Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana
Estonian state decoration
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (Estonian: Maarjamaa Risti teenetemärk, also the Order of the Cross of St. Mary's Land) was instituted by the President of Estonia, Lennart Meri, on 16 May 1995 to honour the independence of the Estonian state.[1] The Latin name Terra Mariana, meaning the "Land of Mary", was the official name for Medieval Livonia and designated the area which includes what is now Latvia and southern Estonia in medieval times.
TypeSix-class order
Awarded forTo honour the independence of the Estonian state. The President of the Republic bestows the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana to foreigners who have rendered special services to the Republic of Estonia.
CountryEstonia
Presented byPresident of Estonia
| Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana | |
|---|---|
The sash and the breast star of the order | |
| Type | Six-class order |
| Awarded for | To honour the independence of the Estonian state. The President of the Republic bestows the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana to foreigners who have rendered special services to the Republic of Estonia. |
| Country | Estonia |
| Presented by | President of Estonia |
| Established | 16 May 1995 |
 Collar
 5th Class Ribbon bars of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana | |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Order of the National Coat of Arms |
| Next (lower) | Order of the White Star |
The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana is bestowed upon the President of the Republic. Presidents of the Republic who have ceased to hold office keep the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana. The Collar of the Order was used de facto as the badge of office of the President of the Republic, since Soviet authorities took the original presidential collar, that of the Order of the National Coat of Arms, out of Estonia after the Soviet occupation of Estonia in 1940; it remains as of 2023[update] in the Kremlin in Moscow. A new collar of that order was made in 2008.[2]
The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana is also given as a decoration of the highest class to foreigners who have rendered special services to the Republic of Estonia. As such it is the highest and most distinguished order granted by Estonia to non-Estonian citizens.
Classes
The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana comprises six classes:
- One special class – The Collar of the Cross of Terra Mariana;
- Five basic classes – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th class.
The crosses and shields of all the classes of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana have the same design and are of the same size.
The blue colour tone of the moiré ribands belonging to the decorations of all the classes of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana is determined according to the international PANTONE colour-table as 300 C.
Notable recipients
Recipients of the Collar
The recipients are:[3]
Estonian presidents
- President Lennart Meri (1992–2001), 10.09.1995 (Serie 5 – n° ?)
- President Arnold Rüütel (2001–2006), 08.10.2001 (Serie 270 – n° 1138)
- President Toomas Hendrik Ilves (2006–2016), 09.10.2006 (Serie 692 – n° 1071)
- President Kersti Kaljulaid (2016-2021), 10.10.2016
- President Alar Karis (2021–)
Foreign heads of state
| Country | Recipient | Date of reception | Serie number | Decision : number & date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awarded by President Lennart Meri ( 6 October 1992 – 8 October 2001 ) [4] | ||||
