The victory of Russia in the Patriotic War of 1812 was the most important prerequisite for the deployment in Germany of a powerful national liberation movement for its liberation from the domination of Napoleonic France, the beginning of the liberation war of the German people.

To reward persons who distinguished themselves in this war both on the battlefield with the enemy and in their homeland in the name of freedom and independence of the fatherland, on March 10, 1813, the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm III (1770-1840) established an insignia - the Iron Cross, which in those years became the national symbol of the just liberation war. He had two classes and a Grand Cross. There is evidence that Friedrich Wilhelm III intended to establish the 3rd class of the Iron Cross insignia in the form of an iron medal in a silver frame. However, this was not destined to come true. The Iron Cross was one of the most democratic awards of that time: both soldiers and generals could be awarded it. In accordance with the provision, the award was to be made in order of seniority of the classes, starting from the 2nd. This did not apply to the Grand Cross, which was intended to reward military leaders "... exclusively for winning a decisive battle, after which the enemy was forced to leave their positions, for the capture of an important fortress or for the staunch defense of a fortress that did not fall into the hands of the enemy." The external shape of the Iron Cross was determined by a sketch made by Frederick William III himself. In accordance with this sketch, the famous German architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1781 - 1841) created the final form of this sign, which is distinguished by its rigor and simplicity.

Iron Cross sample 1813 II class, 46x40.9 mm, 15.4 g.

Iron Cross sample 1813, 1st class, 40.5x40.2 mm, 14.4 g.

The Iron Cross of the 2nd class is a black iron plate, made in the shape of a cross and enclosed in a silver frame. According to the position, the front side of the cross is smooth, and on the reverse side on the upper shoulder there is a monogram "FW" (Friedrich Wilhelm III) under the royal crown, in the center - three oak leaves, and on the lower shoulder the year of the establishment of the Iron Cross - 1813. However, already in time of campaigns 1813-1815. crosses were often arbitrarily worn upside down. Official permission for such wearing was accepted only on April 19, 1838. On the upper shoulder of the cross there is an eyelet for a round ring, through which a ribbon is passed to wear the cross on the chest. At the same time, persons who distinguished themselves directly in battle with the enemy wore a cross on a black ribbon with a narrow white stripe and black edging along the edges, in other cases - on a white ribbon with a narrow black stripe and white edging along the edges. This rule was largely preserved for the Iron Crosses of later periods up to the First World War. On March 12, 1814, Friedrich Wilhelm III issued a decree on the inheritance of the Iron Cross 2nd class. In accordance with this decree, persons who distinguished themselves in the war of liberation and presented for the award of the Iron Cross 2nd class on a black ribbon with a narrow white stripe and black piping around the edges, but did not receive it, were entitled to receive the cross after the death of its former owner. At the same time, the cross had to remain in the military unit where it was deserved, and pass from officer to officer and from soldier to soldier. In total, about 10 thousand people were awarded the Iron Cross of the 2nd class, and taking into account the inherited crosses - about 16 thousand. The iron cross of the 1st class was originally made according to the position in the form of pieces of black silk ribbon folded in a cross and sewn together with a narrow white stripe and black piping along the edges and was worn on the left side of the chest. However, such a performance of a combat award worn in difficult field conditions was impractical. Therefore, on June 16, 1813, Friedrich Wilhelm III decided to make the Iron Cross of the 1st class in the same way as the 2nd class cross, i.e. from an iron plate enclosed in a silver frame. The front side of such a cross is smooth, and on its reverse side there were originally four, and then eight loops, with which the cross was attached to clothes, and, finally, in later copies, a pin with a hook. Iron crosses of the 1st class, as a rule, have a somewhat convex shape. For services in the liberation war of 1813-1815. 675 crosses of the 1st class were granted. The Grand Cross of the Iron Cross is similar to the 2nd Class Cross, but larger. This cross was worn around the neck on a wider than the 2nd class cross, a black ribbon with a narrow white stripe and a black piping along the edges. For merits in the war of liberation, the Grand Cross was awarded to Field Marshal Blucher, Generals Bülow, Tauentzin and York, Swedish Crown Prince Karl Johan (former French Marshal Bernadotte and future King of Sweden Karl XIV Johan). Information that the Grand Cross was additionally awarded to General Kleist and the Russian General Osterman-Tolstoy for distinction in the battle of Kulm (August 29-30, 1813) was not documented. For the Allied victory over the French at Waterloo, Field Marshal Blucher was awarded a special award on July 26, 1815 - the Iron Cross with golden rays, the so-called Blucher Star. To reward persons who distinguished themselves in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-1871, which ended with the unification of Germany under the hegemony of Prussia and the emergence of the German Empire, the Prussian King Wilhelm I (1797-1888) on July 19, 1870 renewed the insignia - the Iron Cross.

Iron Cross sample 1870 II class.

Iron Cross sample 1870, 1st class.

Commemorative fastener to the Iron Cross 2nd class, model 1870 (Bandspange “Silberne Eichenblätter “25”).

The difference between the Iron Crosses of both classes and the Grand Cross of 1870 from the crosses of 1813 is that on their front side on the upper shoulder there is a crown, in the center - the monogram "W" (William I), and on the lower shoulder the year of the renewal of the Iron Cross is given. - 1870. Crosses of the 1st class are made flat, and their reverse side has a pin with a hook for attaching to clothes. On August 18, 1895, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the victories in the Franco-Prussian War, Emperor Wilhelm II instituted silver oak leaves with the number "25" to the Iron Cross 2nd class. For distinction in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871. About 47 thousand people were awarded the Iron Cross of the 2nd class, 1st class - 1313. The Grand Cross was awarded to the Prussian Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm (future Emperor Frederick III), the Prussian Prince Friedrich Karl, the Saxon Crown Prince Albert (future King of Saxony) , Field Marshal Helmut Moltke, Generals Manteuffel, Goeben and Werder. At the request of his generals, Emperor Wilhelm I placed the Grand Cross on himself as commander-in-chief on June 16, 1871, upon the arrival of German troops in Berlin. Later, the Grand Cross was granted to the Mecklenburg-Schwerin Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II. With the beginning of the 1st World War 1914-1918. The Iron Cross has experienced its third birth. It was renewed on August 5, 1914 by the German Emperor Wilhelm II (1859-1941) to reward individuals who distinguished themselves in this war.

Iron Cross sample 1914 II class. 43x43 mm, 20.1 g.

Iron Cross sample 1914. I class, iron, silver. 43x44 mm, 21.53 g.

Iron crosses of both classes and the Grand Cross of 1914 differ from the crosses of 1870 in that the year of the second renewal of the Iron Cross - 1914 is given on their front side on the lower shoulder. At the same time, the monogram "W" in the center of the cross has a new content, indicating the name of the German Emperor Wilhelm II. Crosses of the 1st class, as a rule, have a flat shape and a pin with a hook for attaching to clothes, although there are crosses and a convex shape, as well as with a pin and a nut for attaching. In accordance with the decree of March 16, 1915, the Iron Cross could be awarded, along with citizens of all German states that were part of the German Empire, also citizens of states allied with it. Previously, such awards were not provided, although they took place. According to the decree of June 4, 1915, persons awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class 1870 and distinguished themselves in the 1st World War, instead of the 2nd Class Cross 1914, received a special silver buckle with a reduced Iron Cross 1914, which was attached to the ribbon cross of 1870. For merits in World War I, about 5 million 200 thousand people were awarded the Iron Cross of the 2nd class, about 220 thousand people were awarded the Cross of the 1st class. The Grand Cross was awarded to General Field Marshals Hindenburg, the Bavarian Prince Leopold and Mackensen, as well as General of the Infantry Ludendorff. At Hindenburg's request, Emperor Wilhelm II placed the Grand Cross on himself as commander-in-chief. For the second time in the history of the Iron Cross, on March 24, 1918, Field Marshal Hindenburg was awarded the Iron Cross with golden rays, the so-called "Hindenburg Star", for the successful launch of a large offensive on the Western Front on March 21, 1918. On September 1, 1939, Nazi Germany attacked Poland. On the same day, A. Hitler signed a decree on the renewal of the Iron Cross, which received the status of an order. In accordance with this decree, the Iron Cross had the following degrees and sequence of awards: Iron Cross 2nd class; Iron Cross 1st class; Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross; Grand Cross of the Iron Cross.

Iron Cross sample 1939 II class. 44.5x44 mm.

Iron Cross sample 1939, 1st class. 45x45 mm, 19.95 g. Iron, silver.

During the war, oak leaves were established for the Knight's Cross (June 3, 1940), oak leaves with swords (the first award on June 21, 1941, and the official establishment on September 28, 1941), oak leaves with swords and diamonds (the first award on July 15, 1941 year, and the official establishment on September 28, 1941) and, finally, golden oak leaves with swords and diamonds (December 29, 1944). According to the decree, the Iron Cross of 1939 could be awarded "... exclusively for special courage in front of the enemy and outstanding merits in the leadership of the troops." At the same time, the Grand Cross is for merit that influenced the course of the war.

Order of the Iron Cross "Grand Cross".

The golden eight-pointed star was awarded along with the Grand Cross.

Knight's cross with oak leaves.

Oak leaves with swords and diamonds.

Span to the Iron Cross.

The difference between the Iron Crosses of 1939 and the previous ones is that a swastika is depicted on their front side in the center of the cross, the year of the third renewal of the Iron Cross - 1939 is given on the lower shoulder, and on the reverse side of the 2nd class, Knightly and Large crosses it is only indicated on on the lower shoulder, the year of the original establishment of the Iron Cross is 1813. It should also be noted that, according to the decree, the Grand Cross was to have a gold frame instead of the silver one characteristic of the Grand Crosses of previous periods and the Iron Cross in general. Crosses of the 1st class, as a rule, are made flat and have a pin with a hook on the reverse side for attaching to clothing on the left side of the chest. However, there are crosses of this class and a convex shape, as well as with a pin and a nut for fastening. Oak leaves and oak leaves with swords were made of silver. Persons honored with oak leaves with swords and diamonds were usually given two copies: one made of platinum and white gold with diamonds on the leaves and hilts of swords, the other made of silver with rhinestones instead of diamonds and intended for everyday wear. Golden oak leaves with swords and diamonds were made of gold with diamonds on the leaves and hilts of swords. To wear the Iron Cross 2nd Class on the chest, the Knight's Cross, its varieties and the Grand Cross, a red ribbon of various widths with white and black stripes along the edges was provided around the neck. According to the decree on the renewal of the Iron Cross of September 1, 1939, persons awarded the Iron Cross of 1914 of one or both classes and awarded the Iron Cross of 1939 instead of this cross received a special silver buckle of the second award to the corresponding cross of 1914. At the same time, the buckle for the Iron Cross 2nd Class of 1914 was worn on its ribbon, and the buckle for the Iron Cross 1st Class was attached directly above this cross. There is information about the manufacture of samples of the Iron Cross in 1939 with golden rays. For services in the 2nd World War, about 3.2 million people were awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class and a buckle to the Iron Cross 2nd Class of 1914, about 420 thousand people were awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class and a buckle to the Iron cross of the 1st class in 1914, about 7400 people - with the Knight's Cross. About 890 people were awarded oak leaves to the Knight's Cross, 160 people - oak leaves with swords, 27 people - oak leaves with swords and diamonds. The highest combat award - golden oak leaves with swords and diamonds to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the number of awards of which was limited to 12, was awarded only to Colonel Rudel of Assault Aviation on January 1, 1945, who made 2530 sorties during the war. The only award was the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross. It was presented by Hitler on July 19, 1940 at the solemn meeting of the Reichstag on the occasion of the victory over France to the German Air Force Commander-in-Chief Hermann Goering, simultaneously conferring on him the rank of Reichsmarschall. Contrary to the resolution on the renewal of the Iron Cross of September 1, 1939, this cross had a silver frame instead of the gold, traditional for the Iron Cross. Apparently, Hitler did not want to break the more than a century old tradition in the performance of the Iron Cross. It should be noted that during the 2nd World War, the Iron Cross was awarded not only to representatives of the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS, but also to persons belonging to foreign volunteer formations, as well as to the armies of states allied with Germany. In post-war Germany, the wearing of awards with Nazi symbols was prohibited. In accordance with the law of the Federal Republic of Germany on titles, orders and insignia of July 26, 1957, the Iron Cross of 1939 was allowed to be worn in a new form - without a swastika. It has been replaced with the traditional three oak leaves. A new type of buckle appeared, which became the same for the crosses of both classes of 1914 and similar to the buckle for the Iron Cross of the 2nd class of 1870. This is a brief history of Germany's most popular mass combat award - the Iron Cross, which has become both a national symbol of a just war of liberation and a symbol of aggressive German imperialism and militarism.

