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{{Infobox order
  
{{Infobox order
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|title = Military Order of Maria Theresa
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| name = Order of Saint Louis<br><small>''Ordre de Saint-Louis''</small>
  
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| image = [[File:Ordre de Saint-Louis GTColl.jpg|250px]]
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|image = [[File:Galauniform von Kaiser Franz Joseph I.jpg|190px]]
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| caption = Grand Cross of the Order of Saint-Louis
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|caption = Gala uniform of [[Franz Joseph I]], with the Grand Cross sash and star
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|image2 =
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| awarded_by = the {{flagicon|Kingdom of France}} [[Kingdom of France|King of France]]
  
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|caption2 =
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| type = [[Dynastic order]]
  
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|awarded_by = [[File:Imperial Standard of Austria-Hungary (1915-1918).svg|20px]] The Head of the [[House of Habsburg]]
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| established = 5 April 1693
  
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|type = [[Dynastic order]]
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| eligibility = Military officers of Catholic faith with over 10 years of service, including non-nobles
  
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|motto = "Fortitudini" ''(For Courage)''
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| house = [[House of France]]
  
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|date = 18 June 1757
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| religion = [[Roman Catholicism]]
  
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| for = Exceptional merit
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|for = Military Merit
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|status =
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| ribbon = Bright red
  
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|house = [[House of Habsburg]]
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| status = Abolished by the [[July Revolution]] in 1830<br>Recognised as [[dynastic order|dynastic]] [[order of chivalry]] by the [[International Commission on Orders of Chivalry|ICOC]]
  
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|religion=
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| founder = [[Louis XIV of France]]
  
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|ribbon=
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| individual =
  
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|head_title = Sovereign
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| higher = [[Order of Saint Michael]]
  
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|head = [[Karl von Habsburg|Crown Prince Karl of Austria]]
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| same = [[Order of Military Merit (France)|Order of Military Merit]]<br>{{small|''Awarded to non-Catholics''}}
  
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|head2_title = Grand Master
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| lower =
 
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|head2 =
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| image2 = [[File:Ordre Royal et Militaire de Saint-Louis Chevalier ribbon.svg|120px]]
 
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|chancellor =
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| caption2 = Ribbon of the order
  
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|grades = Grand Cross<br />Commander<br />Knight
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|notes=
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|higher=[[Order of the Golden Fleece]]
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|same =
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|related =
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|lower=[[Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary]]
 
}}
  
}}
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[[File:Weltliche Schatzkammer Wien (144).JPG|thumb|right|200px|Grand Cross breast star with diamonds]]
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[[File:Maria-Theresien-Orden.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Knight’s Cross ([[obverse]])]]
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[[File:Řád Marie Terezie rub 1758.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Reverse]]
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[[File:Anton von Maron 006.png|thumb|[[Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor|Joseph II]] wearing the ribbon of the order (portrait by [[Anton von Maron]], 1775)]]
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The '''Military Order of Maria Theresa''' ({{lang-de|Militär-Maria-Theresien-Orden}}; {{lang-hu|Katonai Mária Terézia-rend}}; {{lang-cs|Vojenský řád Marie Terezie}}; {{lang-pl|Wojskowy Order Marii Teresy}}; {{lang-sl|Vojaški red Marije Terezije}}; {{lang-hr|Vojni Red Marije Terezije}}) was the highest military [[Order (decoration)|honour]] of the [[Habsburg monarchy]], [[Austrian Empire]] and [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]].
   
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==History==
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The '''Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis''' ({{lang-fr|Ordre Royal et Militaire de Saint-Louis}}) is a [[dynastic order|dynastic]] [[order of chivalry]] founded 5 April 1693<ref>Hamilton, Walter. "Dated Book-plates (Ex Libris) with a Treatise on Their Origin", P37. Published 1895. A.C. Black.</ref><ref>Edmunds, Martha. "Piety and Politics", P274. Published 2002. University of Delaware Press. {{ISBN|0-87413-693-8}}</ref> by King [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]], named after [[Louis IX of France|Saint Louis]] (King Louis IX of France). It was intended as a reward for exceptional [[officer]]s, notable as the first decoration that could be granted to non-nobles. By the authorities of the [[French Republic]], it is considered a predecessor of the [[Legion of Honour]], with which it shares the red [[ribbon]] (though the Legion of Honour is awarded to military personnel and civilians alike).
  
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Founded on 18 June 1757, the day of the [[Battle of Kolín]], by the Empress [[Maria Theresa of Austria|Maria Theresa]], the honour was to reward especially meritorious and valorous acts by commissioned officers, including and especially the courageous act of defeating an enemy, and thus "serving" their monarch. It was specifically given for "successful military acts of essential impact to a campaign that were undertaken on [the officer's] own initiative, and might have been omitted by an honorable officer without reproach." This gave rise to a popular myth that it was awarded for (successfully) acting against an explicit order. It is considered to be the highest honour for a soldier in the Austrian armed services.
   
