The Military Order of Christ was founded by King Dinis I of Portugal in 1317 to protect members of the Knights Templar persecuted in Europe. By 1789, Queen Maria I of Portugal secularized the order, transforming it into a military order. Today, the order can be conferred on anyone, for service to the state. The Commander wears the badge of the Order on a necklet, and the star of the Order in silver on the left chest.

Napoleon Bonaparte established The Legion of Honor on 19 May 1802, as a merit-based award system inspired by the traditional French chivalric orders.

William Francis of Austria-Teschen, 57th Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, established a volunteer corps in 1871. The Marianekreutz was awarded to those who assisted those injured in battle at field hospitals.

Established in 1833, the Order of the Redeemer was the first order of merit created by the modern Greek state. Initially, the order was awarded to Greek citizens who participated in the War of Independence, but was later expanded to recognize contributions more broadly to the Greek nation.

Worn by Northern Democrats known as "Butternuts" or "Copperheads," carved butternut pins signified either anti-war beliefs or sympathy for the Confederate cause during the Civil War. Confederate uniforms were dyed using the butternut.