland, although officially the statutes do not define the color of the ribbon beyond it being "dark blue".[8] The motto of the order appears on the medallion and is Isänmaan hyväksi (Finnish for 'For the Good of the Fatherland').[2][9]

The President of Finland wears the Grand Cross of the White Rose of Finland with Collar (a neck chain). The Collar is worn four centimetres from either side and hangs at equal distances at the front and back. The Grand Cross and Commander marks are awarded with a breast star.

Classes edit

 
Diploma of the order

The classes of the order of the White Rose of Finland are:

  •   Grand Cross of the White Rose of Finland with Collar
  •   Grand Cross of the White Rose of Finland
  •   First Class Commander of the White Rose of Finland
  •   Commander of the White Rose of Finland
  •   First Class Knight of the White Rose of Finland
  •   Knight (Chevalier) of the White Rose of Finland
  •   Cross of Merit of the White Rose of Finland
  •   First Class Medal of the White Rose of Finland with golden cross
  •   First Class Medal of the White Rose of Finland
  •   Medal of the White Rose of Finland

Recipients edit

Generally the Grand Cross with Collar is awarded only to foreign heads of state, e.g. to King Fuad I of Egypt (1935), Charles de Gaulle (1962), Josip Broz Tito (1963) and King Birendra of Nepal (1988). In the case of royals, consorts may be awarded with it. Heirs apparent of Nordic monarchies have also been awarded.[10] The Grand Master may however in principle award it at his pleasure.[11] During World War II Hermann Göring and Joachim von Ribbentrop were exceptionally given the Grand Cross with Collar because Adolf Hitler would not receive orders.[12]

Prime Ministers of Finland customarily receive the Grand Cross. (Certain leftist politicians refused the cross or did not wear it, and the transient term in office of Anneli Jäätteenmäki did not lead to the President awarding the cross.)[13] The Grand Cross is also given to presidents of the Supreme Court and the Supreme Administrative Court, the Archbishop of Turku and Finland, and the Chancellor of the order.[14]

Recipients list edit

Selected recipients of the Order of the White Rose of Finland
Year Commander Notes
1919   Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim Regent of Finland (1918–1919)
Commander-in-Chief of the Finnish Defence Forces (1918, 1939–1946)
President of Finland (1944–1946)
????   Edward Rydz-Śmigły
????   Bhumibol Adulyadej King of Thailand
1926   Ernesto Burzagli
1930   Tomáš Masaryk President of Czechoslovakia
1931   Miklós Horthy Regent of Hungary
1934   Shaul Tchernichovsky
1939   Walther von Brauchitsch
1941   Dean Driscoll for services "toward relieving the civilian population of wartorn Finland".[15]
1941   Hermann Göring politician, military leader
1941   Eduard Dietl
1941   Josef Veltjens
1942   Joachim von Ribbentrop
1942   Hirohito Emperor of Japan[16]
1942   Ion Antonescu
1944   Norman Cameron Moore [17]
1947   Earl Wagner Twitchell
1951   Bernard Aabel in 1948 Aabel became the Assistant Military Attaché in Helsinki, Finland[18]
1955   Thomas Beecham [19]
1960   Jarl Lindfors, 1960
1961   Maggie Gripenberg [20]
1962   Charles de Gaulle [16]
1963   Josip Broz Tito
1963   Koča Popović
1967   Gamal Abdel Nasser [21]
1967   Zoltán Kodály
1967   Greta Kukkonen first wife of actor Gregory Peck
1967   Colonel Wayne J. Moe US Army Attaché
1969   Anne, Princess Royal
1971   Olli Mannermaa
1971   Arthur Lydiard
1974   Carl XVI Gustaf King of Sweden[16]
1976   Leonid Brezhnev [16]
1978   Dmitriy Ustinov Marshal of the Soviet Union
1983   Leo Kyntäjä
1983   Walter Werronen
1984   Arthur J. Collingsworth
1988   Ensio Seppänen
1988   Birendra Bir Bikram Shah late king of Nepal[16]
1991   Margareta Steinby [22]
2003   'Andrew Wilkinson
2004   Elwin Svenson Executive Director – International Programs, FEMBA/GAP programs, UCLA Anderson School of Management[23]
"for assisting the expansion of Finnish start-up companies through the UCLA Anderson's Global Access Program."[23]
2004   Kalervo Kummola Knight of the Order of White Rose of Finland, ice hockey executive, businessman, and politician[24]
2004   Dáithí O'Ceallaigh
2004   Viktor Pylypenko historian
2005   Kostiantyn Tyshchenko philologist, linguist
2006   Erkki Oja [25]
2007   James Cathey
2008   Tim Purcell
2008   Jim Gilleran Managing Director – Finnforest USA
2008   Simon Beresford-Wylie Chief Executive Officer, Nokia Siemens Networks
2009   Mart Laar
2009   Nursultan Nazarbayev President of Kazakhstan[26]
2009   Bashar al-Assad [27]
2010   Rajendra Kumar Pachauri
2011   Henry Tirri Former executive vice president and CTO of Nokia. Henry was a tenured professor of computer science at the University of Helsinki. Henry holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Helsinki, Finland and an honorary doctorate from University of Tampere, Finland.
2011   Bob Foster Professor, Director – GAP, UCLA Anderson School of Management[28]
"in recognition of his efforts, through the GAP program, to help Finnish technology companies expand into markets abroad, including the United States"[29] and their advancement "further in corporate development."[28]
2012   Sauli Niinistö President of Finland (2012–2024)
2012   Armi Kuusela Miss Universe 1952
2015   Anna-Maja Henriksson [30]
2015   Tapani Jyrki Tarvainen [31] Chevalier (Knight) of the White Rose of Finland
2016   Pauline Kiltinen Cross of Merit of the Order of the White Rose for the promotion of Finnish culture including the commissioning Rockland the Opera[32]
2017   Helena Yli-Renko [33]
2021   David Yoken [34]
2022   Hanna Vehkamäki
2022   Sanna Marin
2024   Alexander Stubb President of Finland (2024–)