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Originally, the order had two classes: the Knight's Cross and the Grand Cross. On 15 October 1765, Emperor [[Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor|Joseph II]] added a Commander's Cross, and a breast star to be worn by holders of the Grand Cross.
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Although officially abolished by the government authorities of the [[July Revolution]] in 1830 following the [[French Revolution]], its activities carried on as a dynastic order of the formerly sovereign royal family. As such, it is still recognised by the [[International Commission on Orders of Chivalry]].<ref>[http://www.icocregister.org/2016.ICOCRegister.pdf Icoregister]</ref>
  
   
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Prospective recipients were considered only in regard to their military service records; their [[ethnicity]], birth and rank (as long as they were commissioned officers) were irrelevant. Knight's Cross recipients were automatically ennobled with the title of ''{{lang|de|[[Ritter]]}}'' in the [[Austrian nobility]] for life, and admitted to court. Upon further petition, they could claim the hereditary title of [[Baron]] (''{{lang|de|[[Freiherr]]}}''). They were also entitled to a pension. Widows of the order's recipients were entitled to half of their spouse's pension during the remainder of their lives.
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==Members==
  
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[[File:Letter-order-of-Saint-Louis.jpg|thumbnail|300px|Letter granting Sieur des Chaillons the title of Knight, 25 March 1730]]
  
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The King was the [[Grand Master (order)|Grand Master]] of the order, and the [[Dauphin of France|Dauphin]] was automatically a member as well. The Order had three classes:
  
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*''Grand-Croix'' (Grand Cross)
  
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*''Commandeur'' (Commander)
  
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*''Chevalier'' (Knight)
  
   
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The order ceased to be awarded by the Austrian emperor on the fall of the [[Habsburg Dynasty]] in 1918, when its last sovereign, [[Charles I of Austria|Charles I]], transferred his powers concerning this honour to the Order Chapter. The Chapter then processed applications until its last meeting in 1931, when it was decided that further awards should not be made. Membership of the order was awarded a total of 1241 times. [[Alois Windisch]] and [[Friedrich Franek]] were the only two men who were awarded both the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa and the German [[Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross]].
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The entire order included 8 Grand Crosses, 28 Commanders and a variable number of Knights. Officers of the Order included, after the Grand Master, a ''Trésorier'' ([[Treasurer]]), a ''Greffier'' ([[Secretary|Registrar]]) and a ''Huissier'' ([[Gentleman Usher]]).
  
   
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On 4 November 1938, it was decided in [[Hungary]] to award further decorations of the order, citing legal continuity as long as Hungary's royal powers were exercised by the Regent [[Miklós Horthy]]; the Regent performed the duties of the Order's Grand Master in Hungary. During [[World War II]], only one person received the Knight's Cross of the Order of Maria Theresa: [[Major General]] [[Kornél Oszlányi]], commanding officer of the [[Royal Hungarian Army]]'s 9th Light Infantry Division, for the battles at the [[Don (river)|river Don]] near [[Voronezh]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rendjel.myhunet.com/hu/A-kiegyezestol-az-I.-vilaghaboru-vegeig-(1867-1918)/Katonai-Maria-Teraezia-Rend/}}</ref>
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The [[badge]] of the order consisted of a portrait of Saint Louis surrounded by the motto « LUD(OVICUS) M(AGNUS) IN(STITUIT) 1693 » ("Louis the Great instituted it in 1693"). The reverse features a sword interlaced with a laurel crown and a white sash, with the inscription « BELL(ICAE) VIRTUTIS PRAEM(IUM) » ("reward of wartime valour"). Knights wore the badge suspended from a ribbon on the breast, Commanders wore a red ribband (sash) over the right shoulder, and recipients of the Grand Cross wore the ribband as well as a star on the left breast. The general assembly of the Order was held annually on 25 August, the [[feast day]] of Saint Louis, in the residence of the King.
  
   
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The last surviving knight of the Order was [[k.u.k.]] [[Fregattenleutnant]] [[Gottfried Freiherr von Banfield]]. He received the honour in 1917 for his services as a maritime aviator during [[World War I]], and he headed the Tripcovich Shipping Company in [[Trieste]] after the war. He died in 1986, aged ninety-six.
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Conditions for being inducted did not include nobility; however, [[Roman Catholicism|Catholic faith]] was mandatory, as well as at least ten years' service as a [[commissioned officer]] in the Army or the Navy. Members of the Order received a pension. Hereditary nobility was granted to a knight's son and grandsons. Another decoration, the [[Institution of Military Merit]] ([[:fr:Institution du mérite militaire]]) was created for the Protestant officers in service of the French king (mainly foreign mercenaries, as French Protestants were not tolerated at the time).
  
   
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== Insignia ==
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Until the death of Louis XIV, the medal was awarded to outstanding officers only, but it gradually came to be an award that most officers would receive during their career. On 1 January 1791, during the [[French Revolution]], a decree changed the name to ''décoration militaire'' ("military decoration"). It was subsequently withdrawn on 15 October 1792.
  
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* The ''badge'' of the order was a gilt, white-enamelled cross. The central disc is also in enamel, bearing the coat-of-arms/national flag of Austria, surrounded by a white ring bearing the motto "Fortitudini" (For Courage).
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* The ''star'' of the order was a silver faceted cross of the same shape as the badge, with a wreath of green-enameled [[oak]] leaves between the arms of the cross. The central disc is the same as the one on the badge.
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* The ''ribbon'' of the order was red-white-red, from the national flag of Austria.
   
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<center>
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One of the first acts of [[Louis XVIII of France|Louis XVIII]] was to reinstate the Order of Saint Louis, using it to award officers of the Royal and Imperial armies alike. In 1830 the new king [[Louis-Philippe of France|Louis-Philippe]] abolished the order, which was never reinstated.
  
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{|align=center class=wikitable width=50%
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|colspan="3" align="center"|[[Image:Divisa.Ord.Mil.MariaTeresa.png|400px|center]]
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|-
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!colspan=3|Ribbon bars
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|-
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|width=20% valign=top align=center|[[File:Ord.MariaTeresa-CAV.png|100px|center]]<small>Knight</small>
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|width=20% valign=top align=center|[[File:Ord.MariaTeresa-COM.png|100px|center]]<small>Commander</small>
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|width=20% valign=top align=center|[[File:Ord.MariaTeresa-GC.png|100px|center]]<small>Grand Cross</small>
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|-
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|}
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</center>
   
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== Recipients of the Order (examples)==
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<gallery>
  
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[[File:Franz Joseph of Austria 1910 old.jpg|thumb|200px|Franz Josef I wearing the Grand Cross sash and star]]
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File:Comte d'Angiviller.jpg|Comte d'Angiviller depicted wearing the insignia of the Order of Saint Louis with a [[Rosette (decoration)|rosette]].
  
