The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire

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The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire

British order of knighthood

Also known as: C.B.E., D.B.E., G.B.E., K.B.E., M.B.E., O.B.E.

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 22, 2025 • Article History

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Date:: 1917 - present

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The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, British order of knighthood instituted in 1917 by King George V to reward both civilian and military wartime service, although currently the honour is bestowed for meritorious service to the government in peace as well as for gallantry in wartime. In 1918 a separate military division of the order was created.

The five classes of both civil and military divisions, listed in descending order and conferred on men and women equally, are Knight and Dame Grand Cross (GBE), Knight and Dame Commander (KBE and DBE, respectively), Commander (CBE), Officer (OBE), and Member (MBE). Conferment of the two highest classes entails admission into knighthood, if the candidate is not already a knight or dame, and the right to the title of “Sir” or “Dame” as appropriate. (Knights and Dames Grand Cross, together with Knights of the Garter and of the Thistle, may be granted the use of supporters with their arms.) Appointments are usually made on the recommendation of the British Secretary of State for Defence and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

The officers of the order are Prelate (the Lord Bishop of London), King of Arms, Registrar, Secretary, Dean (Dean of St. Paul’s), and Gentleman Usher of the Purple Rod. The chapel of the order is in the crypt of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London. The insignia bear likenesses of King George V and Queen Mary, together with the motto “For God and the Empire.”

Associated with this order is the British Empire Medal (BEM) instituted by George V. This award for meritorious service is given to both civilians and military personnel who are not eligible for admission into any of the five classes of the order.

chivalry

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chivalry

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Key People:: Jean III de Grailly, lord de Buch; Jean II le Meingre Boucicaut

Related Topics:: knight

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chivalry, the knightly class of feudal times. The primary sense of the term in Europe in the Middle Ages is “knights,” or “fully armed and mounted fighting men.” Thence the term came to mean the gallantry and honour expected of knights. Later the word came to be used in its general sense of “courtesy.”

(Read Sir Walter Scott’s 1824 Britannica essay on chivalry.)

In English law “chivalry” meant the tenure of land by knights’ service. The court of chivalry instituted by Edward III, with the lord high constable and earl marshal of England as joint judges, had summary jurisdiction in all cases of offenses of knights and generally as to military matters.

CrusaderCrusader in iron mail; in the British Museum, London.

The concept of chivalry in the sense of “honourable and courteous conduct expected of a knight” was perhaps at its height in the 12th and 13th centuries and was strengthened by the Crusades, which led to the founding of the earliest orders of chivalry, the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem (Hospitallers) and the Order of the Poor Knights of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon (Templars), both originally devoted to the service of pilgrims to the Holy Land. In the 14th and 15th centuries the ideals of chivalry came to be associated increasingly with aristocratic display and public ceremony rather than service in the field.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Michael Ray.