Order of Lāčplēsis
| Order of Lāčplēsis Lāčplēša Kara ordenis | |
|---|---|
First class star of the Order | |
| Type | 3 class Order |
| Presented by | Latvia |
| Status | No longer awarded |
| Established | 11 November 1919 |
| First award | 11 November 1920 |
| Final award | 1 November 1928 |
| Total | 2146 |
Ribbon of the Order | |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | None |
| Next (lower) | Order of the Three Stars |
The Order of Lāčplēsis (also Lāčplēsis Military Order, Latvian: Lāčplēša Kara ordenis), the first and the highest Latvian military award, was established in 1919 on the initiative of Jānis Balodis, the Commander of the Latvian Army during the Latvian War of Independence. The Lāčplēsis Order is awarded in the first, second and third class. Initially, a holder of the order had to be a recipient of the third class before being promoted to a higher class. It was named after the Latvian epic hero, Lāčplēsis. As a young man, Lāčplēsis kills a bear with his bare hands and thus the order is also known as the Order of the Bearslayer.