 Finland | Pres. Martti Ahtisaari | 16.05.1995 | 1 | 547 |
 Sweden | King Carl XVI Gustaf | 11.09.1995 | 11 | 608 |
 Mexico | Pres. Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León | 27.10.1995 | 22 | 624 |
 Denmark | Queen Margrethe II | 28.11.1995 | 23 | 640 |
 Czech Republic | Pres. Václav Havel | 24.02.1997 | 37 | 725 (30.05.1996) |
 Latvia | Pres. Guntis Ulmanis | 23.10.1996 | 39 | 6 |
 Hungary | Pres. Árpád Göncz | 13.05.1997 | 49 | 134 |
 Slovenia | Pres. Milan Kučan | 16.05.1997 | 50 | 134 |
 Italy | Pres. Oscar Luigi Scalfaro[5] | 22.05.1997 | 51 | 144 |
 Turkey | Pres. Süleyman Demirel | 20.05.1997 | 52 | 144 |
 Lithuania | Pres. Algirdas Brazauskas | 20.08.1997 | 55 | 177 |
 Poland | Pres. Aleksander Kwaśniewski | 28.04.1998 | 72 | 320 |
 Iceland | Pres. Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson | 08.06.1998 | 73 | 351 |
 Norway | King Harald V | 31.08.1998 | 75 | 397 |
 Greece | Pres. Konstantinos Stephanopoulos | 24.05.1999 | 99 | 586 |
| Lithuania | Pres. Valdas Adamkus | 24.09.1999 | 102 | 632 |
| Latvia | Pres. Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga | 02.05.2000 | 121 | 780 |
| Finland | Pres. Tarja Halonen | 16.05.2000 | 123 | 788 |
 Germany | Pres. Johannes Rau | 07.11.2000 | 131 | 914 |
| Hungary | President Ferenc Mádl | 12.12.2000 | 177 | 944 |
 Malta | President Guido de Marco | 02.05.2001 | 233 | 1049 |
 Ireland | President Mary McAleese | 24.05.2001 | 241 | 1057 |
 France | President Jacques Chirac | 23.07.2001 | 243 | 1124 |
| Awarded by President Arnold Rüütel ( 8 October 2001 – 9 October 2006 ) | ||||
| Turkey | President Ahmet Necdet Sezer | 18.04.2002 | 377 | 141 |
 Luxembourg | Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg | 05.05.2003 | 416 | 332 |
 Portugal | President Jorge Sampaio | 12.05.2003 | 417 | 408 (08.05.2003) |
 Bulgaria | President Georgi Parvanov | 11.06.2003 | 435 | 414 |
 Romania | President Ion Iliescu | 23.10.2003 | 446 | 451 [6] |
 Cyprus | President Tassos Papadopoulos | 08.01.2004 | 449 | 451 |
| Italy | President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi | 20.04.2004 | 498 | 581 |
 Slovakia | President Ivan Gašparovič | 12.10.2005 | 599 | 896 |
| Hungary | President László Sólyom | 27.03.2006 | 688 | 994 |
| Awarded by President Toomas Hendrik Ilves (9 October 2006 – 10 October 2016) | ||||
 United Kingdom | Queen Elizabeth II | 19.10.2006 | 693 | 2 |
 Georgia | President Mikheil Saakashvili | 07.05.2007 | 739 | 148 |
 Japan | Emperor Akihito | 24.05.2007 | 740 | 150 |
 Spain | King Juan Carlos I | 09.07.2007 | 741 | 168 |
| Portugal | President Aníbal Cavaco Silva | 24.09.2008 | 783 | 269 |
 Netherlands | Queen (now Princess) Beatrix | 14.05.2008 | 824 | 280 |
 Belgium | King Albert II | 10.06.2008 | 837 | 290 |
| Latvia | President Valdis Zatlers | 07.04.2009 | 872 | 460 |
| Romania | President Traian Băsescu | 12.04.2011 | 968 | 881 |
 Kazakhstan | President Nursultan Nazarbayev | 20.04.2011 | 970 | 885 |
| Malta | President George Abela | 31.05.2012 | 988 | 98 |
| Latvia | President Andris Bērziņš | 05.06.2012 | 1001 | 99 |
| Lithuania | President Dalia Grybauskaitė | 27.05.2013 | 1045 | 266 |
| Germany | President Joachim Gauck | 03.07.2013 | 1087 | 305 |
| Finland | President Sauli Niinistö | 09.05.2014 | 1150 | 429 |
| Slovakia | President Andrej Kiska | 19.10.2015 | 1233 | 682 |
| Awarded by President Kersti Kaljulaid ( 10 October 2016 – 11 October 2021) | ||||
| Netherlands | King Willem-Alexander | 12.06.2018 | 1283 | 265 |