Awards have always existed, but depending on the time, climate and circumstances, they took different forms: from ordinary signs of attention to precious signs. The value of the award is also relative: what was valued in one place was not valued at all in another, or was valued in a different way, according to one's own ideas. In this regard, it becomes necessary to combine two qualities in one object (thing): obvious material value and obvious recognition (spiritual, authoritative significance), which will be understandable to many tribes and peoples. Gold becomes such a material, things made from it and, over time, a gold coin: with the sign, name and, finally, the face of the ruler.

“In the III-IV centuries A.D. the leaders of the "barbarian" armies were often given specially minted gold medallions by the emperors of Rome, depicting a portrait of the emperor on the front side and an allegorical (gr. allegorical ) figure on the reverse side of the medallion" .

The forerunners of European awards are the princely signs of the Germanic tribes. These signs in the middle of the cross had a Byzantine gold coin. It meant high patronage - the Byzantine emperor. At the beginning of the 7th century, the rulers of the lands in northern Italy had such crosses made of gold foil, they were attached to clothes, banners and shields, and thereby confirmed their princely title. At the beginning of the 8th century, such crosses served as neck amulets for the princes of the Saxons in England. .

XII-XIV centuries - the time of the appearance of the first European order signs. It is significant that the first signs were made in Western Europe from gold using semi-precious red stones (including garnets), symbolizing the blood of Christ.

The Russian award system has a similar history. For a long time in Russia, for military prowess, for excellent service, the sovereigns granted various awards: weapons, land, expensive furs, rich brides, gold and silver cups, hryvnias, cattle, money and any other items. However, the most widespread, back in the XV century. under Grand Duke Vasily, received a special award - special awards made in the form of a gold coin, but not for monetary circulation. They were called "golden". Karamzin wrote: "Golden" was sometimes gold foreign money, sometimes on purpose beaten in Moscow and called "Muscovites" ... The voivodes were given large ones with the image of the Sovereign's face. They were awarded to the leaders of military detachments for large campaigns or for individual battles. So in 1577, Ivan the Terrible granted "a golden Portuguese and a chain of gold, and a golden Ugrian to Demenshi Cheremisinov, and a golden Novgorod to the sovereign nobles, and others to a golden Muscovite, and others to a gilded one ...".

An ordinary participant could receive a silver gilded money (200 Moscow money was 1 Moscow ruble) or a penny, which was sewn in a conspicuous place. N. M. Karamzin writes: “Foreign observers ... ask: what can not be expected from an infinite army, which, fearing neither cold nor hunger, and nothing but the wrath of the king, with oatmeal and crackers, without a convoy and shelter, with irresistible wanders with patience in the deserts of the north, in which only a small gold coin with the image of St. George is given for the most glorious deed, worn by a happy knight on a sleeve or hat?

At the end of the XVII century. thousands of "gold" were granted to the participants of the campaigns of the Russian army against the Crimean Khanate (in 1687 and 1689). “Gold”, made by the masters of the Armory and the Money Yard, from miniature signs of a quarter of a chervonets to larger ones of one, two, three and five chervonets, the ruler Sophia distributed as a reward to the participants of the campaigns, to everyone without exception. At the same time, class differences were clearly observed - the size of each sign strictly corresponded to the rank of the awarded. For governors and generals, "gold" awards were made, several times the size of ordinary awards. For the commander of the Russian troops, Prince Vasily Vasilyevich Golitsyn (1643-1714), a gold award depicting Tsars Ivan, Peter and Princess Sophia was made on a massive gold chain. The gold frame of the coin is decorated with blue enamel, rubies and emeralds, which gave this award a special, unique beauty and significance. .

The transformations of Peter I led to changes in the Russian award system. Along with award money, “medals” appear - (fr. medaillon) a round or oval piece of jewelry. Premium half and rubles of Peter are no different from ordinary running coins of the same denomination. In order to prevent the temptation, if necessary, to put such an award into circulation by soldiers and in order to somehow distinguish it from ordinary poltins and rubles, Peter personally points to the mint: “... and order everyone (medals) to make a battle on one side (drawing of a battle )…” . The word "medal" comes from the Latin "metallum", which means a metal sign for an award. The first Russian "orders" also appear.

Order - lat. ordo(ordinis) row, digit. From the Latin "ordo" - organization. That is, an interconnected series of individuals or organizations. A number of monasteries formed a spiritual order. A number of warriors - a military order. A number of rulers are a secular order. A number of noble warrior-monks: chivalrous military - spiritual. It was this row: knightly, that was the most attractive and useful for the sovereigns of many countries. Of course, each order had its own special rules, clothes, signs of external and internal differences. But there were also general rules. These include the rules of “chosenness” and “internal division”. The first rule limited the number of persons who could enter a number of worthy ones, for example: no more than 12 gentlemen (French cavalier - horseman). The second rule divided them into grandmasters, commanders and cavaliers. When knightly times passed, clothes changed, and the rules for wearing the signs of the “order” also changed.

Grandmaster(German gross + meister; Russian big + master) wore his badge on his hip, at the ends of a wide ribbon brought together, passing over his shoulder. Commander- on a narrower ribbon, around the neck. Cavalier - a smaller badge, on a narrow sash, on the chest. The “order” was no longer “joined”, it was “received”, the “order” becomes no longer union knights, and sign mercy of the ruler.

The design of the order sign was separated from the order clothes, began to be made of metal and attached to a ribbon, the color of which most often went back to the color of the order clothes. From the mantles of the secular knightly orders of the 16th-17th centuries, which, unlike the spiritual ones, did not bind themselves with a vow of poverty, there are stars and additional mottos (= inscriptions). Stars were embroidered on mantles, first as an adorning, decorative sign of gentlemen, then - as announcing the existing award.

All the first Russian order stars were embroidered, and colors sash and motto, connected in the colors of the motto ribbon.

Russian medals developed along with orders and in direct connection with them. Initially, medals were worn on a ribbon threaded into a buttonhole, later on the chest, to the left of orders and award crosses, and not in importance, like orders, but in order of award (except for medals on St. George ribbons). Award medals were also neck ones, which, like orders, complained on behalf of the sovereign. At the end of the 19th century, a fixed order of award was established for nominal medals. “The awarding of medals is requested in the following gradualness:

silver awards on the Stanislavskaya ribbon, on the Annenskaya ribbon, on the Vladimir ribbon, on the Alexander ribbon;

neck gold on the Stanislavskaya ribbon, on the Annenskaya ribbon, on the Vladimir ribbon, on the Alexander ribbon and on the St. Andrew's ribbon.

Gold medals, for the victory at Gangut on July 27, 1714, were worn on chains over the shoulder (like a sash), passing under the other arm.

Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.

In 1698, the first and highest award in Russia was established - the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. The order had one degree. Initially, it was supposed to elect no more than 24 cavaliers, but already under Peter I, 38 people were awarded, and subsequently the number of those awarded the order was not limited. The official awarding of the order took place on March 10, 1699. The tsar himself, with the rank of bombardier (artillery) captain, was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called only in 1703 for the capture of two Swedish ships at the mouth of the Neva and became the seventh holder of the order. Awarded, from 1797 simultaneously became gentlemen of the junior orders of St.. Alexander Nevsky and St. Anna I Art., and in the XIX century. to them were added the Order of the White Eagle and St. Stanislav Ict.

Cross .Cross with figure of St. Andrew, almost rectangular, with four beams of radiance emanating from its corners. All eight ends are rounded.On the reverse side“a double-headed eagle with three golden crowns is depicted ... On one side of the eagle stands A, the initial letter of the name of the holy Apostle Andrew, and on the other - P, in memoryfounder And patron saint order ... "After 1720, the cross is superimposed on the image of a double-headed eagle.

The final form of the cross, as well as other signs of this order, was legalized at the end of the 18th century. under Paul I. The surface of the cross is filled with blue enamel with a painted figure of the saint. The cross is located on a black double-headed eagle crowned with three crowns. At the ends of the cross there are gold letters: "SAPR" (SanctusAndreasPatronusRussiae-Saint Andrew the Protector / from French patronage - patronage / Russia). On the reverse side badge, covered with black enamel, the motto on a white enamel ribbon. The cross was worn on a wide ribbon over the right shoulder at the waist. Diamond jewelry began to constitute the highest degree of the order.

Star - octagonal. On the star, as well as on other signs of the order, individual details changed throughout the century. So, at the end of the XVIII century. the oblique cross on the star was replaced by the image of a double-headed eagle with the St. Andrew's cross on its chest, with lightning bolts and wreaths in its paws.

Chain . The Order of St. Andrew the First-Called was the only one of all Russian orders that had a chain. On especially solemn occasions, on the days of order holidays, the knights of the order wore a cross on a gold chain. There is not a single chain of the era of Peter I in the museum collections. However, one can have an idea of ​​​​its appearance from the surviving portraits of Peter and his contemporaries - the saying or motto is written in Russian letters on the order chain: “For faith and fidelity”.

By the end of the XVIII century. the chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, decorated with dull and transparent enamel, consisted of alternating links of three types: double-headed eagles, cartouches framed with fittings with the monogram of Peter I, and rosettes with St. Andrew's crosses against the background of gold stripes. The chain always began and ended with double-headed eagles.

motto ribbon : blue.

Motto : "For Faith and Loyalty".

Order holiday - November 30 / December 13.

The cross, star and large chain of the order, along with the crown, orb and scepter, were part of the state regalia. Made at the end of the 18th century. for the coronation of Paul I, in subsequent years they were used without alteration, as symbols of state power, for the coronation of Russian emperors.

In 1709, for the victory in the Battle of Poltava, for the first time, Russian medals had to be worn on narrow blue ribbons. But the ear was soldered by the awarded himself. The first Russian medals with ears appeared in 1760.

Order of St. Catherine.

In 1714, in memory of the Prut campaign of 1711, the highest female order of St. Catherine. Peter I solemnly awarded his wife Ekaterina Alekseevna with the signs of the order on her name day, and until 1726 she remained the only owner of it. The highest female order had two degrees. It provided for the admission to it: all the princesses of the royal house, 12 ladies of the grand cross and 94 cavalry ladies of the small cross.