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[[File:GarterPlateHenryCadogan5thEarlCadogan1891.jpg|thumb|200px|Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa in the arms of the [[Earl Cadogan|Earls Cadogan]], commemorating the services of the [[George Cadogan, 3rd Earl Cadogan|3rd Earl]]]]
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File:Symon-de-Solemy.jpg|Jean-Baptiste Symon de Solémy wearing the insigna of Chevalier of the order of Saint Louis.
  
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File:Rochambeau Versailles.jpg|Rochambeau wearing the sash of Commandeur of the Order of Saint Louis
  
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File:Hyacinthe Rigaud; Count d'Argenson.jpg| Count d'Argenson wearing the insignia of the Order of Saint Louis around his neck, by [[Hyacinthe Rigaud]]
  
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</gallery>
  
   
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===Grand Cross===
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== Decree by His Majesty the King Louis XIV of France ==
  
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* Field Marshal H.I.& R. Ap. M. [[Franz Joseph I]], emperor and king of [[Austria-Hungary]].
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[[File:Wearing of the insignia of the Order of Saint Louis.svg|thumbnail|The decorations of the three classes (l. to r., Knight, Commander, Grand Cross).]]
  
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* [[Eduard Clam-Gallas|Count Eduard Clam-Gallas]] (14 March 1805, Prague – 17 March 1891, Vienna) was an Austrian General.
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: Louis, by the grace of God King of France and Navarre, to all present and yet to come, hail.
  
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* [[Count Leopold Joseph von Daun]] (or Dhaun) (24 September 1705 – 5 February 1766), later Prince of Thiano, Austrian field marshal, was born at Vienna, as son of Count Wirich Philipp von Daun.
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* [[András Hadik]] de Futak (German: ''{{lang|de|Andreas Reichsgraf Hadik von Futak}}''; Hungarian: ''{{lang|hu|futaki Hadik András gróf}}''; Slovak: ''{{lang|sk|Andrej Hadík}}''; 16 October 1710 – 12 March 1790) was a Hungarian Count. He was commander of a Habsburg army corps in the Seven Years' War under Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine.
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* [[Paul von Hindenburg]] (2 October 1847 &ndash; 2 August 1934) was a German [[Generalfeldmarschall|field marshal]], [[politician|statesman]], and [[politician]], and served as the [[President of Germany (1919–1945)|second President of Germany]] from 1925 to 1934.
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* [[August von Mackensen|Anton Ludwig August von Mackensen]] (6 December 1849 – 8 November 1945), born August Mackensen, was a German soldier and field marshal.<ref>See Lamar Cecil, "The Creation of Nobles in Prussia, 1871-1918" in ''The American Historical Review'', Vol. 75, No. 3. (February, 1970), pp. 794; Gerard E. Silberstein, "The Serbian Campaign of 1915: Its Diplomatic Background" in ''The American Historical Review'', Vol. 73, No. 1. (October 1967), 60.</ref> He commanded with success during the First World War and became one of the German Empire's most prominent military leaders.
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* [[Archduke John of Austria]] (German: ''Johann von Österreich''; 20 January 1782 – 11 May 1859) was a member of the Habsburg dynasty, an Austrian field marshal and German Imperial regent (Reichsverweser).
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* [[Joseph Radetzky von Radetz|Johann Josef (Joseph) Wenzel (Anton Franz Karl) Graf Radetzky von Radetz]] (English: John Joseph Wenceslaus, Count Radetzky of Radetz, Czech: ''{{lang|cs|Jan Josef Václav hrabe Radecký z Radce}}'') (Schloss Trebnitz; Czech: ''{{lang|cs|Trebnice}}''), Bohemia, 2 November 1766 – Milan, Italy, 5 January 1858) was a Czech nobleman and Austrian general, immortalised by Johann Strauss I's Radetzky March. General Radetzky was in the military for over 70 years, until his death at age 91, and is known for the victories at the Battles of Custoza (24–25 July 1848) and Novara (23 March 1849) during the First Italian War of Independence.
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* H.I.&.R.M. [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor]] (German: Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albrecht; English: Frederick William Victor Albert) (27 January 1859 – 4 June 1941) was the last German emperor and king of Prussia.
   
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===Commander's Cross===
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: The officers of our troops have distinguished themselves by so many actions of considerable virtue and courage, in the conquest which it pleased God to bless the justice of our arms, that, ordinary awards becoming insufficient to the affection and the thankfulness which we have for them, we have deemed it necessary to seek new ways to reward their zeal and fidelity.
  