Special honors edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "Ritarikuntien organisaatio". Ritarikunnat - Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ja Suomen Leijonan ritarikunnat (in Finnish). January 7, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunnan ohjesääntö". Ritarikunnat - Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ja Suomen Leijonan ritarikunnat (PDF) (in Finnish). Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  3. ^ Matikkala 2017, pp. 47–49, 497.
  4. ^ "Finnish Orders and Where to Find Them". Tallinn Museum of Orders of Knighthood. December 6, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  5. ^ "The Order of the White Rose of Finland". Presidentti.fi. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  6. ^ Matikkala 2017, pp. 22, 25, 31.
  7. ^ Matikkala 2017, p. 52.
  8. ^ Matikkala 2017, pp. 44–45.
  9. ^ "History". Ritarikunnat - Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ja Suomen Leijonan ritarikunnat. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  10. ^ Matikkala 2017, pp. 107–108.
  11. ^ Tetri, Juha E. (March 13, 1994). "Kunniamerkeissä syytä pitäytyä tarkkuuteen". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). p. A 19.
  12. ^ Matikkala 2017, pp. 151–152, 156.
  13. ^ Hämäläinen, Unto (December 11, 2016). "Pätkäpääministerit jäävät ilman suurristiä – presidentin vahva asema näkyy palkitsemisessa". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  14. ^ Matikkala 2017, pp. 114–115.
  15. ^ "Letter transmitting Order of White Rose", www.ancestry.com, accessed 22 Sep 2015 [1]
  16. ^ a b c d e "Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunnan suurristin ketjuineen ulkomaalaiset saajat". Ritarikunnat (in Finnish). October 9, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  17. ^ For services to the Finnish Government as Naval Adviser 1934-39
  18. ^ "Brian Aabel".
  19. ^ Lucas, John (2008). Thomas Beecham : an obsession with music. Woodbridge, UK: Boydell. p. 330. ISBN 978-1843834021.
  20. ^ Ambegaokar, Saga Mirjam Vuori (2004). "Gripenberg, Maggie". In Cohen, Selma Jeanne (ed.). International Encyclopedia of Dance (1st paperback ed.). New York, New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-195-17369-7.  – via Oxford University Press's Reference Online (subscription required)
  21. ^ "Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunnan suurristin ketjuineen ulkomaalaiset saajat - Ritarikunnat" (in Finnish). October 9, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  22. ^ "Eva Margareta STEINBY". Archived from the original on November 15, 2014.
  23. ^ a b Carrillo, Sandybeth, "Vice chancellor emeritus receives recognition overseas: Finland awards Svenson for work with international Anderson program", Daily Bruin, UCLA, 2005 January 10.
  24. ^ Koski, Juha (November 27, 2017). "Vuoden 2017 Yritysjohtaja on Harri Sjoholm Elinkeinovaikuttaja Kalervo Kummola". Tampere Chamber of Commerce (in Finnish). Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  25. ^ Hasani, Ilire; Hoffmann, Robert. "Oja Erkki". Academy of Europe. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
  26. ^ "Nursultan Nazarbayev was awarded the highest award - the Order of the "Finnish White Rose and the Finnish Lion"". e-history.kz (in Russian). Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  27. ^ "IS: Syyrian sotarikoksista syytetyllä presidentillä Suomen korkein kunniamerkki". Savon Sanomat (in Finnish). September 20, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  28. ^ a b Bensley, Lucas (January 12, 2012). "From 'professor' to knighted 'sir': UCLA's Bob Foster is honored by Finland". Daily Bruin. pp. 1, 4. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  29. ^ Press release, UCLA Anderson School of Management, 2011 December 20.
  30. ^ "Itsenäisyyspäivän kunniamerkit". Turun Sanomat. December 2, 2015.
  31. ^ "6.12.2015 annetut kunniamerkit". January 6, 2021.
  32. ^ "Kiltinens are well deserving of many honors received". The Mining Journal. January 15, 2016.
  33. ^ "Muistokirjoitus | Helena Yli-Renko 1972–2021". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). April 29, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  34. ^ "Turun ammattikorkeakoulun henkilökunnalle myönnetty kunniamerkkejä". Turun Ammattikorkeakoulu (in Finnish). Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  35. ^ a b Tetri, Juha E. (2003). Kunniamerkkikirja (in Finnish) (3. täyd. ed.). Ajatus. p. 52. ISBN 978-951-20-6404-5.

Works cited edit

  • Matikkala, Antti (2017). Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ja Suomen Leijonan ritarikunnat (in Finnish). Helsinki: Edita. ISBN 978-951-37-7005-1.

Further reading edit

External links edit