Order of the Indian Empire
The British founded the Order in 1878 to reward British and "native" officials who served in India. The Order originally had only one class (Companion), but a second class, Knights Commander, was added in 1887. The British authorities intended the Order of the Indian Empire as a less exclusive version of the Order of the Star of India (founded in 1861); consequently, many more appointments were made to the former than to the latter.