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*Feldmarschall [[Johann Kollowrat|Johann Karl, Graf von Kolowrat-Krakowsky]] (21 December 1748 - 5 June 1816) was an Austrian [[List of Austrian field marshals|Field Marshal]] general who fought against [[Napoleon]] and also was the last governor of the [[Kingdom of Serbia (1718–39)|Kingdom of Serbia]] in 1791.
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*Feldmarschalleutnant [[Emanuel Cvjetićanin]] (b. 8 August 1833). In the war of 1878–1882, Cvjetićanin was the main organizer of the gendarmerie in Sarajevo. He received numerous decorations, including the Order of Maria Theresa, and the title of baron. He was the first adjutant of Emperor Franz Josef I.
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* [[Eduard Clam-Gallas|Count Eduard Clam-Gallas]] (14 March 1805, Prague – 17 March 1891, Vienna) was an Austrian General.
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* [[Svetozar Boroević]] (or Borojević) von Bojna (13 December 1856 – 23 May 1920) was an Orthodox Croat Austro-Hungarian Field Marshal during World War I.
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* [[Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli]] (12 February 1856 – 9 December 1941) was an Austrian general during World War I.
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* [[Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Bülow]], Graf von Dennewitz (16 February 1755 – 25 February 1816) was a Prussian general of the Napoleonic Wars.
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* [[Viktor Dankl von Krasnik|Count Viktor Dankl von Krasnik]] (German: ''{{lang|de|Viktor Graf Dankl von Krasnik}}'', born as Viktor Dankl on 18 September 1854, in Udine, died 8 January 1941 in Innsbruck) was a highly decorated career Austro-Hungarian officer who reached the pinnacle of his service during World War I with promotion to the rare rank of Colonel General (''{{lang|de|Generaloberst}}'').
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* [[Anton Haus]] (13 June 1851 - 8 February 1917) was an Austrian naval officer.
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* [[Julius Jacob von Haynau]] (14 October 1786, Kassel – 14 March 1853) was an Austrian general.
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* [[Heinrich von Heß|Heinrich Hermann Josef Freiherr von Heß]] (1788, Vienna - 1870, Vienna), Austrian soldier, entered the army in 1805.
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* [[Josip Jelačić|Count Josip Jelačić von Bužim]] (16 October 1801, Peterwaradein – 20 May 1859, Zagreb); also spelled Jellachich, Jellacic or Jellasics) was the Ban of Croatia between 23 March 1848 and 19 May 1859.
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* [[Archduke Joseph August of Austria|Archduke Joseph August Viktor Klemens Maria of Austria, Prince of Hungary and Bohemia]] (9 August 1872 – 6 July 1962) was for a short period head of state of Hungary, a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine and the eldest son of Archduke Joseph Karl of Austria (1833–1905)
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* [[Hermann Kövess von Kövessháza]] (30 March 1854 – 22 September 1924) was the final, and completely ceremonial, Commander-in-Chief of Austria-Hungary. He served as a generally competent and unremarkable commander in the Austro-Hungarian Army and was close to retirement in 1914 when The First World War broke out and he was given a command post.
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* [[Laval Nugent von Westmeath|Laval Graf Nugent von Westmeath]] (Ballynacor, Ireland, 3 November 1777 - Karlovac, Croatia, 21 August 1862) was a soldier of Irish birth who fought in the armies of Austria and the Two Sicilies.
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* [[Arthur Arz von Straussenburg|Arthur Freiherr Arz von Straussenburg]] (or Straußenburg) 16 June 1857 - 1 June 1935, was an Austro-Hungarian Colonel-General and last Chief of General Staff to the Austro-Hungarian Army.
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* [[Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey]] (17 May 1768 – 29 April 1854), also known as Lord Uxbridge. Commanded the Cavalry Corps of the Anglo-Allied Army at the [[Battle of Waterloo]] on 18 June 1815.<ref name=ANO>{{cite book|title=The battle of Waterloo, containing the series of accounts published by authority, British and foreign &#91;&c.&#93;. By a near observer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l2oUAAAAQAAJ|year=1815|page=254|last1 = Waterloo|first1 = Battle of}}</ref>
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* [[Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill]] (11 August 1772 – 10 December 1842), Lord Hill commanded the [[II Corps (United Kingdom)|II Corps]] of the Anglo-Allied Army at Waterloo.<ref name=ANO />
   
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===Knight’s Cross===
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: In this view have we decided to establish a purely military Order to which, in addition to the external marks of honour which are associated to it, we shall guarantee revenues and pensions which shall rise in proportion to them growing more and more worthy through their behaviour.
  
