| Order of Michael the Brave Ordinul Mihai Viteazul | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Military Award |
| Presented by | The King of Romania (1916 – 1947) The President of Romania (since 2000) |
| Eligibility | Military personnel on active service |
| Status | Awarded only in time of war |
| Established | 1916, re-instituted 2000 |
| First awarded | 1916 |
| Last awarded | 1944 and disbanded in 1947 |
 Ribbon of the Order of Michael the Brave | |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | None (Highest) |
| Next (lower) | Order of the Star of Romania |
The Order of Michael the Brave (Romanian: Ordinul Mihai Viteazul) is Romania's highest military decoration, instituted by King Ferdinand I during the early stages of the Romanian Campaign of the First World War, and was again awarded in the Second World War. The Order, which may be bestowed either on an individual or on a whole unit, was named in honor of Michael the Brave (Mihai Viteazul), the late 16th-century Prince of Wallachia, Transylvania, and Moldavia.
Data
- Requirements: Awarded to officers only for exceptional deeds on the battlefield. It is the highest ranking Romanian military order.
- Classes: 3rd, 2nd and 1st
- Date Instituted: September 26, 1916
- Number awarded: 2184
- During WW1:
- 1st class: 16
- 2nd class: 12
- 3rd class: 336 (of which 43 awarded to military units)
- During WW2:
- 1st class: 15
- 2nd class: 76 (of which 13 awarded to military units)
- 3rd class: 1628 (of which 118 awarded to military units)
- During WW1:
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Recipients
- Józef Piłsudski
- Ion Antonescu
- Josip Broz Tito
- Vasile Atanasiu
- Alexandru Averescu
- Radu Bâldescu
- Nicolae Dabija
- Corneliu Dragalina
- Grigore Gafencu
- Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim
- Eremia Grigorescu
- Douglas Haig
- Michael I of Romania (as Commander-in-Chief of the Romanian Army in 1941)
- John J. Pershing
- Radu Korne
- Mihail Lascăr
- Leonard Mociulschi
- Paolo Morrone
- Ioan Pălăghiţă
- Constantin Prezan
- Corneliu Teodorini
- Constantin Mihalcea
- Gheorghe Băgulescu
- Virgil Bădulescu
During the Second World War, while Romania was allied with Germany, the Order was awarded to several military members of other Axis Powers, many in the Wehrmacht:
- Erwin Rommel
- Theodor Busse
- Fedor von Bock
- Walther von Brauchitsch
- Dietrich von Choltitz
- Karl Dönitz
- Hermann Göring
- Hermann Hoth
- Erich von Manstein
- Friedrich Paulus
- Wolfram von Richthofen
- Gerd von Rundstedt
- Wilhelm Schöning
- Walter Warlimont
- Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist
- Helmuth von Pannwitz
- Erwin Jaenecke
See also
References
External links
- (in English) Order of Michael the Brave at worldwar2.ro
- (in Romanian) History of the Order at the Romanian Presidency site
- (in English) Order of Michael the Brave and its recipients at TracesOfWar.com
 Orders, decorations, and medals of Romania | ||||||||
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| National decorations |
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| Commemorative decorations | ||||||||
| Peacetime military decorations |
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| Civil decorations |
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| Wartime military decorations |
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| Honorific signs | ||||||||
| The peacetime military insignia added: two crossed swords (tip up) between the sign and the link if awarded to military personnel in peacetime The categories are equal in ranking, and differentiate only the cultural field (A - literature; B - music; C - fine arts; D - performing arts; E - national cultural heritage; F - promotion of culture; H - religious cults; G - scientific research; I - architecture) ; The war insignia added: two crossed swords (tip up) behind the sign (except for Order of Michael the Brave, an order exclusevely for military personnel with exception conduct in wartime or warzones) | ||||||||