Virtuti Militari

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Order of Virtuti Militari

Virtuti Militari is the highest Polish Order of Military Merit of the 3rd Republic and was the highest military order of the 2nd Republic , the People's Republic , Congress Poland , the Duchy of Warsaw and the 1st Republic (Elective Kingdom).

From 1831 to 1835 he belonged to the Imperial Russian Order ( Ordjen wojennych zaslug ).

Insignia and classes of the order

Noble republic 1792–1795

The very first medal of the Virtuti Militari was the oval gold and silver medal awarded in 1792. On the obverse it showed the monogram SAR ( Stanislaus Augustus Rex ) wreathed by a royal crown , under the monogram there were two crossed laurel branches with a ribbon. The medal had the inscription "Virtuti Militari" on the lapel, and two laurel branches underneath it as on the obverse. Just a few months after the medals had been established, the right order was created, which had five classes: Grand Cross, Commander's Cross, Golden Cross and, as the lowest classes, the gold and silver medals. The appearance of the obverse was the same as it is today, the lapel bore the image of the Lithuanian national coat of arms in the middle medallion and the monogram SARP ( Stanislaus Augustus Rex Poloniae ) on the arms . The tape was the same as it is today.

Duchy of Warsaw 1807–1815

In the Duchy of Warsaw , where the order was called "Military Order of the Duchy of Warsaw", it initially retained its appearance from the time before the 3rd partition of Poland, but as early as 1808, Duke Friedrich August I had to, at the request of Emperor Alexander I , who was Grand Duke of Lithuania, replace the Lithuanian national coat of arms on the lapel with the inscription "Rex et Patria" ("King and Fatherland"), under which the year 1792 was written. The five classes were retained, the gold and silver crosses were introduced instead of the 4th and 5th class medals. The crosses of the 1st and 2nd grades were hung on a golden royal crown.

Congress Poland 1815–1830

No changes in appearance were introduced during this period. After the November uprising of 1830/1831, the Lithuanian national coat of arms was reintroduced on the lapel.

Russian rule 1831–1917

After the suppression of the Polish November uprising of 1830, Emperor Nicholas I let the order exist with its previous appearance. The Lithuanian rider disappeared from the lapel, the date 1792 was replaced by 1831. The medal was only given to Russians who took part in the fighting against the Polish insurgents. A total of 106,500 Russian officers and soldiers received it, which meant a devaluation of the order. From 1835 it was no longer awarded, but remained in the register of the Russian Imperial Orders until 1917.

2nd Republic 1918–1945

Revers of the Order at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw

The order had five classes: Grand Cross, Commander's Cross, Knight's Cross, Golden Cross and Silver Cross. The cross of the order of the upper three classes was black enamelled, with a gold border, and carried on the obverse in its center a gold medallion with a white enameled Polish white eagle with full regalia, which was surrounded by a green laurel wreath. The arms of the cross bore the gold inscription Virtuti Militari . In the lapel the gold-plated cross was smooth and bore the inscription Honor i Ojczyzna (“Honor and Fatherland”) in the center medallion . The crosses of the 4th and 5th grades were not enameled; apart from that, their appearance was the same as in the higher grades.

The 1st and 2nd grade crosses were hung on a golden royal crown. The order star (only for 1st class) is an eight-pointed silver star that carried the order cross. In the middle medallion of the cross was the white eagle with full regalia, which was surrounded by the inscription Honor i Ojczyzna and a green laurel wreath.

The ribbon was dark blue, bordered by two wide black stripes. The grand cross was worn on a sash from the right shoulder to the left hip, the commander's cross on the neck, the other three classes were chest decorations that were to be worn on the left chest.

People's Republic 1945–1990

The 5 classes of the order were retained. The image of the white eagle in the medallion of the cross and the star lost its regalia and showed the uncrowned eagle of the People's Republic . The crown in the suspension of the 1st and 2nd class was abolished and replaced by an oval gold plaque with (until 1952) the initials "RP" (Rzeczpospolita Polska - Republic of Poland) and after 1952 "PRL" (Rzeczpospolita Polska Ludowa - People's Republic of Poland ) replaced. The ribbon remained unchanged.

3rd republic from 1990

The version from the period between 1918 and 1945 was completely reverted, and from 1991 the 1st and 2nd class suspension consisted of a plaque with the initials "RP".