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*Feldmarschalleutnant [[Emanuel Cvjetićanin]] (8 August 1833). In the war of 1878–1882, Cvjetićanin was the main organizer of the gendarmerie in Sarajevo. He received numerous decorations, including the Order of Maria Theresa, and the title of baron. He was the first adjutant of Emperor Franz Josef I.
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* [[Eduard Clam-Gallas|Count Eduard Clam-Gallas]] (14 March 1805 in Prague – 17 March 1891 in Vienna) was an Austrian General.
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* Major-General Sir [[Robert Henry Dick]], KCB, KCH - 73rd Foot - died of wounds, 10 February 1846.
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* [[Karl Mack von Leiberich]], Freiherr (25 August 1752 – 22 December 1828) was an Austrian soldier. He is best remembered as the commander of the Austrian forces defeated and captured by Napoleon's Grande Armée in the Battle of Ulm in 1805.
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* [[Tadeusz Jordan-Rozwadowski]], known in Austria as Thaddäus Ritter (later Count, after his father's death) Jordan-Rozwadowski von Groß-Rozwadów,(19 May 1866 – 18 October 1928) was a Polish military commander, diplomat, and politician, a general of the Austro-Hungarian Army and then the Polish Army. His family came from [[Lviv|Lwow]], [[Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria|Galicia]], the part of Poland ruled by Austria-Hungary. He was a [[Feldmarschall-Leutnant]] and became the commanding officer of the 43rd Infantry Division, which he led during the victorious battle of [[Gorlice]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.austro-hungarian-army.co.uk/mmto.htm|title=The Austro-Hungarian Military Maria Theresia Order 1914-1918}}</ref> After World War I he was one of the founders of the modern Polish State and Army and is credited as one of the victors of the [[Battle of Warsaw (1920)]].
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* Korvettenkapitän [[Georg Ludwig von Trapp]]. Father of the famous Von Trapp family that inspired the movie [[The Sound of Music]]. He was awarded the order for becoming "the dread of the Adriatic" for sinking 13 ships as a submarine commander during the First World War. Born on 4 April 1880, he died of lung cancer in Vermont on 30 May 1947. He received lung cancer from the toxic fumes emitted from his submarine{{citation needed|date=May 2015}} during the war. Out of all the medals he was awarded, this one was his favorite, and the only one he was able to smuggle{{dubious|date=May 2015}} out of Austria.<!-- It would naturally have been his favourite honour as it was the highest military award of the country. The [[Heeresgeschichtliches Museum]] in Vienna has a Military Order of Maria Theresa medal that once belonged to Georg Ludwig von Trapp. All in all this sounds like taken directly from the screenplay of "The Sound of Music". -->
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* [[Viktor Weber Edler von Webenau]] (* 13 November 1861 in Neuhaus; † 6 May 1932 in Innsbruck), General in the Austro-Hungarian army while World War I, military governor of Montenegro between 1916 and 1917 and head of the Austro-Hungarian armistice commission (Armistice of villa Giusti)
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* [[Ferdinand von Wintzingerode|Ferdinand, Freiherr of Wintzingerode]] (15 February 1770, Allendorf - 16 June 1818, Wiesbaden) was a German nobleman and officer in several different armies of the Napoleonic Wars, finally ending up as a general in the Imperial Russian army and fighting in the War of the Sixth Coalition against the French invasion of Russia and the subsequent campaigns in Germany and France. He appears in Tolstoy's War and Peace.
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* [[Eugen Wratislaw von Mitrowitz|Eugen Count Wratislaw von Mittrowitz-Nettolitzky]] (* 8 July 1786, in Wischopol (Czech: ''{{lang|cs|Dolní Bousov}}''), Bohemia; † 14 February 1867, in Vienna) was an Austrian Fieldmarshal.
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* [[Maximilian Daublebsky von Sterneck|Maximilian Daublebsky Freiherr von Sterneck zu Ehrenstein]] (14 February 1829, Klagenfurt - 5 December 1897, Vienna) was an Austrian admiral who served as the chief administrator of the Austro-Hungarian Navy from 1883 until his death.
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* Feldmarschalleutnant [[Nikolaus Esterhazy]], prince Eszterhazy of Galantha (18 December 1714 - 28 September 1790). Universally recognized for his patronage of the Austrian Composer [[Joseph Haydn]]. He received the Order upon his bravery in the [[Battle of Kolín]]
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* Andreas Graf O'Reilly von Ballinlough (3 August 1742 – 5 July 1832) was an Austrian soldier and military commander of Irish origin. His military service extended through the Seven Years' War, War of the Bavarian Succession, Austro-Turkish War, French Revolutionary Wars, and Napoleonic Wars. He retired from the army in 1810 and died at age 89.
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* [[Johann Iskrić]] (3 March 1884 – 14 June 1961) who received the Knight's cross for his conduct and bravery in the [[Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo]] in the World War I.
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*Josef Bartos (1889 - 1941) was a Czech commander of an Austrian Artillery unit that was surrounded by Czarist Russians after their offensive broke through Austrian lines in Galacia (c.1914), and successfully fought their way out of the encirclement.
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* [[Miklós Horthy]] (18 June 1868 - 9 February 1957) was a Hungarian naval officer, commanding officer of the [[SMS Novara (1913)|SMS Novara]] received the Knight's Cross in 186th promotion on 10 March 7, 1921. for the [[Battle of the Strait of Otranto (1917)|Battle of the Strait of Otranto]].
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* Oberleutnant IR.102 [[Theodor Wanke]] (25 Sept. 1887, Iglau - 10. August 1944, Hrvatska Kostajnica) who received the Knight's cross for his conduct and bravery in the 8th Battle of the Isonzo (October 1916)in the World War I. in 186th promotion on 10 March 1921
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* Oberleutnant IR 102 [[Johan Fousek]] (1892 - 1980) who received the Knight's cross for his conduct and bravery in the 7th Battle of the Isonzo in the World War I. on March, 1921
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* Hauptmann IR 16 (originally IR 102) [[Gottlieb Vojáček]] who received the Knight's cross for his conduct and bravery in the Battle near Dolina (1917) in the World War I. in 187th promotion on 10 June 1921
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*''[[Linienschiffskapitän]]'' [[Gottfried Freiherr von Banfield]], [[Austro-Hungarian Navy|K.u.K. Kriegsmarine]] top ace in WW1, was last recipient of the Military Order of Maria Theresa, when he on 17 August 1917 received the Knight's Cross.
   
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==See also==
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: We have decided that only officers still serving in our troops shall be introduced and that virtue, merit and distinguished service in our armies shall be the only criteria to enter. We shall also in the future give a particular attention to increase the advantages of this order, so that we shall ever have the satisfaction to always be able to grant graces to the officers, and on the other hand, seeing rewards guaranteed by valour, they would every day bear renewed ardour in deserving them by their actions.
  
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* [[Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary]]
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* [[Order of Franz Joseph]]
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* [[Order of Leopold (Austria)|Order of Leopold]]
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* [[Order of St. George (Habsburg-Lorraine)]]
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* [[Order of the Iron Crown (Austria)|Order of the Iron Crown]]
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* [[Orders, decorations, and medals of Austria-Hungary]]
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* [[Order of chivalry]]
   
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== References ==
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: In these causes, with the advice of our council, and our certain science, full power and royal authority, we have created, instituted and built, by the present, our military Order with the name of Saint Louis, and with the forms, statutes, ordinances and rules as follow: (...)
  