Cross - a large oval medallion in a frame of diamonds, protruding at the corners of the beams in four directions. In the center - a picturesque image of a seated Saint Catherine, holding a white cross and a palm branch in her hands, above her head are the letters "SV.E". Between the ends of the cross are the Latin letters "DSFR" ("DomineSalvumFacRegem" - "Lord, save the king"). On the reverse side on the medallion there is an image of an eagle's nest on a rock, at the foot of which two eagles exterminate snakes, and a Latin inscription glorifying the wife-assistant: "AEQUANTMUNIACOMPARIS" - "Through work is compared with her husband", which was intended for the Queen, but was also suitable for other wives.

Star - octagonal, with an image in the center - a cross on a semi-wheel, surrounded by a motto, belonged to the highest degree of the order.

motto ribbon - red with a silver border.

Motto - "For Love and Fatherland".

Order holiday - November 24 / December 7.

On a white sash with a gold border (the highest degree) or a ribbon bow (for cavalry ladies), a motto inscription in Russian is embroidered in gold. Subsequently, Paul I changed the color of the ribbon, and it became red with a silver border and a silver inscription.

An exception :

On February 5, 1727, the sign of the Grand Cross was received at the age of 13 by the son of A. D. Msnshikov - Alexander, for his shy female character. He was called the male cavalry lady. After the fall of his father, at the direction of Peter II, Menshikov Jr. was deprived of his awards, and his signs of the Order of St. Catherine were transferred to the emperor's sister Natalya Alekseevna to wear. Contrary to popular belief, Menshikov Jr. was not the only man awarded the ladies' order, the order complained to men more than once. The last recipient was Prince Anatoly Aleksandrovich Kurakin, a member of the State Council and Honorary Guardian of the Office of Empress Maria Feodorovna.

Order of St. Alexander Nevsky.

The appearance of the third Russian order is also associated with the name of Peter I. He decided to establish a military award in memory of Prince Alexander Nevsky, who became famous for his victories over the Swedes. However, the official approval of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky took place on May 21, 1725, already after the death of Peter I. Catherine I established the order as an award granted for military exploits and for civil service to the Fatherland. Catherine I made the first awards with the order on May 21, 1725, on the day of the marriage of her daughter Anna Petrovna with the Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Karl-Friedrich. The order had one degree.

Cross - initially, its ends were decorated with ruby ​​glasses in a blank frame, between the ends of the cross - golden double-headed eagles, in the center of the cross - a white enamel medallion with a picturesque image of Alexander Nevsky in combat clothes and a red cloak, on a white horse with a spear in his hand. At the beginning of the XIX century. glass was replaced with red enamel. On the reverse side, in a white rosette, monogram of the letters "S" and "A", under the prince's crown.

Star - In the center of an openwork silver octagonal star on the white field of the medallion is the monogram of St. Alexander from the letters "SA" under the crown, framed by a red ring with the words of the motto.

The badges of the order, adorned with diamonds, constituted the highest degree of the order. Such a high orderwith diamondswas awarded the famous ataman of the Cossack Don Army M. I. Platov, who had previously received for the campaign of 1806-1807. the same order without decorations.

motto ribbon : red.

Motto : "For Labor and Fatherland".

Order holiday: August 30 / September 12.

Maybe, the first medal on the Alexander Ribbon was awarded September 28, 1788, for the development of the Aleutian Islands.

Order of St. George.

However, the idea of ​​a reward awarded for military merit was not forgotten. Forty-five years later, Catherine II signed the statute higher military Order of the Russian Empire. Establishment of the Order of St. George took place on November 26, 1769 in St. Petersburg. In a solemn atmosphere, Catherine II laid on herself the signs of the order, which became one of the most revered in pre-revolutionary Russia. The statute forbade the decoration of signs with precious stones. Received the badges of the order of any degree became a hereditary nobleman. Under Paul I, the order was not awarded, it was not mentioned in the statute of Russian orders. The order was restored on December 12, 1801.

Cross . “A large gold cross with white, on both sides with enamel along the edges with a gold border, in the middle of which is the coat of arms of the Moscow Kingdom on enamel, that is: in the red field St. George, armed with silver armor ... A cross for Cavaliers of the third and fourth classes in everything similar to a large one, except that it is somewhat smaller. On the reverse side, in a rosette, a monogram of the letters "SG".

For a century and a half (until 1917) since the establishment of the Order of St. George, 25 people were awarded the signs of the I degree, 121 people of the II degree, 638 of the III degree. They were awarded the order, starting with the IV degree. Order of St. George IV Art. was also an award for seniority in officer ranks. In this regard, in order to distinguish from the signs received for military exploits, on signs IV Art., issued for length of service, with 1816 they began to place inscriptions on the transverse ends: “25 years” - for 25 years of service in the army and “18 campaigns” - for 18 naval campaigns in the navy.

IN 1855 awarding George IV Art. was canceled for years of service. The statute of the order says: "This order should never be removed, for it is acquired by merit."

Star - quadrangular, gold. In the center: the letters "SG". Relied to the awards of I and II degree.

motto ribbon - from three black and two yellow stripes alternately.

Motto : "For Service and Courage".

Order holiday - November 26 / December 9.

Insignia of the Military Order.

In 1807, a military award was established for soldiers and non-commissioned officers - the "Insignia of the Military Order": a solid silver cross with a relief image of St. George. On the reverse side: in the middle part, a monogram of the letters "C" and "G"; on the sides, serial number . In 1829, a rosette was attached to the ribbon of the cross, which meant a second award. Until 1856, the "Badge of Distinction" did not have degrees and was issued only once. The sign was not removed even if the person awarded it was promoted to officer and received the Order of St. George. . Since 1856, the badge has been divided into four degrees: I and II degrees - gold, III and IV - silver. Soldiers - non-Christians were given crosses with the image of a double-headed eagle on both sides of the central medallion. At the crosses of the first and third degree, it was attached to the ribbon bow.

Under the new statute 1913 the insignia began to be called George cross.

From June 1917 soldier George's crosses were awarded officers for personal bravery in battle. Such crosses were worn with a gilded laurel branch on a ribbon. Soldier who replaced an officer in battle could receive order St. George, with the same, but a silver branch.

The respect for the soldier "George" that has survived to this day was based not only on the courage of the soldier who received the award, but also on how the award was reinforced. Each subsequent feat worthy of a sign brought the recipient an increase in salary: by one third each time - up to doubling the salary. When he was transferred to the reserve, the added salary was maintained until the end of his life, and after his death, "cross money" was issued to his widow for another year. The decree of July 15, 1808 exempted the hero from corporal punishment. The decree of December 2, 1808 protected the cross from the encroachments of the authorities and the Sign could be withdrawn only by court, with the notification of the Tsar. The decree of July 28, 1815 exempted retired cavaliers from various taxation. The hero, even crippled, did not become a family burden, rather, a breadwinner.

First Russian medal on St. George's ribbon appeared in 1774, for peace with Turkey.

Order of St. Vladimir.

In 1782, Catherine II established the Order of St. Vladimir, as a reward for service to the Fatherland, for military merit and for long service. The order was divided into four degrees. Order of St. Vladimir, second in importance after the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. On the signs issued for length of service, the corresponding inscription was placed. Under Paul I, the order was not awarded, it was not mentioned in the statute of Russian orders. The order was restored simultaneously with the Order of St. George December 12, 1801

Recipients of the Order of Vladimirmilitarymerit since 1855 received signs with golden crossed swords.

The knights of the order were prescribed his everyday wearing .

Cross - gold, with dark red enamel, surrounded by a black border. On the front side of the crosses in the center, on a black background, is an ermine mantle - on it are the first letters of the name of the order: "SV". Back- date of establishment of the order: "September 22, 1782".

A cross of the first degree was worn on a wide ribbon (10 cm) over the right shoulder, a star on the left side of the chest,

Cross of the second degree - on the neck, on a narrower ribbon (5.5 cm) and, on the left side of the chest - a star,

Cross of the third degree - smaller, on a narrow ribbon (4.5 cm), around the neck.

Cross of the fourth degree - on a ribbon (2.2 cm), in a buttonhole.

Star - octagonal, where a square of silver rays is superimposed on a square of golden rays. In the center: on black enamel, around a gold cross, the gold letters "SRKB", meaning "Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir", around the center, on red enamel, the motto is written in gold letters. The chapter issued, as a rule, embroidered stars, and metal ones were purchased at will. In July 1854, embroidered stars were abolished and replaced by forged ones made of silver and gold with enamel.

motto ribbon - black - red - black.

Motto - "Benefit, Honor and Glory."

Order holiday - September 22 / October 5.

In 1790 issued the first Russian medals on the Vladimir ribbon, for peace with Sweden.

Order of St. Anna.

In 1735, in Holstein (the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein), the family order of Anna was established, which had one degree. According to the original statute (establishment), the number of knights did not exceed 15. The grand master of the order, the grandson of Peter I, Peter Ulrich (Anna's son), in 1761 became the Russian emperor - Peter III. But the order remains personal the property of the emperor. His wife, Catherine II, having ascended the throne after his death, acquires a meaning for the order, inferior to other Russian orders. The number of gentlemen becomes unlimited. It was included in the statute of Russian orders in 1797 on the day of the coronation of Paul I, with a changed name: Saint Anna and was divided into three degrees with an unlimited number of gentlemen. The order was awarded for both military and civilian merit. In its final form, in four degrees, the order was approved in 1874.

Cross . The cross of the order was originally made with red convex glass at the ends, an openwork gold ornament between its ends was decorated with diamonds. At the beginning of the XIX century. glasses were replaced with red enamel, and signs adorned with diamonds began to reward foreign citizens.

The order of the first degree is a red enamel cross, “in the middle of which, in a circle on the right side, there is an image of St. Anna, and on the left side - the letters associated with a monogram ... ". On the reverse side, in a white rosette, a blue monogram of the Latin letters "AIPF" (lat. filia - daughter), hiding the inscription "Anna of Emperor Peter's Daughter". The first letters in the words: the monogram - Imperator and the motto - Justitia, are similar, but not the same. They should not be confused. The cross was to be worn over the left shoulder, on a wide ribbon.

Order of the second degree - on a narrow ribbon around the neck.

The statute of 1829 introduced the imperial crown for signs of I and II degrees, which, as it were, increased the value of the award. The crown was abolished in 1874.

The order of the third degree, awarded for military exploits, like all signs of Russian orders, was made of gold until 1812. Out of economy, it was decided to make signs of this degree from base metal, tombac. In 1813, 751 such signs were sent to the army, in 1814 - 1094.

In 1815, the fourth degree (former third) was established for the order, which was awarded only to junior officers for participating in the battle and attached to the hilt of edged weapons with the inscription "For Bravery".

Statute of the Order of St. Anna, revised and supplemented, was promulgated on July 22, 1845. The Statute defines the procedure for awarding the order, the rights of gentlemen, and the prohibition to decorate signs with precious stones. The new law deprived most of the recipients, namely the cavaliers of the II, III, IV degrees, of the right to acquire hereditary nobility, which they received together with the order until 1844.

Star - silver octagonal. She, unlike all other orders, was worn on the right side of the chest. In the center, against a gold background, is a red enamel cross surrounded by a red belt with the inscription: "AmantibusJustitiamPietatemFidem" (To those who love Truth, Piety, Loyalty), under two angels supporting a crown.

motto ribbon : red with iron-colored borders, later: red with yellow borders.

Motto - “To those who love justice, piety and faith” 46 (lat. justitia - justice).

Order holiday - February 3/16.

