Order of the Yugoslav Star (Croatian: Orden jugoslavenske zvijezde; Serbian: Orden jugoslovenske zvezde; Slovene: Red jugoslovanske zvezde; Macedonian: Орден југословенска ѕвезда) was the highest National order of merit awarded in Yugoslavia. It was divided into four classes. The highest class, the Yugoslav Great Star was the highest state decoration awarded in Yugoslavia. The order was mostly awarded to foreign heads of state for the development and strengthening of peace and cooperation between nations.
The Order of the Yugoslav Star was also the second highest order of merit in Serbia and Montenegro.
Order of the Yugoslav Star was founded by the President of Yugoslavia Josip Broz Tito on 1 February 1954 and had three Classes. Law on Decorations was amended on 1 March 1961, so from then on, the Order had four Classes:
Yugoslav Great Star — highest decoration in SFR Yugoslavia
Yugoslav Star with Sash (before 1961 Order of the Yugoslav Star, I Class) — 6th highest decoration in SFR Yugoslavia
Yugoslav Star with Golden Wreath (before 1961 Order of the Yugoslav Star, II Class) — 14th highest decoration in SFR Yugoslavia
Yugoslav Star on Cravat (before 1961 Order of the Yugoslav Star, III Class) — 24th highest decoration in SFR Yugoslavia
After the dissolution of SFR Yugoslavia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (and later Serbia and Montenegro) continued to use some of the decorations of former Yugoslavia, among them Order of the Yugoslav Star. In the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Order of the Yugoslav Star was the second highest order after the Order of Yugoslavia. During this time the four Classes of the order were named:
Yugoslav Great Star — 2nd highest decoration in FR Yugoslavia (after the Order of Yugoslavia)
Yugoslav Star, I Class — 7th highest decoration in FR Yugoslavia
Yugoslav Star, II Class — 20th highest decoration in FR Yugoslavia
Yugoslav Star, III Class — 31st highest decoration in FR Yugoslavia
The Order was usually awarded to foreign heads of state and other distinguished foreigners who visited Yugoslavia. Up to 1985, the Yugoslav Great Star was awarded 127 times of which 115 to foreigners and 12 to Yugoslav citizens. Some of the notable recipients of the Yugoslav Great Star (or Yugoslav Star, I Class before 1961) are:
Josip Broz Tito, President of Yugoslavia - awarded on 1 February 1954
Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia - awarded on 21 July 1954
Mohammed Zahir Shah, King of Afghanistan - awarded on 1 November 1960
Hassan II, King of Morocco - awarded on 1 April 1961
Leonid Brezhnev, Soviet leader - awarded in 1962
Sukarno, president of Indonesia - awarded in on 16 October 1963
Elena Ceaușescu, wife of President of Romania and Deputy Prime Minister of Romania - awarded 1964
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran - awarded in on 3 June 1966
Nicolae Ceaușescu, President of Romania awarded 1966
Norodom Sihanouk, King of Cambodia - awarded on 17 January 1968
Jacques Chaban-Delmas, Prime Minister of France
Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom - awarded on 19 October 1972
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh - awarded on 19 October 1972
Ziaur Rahman, President of Bangladesh
Olav V, King of Norway
Harald V, King of Norway
Margrethe II, Queen of Denmark
Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark
Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden
Urho Kekkonen, President of Finland
Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal, Prime Minister of Mongolia
Kurt Waldheim, Secretary-General of the United Nations
Todor Zhivkov, President of Bulgaria
Jean-Bédel Bokassa, Emperor of Central Africa
Gaafar Nimeiry, President of the Sudan
Edward Gierek, First Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party
Birendra, King of Nepal - awarded on 2 February 1974
Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait - awarded on 3 February 1979
Juliana, Queen of the Netherlands
Bernhard, Prince consort of the Netherlands
Beatrix, Queen of the Netherlands
Hussein I, King of Jordan - awarded on 11 February 1979
Recipients of FRY / Serbia and Montenegro
Muammar al-Gaddafi, leader of Libya - awarded on 26 October 1999
Igor Sergeyev, Marshal of the Russian Federation, Defence Minister - awarded on 23 December 1999
Li Peng, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress - awarded on 12 June 2000
Akihito, Emperor of Japan
Ion Iliescu, President of Romania - awarded on 8 September 2004