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==References==
  
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{{Reflist}}
  
   
 
== External links ==
  
== External links ==
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{{Commons category|Order of Saint Louis}}
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{{commons category-inline}}
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* {{in lang|fr}} [http://www.Saint-Louis.info Ordre Royal et Militaire de Saint-Louis]—includes photographs, explanations and a 20,000 name [http://www.Saint-Louis.info/pages/osl.html list of recipients]
  
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* {{in lang|fr}} [http://www.memodoc.com/article_ordre_st_louis.htm Histoire de l'Ordre royal & militaire de Saint-Louis]—History of the Order
  
   
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{{Orders of the Austro-Hungarian Empire}}
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{{Highest gallantry awards}}
  
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{{Orders of Italian States before unification}}
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{{Authority control}}
   
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[[Category:Orders of chivalry of Austria| ]]
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{{Authority control}}
  
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[[Category:Orders of chivalry of France|Saint Louis, Order of]]
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[[Category:Orders, decorations, and medals of the Austrian Empire| 2]]
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[[Category:Military awards and decorations of France]]
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[[Category:Awards established in 1757]]
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[[Category:Order of Saint Louis recipients| ]]
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[[Category:Maria Theresa]]
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[[Category:Awards established in 1693]]
  
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[[Category:1693 establishments in France]]
  
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[[Category:Louis IX of France]]
  

Revision as of 01:30, 16 May 2022

Military Order of Maria Theresa
Galauniform von Kaiser Franz Joseph I
Gala uniform of Franz Joseph I, with the Grand Cross sash and star
Awarded by Imperial Standard of Austria-Hungary (1915-1918) The Head of the House of Habsburg
Type Dynastic order
Royal house House of Habsburg
Motto "Fortitudini" (For Courage)
Awarded for Military Merit
Sovereign Crown Prince Karl of Austria
Grades (w/ post-nominals) Grand Cross
Commander
Knight
Established 18 June 1757
Precedence
Next (higher) Order of the Golden Fleece
Next (lower) Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary
Weltliche Schatzkammer Wien (144)

Grand Cross breast star with diamonds

Maria-Theresien-Orden

Knight’s Cross (obverse)

Řád Marie Terezie rub 1758

Reverse

Anton von Maron 006

Joseph II wearing the ribbon of the order (portrait by Anton von Maron, 1775)

The Military Order of Maria Theresa (German language: Militär-Maria-Theresien-Orden; Hungarian language: Katonai Mária Terézia-rend; Czech language: Vojenský řád Marie Terezie

Polish language
Wojskowy Order Marii Teresy
Slovene language
Vojaški red Marije Terezije
Croatian language
Vojni Red Marije Terezije

) was the highest military honour of the Habsburg monarchy, Austrian Empire and Austro-Hungarian Empire.

History

Founded on 18 June 1757, the day of the Battle of Kolín, by the Empress Maria Theresa, the honour was to reward especially meritorious and valorous acts by commissioned officers, including and especially the courageous act of defeating an enemy, and thus "serving" their monarch. It was specifically given for "successful military acts of essential impact to a campaign that were undertaken on [the officer's] own initiative, and might have been omitted by an honorable officer without reproach." This gave rise to a popular myth that it was awarded for (successfully) acting against an explicit order. It is considered to be the highest honour for a soldier in the Austrian armed services.

Originally, the order had two classes: the Knight's Cross and the Grand Cross. On 15 October 1765, Emperor Joseph II added a Commander's Cross, and a breast star to be worn by holders of the Grand Cross.

Prospective recipients were considered only in regard to their military service records; their ethnicity, birth and rank (as long as they were commissioned officers) were irrelevant. Knight's Cross recipients were automatically ennobled with the title of Ritter in the Austrian nobility for life, and admitted to court. Upon further petition, they could claim the hereditary title of Baron (Freiherr). They were also entitled to a pension. Widows of the order's recipients were entitled to half of their spouse's pension during the remainder of their lives.

The order ceased to be awarded by the Austrian emperor on the fall of the Habsburg Dynasty in 1918, when its last sovereign, Charles I, transferred his powers concerning this honour to the Order Chapter. The Chapter then processed applications until its last meeting in 1931, when it was decided that further awards should not be made. Membership of the order was awarded a total of 1241 times. Alois Windisch and Friedrich Franek were the only two men who were awarded both the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa and the German Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

On 4 November 1938, it was decided in Hungary to award further decorations of the order, citing legal continuity as long as Hungary's royal powers were exercised by the Regent Miklós Horthy; the Regent performed the duties of the Order's Grand Master in Hungary. During World War II, only one person received the Knight's Cross of the Order of Maria Theresa: Major General Kornél Oszlányi, commanding officer of the Royal Hungarian Army's 9th Light Infantry Division, for the battles at the river Don near Voronezh.[1]

The last surviving knight of the Order was k.u.k. Fregattenleutnant Gottfried Freiherr von Banfield. He received the honour in 1917 for his services as a maritime aviator during World War I, and he headed the Tripcovich Shipping Company in Trieste after the war. He died in 1986, aged ninety-six.

Insignia

  • The badge of the order was a gilt, white-enamelled cross. The central disc is also in enamel, bearing the coat-of-arms/national flag of Austria, surrounded by a white ring bearing the motto "Fortitudini" (For Courage).
  • The star of the order was a silver faceted cross of the same shape as the badge, with a wreath of green-enameled oak leaves between the arms of the cross. The central disc is the same as the one on the badge.
  • The ribbon of the order was red-white-red, from the national flag of Austria.
Divisa.Ord.Mil.MariaTeresa
Ribbon bars
Ord.MariaTeresa-CAV
Knight
Ord.MariaTeresa-COM
Commander
Ord.MariaTeresa-GC
Grand Cross

Recipients of the Order (examples)

Franz Joseph of Austria 1910 old

Franz Josef I wearing the Grand Cross sash and star

GarterPlateHenryCadogan5thEarlCadogan1891

Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa in the arms of the Earls Cadogan, commemorating the services of the 3rd Earl