"Decree on Orders" of 1797 to the Order of St. Anna was ranked specialMark of distinctionOrder of St. Anna, established on November 12, 1796.for the lower ranksfor seniority and special merit. Emperor Paul was the first to come up with the idea of ​​including a soldier's medal in the system of the order, as its lowest degree. “... For cavaliers of the third class, the cross is the same as on the star, depicted on a sword or saber. Honored from the lower ranks are given the same ribbon, but narrower (i.e. morenarrow) and the second class with a gilded medal, on which, on one side, the same cross is depicted as on the sword, and on the other, a number is displayed to maintain the correct account of these handed out awards. It was

first soldier's "service" medal,

first medal with serial number and

first medal on the Annenskaya ribbon.

Until 1864, the medal was issued only for long-term service, and after that year, for special merits with the addition of a bow to the ribbon.

Order of St. John of Jerusalem (Maltese "cross").

At the end of the XVIII century. the island of Malta is the seat of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem - was captured by the troops of Napoleon I. The chapter of the order moved to St. Petersburg, where at one of the meetings members of the order, Emperor Paul I in 1798 was illegal elected Grand Master (Latin magister - head, mentor) of the Order of Malta. Order of Malta: military - monastic catholic organization. According to the Charter of the Order, to become its member, and even more so the first person, Orthodox man - could not (dejure). Nevertheless, Paul I led the Order in practice (defacto) and was recognized by: several branches (priorities) of the Order (12 - for; 6 - against), the secular governments of Western Europe (except France and Spain) and this international decision was put into effect Francis II - Emperor of the Holy Roman-German Empire and Apostolic King of Hungary (i.e. Austria-Hungary). Realizing the inadmissibility and hopelessness of the current situation, the Holy See, represented by the Popes of Rome: Pius VI and Pius VII, takes the “decision of silence”, i.e. refrains from formal protest. In the hope that the Orthodox branch of the Order of the Hospitallers (lat. gospitalisguest) will still be legalized, Paul I creates the Orthodox Catholic Russian Order of St. John of Jerusalem.

The signs of the order in Russia have not undergone external changes, but have been supplemented.

Sovereign Military Order Hospitaller of Saint John Jerusalem Rhodes and Malta	Russian Sovereign Order Saint John of Jerusalem
Master's Cross: large size, worn on a gold chain.	Master's Cross: Grand Master de la Valetta - large with a central medallion depicting Filermskaya icon of the Mother of God.
Grand Cavalier's Cross, aka: Cross of Honor and Dedication; Bali cross (judges). Between the sides of the cross are golden lilies, connected from above by ribbons with the master's crown, above its sphere - a bow: from banners, a pennant with straight white 4-pointed crosses and a helmet turned to the right (from the viewer: to the left side).	First degree - the same, worn on a neck ribbon.
The commander's cross is somewhat smaller, its rays are thinner. The master's crown is fixed in the upper rays, above it is a bow: from a cuirass with a straight white cross, banners with white 8-pointed crosses and a helmet turned to the left (from the viewer, to the right).	Cross of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem The second degree is the same, worn on a neck ribbon.
Small cavalier's cross: only with a crown, without a bow with banners.	Small cavalier's cross, worn in a buttonhole, its size is slightly smaller than the previous one.
Donatian semi-cross: without a crown, the upper quarter of the cross is not enamelled, between the sides is decorated with lilies, like all of the above.	Donatian half-cross: like all the above, made of gold, its size is slightly smaller than the previous one.
	Soldier's cross: completely brass, with lilies (donat).
	Large cross (for women) on a ribbon over the shoulder.
	Small cross (for women) on the left side of the chest
Order star: only sewn on, from white matter, without lilies.	Order star: sewn on from matter; embroidered with threads; or in gold with white enamel, (all) without lilies

Cross : Since the founding of the Order, the knights, in addition to the white cross on their clothes, wore a silver cross of the same form, first on the rosary, and then on the chest. The wearing of silver crosses was officially established by the Chapter of the Order in 1631. Later, silver crosses began to be replaced by gold ones covered with white enamel. On the reverse side- covered with white enamel.

Star : gold, eight-pointed cross covered with white enamel or sewn on cloth.

Motto : "For faith." (lat. ProFide).

ribbon : all black.

Order holiday: (Russian) possibly - November 29 / December 12.

In 1801, Emperor Alexander I, having ascended the throne, renounced the title of master (chief, head, teacher), and in 1810 issued a decree to stop awarding the Order of Malta in Russia. Signs of the order, since January 20, 1817, it was forbidden to wear. Nicholas II, faithful to the memory of his great-great-grandfather Paul I, granted the officers, graduates of the Corps of Pages, the right to wear the Maltese Cross, first as a medal, and then, on the occasion of the anniversary of this military school (1802-1902), as a regular graduate badge (= modern “float” "). Somewhat smaller than the star of the order, the cross was worn on the left side of the chest. Russian knights chose a motto for themselves: “MonDieu, monroi, madame” (fr. My God, my king, my lady). It flaunted on the inside of a knightly, blued iron ring, on its golden “lining”, which peeped out from under the iron with narrow edgings. Iron and gold are symbols of military prowess and nobility!

Donat (from lat. donator, lit. - donor) of the Order of Malta was established in 1798 to reward the lower ranks for 20 years of impeccable service. From October 10, 1800, it was issued instead of the Annensky medal. They wore a brass cross (22 x 22 mm) on a black order tape. A direct comparison of the details and the shape of this sign reveals its meaning. This is a small (in size) cross of Honor and Initiation (in form) of a simple (not noble, not “golden” - brass) Christian warrior (knight), whose award (sign) and person are firmly connected (with a silk ribbon) by Faith (the motto of the black ribbons).

In 1801, after the death of Paul I, it was replaced by the Annensky medal.

Medals "For various occasions" of gold and silver, in 1798 - 1801, were awarded on black tape .

Conclusion. The article about the awards of the Order of St. John, is written in the generally accepted style, because. with the correct naming, few would understand what exactly is at stake. The fact is that all the signs described above are not crosses, these are cruciform stars. But, unlike the Knights of Malta and Emperor Paul I, modern researchers do not distinguish between them. Although it is so obvious that it is enough to turn your attention to the coat of arms (inherited

sign) of the Order and on the Russian military banners of the Pavlovsk time, as any comments become redundant, a shield with a light cross- only protects light star, but it is not. As for the rightmost drawing, there are four light (white) aspirations on it ( arrows), have not yet met, therefore - neither a cross, nor a star, but an “ornament”.

Kulm cross. There was another foreign and strange award in the history of Russian awards. This is the "Kulm Cross", established in 1813 for the battle of the town of Kulm (now the city of Chlumets). The 37,000th corps of Napoleonic troops was held by the forces of the 1st Guards Division and the remnants of several infantry units, under the command of Osterman-Tolstoy. The battle was watched by the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm III and the Russian emperor Alexander I. The unequal battle continued until the night, when reinforcements began to arrive at the remnants of the Russian division. By morning, the superiority of the allies became tangible, and with the appearance of the Prussian corps in the rear of the enemy, the French were squeezed and defeated. 12,000 soldiers were taken prisoner. This battle was the first successful joint action of the allies. However, in the Russian detachment every second was wounded or killed. The Prussian king, realizing that the desperate stubbornness of the Russian regiments saved the armies of the allies, announced on August 18, 1813 that he would award all the surviving Russian guards with the Iron Cross.

But… The Iron Cross was a rare award even for Prussian officers. And on December 13, 1813, a decree follows on awarding the Russian guardsmen with the Kulm Cross. The list of Russian participants in the battle included 9 generals, 415 officers, 1168 non-commissioned officers, 404 musicians and 10,070 lower ranks. The made awards were sent in 1815 to St. Petersburg and on April 24, 1816, 7131 crosses were awarded, as many participants in the battle remained alive. The officers received silver crosses (44 x 44 mm) covered with black enamel, the soldiers received iron crosses (42 x 42 mm) painted with black paint. The value of this award was announced two days later, on April 27, in the Russian Invalid newspaper: “... The Sovereign Emperor and the Allied Monarchs, together with the whole of Europe, gave full justice ... /... / ... The King of Prussia, wanting to especially commemorate ... deigned to reward them familiar
Distinctions of the Iron Cross » . Everything became clear to everyone. We already had our own Insignia of the St. George Cross and the Insignia of the Order of St. Anna - for the lower ranks. Such an award humiliated Russian officers and did not elevate ordinary soldiers even to the level of our St. George Badge. Therefore, the nominal decree of April 20, 1827 is not surprising, where “The Sovereign Emperor (Nicholas I) deigned to command the highest: the insignia of the Prussian Iron Cross should be considered on a par with Russian medals.” The award was called the name: "medal", which made it possible at least not to offend the feelings of Russian officers. The Prussian monarch succeeded show Russian soldiers knighted, but failed do . It is not the precious metal of the award that is valued, the real price is its well-known name. Therefore, some of the awardees did not wear officially issued signs, but their first crosses, made by craftsmen from white tin and black leather on the battlefield - as the sign of the "Promised Knight's Cross".

Order of "Virtuti Militari" (Military Courage)

In 1764 Stanisław - August Poniatowski was elected King of Poland. The last king. He established the first Polish military award - the oval medal "Military Merit" (lat. Virtute - courage), which was worn on Stanislavskaya, red with white edges tape. The first awards were still going on, and the medal was changed into an order with five degrees, the two lowest of which were gold and silver medals, which were soon replaced by gold and silver crosses (without enamel, for lower ranks).

Cross first degree - gold, covered with black enamel, had in the center, in a green wreath - a Polish eagle, and on the rays - the words "VIRTUTIMILITARI "(lat. militarismilitary ). On the reverse sidecross, in the center - the Lithuanian coat of arms "Pursuit" (lit. / Polish. "chase"), a galloping horseman, and on the rays - the initials of Stanislav - August.

ribbon became black with blue stripes along the edges (land in the air - free land).

Star represented the front side of the cross superimposed on silver rays.

From 1794 to 1807, Poland as a state ceased to exist, absorbed by Austria, Prussia and Russia. In 1807, Napoleon I proclaimed the creation of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw as part of his empire. The Saxon elector Friedrich August is invited to govern the duchy, and he revives all Polish orders. But, because Lithuania was part of the Russian Empire, the Lithuanian horseman, on the reverse side cross, is replaced by a Latin saying ( motto ) "REXETPATRIA" (king and fatherland), under it - the date of the establishment of the order "1792". After the defeat of the Napoleonic Empire, the Duchy of Warsaw also collapsed. In 1815, by decision of the Congress of Vienna, Poland ceded to Russia. Under Alexander I, one of the articles of the Constitutional Law of the Kingdom of Poland read: “Polish military and civil Orders, that is, the Order of the White Eagle, St. Stanislav and the Military Cross are preserved.” For residents of Poland. The Military Cross was intended as an award to Polish officers for military merit in the struggle. for freedom and independence country, so Alexander I did not award this order. In 1830, Poland revolted again, and the leaders of the uprising awarded crosses of "military courage" to its participants.

Tsar Nicholas I brutally suppressed the uprising of the Poles and ordered in 1831 to reward all participants in the suppression of this uprising others cross"Military Merit", front side and star which - did not differ from the Polish order. On the reverse side cross, in the middle of the letters "SARP" ( FROM tanislav- BUT august R ex/king P olsha), in a laurel wreath, under the words "King and Fatherland" is placed the date that canceled all these words - "1831".

ribbon -silk moire blue, with wide black stripes along the edges (air squeezed by the earth - buried freedom).

