European princes drew inspiration from the ideal of chivalry and the example of the sound organisation of the religious and chivalrous orders. They began to found their own orders in order to reinforce their political power and to secure the loyalty of a chivalrous elite.

In France, the Orders of Saint Michael (1469) and of the Holy Spirit (1578) were reserved for the aristocratic nobility. They gave pace to the Old Regime and their prestige was impressive. In 1693, Louis XIV founded the first democratic order of merit, the military order of Saint Louis. This distinction paved the way for the Legion of Honour whose roots, beyond its new ideas, go back to the deepest traditions of French chivalry.