Military Order Michael the Brave

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Military Order Michael the Brave 2nd Class (1st model)

The Order of Michael the Brave ( Romanian Ordinul Mihai Viteazul ) is the highest Romanian honor for bravery and was donated in three classes by King Ferdinand I of Romania on December 21, 1916 . It is named after Mihai Viteazul (1558-1601), who briefly united the three principalities of Wallachia , Transylvania and Moldova as a voivode under his rule around 1600 .

Order decoration

3rd model (1944)
4th model (2000)

The medal is a blue enameled, gold rimmed lily cross with curly bar ends. In the middle there is an F as a mirror monogram under a five-bowed crown. The cross of the II. And III. Class has a movable five-bowed crown as a cant. In 1938 the swords were donated for the first model. Since Romania was not involved in a war in 1938 and the order was purely an award for bravery or war, the foundation of swords was canceled. No awards were given for the 1st model (1916) and the 2nd model (1941) with swords. As a result, no swords were made of the second model. The order crosses of the 1st model vary, due to different manufacturers, despite the low number of awards in their appearance in inscription and elevation.

The ribbon is cherry red with wide golden side stripes.

history

In 1941, King Michael I renewed the order and stipulated that the year 1916 , which had previously been affixed on the back, should be placed on the front and the initials MI with the year 1941 on the back. Only with the first class, the cross connector , are both data and both ciphers on the front. After the coup d'état in 1944 , the medal was redesigned with crossed swords. The year was now 1944 on the back. Awards of the 3rd model without swords did not take place because this form no longer existed.

After the end of socialism , the order was renewed in 1990 by the Republic of Romania , again with three classes. The blue lily cross has been retained, with the Romanian eagle in the middle on the front and the years 1916 and 2000 on the back . The suspension has the shape of a laurel wreath .

carrier

During the First World War , the award was also given to officers of the Entente Powers . So z. B. to British Field Marshal Douglas Haig (2nd class).

The Romanian general and chief of staff in World War I Constantin Prezan received all three classes of the order in the course of his military career.

In addition to the Finnish field marshal, Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim , the III. Class received on November 7, 1941, almost all German field marshals of World War II received this class and higher classes . All three classes of the 2nd model were awarded to the following non-Romanian people:

All three classes of the 3rd model were awarded to Marshal of the Soviet Union Rodion Malinovsky , Marshal of the Soviet Union Fyodor Ivanovich Tolbuchin and Colonel General Ivan Sakharevich Ssussajkow.

See also

literature

  • Kurt-Gerhard Klietmann : Ordenskunde - Contributions to the history of awards. No. 3. The Order Collection, Berlin 1958.
  • Kurt-Gerhard Klietmann: Phaleristics. Volume 1. Romania. The Order Collection, Berlin 1975, ISBN 3-87778-400-3 .