Grand Cross

  • Field Marshal H.I.& R. Ap. M. Franz Joseph I, emperor and king of Austria-Hungary.
  • Count Eduard Clam-Gallas (14 March 1805, Prague – 17 March 1891, Vienna) was an Austrian General.
  • Count Leopold Joseph von Daun (or Dhaun) (24 September 1705 – 5 February 1766), later Prince of Thiano, Austrian field marshal, was born at Vienna, as son of Count Wirich Philipp von Daun.
  • András Hadik de Futak (German: Andreas Reichsgraf Hadik von Futak; Hungarian: futaki Hadik András gróf; Slovak: Andrej Hadík; 16 October 1710 – 12 March 1790) was a Hungarian Count. He was commander of a Habsburg army corps in the Seven Years' War under Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine.
  • Paul von Hindenburg (2 October 1847 – 2 August 1934) was a German field marshal, statesman, and politician, and served as the second President of Germany from 1925 to 1934.
  • Anton Ludwig August von Mackensen (6 December 1849 – 8 November 1945), born August Mackensen, was a German soldier and field marshal.[2] He commanded with success during the First World War and became one of the German Empire's most prominent military leaders.
  • Archduke John of Austria (German: Johann von Österreich; 20 January 1782 – 11 May 1859) was a member of the Habsburg dynasty, an Austrian field marshal and German Imperial regent (Reichsverweser).
  • Johann Josef (Joseph) Wenzel (Anton Franz Karl) Graf Radetzky von Radetz (English: John Joseph Wenceslaus, Count Radetzky of Radetz, Czech: Jan Josef Václav hrabe Radecký z Radce) (Schloss Trebnitz; Czech: Trebnice), Bohemia, 2 November 1766 – Milan, Italy, 5 January 1858) was a Czech nobleman and Austrian general, immortalised by Johann Strauss I's Radetzky March. General Radetzky was in the military for over 70 years, until his death at age 91, and is known for the victories at the Battles of Custoza (24–25 July 1848) and Novara (23 March 1849) during the First Italian War of Independence.
  • H.I.&.R.M. Wilhelm II, German Emperor (German: Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albrecht; English: Frederick William Victor Albert) (27 January 1859 – 4 June 1941) was the last German emperor and king of Prussia.

Commander's Cross

  • Feldmarschall Johann Karl, Graf von Kolowrat-Krakowsky (21 December 1748 - 5 June 1816) was an Austrian Field Marshal general who fought against Napoleon and also was the last governor of the Kingdom of Serbia in 1791.
  • Feldmarschalleutnant Emanuel Cvjetićanin (b. 8 August 1833). In the war of 1878–1882, Cvjetićanin was the main organizer of the gendarmerie in Sarajevo. He received numerous decorations, including the Order of Maria Theresa, and the title of baron. He was the first adjutant of Emperor Franz Josef I.
  • Count Eduard Clam-Gallas (14 March 1805, Prague – 17 March 1891, Vienna) was an Austrian General.
  • Svetozar Boroević (or Borojević) von Bojna (13 December 1856 – 23 May 1920) was an Orthodox Croat Austro-Hungarian Field Marshal during World War I.
  • Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli (12 February 1856 – 9 December 1941) was an Austrian general during World War I.
  • Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Bülow, Graf von Dennewitz (16 February 1755 – 25 February 1816) was a Prussian general of the Napoleonic Wars.
  • Count Viktor Dankl von Krasnik (German: Viktor Graf Dankl von Krasnik, born as Viktor Dankl on 18 September 1854, in Udine, died 8 January 1941 in Innsbruck) was a highly decorated career Austro-Hungarian officer who reached the pinnacle of his service during World War I with promotion to the rare rank of Colonel General (Generaloberst).
  • Anton Haus (13 June 1851 - 8 February 1917) was an Austrian naval officer.
  • Julius Jacob von Haynau (14 October 1786, Kassel – 14 March 1853) was an Austrian general.
  • Heinrich Hermann Josef Freiherr von Heß (1788, Vienna - 1870, Vienna), Austrian soldier, entered the army in 1805.
  • Count Josip Jelačić von Bužim (16 October 1801, Peterwaradein – 20 May 1859, Zagreb); also spelled Jellachich, Jellacic or Jellasics) was the Ban of Croatia between 23 March 1848 and 19 May 1859.
  • Archduke Joseph August Viktor Klemens Maria of Austria, Prince of Hungary and Bohemia (9 August 1872 – 6 July 1962) was for a short period head of state of Hungary, a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine and the eldest son of Archduke Joseph Karl of Austria (1833–1905)
  • Hermann Kövess von Kövessháza (30 March 1854 – 22 September 1924) was the final, and completely ceremonial, Commander-in-Chief of Austria-Hungary. He served as a generally competent and unremarkable commander in the Austro-Hungarian Army and was close to retirement in 1914 when The First World War broke out and he was given a command post.
  • Laval Graf Nugent von Westmeath (Ballynacor, Ireland, 3 November 1777 - Karlovac, Croatia, 21 August 1862) was a soldier of Irish birth who fought in the armies of Austria and the Two Sicilies.
  • Arthur Freiherr Arz von Straussenburg (or Straußenburg) 16 June 1857 - 1 June 1935, was an Austro-Hungarian Colonel-General and last Chief of General Staff to the Austro-Hungarian Army.
  • Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey (17 May 1768 – 29 April 1854), also known as Lord Uxbridge. Commanded the Cavalry Corps of the Anglo-Allied Army at the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815.[3]
  • Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill (11 August 1772 – 10 December 1842), Lord Hill commanded the II Corps of the Anglo-Allied Army at Waterloo.[3]

