The initiative to the Order of the Liberty Cross was taken by the Supreme Commander of the White forces, General Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim. The establishment was done "on the Battlefield to commemorate the memory of the Nations freedom", stated by Mannerheim in a Telegram to the Finnish Senate regarding the capturing of the City Viborg the 29 april 1918.
According to a message from the Lt.Colonel Michael Gipenberg when the question was raised about a domestic Order was discussed in the White headquarters, the first proposal to establish an Award for personal bravery which was to be named "The Carelian Cross", a Medal of Merits with the name "Ostrobotnian Medal" and a higher Order for skillfully led military operations. After a test of these suggestions it finally became a unanimous descision to establish an Order with 5 degrees of Crosses and 2 classes of Medals. The Order became the Liberty Cross and the medals became Medals of the Liberty Cross.
By the descision of the highest authoroty, The Finnish Senate, given on the 4 march 1918, statues where established for these Awards. The suggestions for these statues where first made up in the the Headquarter. The Gorvernment approved them with doing some smaller adjustments, among the them that where added was the Rule that the Liberty Crosses would be awarded by the Government with the right to the Supreme Commander to award crosses and medals during a war to the recipients below divisionalgenerals rank.
Axel Gallen-Kallela, who was a volunteer that took part in the Civil War before he was appointed as one of the adjutants to General Mannerheim, got the task to give the Awards the artistically shape. Already during the fisrt days of the Civil War it seems that the great artist did have the thoughts of instituting a national Order. In the archives of the Order of the White Rose is a sketch made of a award, named The Order of the White Rose, made on the bottom of a cigaretter case. There is also a sketch of a letter to the Finnish army�s Headquarter where Gallen-Kallela solicited that the award should be established. The letter where never sent and are dated in Haapam�ki the 2 february 1918.