Medal "For the capture of Warsaw by storm. 25 and 26 Aug. 1831" and others, were awarded on these ribbons.

Crosses were issued only to participants in this suppression. In total, 14 large crosses were distributed to senior generals, 188 commander's - to generals and colonels, 1105 knight's - to headquarters officers, 5219 gold - to chief officers and about 100,000 silver - to soldiers. Immediately after the distribution, it was canceled in Russia - forever . Establishing this cross, Nicholas I "... ordered to consider it asmedal …» .

From which the obvious conclusion follows: with a high external similarity of awards, in Russia - order"Military courage" - was not awarded. As they say: Fedot, but not the same, the "Kulm" trick was repeated in other circumstances. In the same year, Poland lost other orders: they became Russian.

Order of the White Eagle.

The Order of the White Eagle is one of the oldest Polish orders. The order had one degree. At first, the sign of the order was a medal, but from 1713 it turned into an eagle covered with white enamel, superimposed on red, with a white border, cross .

Cross on star had reverse colors - white with a red border.

Motto written on a star, across the white field of the cross.

Cavaliers wore the order on blue tape , and the king is chains , in the links of which white eagles and medallions with images of St. Virgin.

By joining the Russian orders, the signs of the order in 1831 underwent some changes.

Cross - gold, with a false white single-headed eagle superimposed on a black double-headed Russian eagle crowned with three crowns. The shape of the crown on the head of the white eagle has been changed. On the reverse side white four-pointed cross in radiance. In the middle of the cross, in the medallion, are the letters "RiA", "M" and "A".

Star - octagonal, silver with gilding, with a white cross in the center of the medallion. Around the cross, in a circle of blue enamel, the Latin inscription "ProFide, RegeetLege". In 1917, the Provisional Government replaced the inscription with laurel branches.

Motto : "For the Faith, the King and the Law."

motto ribbon : since January 25, 1832 - blue.

On February 13, 1915, the medal "For the work on the excellent implementation of the general mobilization of 1914" was established. She, the only one, stood out in dark blue tape Order of the White Eagle.

Order of St. Stanislav.

Established - May 7, 1765 by King Stanisław-August Poniatowski. A circle of 100 gentlemen was supposed, but the restriction was soon lifted. At the beginning, a red cross with white eagles between the rays and the figure of a saint in the center was superimposed on an oval medallion. But soon the cross began to be worn independently. Alexander I, rewarding them Polish citizens in 1815, approved four degrees for the order. Order of St. Stanislav, as well as the Order of the White Eagle, became part of Russian orders in 1831

In 1839 the fourth degree was abolished, and for the second degree the imperial crown crowning the badge was established.

Cross orders - gold, with balls at forked ends, connected by golden arches, covered with red enamel on the front side. After 1831 the image of St. Stanislav on the white enamel field of the medallion was replaced by the saint's monogram of two letters - "SS". Between the ends of the cross were placed gold double-headed eagles instead of single-headed Polish ones. On the reverse side cross, not covered with enamel, in a white enamel rosette monogram "SS".

Star - silver octagonal. With the order of the I degree, the recipient received a star with the monogram of a saint and the motto "Praemiandoincitat".

ribbon - red color with a white double border.

Motto : "Rewarding, encourages."

Order holiday - April 25 / May 8.

In the general order of precedence, the Order of St. Stanislav took his place after the Order of St. Anna. Russian medals on Stanislavskaya tape- not found.

On all orders issued to persons of non-Christian faith, since 1845, the images of saints were replaced by the image of the Russian eagle.

Since 1855, gold crossed swords began to be placed on all orders intended as a reward for military merit, with the exception of the Order of St.. George, as originally a military man.

Insignia of St. Olga.

Insignia of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince. Olga was established in February 1913. The first and only awarding with a cross of the 2nd art. took place on April 2, 1916. Vera Nikolaevna Panaeva was awarded, having lost three sons, all of them were officers of the 12th Akhtyrsky Hussar Regiment and holders of the Order of St. George 4th class.Crossthe first degree of the award was made fromgold, the second - from silver. On the reverseon the side of the cross is an inscription in Old Slavonic letters - February 21, 1613-1913.ribbon- white. Motto: For the benefit of others.

Attention- not to be confused with modern eponymous orders.

Romanovsky badge of distinction "For labors in agriculture".

The award was established in February 1914. The badge was intended to reward people of all conditions of both sexes who stood out in particular for their merits in one of the branches of the domestic agricultural industry.Cross 1st degree - goldfour-pointed, covered with green enamel on the front side. In the center of the cross is an oxidized silver Romanov coat of arms framed by a golden wreath. On the reverse side of the cross are the inscriptions: "February 21, 1913" and "For labors in agriculture." Cross 2nd class -silver. Third degree -silvera medal with a smaller green cross superimposed on it, the same inscriptions on the reverse.ribbon- dark green with a narrow black stripe along the edges .

In the Russian award system, there was also a transitional link between "orders" and "medals", these are "crosses". There are not many crosses close in meaning to orders - only five.

For service and courage during the capture of Ochakov on December 6, 1788.

1. For excellent courage during the capture of Ishmael on December 11, 1790.

2. For labor and courage during the capture of Prague (a suburb of Warsaw) on October 24, 1794.

3. For labor and courage, for the victory at Preussisch-Eylau on January 27, 1807.

4. For excellent courage during the capture of Bazardzhik on May 22, 1810.

Chief and staff officers who showed courage and bravery in battle, presented to the military orders of St. George 4 tbsp. and St. Vladimir 4th class, but who did not receive them, were awarded these gold crosses worn on St. George's ribbons. Each cross subtracted "... three years of service to receive a military order and a pension."

The other two crosses, in their mass and purpose, approached the medals.

On July 12, 1864, the award cross "For Service in the Caucasus" was established. Four varieties of it were minted: three - from gold, silver and light bronze, 48 x 48 mm in size; the fourth, made of light bronze, measures 34 x 34 mm. All ranks of the army who took an active part in the war against the highlanders from 1859 to 1864 were awarded with crosses. The bronze cross was awarded to all the lower military ranks, including the local Caucasian militia volunteers who took part in various battles, as well as all officials, priests and doctors who performed their duties during military operations.

To the tenth anniversary (January 19, 1914) of the eleven-month defense of Port Arthur, special cross "Port Arthur"

adorned the chest of the surviving defenders of the fortress. There were two types of cross (42 x 42 mm): silver for rewarding officers and light bronze for lower ranks.

Crosses were awarded not only to soldiers, but also to those who prayed for them - Russian clergy. On August 30, 1814, when the Russian soldiers were already returning from conquered Paris, Emperor Alexander I published a manifesto on the establishment of crosses for the clergy, which stated: “... Our Most Holy Clergy, calling before the Altar of the Almighty with warm prayers, God's blessing on the All-Russian weapons and army, and examples of piety, encouraging the people to unanimity and firmness, as a sign of good will to faith and love for the Fatherland, but wears on his chest, from the supreme shepherd inclusive to the priest, a cross specially approved for this with the inscription of 1812. About 40 thousand such crosses were issued to clergy who were in the service in 1812.

This award was minted from dark bronze, size - 75 x 45 mm, on the front side, in its crosshairs, it looks like a medal "In memory of the Patriotic War of 1812". On the reverse side, like a medal, there is a four-line inscription in the crosshairs: "NOT TO US, NOT TO US, BUT TO YOUR NAME". The ends of the cross are smooth, without any decorations or inscriptions. It was intended to be worn on the Vladimir ribbon. “Not to us, Lord, not to us, but glory to your name,” was embroidered on the banner of the Poor Knights of Christ and the Solomon Temple, or, in short, the Templars. “Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory, for the sake of Your mercy, for the sake of Your truth,” says the Psalms of David (Ps. 114:9). What kind of God's warrior Name remembers negotiable side of the Sovereign medal? Alexander I wrote: “Warriors! in commemoration of these unforgettable deeds of yours, We commanded to knock out and consecrate a silver medal, which, with the inscription on it of the past, so memorable year 1812, should adorn the irresistible shield of the Fatherland, your chest on a blue ribbon.

On August 26, 1856, Emperor Alexander II, who ascended the throne, establishes an award medal "In memory of the Eastern (Crimean) War of 1853 - 1856." The “Highest Manifesto” also established a special pectoral cross measuring 95 x 58 mm, made of dark bronze. The central part of the cross was a life-size medal, the front side of the cross and the front side of the medal were the same. The front side of the cross is decorated with figured cutouts, flip side- smooth. It was intended to be worn on the Vladimir ribbon. After the death of the recipient, the cross was handed over to the eldest in the family or placed for eternal storage in the church sacristy.

The tercentenary of the accession of the Romanov dynasty (1613 - 1913) was marked by the establishment of a medal, which depicts similar profiles of Mikhail Romanov, the founder of the dynasty, and Nicholas II, who was destined to become its last representative on the Russian throne. In addition to the medal, a pectoral cross was established for the clergy - a tasteless, clumsy sign covered with multi-colored enamel with drop-shaped pendants below, as if the enamel was flowing from the cross. It was intended to be worn on a ribbon of white, yellow and black.

Russian awards almost did not have their own ribbons, but were worn on the ribbon of one of the orders, explaining the meaning of the award. Since the number of motto ribbons was small, the recognition of the awards was very high even among the common people. Almost any man, seeing a striped black and orange St. George ribbon from afar, could say that the award (cross, medal, banner, weapon, etc.) was “military” (only for military operations) and was given “For service and courage” ( motto).

So, on February 23, 1904, an order was signed to reward personnel two warships "Varyag" and "Korean", for the battle with the enemy (Japanese) squadron at Chemulpo. The ship priest of the Varyag, the namesake of the commander, Mikhail Rudnev received a gold pectoral cross on the St. George ribbon, indicating that this is a combat (military) insignia.

(Here is a golden cross on the Vladimir ribbon).

And in 1914, for the successful general mobilization, General A.S. Lukomsky received an unusual award: the Vladimir ribbon, on his Order of St. Vladimir of the 4th degree, the Tsar replaced the St. George ribbon. A contemporary recalled that “jokers immediately responded to this invention and named the new order “Vladimir Georgievich” . The same medal could be issued on different ribbons, and this changed its meaning. Awards on the blue St. Andrew's ribbon - for faith and fidelity, on the red, Alexander's - for labor and the fatherland, on Vladimir - for benefit, honor and glory. Of course, the usual perception of the motto ribbon took place according to abbreviated, simpler definitions. Georgievskaya - for the war, blue - for fidelity, red - for labors, Vladimir - for favor, etc. Which is often and not by chance, coincided with the inscription on the award. Other tapes were less well known due to their rarity or similarity. Therefore, they began to appeardoubleribbons using the main colors of Russian orders.

The first double - St. George-Andreev ribbon belonged to the medal, established on March 19, 1814, "For the capture of Paris." It was the usual width of chest ribbons - 28 mm, but consisted, as it were, of two narrow ribbons connected to each other. The full meaning of the award: "For service and courage, faith and loyalty" - when taking Paris.

On January 22, 1850, a medal "for the pacification of Hungary and Transylvania in 1849" was established, for the first time on a double St. Andrew-Vladimir ribbon.

On April 17, 1878, a medal was instituted in memory of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, to be worn on a double St. George-Andreev ribbon. This is the first award to be worn. on tape folded in a special way, under a pentagonal block. Prior to this, all Russian medals and orders were usually worn simply suspended from a ribbon folded in half.

