Order of Fidelity
| Order of Fidelity Urdhëri i Besa | |
|---|---|
| Awarded by Head of the House of Zogu | |
| Type | Dynastic Order |
| Royal house | House of Zogu |
| Awarded for | Extraordinary achievements in every field and especially for eminent services rendered to the State, the Sovereign and the Royal family |
| Status | Currently constituted |
| Sovereign | Crown Prince Leka of Albania |
| Grades (w/ post-nominals) | Grand Cross, Special Class Grand Cross Grand Officer Commander Officer Knight/Dame |
| Established | 22 December 1926 1926–1939 (National Order) 1939 - present (House Order) |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Order of Honour |
| Next (lower) | Order of Skanderbeg |
The Order of Fidelity (Urdhëri Besa), also known as Order of Besa, was founded by King Zog I when he was President of Albania. Founded on 22 December 1926, it was initially awarded in four classes (1. Grand Cordon with star-Kordon i Madh me Yll 2. Grand Officer-Oficer i Madh, 3. Commander-Komandar, and 4. Knight-Kalorës) and a medal, and was limited to six ordinary recipients of Albanian nationality, and not awardable to foreigners. It was remodelled in 1932 and reduced to three classes (1. Grand Cordon with star-Kordon i Madh me Yll 2. Commander-Komandar, and 3. Knight-Kalorës) and remained to be limited to only six ordinary recipients of Albanian nationality, and not made awardable to foreigners, The Order was retained under the Kingdom of Albania under King Vittorio Emanuele III until 1943, and by the House of Zogu as a dynastic order.
Notable Recipients
- King Farouk of Egypt
- Prince Abib of Turkey
- Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran
- Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt.