Military Order of Italy
The Military Order of Italy ( Italian Ordine Militare d'Italia ) is an Italian military order of merit . It emerged in 1947 from the Military Order of Savoy founded in 1815 . This war award can be given to soldiers and associations .
history
The origins of the order go back to May 21, 1793 by King Viktor Amadeus III. Medal of bravery donated by Sardinia . After the royal house of Savoy lost its continental possessions in northern Italy to Napoleon Bonaparte , the medal was rarely awarded. At the same time, numerous Italian soldiers in Napoleonic service were accepted into the French Legion of Honor or awarded the Order of the Iron Crown in the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy . After the end of Napoleonic rule, King Victor Emmanuel I founded the Military Order of Savoy on August 14, 1815, which replaced the Medal of Bravery from 1793 by 1833. At the same time, the new military order with its four classes was intended to replace the Napoleonic awards for soldiers returning to the Sardinian-Piedmontese army .
After Karl Albert of Savoy renewed the medal of bravery as a war award in 1833 and the military order of Savoy had largely fulfilled its mentioned substitute function for Napoleonic awards, the order came in particular against the knightly order of St. Mauritius and Lazarus (1572) further into the background. On the occasion of the Crimean War, Victor Emanuel II renewed the military order of Savoy on September 28, 1855. Since then, the medallion on the obverse has the year 1855 over crossed swords and the initials VE of the founder, and the medallion on the reverse shows the white cross of the House of Savoy. The new statutes provided for, among other things, five order classes, as well as the possibility of honoring foreign soldiers. Another reorganization took place in December 1861 after the unification of Italy under the House of Savoy, with Italian medals of all classes being awarded a lifelong pension.
After the proclamation of the Republic of Italy (June 1946), the medal was no longer awarded, but could still be worn. Since it was not a house order of the Savoy, but a state war merit award, the order was renewed by the Republic on January 2, 1947 and renamed the Military Order of Italy. Further reorganizations took place in 1956 and 2010. Only after the end of the Cold War did the awards increase again due to numerous assignments abroad. The law currently in force allows the award even for military operations in peacetime.
Order classes
The order consists of five classes:
| Strap buckles | ||||
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| Order class | 1815 to 1947 | since 1947 | ||
| Grand Cross (Cavaliere di Gran Croce) |
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| Grand Officer (Grande Ufficiale) |
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| Commander (commendatore) |
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| Officer (Ufficiale) |
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| Knight (cavaliers) |
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The head of the order is the president , the chancellor and treasurer is the defense minister. The Order Council consists of the chairman and five other officers from all branches of the armed forces . All members of the Order Council must have been awarded the Order. They are appointed by the President of the Republic on the proposal of the Defense Minister.
The Military Order of Italy is awarded by the President of the Republic after hearing the Council of the Order on the proposal of the Defense Minister. The award is intended as a reward for outstanding leadership in war or war-like military operations in peacetime. The grand cross is reserved for troop leaders with the rank of lieutenant general or vice admiral and higher ranks , the order classes grand officer and commander to all other general and admiral ranks. For all other officers, the officer and knight order classes are provided. The knight's cross can also be awarded to non-commissioned officers and crews, provided they had leadership roles in combat. Troop flags can only be awarded the Knight's Cross.
Order decoration
The medal of the Military Order of Savoy, a white curly arrow cross , hung in classes I - III. on the royal crown and had a laurel wreath between the corners. The medal of the fourth class had a trophy in the shape of a knight's armor as a hanging device, that of the fifth class only a simple ring. The ribbon was blue with a red central stripe (colors of the House of Savoy).
After the proclamation of the Republic of Italy (June 1946), the sign of the order was changed in the course of renewal and renaming at the beginning of 1947, as the initials of the founder were replaced by the year 1947 on the obverse of the medallion and the reverse of the medallion with the letters RI (Repubblica Italiana ) and the inscription Al Merito Militare (For Military Merit) instead of the white Savoy Cross. As a suspension of the medals of the I. - III. A laurel and oak leaf wreath is now used in the class . The trophy of the fourth class and the ribbon from the time of the monarchy have been retained.
Carrying method
The Grand Cross is carried on a sash from the right shoulder to the left hip and with an eight-pointed breast star . Grand officer and commander decorate the award as a neck medal , grand officers additionally with a breast star. Officers and knights wear the award on the ribbon on the left side of the chest.
literature
- Paul Hieronymussen: Orders, Medals and Decorations of Britain and Europe in Color. Blandford Press, London 1975, ISBN 0-7137-0445-4 .
Web links
- Ordine Militare d'Italia on the website of the Italian President (Presidenza della Repubblica)
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