On February 13, 1915, the medal "For the excellent performance of the general mobilization of 1914" was established to be worn on the ribbon of the Order of the White Eagle.

It was the first medal for blue ribbon and the last - the Russian Empire.

Ribbons, chains, chains, screws and pins - convey the semantic mechanism of the connection between the award and the recipient, answering the question: what are they connected with? If indestructible nobility, this is a chain of noble metal - gold. If nobility is not "excellent", but obvious, then gold or silver chains. If the connection is "iron", then the chain is steel. If strong, but soft - copper. Silk ribbons are "strongly woven". If the ribbon is black, then the award and the person are "strongly woven by Faith." If the award is fastened with fasteners not visible from the side - a screw, a pin or sewn, then this is "inalienable". The old Russian word "tsata" - "pendant", tsatsy - any pendants. Hence, the wrong “hang a tsatok” (i.e. hang a tsatok = hang pendants) began to be perceived as “trinkets”, which sometimes also applies to awards.

There were few ribbons of non-order colors for Russian awards (medals).

In 1763, a medal was instituted for persons who distinguished themselves in the creation of an Orphanage.

On March 1, 1880, a medal was established to be worn on the chest.

This medal becomes a general award for charity , she was worn on green ribbon.

No. 215 Order of Civil Merit in the Kingdom of Saxony
(Verdienstorden)

The order was established on July 7, 1815 by the King of Saxony, Friedrich August III, when he, after
two years of absence from the country, returned to the throne as king and decided to reward those who saved
during these years of trials, loyalty, devotion and love for their monarch.
On August 12, 1815, the statute of the Order was announced, and on December 23, the first awards were made.

The Order originally consisted of three classes:

Knights Grand Cross.
Commander's Cross
Cavalier Cross.

The king was the Grand Master (Grandmaster) of the Order.
The number of Cavaliers in each class was not limited.

The order was also awarded to foreigners who had services to Saxony and its monarch.

The badge of the Order was a Maltese cross covered with a white eyal with a slightly enlarged, round
white medallion in the center. On the medallion there is an image of the royal coat of arms of Saxony, surrounded by the inscription -
"Friedrich August King of Saxony 17 July 1815".
Around the medallion is a golden rim.
On the reverse side of the cross in the center on the medallion there is an inscription -
"FUR VERDIENST UND TREUE" - "For Merit and Loyalty"

Between the rays of the cross are crowns covered with green enamel (a stylized Rue crown).

Knights Grand Cross wore the Badge of the Order on a wide moire white with green stripes
along the edges of the ribbon over the right shoulder to the left side, and on the left side of the chest there is an Order star embroidered with silver.

Knights of the Commander's Cross (2nd class) wore the badge of the Order of a smaller size on the neck ribbon.

Cavaliers of the 3rd class wore the badge of the Order on a narrow ribbon in their buttonhole.

July 7 of each year was considered the day of the Order's holiday. Before the holiday in May going
Council of the Order (Capital), consisting of the Chancellor and six members, which decides all organizational
questions and discusses nominations for awards presented to the monarch for awarding.
On the day of the holiday, some Cavaliers may be awarded the Badge of the next class.

At the same time, a medal for civic merit was established, which can be considered the fourth
degree of the Order, which had two of its classes: gold and silver.

On the front side of the medal was a bust of the King with the inscription -
"Friedrich August King of Saxony 17 July 1815" ,
and on the back - a wreath of oak leaves inside which is the inscription -
"FUR VERDIENST UND TREUE" - "For Merit and Loyalty".

The medal was not worn with the same ribbon as the badges of the third degree in the buttonhole.

In 1848 the Order was renamed the Order of Merit.

In 1858, the Small Cavalier Cross was replaced by the Cross of Honor.
In 1866, crossed swords for military distinctions began to be added to the signs of the Order.

(Cross of Merit with Swords)*

In 1870, on December 9, changes were made to the Statute of the Order.
In 1876, the Cross of Honor was renamed the Knight's Cross II class.
At the same time, instead of the gold medal, the Cross of Merit was introduced.

Subsequently, the Order existed in the following version:

Grand Cross
Commander's Cross, 1st class.
Commander's Cross 2nd. degree
Knight's Cross 1st class
Knight's Cross 2nd class
Merit Cross
silver medal

(Knight's Cross with Swords)* (Cross of Merit)*

Historical information:

Friedrich August III (German: Friedrich August III.;
December 23, 1750, Dresden - May 5, 1827, Dresden) -
Elector of Saxony, since 1806 King of Saxony
under the name Friedrich August I (German: Friedrich August I.),
Duke of Warsaw (Polish Fryderyk August I)
1807-1815. Son of Friedrich Christian and
Maria Antonia of Bavaria, daughter of Emperor Charles VII.
He was raised by his mother away from court life.
Friedrich August was a man of feeling, wholeheartedly
who wanted to become on a level with his vocation; his
love for truth and justice was so great
that he deserved the nickname of him from the people. Der Gerechte-
Fair.

METAMORPHOSIS OF THE KNIGHTS OF THE GREEN CROSS

Believe in the son of the Blessed Mary,

And I swear you will escape death.

But no, so you will part with your head,

And Mohammed will not give you protection.

Song of Roland

The Order of St. Lazarus, the third military monastic order established in the Holy Land, was founded in Jerusalem during the era of the Crusades. But the first mention of the hospital (hospitable house) of St. Lazarus dates back to the period preceding the era of the Crusades, namely, to 1130, when the leper hospital, built on the outside of the northern wall of Jerusalem, was taken under their care by the “Frankish” hospitants - Hospitallers who adhered to the charter of the Augustinian monastic order and wore black Augustinian order vestments without any emblems or distinguishing marks. In all likelihood, it was founded on the basis of a leper colony (hospital for lepers), founded by the Greeks and Armenians before the start of the 1st Crusade. Hospitallers of St. Lazarus, perhaps, were members of the Order of St. John, who also wore black Augustinian (or Benedictine) vestments without any insignia in the initial period of their history. In any case, the first head (rector) of the Order of St. John the Hospitallers, Blessed Gerard (Gerard), is also traditionally considered the first head of the Order of St. Lazarus. The following circumstance also speaks in favor of the correctness of this version.

The rules (charters) of the military-monastic orders of the Templars-Templars and the Hospitaller-St. Johnites provided for the transfer of their members infected with leprosy (leprosy) from their former orders to the Order of St. Lazarus.

The new hospitable brotherhood in 1142 already had its own church in Jerusalem, and in 1147 it was known under the name of the “Leper Brethren of Jerusalem” (“Leprous Brethren of Jerusalem”). By 1156, the first mention of the existence in Jerusalem of an independent convention (monastic community) of St. Lazarus. Since 1157, the Latin chronicles have already mentioned not just a convention, but the Order of St. Lazarus (Lazarites), whose duties included the guardianship of lepers and caring for them, and later also the protection of pilgrims going to the Holy Sepulcher of the Lord.

By this time, the order of the Lazarites had hospitable hospitals in Tiberias, Ascalon, Akkon, Caesarea and Berita (Beirut). The monks of the Order of St. Lazarus maintained a widely branched network of hospitals (houses) and churches in all the states of the Western Crusaders founded in the Holy Land. By the way, it is from the name of the Order of St. Lazarus that the name “infirmary” comes from, meaning “hospital” (mainly military). The Lazarites chose St. Lazarus “of the Four Days” mentioned in the Gospels (resurrected by Jesus Christ from the dead on the fourth day after his death), who later became the first bishop of the city of Massilia (Marseilles) and accepted a second death already as a martyr for Christ, as the patron of their order.

As the Muslim onslaught on the "Frankish" states of the Levant intensified, participation in the armed defense of Christian possessions began to become increasingly important in the activities of the members of the Lazarites order. Accordingly, the military-chivalrous element began to play an increasingly important role in the Order of St. Lazarus. The knights who joined the order were not necessarily lepers, but, apparently, they gradually became infected with leprosy, carrying out their difficult military service in its ranks, and caring for the sick in between battles and campaigns. The order of St. Lazarus also included serving brothers (servients or sergeants), recruited from among lepers of ignoble origin. The knights of St. Lazarus dressed in black cloaks with a white border and a green cross (which eventually took on the characteristic “Maltese” shape with “swallowtails” at the ends of the cross) and therefore were often referred to in chronicles and documents as the Knights of the Green Cross - along with the Knights of the White Cross (St. John's Hospitallers, Knights of the Red Cross (Templars Templars) and Knights of the Black Cross (Teutonic, or German, knights). Although historically the knights of the Order of St. Lazarus wore their green crosses on black "Augustinian" (or "Benedictine") vestments , over time, as the rules of heraldry developed (with the adoption of the prohibition to impose metal on metal and enamel on enamel), on the order coat of arms of the Lazarites, the green cross began to be depicted not on a black, but on a white (silver) field.

As mentioned above, according to an agreement concluded between the Order of St. Lazarus and other military monastic orders, members of the latter who fell ill with leprosy became part of the lazarites (the head of which, the Grand Master, according to the Charter, could only be elected from among the lepers; however, this rule did not always exist and was eventually canceled). Be that as it may, chroniclers have repeatedly testified that when Muslims in battle met with a column of leper knights and sergeants of the Order of St. Lazarus, they preferred to seek salvation in flight.

The military contingent of the Order of St. Lazarus took part in the unsuccessful battle for the army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem of the Crusaders with the army of the Sultan of Egypt and Syria Saladin at Hitgan (1187). We also received information about the participation of an armed detachment of Lazarites in the unsuccessful battle for the “Latins” at Gaza (1244), in which the order of St. Lazarus suffered heavy losses. After the fall of Jerusalem in 1243, the order of St. Lazarus moved its headquarters to Akkon, placing it in the tower of St. Lazarus, located in the northern suburb of Akkon - Montmusard, the defense of which was entrusted to the Lazarites.

In 1253, the Lazarite order made an unsuccessful military expedition against the Muslims in the city of Ramla (Ramallah) and was saved from complete destruction only thanks to the intervention of the French crusader king Louis IX Saint.

All the brother-knights of the Order of St. Lazarus, who participated in the defense of Akkon from the Muslims, died during the capture of this last stronghold of the crusaders on the coast of the Holy Land by the Saracens in 1291.

In 1291, after the fall of Saint-Jean d'Acre - the last fortress of the Crusaders in Palestine - the Order of St. Lazarus was forced to leave the Holy Land forever and move first to the island of Cyprus, and then to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (Kingdom of Naples-Sicilian) and to France, where the lazarites founded many hospitals and infirmaries. By this time, the Lazarites had completely ceased their military activities, continuing to carry out their hospital service until 1342. Over time, due to a decrease in the number of gentlemen and monks, the Order of St. Lazarus was forced in 1490 to submit to the spiritual and chivalric Order of St. John (having joined eventually into its Catholic branch, now better known as the Order of Malta).

Nevertheless, on May 4, 1565, Pope Pius IV restored the legal and organizational independence of the Order of St. Lazarus. However, the cousin of the Roman pontiff, Giannotgo Castiglione, who was appointed the new Grand Master of the Lazarites, failed to restore the former order structure, and in 1572 the Duke of Savoy Amedey obtained from him recognition of his suzerainty (supreme secular power) over the commandships of the Order of St. Lazarus that existed in the possessions Dukes of Savoy.