| Italy | President Sergio Mattarella | 04.07.2018 | 1298 | 294 |
| Latvia | President Raimonds Vējonis | 10.04.2019 | 1324 | 440 |
| Portugal | President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa | 15.04.2019 | 1339 | 442 |
| Slovenia | President Borut Pahor | 02.09.2019 | 1344 | 473 |
 Austria | President Alexander Van der Bellen | 21.05.2021 | 1368 | 744 |
| Romania | President Klaus Iohannis | 15.06.2021 | 1370 | 755 |
| Awarded by President Alar Karis (11 October 2021 -) | ||||
| Latvia | President Egils Levits | 19.04.2023 | 1400 | 300 |
| Finland | President Alexander Stubb | 23.05.2024 | 1444 | 412 |
| Poland | President Andrzej Duda | 08.04.2025 | 1461 | 536 (07.04.2025) |
| Denmark | King Frederik X | 22.01.2026 | 1476 | 655 |
| Lithuania | President Gitanas Nausėda | 07.04.2026 | 1497 | 682 |
| Czech Republic | President Petr Pavel | 20.05.2026 | 1513 | 716 |
| Latvia | President Edgars Rinkēvičs | 19.06.2026 | 1514 | 742 |
Recipients of the First Class
The recipients are :[7]
Sitting and former foreign heads of state and government
These decorations are awarded for targeted reasons :
| Country | Recipient | Date of reception | Serie number | Decision: number & date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awarded by President Lennart Meri (6 October 1992 – 8 October 2001) | ||||
 United States | Former President Gerald Ford | 07.01.1997 | 29 | 683 (16.02.1996) |
| Sweden | Former Prime Minister Carl Bildt | 25.07.1996 | 36 | 725 (30.05.1996) |
| Germany | Former President Roman Herzog | 20.03.2001 | 104 | 730 (08.02.2000) |
| Awarded by President Arnold Rüütel (8 October 2001 – 9 October 2006) | ||||
| Finland | Former President Mauno Koivisto | 20.11.2001 | 271 | 30 (16.11.2001) |
| Finland | Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen | 20.11.2001 | 274 | 30 (16.11.2001) |
| Poland | Prime Minister Leszek Miller | 18.03.2002 | 338 | 121 (13.03.2002) |
| Norway | Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik | 10.04.2002 | 358 | 137 (02.04.2002) |
| Finland | Former Prime Minister Esko Aho, for supporting quest of independence | 23.02.2003 | 381 | 332 (03.02.2003) |
| Ireland | Former Prime Minister Garret FitzGerald | 22.05.2003 | 383 | 332 (03.02.2003) |
| Denmark | Former Prime Minister Poul Schlüter, for supporting quest of independence | 24.02.2003 | 387 | 332 (03.02.2003) |
| United States | Former President George H. W. Bush, for supporting quest of independence | 15.09.2005 | 524 | 775 (02.02.2005) |
| Germany | Former President Richard von Weizsäcker, for supporting quest of independence | 09.06.2005 | 529 | 775 (02.02.2005) |
| Latvia | Prime Minister Aigars Kalvītis | 07.12.2005 | 613 | 937 (05.12.2005) |
| United States | Former President Bill Clinton, for support of Estonia's accession to NATO | ? | 634 | 976 (06.02.2006) |
| Germany | Former Chancellor Helmut Kohl, for supporting quest of independence | 03.04.2006 | 635 | 976 (06.02.2006) |
| Poland | Former President Lech Wałęsa, for supporting quest of independence | 23.02.2006 | 636 | 976 (06.02.2006) |
| Awarded by President Toomas Hendrik Ilves (9 October 2006 – 10 October 2016) | ||||
| Finland | Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen | 14.03.2007 | 726 | 137 (12.03.2007) |
| Spain | Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero | 09.07.2007 | 745 | 168 (05.07.2007) |
| Portugal | Former Prime Minister José Manuel Barroso | 23.02.2009 | 855 | 423 (04.02.2009) |
| Denmark | Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, for support of Estonia's accession to the European Union and NATO | 24.03.2009 | 856 | 423 (04.02.2009) |
