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For services rendered to the King or Kingdom,
and for benefits bestowed upon or accomplished for the people, or
for bravery, the King may award entry to certain Orders of
Knighthood. He also gives medals, ribbons or other decorations for
meritorous accomplishments, fealty, bravery, and association with
the Royal Family. Knighthood in Biffeche is non-hereditary,
reflecting honor directly upon the individual person so honored.
Entry into any of Biffeche's Orders of Knighthood is strictly
confined to deserving persons who have distinguished themselves. All
recipients are persons of demonstrably good and principled
character, in addition to the acts upon which the monarch's award is
specifically grounded. Each Order of Knighthood has its own rules or
customs. Some are Muslim, some are Christian, some are traditional
and some are secular. Medals and other decorations are granted and
governed at the discretion of the King.
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Orders of
Knighthood
The Order of the Crescent (Senior Muslim
order).
The Most Illustrious Order of the Raven
(Senior Christian order).
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The Noble Order of the Palm (Seneseculum Order)
The Ancient Order of the Elephant (Granted in
the largest of circumstances; only once since 1963)
The Sacred Order of The Great White Leopard
(Normally only given to fellow Sovereigns and the most exemplary of
Heads of State)
The Military Order of the Sword of St. Michael
(An honor usually reserved for the Military)
Medals
The Medal of St. Michael (the Founders'
medal).
Grant of a title or a Knighthood
entitles the holder to bear a coat of arms. Such arms are awarded by
the Kingdom only upon written request. They entail considerable
research, expense and delay, and should not be requested without
cause. Few arms have ever been granted in Biffeche; many of the Nobles and Knights do without. The Crown will not award misleading
arms that duplicate those of any known person, living or dead. If
extensive research is required, a fee will be charged. The award of
a medal, ribbon or other decoration does not entitle the recipient
to bear a coat of arms in Biffeche.
In the Kingdom of Biffeche, the monarch is the sole
"fount of honor" and the only way to obtain Knighthood is
through the grace and act of our King. (Those who buy and sell Biffeche orders and decorations are merely collecting the regalia,
not the Knighthood itself. There is currently a commercial
aftermarket for the regalia, but this has nothing to do with the
Kingdom.)
The Order of the Crescent has its headquarters
in MBoubene-Naar, Biffeche, with secretariat in the USA, and it is
limited to 36 members of Grand Crescent rank. It is the senior
Muslim Order in Biffeche. The Most Illustrious Order of the Raven, with
its Grand Priory of the British Isles, was founded in 1964 and is
limited to 42 members (Knights or Dames) of Grand Cross rank (the
number of the original recipients). It the the Senior Christian
Order in Biffeche. The St. Michael Medal has been awarded
only to the surviving original Serer-Ndut Founders of Biffeche-Ville
(now MBoubene), the King, and the Crown Prince, in 1999.
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Pop Up Picture |
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The
Late Baron of Savoigne, Pierre Claver Faye
Knight Grand Cross of
The
Most Illustrious Order of
The
Raven and first recipient
of
the St. Michael Medal enjoys
an
ice cream after his elevation. |
There is a special Royal medal (with medallic
collar), the Duchess Christina II International Award For
Outstanding Canine Devotion, awarded by the King, upon recommendation, to heroic dogs,
worldwide, who save one or more human lives. |