Since ancient times, the Holy Martyr Mauritius, an ancient Roman military leader, leader of the Theban legion, who suffered a martyr's death for Christ in 286, during the period of persecution of Christians by Emperor Diocletian, was considered the heavenly intercessor and patron of the Savoy dynasty (initially - ducal, and then royal). The sword of St. Mauritius, along with the Holy Lance of the centurion Longinus, was one of the most ancient and most important shrines and coronation insignia (sovereign Kleinods) of the medieval Holy Roman Empire.

In 1434, the Duke of Savoy Amedeus VIII established a monastic community in the name of the Holy Martyr Mauritius. The duke himself, having abdicated the throne of Savoy, together with several former courtiers, took monastic tonsure, took vows of non-possession, chastity and obedience, and settled in a monastery founded for this purpose. Later, a number of knight brothers joined them. A similar development from a purely monastic to a spiritual-knightly organization was made by many Western European orders (for example, the Hospitallers-Johnites, the Teutons-Marians or the Lazarites mentioned above). However, this first spiritual and knightly association in the name of St. Mauritius, for a number of reasons, did not last very long. However, on September 10, 1572, the Order of St. Mauritius was restored by a special bull of Pope Gregory XIII. The Apostolic See confirmed with a special letter to the Duke of Savoy Philibert that the title of Grand Master of the Lazarites was forever assigned to him and his successors on the Savoy throne. There was no longer any mention of the indispensable tonsure of dukes and other lazarites as monks in the papal letter, although certain religious vows and a certain staff of clergy were retained.

After that, the order of St. Lazarus was merged with the dynastic Savoyard knightly order of St. Mauritius into a single new order of St. Mauritius and Lazarus. On January 15, 1573, the Pope approved a new sign of the united order - a white "clover" cross of St. Mauritius superimposed on a green, "Maltese" form, the cross of St. Lazarus. The emblem turned out to be quite intricate, but in the history of the military-monastic order symbols, something different happened. This symbolism has always been very diverse. It even used a star, which is often considered something initially opposite to the cross.

So, the emblem of the spiritual and knightly order of Montjoie (or the Virgin of Montjoie) for a long time was ... a red five-pointed star! The Livonian knights of Christ (sword-bearers) at one time wore a red star on their white "Cistercian" order vestments over a red sword - according to some sources, eight-, according to others - six- or even five-pointed. A red star with a blue circle in the middle adorned the robes of the “star-bearing” knights, etc. Be that as it may, the Order of St. Mauritius and Lazarus is to this day one of the oldest knightly orders in Europe.

Development of the Order of St. Lazarus in France (where it became known as the knightly order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem, or, more precisely, the Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem) went its own way, different from the path of development of the Savoy order of the same name. It turned into a dynastic order of the French kings, received the name of the Order of the Most Holy Mother of God of Carmel (from Mount Carmel in the Holy Land) and was specially supported, in particular, by the Sun King Louis XTV, as a counterweight to the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. By 1696, the French Order of St. Lazarus consisted of more than 140 commanderies and contained its own naval squadron. The ships of the French lazarites fought with the English pirates. The French knights of St. Lazarus wore white semi-caftans with an orange-green order cross embroidered on the chest. In 1790, the French Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem, like its main rival and competitor, the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, was abolished by the revolutionary authorities of the French Republic, and all its possessions in France were confiscated.

In 1798, the French exiled king Louis XVIII conferred the Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem on the Emperor of All Russia, Paul I, who had granted him political asylum in Russia, after he, as the 72nd Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem, granted the exiled in the capital Courland Mitava French Monarch Grand Cross of the Order of St. John.

As for the new united Savoyard Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus, it inherited from the ancient Order of Saint Lazarus the traditional mission of caring for the sick (mainly lepers, but not only). Since the united order now had not one, but two whole heavenly patrons and intercessors, it began to celebrate annually not one, but two whole order holidays (September 22 - St. Mauritius Day, and December 17 - St. Lazarus Day). The sign of this order was awarded by the Piedmontese (Sardinian) king (a direct descendant of the Dukes of Savoy), among other things, the Russian Generalissimo A.V. Suvorov, Count of Rymnik and Prince of Italy.

In 1839, within the framework of the system of awards, the Sardinian king, as Grand Master of the Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus, established the gold Mauritius (Mauritian) medal for bravery. This medal was also received by all Piedmontese soldiers who served in the army for at least 50 years. In a similar way, in Russia, the situation was with the soldier's Anninsky medal and the soldier's Donat insignia of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem (Pavlovian era). Subsequently, the status of the Piedmontese Mauritius medal has repeatedly changed. The medal survived the fall of the monarchy in Italy and was retained for the armed forces of the Italian Republic (however, already without any connection with the Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus).

In 1848, the requirement that the candidate be of noble (noble) origin, which had previously existed as an indispensable condition for admission to the Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus, was abolished. Since then, non-nobles began to complain about the Order.

After the unification of Italy under the scepter of the monarchs of the Savoy dynasty, placed by history at the head of the Kingdom of Sardinia (Piedmont), the Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus was preserved as one of the highest awards of the united Kingdom of Italy and even received possessions confiscated after 1860 from the Constantine Order of St. George (dynastic knightly order of the Grand Ducal House of Parma and the Royal House of the Two Sicilies) and the Order of St. Stephen (dynastic order of the Tuscan dukes from the Habsburg dynasty). After the unification of Italy, the Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus finally lost its original military-monastic character. All religious vows that still existed for the cavaliers-lazarites were canceled. Nevertheless, the Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus did not stop its hospital activities. He still maintained infirmaries-hospitals in the cities of Lucerne, Lanzo, Valenza, Aosta and Turin.

Since 1868, the Savoy Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus has 5 degrees (obviously introduced under the influence of similar degrees of the French Order of the Legion of Honor):

1) 1 degree - Cavalier Grand Cross (Cavaliere di Gran Croce);

2) II degree - Great (Large) officer (Grande Ufficiale);

3) III degree - commander, commander or commandant (Commendatore);

4) IV degree - officer (Ufficiale);

5) V degree - knight, or cavalier (Cavaliere).

During the reign of Duce Benito Mussolini (under whom the Italian king actually "reigned, but did not rule"), the Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus was awarded, starting with the fascist dictator himself, to almost all the major dignitaries of fascist Italy and allied states, including Hitler's Third (Thousand Year) Reich. When Mussolini was overthrown as a result of a palace conspiracy in 1943 and the king appointed Marshal Pietro Badoglio as the new head of government, the military leaders of yesterday's countries - opponents of Italy in World War II began to be enrolled in the "cavaliers of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus".

So, without any "transition", after the pillars of Nazi Germany, the Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus was awarded to the Polish General Wladyslaw Anders, who commanded the 2nd Polish Army Corps as part of the British 8th Army under the command of Lieutenant General Sir Oliver Leese, who landed in Italy in 1943, the 3rd and 5th Polish divisions entered the history of World War II thanks to their participation in the battles for the famous Benedictine monastery of Monte Cassino, defended by the 1st German parachute rifle division from the 10th German army under the command General von Vietinghoff. After long, extremely fierce and bloody battles and the withdrawal of German troops from the so-called Gustav Line, which they defended, the Poles (“with Poland stripes in English khaki,” as the Soviet poet and prose writer Konstantin Simonov wrote in one of his poems) succeeded on May 17, 1944 to capture the completely destroyed monastery.

The Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus was awarded not only to General Anders himself, but also to many of his officers. The award was made by decree of Prince Umberto II as "Captain General of the Kingdom of Italy" and Grand Master of the Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus and all the royal orders of the House of Savoy for the courage and courage shown by them in the battles for Monte Cassino. Prince Umberto continued to claim the Italian throne until the end of his life and - to the great displeasure of the authorities of the Italian Republic, who forbade members of the House of Savoy even to enter Italy! - awarded everyone he considered worthy with the Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus, as well as other royal orders and distinctions, while in exile in Portugal until his death, which followed in 1983. General Vladislav Anders and his officers in memory of the battles for Monte - Cassino, about which the Polish fighters even composed the famous song "Scarlet (from Polish blood. - V.A.) poppies of Monte Cassino, always put on their orders of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus at meetings of veterans and official events.

Of course, the respected reader has the right to ask himself whether the prestige of the dynastic Savoyard order was promoted by the fact that, almost immediately after the betrayal of the Italian kingdom to the cause of the powers of the “Berlin-Rome axis”, to which the Italian “allies” had previously sworn allegiance, and the transition to side of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition, Polish generals and officers who turned into new friends and comrades-in-arms were awarded overnight, although more recently the former German allies of Italy were awarded the same order. It is interesting how General Anders felt at the thought that his name was entered by the Chancellor of the Order (Cancelliere dell'Ordine) in the list of holders of the Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus - immediately after the names of the Reichsmarschall (Imperial Marshal of the Third Reich) Hermann Göring and Reichsfuehrer SS Heinrich Himmler. However, Anders was an outstanding military leader and the most famous Polish general during the Second World War, so nothing could damage his reputation.

In fact, the history of this war was rich in such incidents. So, in the Kingdom of Romania (after his lightning-fast transition from the camp of Hitler's allies to the camp of his opponents and the declaration of war on Germany, of course!) King Mihai Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen awarded many Soviet generals and officers with the highest Romanian military order of Mihai the Brave (and continued to award them this order up to his formal “renunciation”, and the actual removal from power by the communists with the support of the USSR in 1947!). Meanwhile, none other than the “imperial marshal” Hermann Goering mentioned above, a couple of years before, was awarded the same Romanian king Mihai with all three degrees of the Order of Mihai the Brave, and the German Field Marshal von Manstein was awarded the Order of Mihai the Brave of two degrees ! However, King Mihai himself managed, having immediately turned into an “anti-fascist”, “defender of freedom and democracy”, etc., to be awarded the Soviet Order of Victory (from which later, while in exile in London, by his own admission, he picked out one diamond for others to secure a comfortable existence)!

In the Italian Republic (since 1946), the knightly order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus, together with the exile of the Savoy dynasty, lost the status of a state award, remaining the order of the Italian Royal House in exile. Nevertheless, the hospital structures of the Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus were preserved on the territory of the Italian Republic - on the grounds that they traditionally carry out humanitarian and medical functions (like similar structures of the Order of Malta).

Nevertheless, the Italian republican authorities, partially retaining for the "royalist" order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus its possessions and legal autonomy (including the right to hold traditional order holidays), officially recognized for it only the status of a charitable organization and at the same time reserved the right determine the personal composition of the main governing body of the order on the territory of the Italian Republic - the Administrative Council.

The fact is that, according to the Italian constitution, the head of the order - its hereditary Grand Master (who is also the head of the Italian Royal House) is prohibited from entering Italy, so the Master, paradoxically, is deprived of any opportunity to influence the personal composition of the highest collegiate council of his order in Italy! Oddly enough, the purely dynastic Savoy Order was subordinate to the Italian republican authorities, and the Administrative Council of this order (with residence in Turin) is appointed for a period of 4 years by a special decree, or decree, of the President of the Italian Republic and is under the vigilant control of the republican Italian ministries. internal affairs and finance. In view of the ban on the entry of the Grand Master into Italy, the meetings of the Cavaliers of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus and the investiture (solemn initiation into the knights of the order) have to be held in French Savoy or in Western Switzerland (the permanent residence of the head of the House of Savoy in exile).

