Order of the Black Star

Ordre de l'Étoile Noire
The Grand Croix badge, ribbon and plaque
Awarded by  France Benin
Type	Order with five degrees: Grand-croix Commandeur avec plaque Commandeur Officier Chevalier
Status	Deprecated 3 December 1963 by the Ordre National du Mérite
Statistics
Established	1 December 1889
Precedence
Next (higher)	Médaille militaire
Equivalent	Ordre national du Mérite
Next (lower)	Croix de guerre

The Order of the Black Star (Ordre de l'Étoile Noire) was an order of knighthood established on 1 December 1889 at Porto-Novo by Toffa, future king of Dahomey (today the Republic of Benin). Approved and recognised by the French government on 30 July 1894, after the establishment of the new statutes of 30 August 1892, according this distinction to all those who worked to develop French influence on the west coast of Africa.

Classes

The order has five classes: Grand-croix (grand cross), Commandeur avec plaque (commander with plaque), Commandeur (commander), Officier (officer), and Chevalier (knight).

	Grand-croix
	Grand Officier
	Commandeur
	Officier
	Chevalier

The order was deprecated by decree on 3 December 1963, and superseded by the Ordre National du Mérite. Extant members of the order are permitted to wear their original decorations.

References

• Marc Champenois (9 August 2008). "Ordre de l'Étoile noire". Les décorations Francaises (in French). Retrieved 2009-02-06. 

Orders, decorations and medals of France
Orders	National Legion of Honour Order of Liberation National Order of Merit Ministerial Ordre des Palmes Académiques Order of Agricultural Merit Ordre du Mérite Maritime Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Civilian decorations	Honour medal for courage and devotion Médaille d'honneur de l'Aéronautique Honour medal of Foreign Affairs Médaille d'honneur agricole Honour medal of railroads Regional, departmental and municipal honour medal Honour medal of customs Médaille d'honneur des Eaux et Forêts Médaille d'honneur de l'Enseignement du 1er degré Médaille d'honneur Pénitentiaire Honour medal for civilian personnel of the defense ministry Honour medal of the National Police Honour medal for firefighters Médaille d'honneur de Sociétés musicales et Chorales Médaille d'honneur de la protection judiciaire de la jeunesse Honour medal for work Médaille d'honneur des Travaux publics Insignia for wounded civilians Medal of the French Family Honour medal for youth, sports and associative engagements Médaille des Mines Médaille du Tourisme Ordre de Tahiti Nui
Military decorations	Military Medal 1914–1918 War Cross 1939–1945 War Cross War Cross for foreign operational theaters Cross for Military Valour Médaille de la Gendarmerie nationale Resistance Medal Escapees' Medal Volunteer combatant's cross 1914–1918 Volunteer combatant's cross* Cross of the resistance volunteer combatant Combatant's Cross Aeronautical Medal Overseas Medal National Defence Medal Medal for voluntary military service Medal of the Nation's Recognition Medal for the War Wounded
Other	Médaille d'honneur du service de santé des armées
Commemorative medals	19th century Saint Helena Medal Commemorative medal of the 1859 Italian Campaign Commemorative medal of the 1860 China Expedition Commemorative medal of the Mexico Expedition Commemorative medal of the 1870–1871 War Tonkin Expedition commemorative medal Dahomey Expedition commemorative medal 1892 Madagascar commemorative medal Colonial Medal 1900–1914 1901 China expedition commemorative medal Morocco commemorative medal (1909) First World War 1914–1918 1914–1918 Inter-Allied Victory medal Dardanelles campaign medal Orient campaign medal 1914–1918 Commemorative war medal Medal of French Gratitude Médaille de la Fidélité Française Médaille des victimes de l'invasion Medal for civilian prisoners, hostages and prisoners of the 1914-1918 Great War Interwar Period 1918–1939 Syria-Cilicia commemorative medal Second World War 1939–1945 Commemorative medal for voluntary service in Free France 1943-1944 Italian Campaign medal Medal for deportation and internment for acts of resistance Deportation and political internment medal Médaille commémorative de la guerre 1939–1945 Medal of a liberated France Defaulter's medal Since 1945 United Nations operations in Korea commemorative medal Indochina Campaign commemorative medal Middle East operations commemorative medal (1956) Médaille commémorative des opérations de sécurité et de maintien de l'ordre en Afrique du Nord North Africa medal United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon medal French commemorative medal Medal for the Military Protection of the Territory
Defunct orders	Ministry orders Ordre du Mérite combattant Ordre du Mérite militaire Ordre du Mérite civil Ordre du Mérite social Ordre du Mérite du Travail Ordre du Mérite touristique Ordre de l'Économie nationale Ordre du Mérite commercial et industriel Ordre du Mérite artisanal Ordre de la Santé publique Ordre du Mérite postal Ordre du Mérite sportif Colonial orders Ordre du Mérite indochinois Ordre du Mérite saharien Ordre de l'Étoile Noire Ordre de l'Étoile d'Anjouan Ordre du Nichan el Anouar Ordre impérial du Dragon d'Annam Ordre royal du Cambodge
No longer awarded. No longer awarded, no living recipient France portal