Orders, decorations, and medals of Mongolia are governed by the laws of Mongolia on awards.
Titles in Mongolia have a history dating back to the time of the Mongol Empire.[1] For example, the title of Baatar (“Hero”) was traditionally awarded to military leaders.[1] At the beginning of the 20th century, Russia played a key role in establishing Mongolia's independence from China.[1] To honour this contribution, the Order of the Vajra (translated as the “Order of the Precious Rod”) was created for Mongolian nobility and foreigners, the latter were almost exclusively Russians.[1] The order was abolished after the Mongolian Revolution of 1921.[1]
Later on during the Cold War, state awards returned to the mainstream, with Mongolian designs being patterned off of the Soviet model.[1] Many of the higher Mongolian awards were also manufactured in the Soviet Union.[1] In 1936, the new Mongolian state had formally enshrined the title of “Hero” by law, and in 1941, the “Badge of the Hero” was established.[1] In 1956 the Hero of Labor Golden Soyombo Medal was added to the Mongolian awards system.[1] A unique title, known as "Honorary Freeman of the Mongolian People’s Republic" was for Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev to commemorate his visit to Ulaanbaatar in 1974.[1]
Unlike the situation after the fall of the soviet union, the communist-era awards of the Mongolian People's Republic were not abolished after the Mongolian Revolution of 1990, with many being awarded to this day.[1]