| Sweden | Former Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson | ? | 908 | 807 (12.01.2011) |
| Sweden | Former Prime Minister Göran Persson | 25.02.2011 | 913 | 807 (12.01.2011) |
| Sweden | Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt | 18.01.2011 | 914 | 807 (12.01.2011) |
| United States | Former President George W. Bush | ? | 973 | 48 (01.02.2012) |
| Poland | Former Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek | 18.03.2014 | 1121 | 391 (14.03.2014) |
| Poland | Prime Minister Donald Tusk | 18.03.2014 | 1115 | 391 (14.03.2014) |
| Awarded by President Kersti Kaljulaid (10 October 2016 – 11 October 2021) | ||||
| Luxembourg | Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, for promoting relations between Estonia and Luxembourg | 16.04.2018 | 1280 | 221 (05.02.2018) |
| Norway | Former Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg | 09.10.2020 | 1314 | 384 (29.01.2019) |
| Germany | Chancellor Angela Merkel, for promoting relations between Estonia and Germany | ? | 1355 | 702 (23.02.2021) |
| Awarded by President Alar Karis (11 October 2021 –) | ||||
| Latvia | Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš | 24.04.2023 | 1403 | 300 (19.04.2023) |
| Iceland | Former President Guðni Jóhannesson | ? | 1457 | 522 (05.02.2025) |
Consorts of foreign heads of state and royalties
| Country | Recipient | Date of reception | Serie number | Decision : number & date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awarded by President Lennart Meri ( 6 October 1992 – 8 October 2001 ) | ||||
| Finland | Eeva Ahtisaari, née Hyvärinen, President Martti Ahtisaari's wife | 16.05.1995 | 2 | 547 ( 16.05.1995 ) |
| Sweden | Queen Silvia of Sweden | 11.09.1995 | 12 | 608 ( 08.09.1995 ) |
| Sweden | Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden | 11.09.1995 | 13 | 608 ( 08.09.1995 ) |
| Sweden | Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland | 11.09.1995 | 14 | 608 ( 08.09.1995 ) |
| Sweden | Princess Lilian, Duchess of Halland | 11.09.1995 | 15 | 608 ( 08.09.1995 ) |
| Denmark | Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark | 28.11.1995 | 25 | 640 ( 20.11.1995 ) |
| Denmark | Frederick, Crown Prince of Denmark | 28.11.1995 | 24 | 640 ( 20.11.1995 ) |
| Norway | Queen Sonja of Norway | 31.08.1998 | 76 | 397 ( 24.08.1998 ) |
| Latvia | Imants Freibergs, President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga's husband | 02.05.2000 | 122 | 780 ( 27.04.2000 ) |
| Finland | Pentti Arajärvi, President Tarja Halonen's husband | 16.05.2000 | 124 | 788 ( 04.05.2000 ) |
| Germany | Christina Rau, President Johannes Rau's wife | 07.11.2000 | 132 | 914 ( 02.11.2000 ) |
| Hungary | Dalma Mádl, President Ferenc Mádl's wife | 12.12.2000 | 178 | 944 ( 01.12.2000 ) |
| Malta | Violet de Marco, President Guido de Marco's wife | 02.05.2001 | 234 | 1049 ( 24.04.2001 ) |
| Ireland | Martin McAleese, President Mary McAleese's husband | 24.05.2001 | 242 | 1057 ( 15.05.2001 ) |
| Awarded by President Arnold Rüütel (8 October 2001 – 9 October 2006) | ||||
| Finland | Taimi Tellervo Koivisto, President Mauno Henrik Koivisto's wife | 20.11.2001 | 272 | 30 ( 16.11.2001 ) |
| Poland | Jolanta Kwaśniewska, President Aleksander Kwaśniewski's wife : | 18.03.2002 | 337 | 121 ( 13.03.2002 ) |
| Norway | Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway | 10.04.2002 | 356 | 137 ( 02.04.2002 ) |
| Norway | Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway | 10.04.2002 | 357 | 137 ( 02.04.2002 ) |