Knight’s Cross

  • Feldmarschalleutnant Emanuel Cvjetićanin (8 August 1833). In the war of 1878–1882, Cvjetićanin was the main organizer of the gendarmerie in Sarajevo. He received numerous decorations, including the Order of Maria Theresa, and the title of baron. He was the first adjutant of Emperor Franz Josef I.
  • Count Eduard Clam-Gallas (14 March 1805 in Prague – 17 March 1891 in Vienna) was an Austrian General.
  • Major-General Sir Robert Henry Dick, KCB, KCH - 73rd Foot - died of wounds, 10 February 1846.
  • Karl Mack von Leiberich, Freiherr (25 August 1752 – 22 December 1828) was an Austrian soldier. He is best remembered as the commander of the Austrian forces defeated and captured by Napoleon's Grande Armée in the Battle of Ulm in 1805.
  • Tadeusz Jordan-Rozwadowski, known in Austria as Thaddäus Ritter (later Count, after his father's death) Jordan-Rozwadowski von Groß-Rozwadów,(19 May 1866 – 18 October 1928) was a Polish military commander, diplomat, and politician, a general of the Austro-Hungarian Army and then the Polish Army. His family came from Lwow, Galicia, the part of Poland ruled by Austria-Hungary. He was a Feldmarschall-Leutnant and became the commanding officer of the 43rd Infantry Division, which he led during the victorious battle of Gorlice.[4] After World War I he was one of the founders of the modern Polish State and Army and is credited as one of the victors of the Battle of Warsaw (1920).
  • Korvettenkapitän Georg Ludwig von Trapp. Father of the famous Von Trapp family that inspired the movie The Sound of Music. He was awarded the order for becoming "the dread of the Adriatic" for sinking 13 ships as a submarine commander during the First World War. Born on 4 April 1880, he died of lung cancer in Vermont on 30 May 1947. He received lung cancer from the toxic fumes emitted from his submarine[citation needed] during the war. Out of all the medals he was awarded, this one was his favorite, and the only one he was able to smuggle[dubious – discuss] out of Austria.
  • Viktor Weber Edler von Webenau (* 13 November 1861 in Neuhaus; † 6 May 1932 in Innsbruck), General in the Austro-Hungarian army while World War I, military governor of Montenegro between 1916 and 1917 and head of the Austro-Hungarian armistice commission (Armistice of villa Giusti)
  • Ferdinand, Freiherr of Wintzingerode (15 February 1770, Allendorf - 16 June 1818, Wiesbaden) was a German nobleman and officer in several different armies of the Napoleonic Wars, finally ending up as a general in the Imperial Russian army and fighting in the War of the Sixth Coalition against the French invasion of Russia and the subsequent campaigns in Germany and France. He appears in Tolstoy's War and Peace.
  • Eugen Count Wratislaw von Mittrowitz-Nettolitzky (* 8 July 1786, in Wischopol (Czech: Dolní Bousov), Bohemia; † 14 February 1867, in Vienna) was an Austrian Fieldmarshal.
  • Maximilian Daublebsky Freiherr von Sterneck zu Ehrenstein (14 February 1829, Klagenfurt - 5 December 1897, Vienna) was an Austrian admiral who served as the chief administrator of the Austro-Hungarian Navy from 1883 until his death.
  • Feldmarschalleutnant Nikolaus Esterhazy, prince Eszterhazy of Galantha (18 December 1714 - 28 September 1790). Universally recognized for his patronage of the Austrian Composer Joseph Haydn. He received the Order upon his bravery in the Battle of Kolín
  • Andreas Graf O'Reilly von Ballinlough (3 August 1742 – 5 July 1832) was an Austrian soldier and military commander of Irish origin. His military service extended through the Seven Years' War, War of the Bavarian Succession, Austro-Turkish War, French Revolutionary Wars, and Napoleonic Wars. He retired from the army in 1810 and died at age 89.
  • Johann Iskrić (3 March 1884 – 14 June 1961) who received the Knight's cross for his conduct and bravery in the Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo in the World War I.
  • Josef Bartos (1889 - 1941) was a Czech commander of an Austrian Artillery unit that was surrounded by Czarist Russians after their offensive broke through Austrian lines in Galacia (c.1914), and successfully fought their way out of the encirclement.
  • Miklós Horthy (18 June 1868 - 9 February 1957) was a Hungarian naval officer, commanding officer of the SMS Novara received the Knight's Cross in 186th promotion on 10 March 7, 1921. for the Battle of the Strait of Otranto.
  • Oberleutnant IR.102 Theodor Wanke (25 Sept. 1887, Iglau - 10. August 1944, Hrvatska Kostajnica) who received the Knight's cross for his conduct and bravery in the 8th Battle of the Isonzo (October 1916)in the World War I. in 186th promotion on 10 March 1921
  • Oberleutnant IR 102 Johan Fousek (1892 - 1980) who received the Knight's cross for his conduct and bravery in the 7th Battle of the Isonzo in the World War I. on March, 1921
  • Hauptmann IR 16 (originally IR 102) Gottlieb Vojáček who received the Knight's cross for his conduct and bravery in the Battle near Dolina (1917) in the World War I. in 187th promotion on 10 June 1921
  • Linienschiffskapitän Gottfried Freiherr von Banfield, K.u.K. Kriegsmarine top ace in WW1, was last recipient of the Military Order of Maria Theresa, when he on 17 August 1917 received the Knight's Cross.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}". http://rendjel.myhunet.com/hu/A-kiegyezestol-az-I.-vilaghaboru-vegeig-(1867-1918)/Katonai-Maria-Teraezia-Rend/. 
  2. ↑ See Lamar Cecil, "The Creation of Nobles in Prussia, 1871-1918" in The American Historical Review, Vol. 75, No. 3. (February, 1970), pp. 794; Gerard E. Silberstein, "The Serbian Campaign of 1915: Its Diplomatic Background" in The American Historical Review, Vol. 73, No. 1. (October 1967), 60.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Waterloo, Battle of (1815). The battle of Waterloo, containing the series of accounts published by authority, British and foreign [&c.]. By a near observer. p. 254. https://books.google.com/books?id=l2oUAAAAQAAJ. 
  4. ↑ "The Austro-Hungarian Military Maria Theresia Order 1914-1918". http://www.austro-hungarian-army.co.uk/mmto.htm. 

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