On June 11, 1985, the 17th Grand Master (Grand Maestro) of the Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus, Prince Victor-Emmanuel, approved a new Order Charter (Statute), and on October 10, 1996, a new edition of this Charter, which is still valid. The order complains for military and civil merits, outstanding merits in the field of science, trade, industry, art and literature, humanitarian and charitable activities, and especially for labors for the benefit of the Savoy dynasty. For rewarding men, 5 degrees (or classes) were still retained:

1) Grand Cross (which is automatically awarded to all persons awarded the highest award of the House of Savoy - the Order of the Annunciation ("Annunziata");

2) Large officer's cross;

3) Commander's Cross (within this degree, or class, the so-called hereditary commanders by the right of patronage have a special status - Jus patronatus (in Latin) or Giuspatronato (in Italian). The situation was similar in the Grand Priories of the Russian Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem under the 72nd Grand Master, Emperor Paul I);

4) officer's cross;

5) cavalier (knight's) cross.

The cavalier ladies of the Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus are divided into three classes: ladies of the commander's rank (Dama di Commenda) receive the order badge of the II degree, and the cross of the I degree - "Ladies of the Great, or Great, Cross" (Dama di Gran Croce).

By the middle of the XVI century. finally took shape and has been preserved since then without any changes in the order sign - gold, covered with white enamel, "clover" heraldic cross of St. Mauritius, superimposed on a gold, green-enamelled, eight-pointed (Maltese type) cross of St. Lazarus. The badge of the order is worn on an emerald-green (so-called apple-colored) “streamy” (moiré) silk ribbon.

Order insignia of the 1st degree: A large cross (67 mm in diameter), topped with a gold royal crown, which is worn on a wide (100 mm wide) green shoulder ribbon, and an octagonal silver breast star (85 mm in diameter), decorated with an image of an order cross (diameter 55 mm).

Order badges of the 2nd class: A large officer's cross (50 mm in diameter), also crowned with a golden royal crown, is worn on a green neck ribbon (55 mm wide), and a star similar to the star of the 1st class cross, but four-pointed and smaller (75 mm in diameter). mm).

The family honorary commander (general commander of honor) - Commendatore di Giuspatronato Onorario - wears on a neck green moire ribbon the same cross crowned with a gold crown as the Great (Large) officer, but, instead of a breast star, the same, but larger breast cross ( 55 mm in diameter).

The commander wears the same neck cross as the generic honorary commander, but without the pectoral cross.

The officer wears on the left chest on a green moire ribbon (35 mm wide) an order cross smaller than that of the commander (41 mm in diameter), also topped with a golden royal crown.

A knight (cavalier) wears an order cross of the same size as an officer, but without a crown.

Ladies of the Grand Cross wear a cross (55 mm in diameter) surmounted by a gold crown on a bow of green sash (50 mm wide).

Ladies of the commander's rank wear the same, but smaller (41 mm) cross, on a bow of a narrower (37 mm) ribbon.

Cavalry ladies were assigned the same (41 mm) cross (but without a crown) on the same bow (from a ribbon 37 mm wide).

The award system of the Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus is completed by a round Order Medal of Merit of 3 degrees (gold, silver and bronze), 32 mm in diameter, with the image of an order cross on the obverse and the inscription "For Merit" (Bene Merenti) on the reverse. However, persons awarded this medal on a green sash are not considered members of the order.

On the days of order holidays and on other especially solemn occasions, cavaliers (knights) of the order put on order vestments. The latter is a kind of cassock or cassock (kukulls - the related Russian word “kukol” comes from this Latin word) with expanding sleeves of “streamy” purple silk with white collars and cuffs with a white “clover” cross of St. Mauritius sewn on the chest, superimposed on the green "Maltese" cross of St. Lazarus, tied with a cord of white-green order colors.

Cavaliers of the 2 highest order degrees sew cloth stars of the corresponding sample on the left chest, commanders of the order - a round shield with a gold crown, and officers - a similar shield with a silver crown.

Order vestments of cavalry ladies of all 3 degrees - black, with a white-green "composite" order cross sewn on the left chest.

The award of the Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus grants cavaliers and ladies of cavalry, who do not belong to the Italian nobility by birth, the right of personal nobility.

At the end of 2010, there were about 1600 knights and ladies of various degrees of the Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus, mostly Italians (but not only).

Currently, the ceremony of presenting letters and decorations to newly awarded candidates and knights who have been promoted to higher degrees takes place at the annual order meeting in Geneva, as a rule, in early October. The day after the presentation, gentlemen and cavalry ladies in order vestments are present at a service in the abbey of St. Mauritius in the town of Saint-Maurice d'Agon, near Geneva.

By tradition, knights and cavalry ladies of the Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus have the right to depict the order's insignia in their coats of arms (as a rule, under the coat of arms).

Knights of the Grand Cross (i.e., I degree of the order) place an order ribbon in the coat of arms, emerging from the upper corners of the shield. In addition to the order cross crowned with a crown, this ribbon contains four monograms of the Grand Master of the Order (head of the House of Savoy) - the letters V.E. crowned with a royal crown. (Vittorio Emmanuele), i.e. "Victor-Emmanuel".

Knights of the Grand Officer's Cross (Grandi Ufficiali) place in their coats of arms an order ribbon, located in the same way as that of the Knights of the Grand Cross, but without the monograms of the Grand Master, and instead of the order cross, an order four-pointed star of the II degree is suspended on it.

The tribal commanders (Commendatori di Giuspatronato Onorario) place an order cross behind the shield in their coats of arms.

The coats of arms of other commanders (Commendatori) contain the same sash as those of members of the order who were awarded the Grand Officer's Cross (Grandi Ufficiali), but, unlike them, the ribbon depicts an order cross topped with a crown (slightly smaller than the cross in coats of arms of Knights Grand Cross).

In the coats of arms of order officers (Cavalieri Ufficiali), the sash surrounds the tip of the heraldic shield; it also has an order cross crowned with a crown (smaller than the commander's cross).

In the coats of arms of the knights, or cavaliers, of the Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus - the most numerous category of members of this order - a cross without a crown is placed directly under the heraldic shield, adjacent to its tip.

All knights and cavalry ladies of the order are required to pay an entrance fee to the order fund (depending on the degree) and, in addition, annually contribute a certain amount to the humanitarian and charitable activities traditionally carried out by the Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus.

Founded in the 19th century in the United States and represented to this day by branches in a number of countries, the international organization Lazarus (Lazarus), which uses the green Maltese cross of St. lepers”, nor to the later Savoy and French orders of St. Lazarus. This also applies to another international charitable public organization that calls itself the Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem.

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The Kingdom of Saxony existed from 1806–1918 as the successor to the Electorate. The history of its rulers can be traced by. I became interested in the coat of arms of Saxony in connection with the history of its origin. In addition, the luxury of the image (by the artist Hugo Gerard Strehl) simply cannot but cause pleasure. Unfortunately, the Strehl drawing uploaded to the Internet was scanned in low quality, so I will present the central element - the shield - in a vector, well-read version.

In this case, I will violate the order of description, starting not with the main element, but with the surrounding ones.

Mantle, crown, holders, helmets

A magnificent ermine mantle topped with a Royal crown. The shield holders are the turned lions, and it is interesting that they stand on crossing branches (for the first time I see such a pedestal).

Most of all, of the peripheral elements, five knightly helmets on top of the shield attract attention:
the central helmet is crowned, in a kleinod (top) it has a high cone with a Saxon heraldic image (about it later), crowned with seven peacock feathers. This helmet represents Duchy of Saxony.
the first helmet on the left (for the viewer) is crowned, in the kleinod he has buffalo horns with linden branches. This helmet represents Landgraviate of Thuringia. It was ruled by the House of Wettin of the Meissen March (Wettin dynasty of the Albertine line, ruled in the Kingdom of Saxony)
the second from the left (for the viewer) a helmet in a kleinod is crowned with a black and white dog with an extravagant tail of many curls. This helmet represents County of Reuss(region Thuringia), junior line. The dog is the heraldic symbol of the city of Lobenstein in Thuringia. Became such thanks to the Roman Emperor Ludwig of Bavaria (XIV century). He lost his beloved dog while hunting, which was later found wounded, lying in a shelter under a large stone. Then the Emperor exclaimed: Lobe den Stein!, that is, “Praise to the stone!”.
the first on the right (for the viewer) helmet in a kleinod is crowned with the head of a bearded man in a striped cap with peacock feathers at the end. Unfortunately, I do not know the meaning of this curious symbol. This helmet represents Margraviate of Meissen- a medieval state on the territory of the modern state of Saxony. Annexed to the Electorate of Saxony in 1423.
the second on the right (for the viewer) helmet is crowned, in the kleinod it has a golden section of the fortress wall and a blue wing. This helmet represents Upper Puddle (Luzation): an area located on the territory of the German state of Saxony and southwestern Poland (Lower Silesian Voivodeship). The center is the city of Bautzen.

Below the shield Order of the Green Crown, or Household Order of the Ruth Crown, founded in 1807 in Saxony. The badge of the order is a gold, green-enamelled Maltese cross in a white and gold frame. In the corners of the cross, parts of a golden wreath made of rue stand out. On the outside of the order, in the center of the cross, there is a medallion surrounded by a green rue wreath. On a silver base under a gold crown, the initials of the founder of the FA order, the first King of Saxony, Friedrich August I, are written.

Description of the emblems of the central shield

In the center, under the Royal crown, the coat of arms Houses of the Wettins- a green baldric (root crown) in the field of the shield, crossed nine times into black and gold. Ruta is a genus of herbs.

It was originally a coat of arms Askani's houses who ruled in East Saxony. According to tradition, its origin is as follows: in 1181, Bernhard III of the House of Ascania, after being awarded the title of Duke of Saxony, appeared before Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa (this is the reason why I became interested in the coat of arms of Saxony - I am a great admirer of the Hohenstaufen dynasty and personally Red-bearded Kaiser), holding in his hands his shield, decorated with gold and black stripes. Since it was hot, the Emperor approached Bernhard with a wreath of rue on his head. He then removed the wreath and hung it above the duke's shield, creating a coat of arms recognized throughout the Saxon lands.

Private coats of arms (from left to right, top to bottom):

1. Black lion with red weapons (claws and tongue) in a golden field - Margraviate of Meissen.

2. Silver-red (striped) lion in a golden crown in an azure field - Landgraviate of Thuringia.

3. Golden eagle in a black field - County Palatinate of Thuringia. In fact, this is the Palatinate of Saxony (XII-XIV centuries) under the rule of the Thuringian House.

4. Golden eagle in the azure field - County Palatinate of Saxony: a medieval possession that existed in Saxony until 1322.

5. Half gold, half silver lion - Barony of Pleissen: a small area in Saxony, in the Meissen region, not far from Zwickau. I transfer the German name Herrschaft into Russian as a barony (literally, this word is translated as “dominance”), there is still an option simply “feud”.

6. Golden lion with red weapons in a black field - Vogtland: the region between the three German states (the free states of Saxony, Thuringia and Bavaria) and the Czech Egerland. The name comes from the Vogts who ruled the region on behalf of the Emperor (something like the position of judges).

7. Black lion with red weapons in a red crown in a golden field - County of Orlamünde, Thuringia.

8. Vertical gold and azure stripes - Margraviate of Landsberg: a possession in the Holy Roman Empire that existed from the 12th to the 14th century. It was located between the rivers Saale and Elbe. It got its name in honor of the Landsberg castle on the territory of the modern state of Saxony-Anhalt.

9. Golden fortress wall under the azure field - Margraviate of Upper Puddle.

10. Red rose in a silver field - Burgcounty of Altenburg, Thuringia.

11. Black rooster with red comb, beard and paws in a golden field on a green mountain - Frankish County of Genneberg, Thuringia

12. Horizontal silver and azure stripes - Barony of Eisenberg, Thuringia.