| Portugal | Maria José Ritta, First Lady and President Jorge Sampaio's wife : | 12.05.2003 | 418 | 408 ( 08.05.2003 ) |
| Bulgaria | Zorka Petrova Parvanova, President Georgi Parvanov's wife : | 11.06.2003 | 436 | 414 ( 30.05.2003 ) |
| Awarded by President Toomas Hendrik Ilves (9 October 2006 – 10 October 2016) | ||||
| Spain | Sofia of Spain | 09.07.2007 | 742 | 168 ( 05.07.2007 ) |
| Spain | Felipe, Prince of Asturias | 09.07.2007 | 743 | 168 ( 05.07.2007 ) |
| Spain | Letizia, Princess of Asturias | 09.07.2007 | 744 | 168 ( 05.07.2007 ) |
| Belgium | Queen Paola of Belgium | 10.06.2008 | 838 | 290 ( 05.06.2008 ) |
| Latvia | Lilita Zatlere, President Valdis Zatlers's wife : | 07.04.2009 | 873 | 460 ( 02.04.2009 ) |
| Sweden | Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland | 18.01.2011 | 906 | 807 ( 12.01.2011 ) |
| Sweden | Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland | 18.01.2011 | 907 | 807 ( 12.01.2011 ) |
| Romania | Maria Băsescu, President Traian Băsescu's wife | 12.04.2011 | 969 | 881 ( 06.04.2011 ) |
| Malta | Margaret Abela, President George Abela's wife | 31.05.2012 | 989 | 98 ( 29.05.2012 ) |
| Latvia | Dace Seisuma, President Andris Bērziņš's wife | 05.06.2012 | 1002 | 99 ( 31.05.2012 ) |
| Germany | Daniela Schadt, President Joachim Gauck's partner | 09.07.2013 | 1088 | 305 ( 03.07.2013 ) |
| Awarded by President Kersti Kaljulaid ( 10 October 2016 – 11 October 2021 ) | ||||
High Personalities
| Country | Recipient | Date of reception | Serie number | Decision : number & date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awarded by President Lennart Meri ( 6 October 1992 – 8 October 2001 ) | ||||
 European Union | Otto von Habsburg, Member of European Parliament | 11.10.1996 | 30 | 683 ( 16.02.1996 ) |
| European Union | Mr Jacques Delors, former chairman of the European Commission | 23.03.1999 | 78 | 495 ( 02.02.1999 ) |
| Turkey | Bartholomew I Archbishop and Patriarch of Constantinople-New Rome | 27.10.2000 | 130 | 444 ( 09.10.2000 ) |
| Awarded by President Arnold Rüütel (8 October 2001 – 9 October 2006) | ||||
 Russia | Alexy II of Moscow, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia | 29.09.2003 | 439 | 444 ( 18.09.2003 ) |
| Spain | Juan Antonio Samaranch | 29.11.2003 | 448 | 464 ( 20.11.2003 ) |
| European Union | John Kjær, Head of the Delegation of the European Union (2000–04) | 23.11.2004 | 523 | 717 ( 12.11.2004 ) |
| European Union | Patrick Cox, Former President of European Parliament, for supporting adhesion to European Union | 03.11.2006 | 526 | 775 ( 02.02.2005 ) |
| European Union | Christopher Patten, Former Member of the European Commission, for supporting adhesion to European Union | 27.10.2005 | 527 | 775 ( 02.02.2005 ) |
| European Union | Günter Verheugen, Former Member of the European Commission, for supporting adhesion to European Union | 02.05.2005 | 528 | 775 ( 02.02.2005 ) |
| Awarded by President Toomas Hendrik Ilves ( 9 October 2006 – 10 October 2016 ) | ||||
| European Union | José Manuel Durão Barroso, President of the European Commission | 23.02.2009 | 855 | 423 ( 04.02.2009 ) |
 NATO | Jakob Gijsbert de Hoop Scheffer | 09.07.2009 | 886 | 520 ( 06.07.2009 ) |
| European Union | Hans-Gert Pöttering ( Germany), President of the European Parliament |
23.02.2013 | 1036 | 224 ( 06.02.2013 ) |
| United States | Vinton Gray Cerf, Computer scientist | 28.04.2014 | 1103 | 368 ( 05.02.2014 ) |
| Awarded by President Kersti Kaljulaid ( 10 October 2016 – 11 October 2021) | ||||
Recipients of the Fourth Class
- Robert Fripp, 2008[8]
Recipients of the Fifth Class
- Lydia Vasikova, 2001