Ribbon buckles of the Order
POL Virtuti Militari Wielki BAR.svg

Grand Cross
POL Virtuti Militari Komandorski BAR.svg

Commander
POL Virtuti Militari Kawalerski BAR.svg

Knight
POL Virtuti Militari Złoty BAR.svg

Golden cross
POL Virtuti Militari Srebrny BAR.svg

Silver cross

Timeline for the history of the order

  • 1792: - June 18th - the Polish army under the command of the king's nephew Prince Józef Antoni Poniatowski defeats the Russians in the battle of Zielńce and sends the report of the battle won with a list of the most deserving officers to the king. King Stanislaus August sends the first 20 gold medals of the Virtuti Militari to Prince Josef. They will be distributed to officers on June 25th. A few days later, 40 silver medals were distributed to NCOs and ordinary soldiers.
  • 1792: Between August 10th and 28th: ​​Prince Josef drafts the first statutes of the order. As a template, he uses the statutes of the Austrian Military Maria Theresa Order , with which he is very familiar as a former Austrian officer. The order should be called "Order of the Military Cross". Insignia: see above. An order chapter of 14 members was created, among them the generals Tadeusz Kościuszko , later governor of the Congress Kingdom Prince Józef Zajączek and Prince Poniatowski himself. After the king joined the Targowitz Confederation , wearing the order was banned.
  • 1793: January 7th - under pressure from Empress Catherine II, a new ban on the Virtuti Militari is issued.
  • 1807: July - the order is renewed in the Duchy of Warsaw . In autumn of this year, Duke Friedrich August I had very democratic and precise award criteria worked out: the Commander's Cross can only be awarded to generals from Lieutenant General , the Knight's Cross only to senior officers from Major to Major General. The candidates should be proposed by a regimental council, which should consist of 10 soldiers, who should represent all ranks from the regimental commander to ordinary soldiers.
  • 1807–1813: During the existence of the Duchy of Warsaw, a total of 1,506 crosses are awarded, including 2 grand crosses, 9 commander's crosses, 386 knight's crosses, 462 gold and 647 silver crosses.
  • 1815: Tsar Alexander I as King of Poland lets the order continue to exist and the owners continue to draw the statutory pensions. Every officer awarded the order acquires the right to the hereditary nobility. The medal is awarded, but only to old combatants from the Napoleonic era.
  • 1830–1831: During the fighting of the army of the November uprising against the Russians, 3,863 crosses are distributed, including 1 Commander's Cross, 105 knight's crosses, 1,963 gold and 1794 silver crosses.
  • 1832–1835: Awards by Tsar Nicholas I : see above.
  • 1919: In independent Poland, the first statutes of the order to be renewed are presented. He should have three classes: Commander, Knight and Silver Cross. On August 1, 1919, however , the Sejm made the decision to renew the order with its five traditional classes under the name of the “Polish Military Order”. Each owner should receive an annual pension of PLN 300. NCOs and soldiers who receive the medal are entitled to the rank of officer. The day of the religious festival is the national day, May 3rd. The chapter should consist of 12 people. Józef Piłsudski is elected first chancellor .
  • 1919–1939: Approximately 8,135 crosses are awarded, mainly to participants in the fighting against the Red Army in 1919–1921 and earned foreigners.
  • 1933: New statutes are issued, the name of the order changed to "War Order Virtuti Militari". November 11th will be the new day of the Order.
  • 1939: During the fighting against the Germans in September around 1,000 crosses are awarded.
  • 1939–1945: The government-in-exile in London awards a total of around 5,500 crosses, including 3 Komtur, 6 knight, 201 gold and 5,363 silver crosses (i.e. no grand crosses). The awards will not continue after the end of the war.
  • 1944: The provisional government set up by the Soviets begins awarding them; By 1990 there will be a total of around 13 great, 3 commander, 12 knight, 177 gold and 4,080 silver crosses.
  • 1990 - from - 3rd Republic : The awards are continued, especially those of the lower three classes to veterans of the Polish armed forces from the Second World War fighting under Western Allied command, who have so far been ignored.

Some well-known knights of the Virtuti Militari order (only grand and commander crosses)

Medal from 1792

First Order, 1792–1793

Duchy of Warsaw and Congress Kingdom, 1807–1831

Second Republic 1918–1945

People's Republic 1945–1990 (only grand crosses for foreigners)

literature

  • Paul Hieronymussen: Orders, Medals and Decorations of Britain and Europe in Color. Blandford, London 1967.
  • Václav Měřička : Orders and Awards. 2nd Edition. Artia, Prague 1969.
  • Zbigniew Puchalski, Ireneusz J. Wojciechowski: Ordery i odznaczenia polskie i ich kawalerowie. Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza, Warszawa 1987, ISBN 83-03-02143-5 .
  • Иван Георгиевич Спасский: Иностранные и русские ордена до 1917 года. Дорваль, Санкт Петербург 1993, ISBN 5-8308-0042-X .

Web links

Commons : Virtuti Militari  - collection of images, videos and audio files