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The Military Order of Maria Theresa (''Militär-Maria-Theresien-Orden'' in German, ''Katonai Mária Terézia-rend'' in Hungarian, ''Vojenský řád Marie Terezie'' in Czech, ''Wojskowy Order Marii Teresy'' in Polish, ''Vojaški red Marije Terezije'' in Slovenian, Croatian: ''Vojni Red Marije Terezije''〔(Hrvatska u Prvome svjetskom ratu ), Vjesnik〕) was an Order of the Austro-Hungarian Empire founded on June 18, 1757, the day of the Battle of Kolin, by the Empress Maria Theresa 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 (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 honor for a soldier in the Austrian armed services. Originally, the order had two classes: the Knight's Cross and the Grand Cross. On October 15, 1765, Emperor Joseph II added a Commander's Cross and a breast star to be worn by holders of the Grand Cross. A prospective awardee was considered only in regards to their military service record; their ethnicity, birth and rank (as long as he was a commissioned officer) were irrelevant. Knight 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 also 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 has been awarded a total of 1241 times. On November 4, 1938, it was decided in Hungary to award further decorations of the order, citing legal continuity as long as Hungary's royal power is exercised by the Regent Miklós Horthy, the Regent shall perform the duties of the Order's Grand Master in Hungary. During World War II only one person received the Knights's Cross of the Order of Maria Theresia. 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.〔http://rendjel.myhunet.com/hu/A-kiegyezestol-az-I.-vilaghaboru-vegeig-(1867-1918)/Katonai-Maria-Teraezia-Rend/〕 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 headed the Tripcovich Shipping Company〔http://www.tripcovich.com/history.htm〕 in Trieste after the war. He died in 1986, aged ninety-six. == Insignia == * The ''badge'' of the order was a gilt, white-enameled 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 "Fortitvdini" (Fortitude). * 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. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Military Order of Maria Theresa」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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