Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary

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The Royal Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen

Royal Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen, Grand Cross
Royal Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen, Grand Cross

The Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary, the royal Hungarian order, founded in 1764 by the empress Maria Theresa of Austria, consisted of the grand master (the sovereign), 20 knights grand cross, 30 knights commanders and 50 knights. The badge is a green enamelled cross with gold borders, suspended from the Hungarian crown; the red enamelled medallion in the centre of the cross bears a white patriarchal cross issuing from a coroneted green mound; on either side of the cross are the letters M.T. in gold, and the whole is surrounded by a white fillet with the legend Publicum Meritorum Praemium. The ribbon is green with a crimson central stripe. The collar, only worn by the knights grand cross, is of gold, and consists of Hungarian crowns linked together alternately by the monograms of St Stephen, S.S., and the foundress, M.T.; the centre of the collar is formed by a flying lark encircled by the motto Stringit amore.

- From the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica, "Knighthood" article

Contents

[edit] Significance of St. Stephen to Hungarians

The order is the namesake of Hungary’s most famous king, Stephen I (969 – 1038), whose reign (997 – 1038) was marked by his consolidation of power among the various ethnic groups in Hungary, and for his adoption of Christianity as the state religion. His coronation, as recognized in the Church, dated 1001. He died on August 15, 1038, during the Feast of the Assumption. Canonized by Pope Gregory VII in 1083 along with his son Imre (who preceded him in death, after a hunting accident, 1031) and Bishop Gerhard of Hungary, St. Stephen is the patron saint of "Hungary, kings, the death of children, masons, stonecutters, and bricklayers." Though its exact provenance is somewhat disputed, the Crown of St. Stephen is said to have been a gift from Pope Silvester II, upon Stephen’s 1001 coronation.

[edit] Creation of the Order and Qualifications for Membership

Maria Teresa, founder of the Order and first Grand Master, wearing the robes of the Order
Maria Teresa, founder of the Order and first Grand Master, wearing the robes of the Order

Empress Maria Teresa and her son, Emperor Joseph II, made several political concessions to ease tensions within their empire – most especially between Austria and Hungary. The creation of the order was one of them. Membership was available to various members of the Hungarian nobility. To receive the Order, according to collector and historian Stephen Herold,

"one had to have at least four quarterings of arms showing as many generations of noble status. It helped promote her (Maria Teresa's) position as Queen of Hungary and reinforced the quasi independent position of Hungary in the Empire. The original statutes allow for only 20 Grand Crosses, 30 Commanders and 50 Knights who are to be "distinguished for virtue and merit and noble birth". Grand Cross Knights were considered so important that the Emperor was to address them as "Cousin". These insignia were to be returned to the Chancellery of the Order on the death of the holder. There was no military application of this order. It is rare, and even modern awards of St. Stephen are seldom seen. Perhaps more than any other Austrian order, this one approached the ideal character as put forth in its statutes and regulations."

[edit] Partial List of Members

Grand Masters

Josef II, second Grand Master, wearing the robes of the Order
Josef II, second Grand Master, wearing the robes of the Order
Emperor Franz I of Austria, fourth Grand Master, wearing the robes of the Order
Emperor Franz I of Austria, fourth Grand Master, wearing the robes of the Order
  • Emperor Karl I (17 August 1887 – 1 April 1922), 1916 - 1922; deposed as emperor and king as a result of World War One, but never abdicated; Received Beautification ("Blessed Charles I") by Pope John Paul II, 2004
  • Dr. Otto Habsburg (nee H.I.& R.H. Otto, Archduke of Austria, Prince of Hungary and Bohemia) (born 20 November 1912), Crown Prince of Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia, 1916 - 1922; Head and Sovereign of the (Austrian) Order of the Golden Fleece, 1922 - 2000 (resigned / abdicated in favor of his oldest son and heir, Karl Habsburg-Lothringen); titular Emperor of Austria, titular King of Hungary and of Bohemia, 1922 - 2007; Grand Master of the all-but-extinct Royal Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen, 1922 - 2007 (Dr. Habsburg stepped down from his role as head of the House of Habsburg in January 2007, favoring Karl); Awarded / Invested with the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic (the design of which is strikingly similar to the Royal Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen), 1999


Knights, Grand Cross

  • Prince Wenzel Anton von Kaunitz ( In Hungarian: Václav Antonin Kounic; 1711 - 1794), diplomat and foreign policy advisor to Maria Teresa, State Chancellor and Privy Councilor to Josef II
  • Carl Friedrich Hatzfeldt zu Gleichen (September 14, 1718 – September 5, 1793), Austrian statesman; invested with the Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen, May 6, 1764
  • Prince Anton Esterházy de Galantha (11 April 1738 - 22 January 1794), Captain of the Hungarian Life Guards; also a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece; son of Field Marshal Prince Nicholas ("Miklós" in Hungarian) Esterházy, the primary patron of Joseph Haydn; nephew of Field Marshal Prince Paul II Anton / Pal II Antal Esterházy
  • Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este (1 June 1754 – 24 December 1806), fourth son of Emperor Franz I Stephen and Empress Maria Teresa; heir presumptive of the Duchy of Modena
  • Archduke Maximilian Franz of Austria (1756 – 1801), fifth son of Emperor Franz I Stephen and Empress Maria Teresa; Grand Master of the Teutonic Order; Archbishop and Elector of Cologne
  • Albert, Duke of Saxony-Teschen (11 July 1738 - 10 February 1822), husband of Archduchess Maria Christine, son-in-law of Emperor Franz I Stephen and Empress Maria Teresa, and brother-in-law of Emperors Joseph II and Leopold II
  • Samuel von Brukenthal (1721 -1803), Governor of Transylvania, personal advisor of Empress Maria Teresa.
  • Archduke Johann of Austria (January 20, 1782 - May 11, 1859), sixth son of Emperor Leopold II; Regent of the Duchy of Styria, naturalist, industrialist
  • Archduke Rainer of Austria (30 September 1783 – 16 January 1853), seventh son of Emperor Leopold II; Viceroy of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia
  • Archduke Louis of Austria (13 December 1784 – 21 December 1864), eighth son of Emperor Leopold II; Field Marshal of Austria; head of the State Conference (Regency) for Emperor Ferdinand
Cardinal Rudolf, Archduke of Austria, wearing a variant of the Grand Cross insignia on his clergy robes
Cardinal Rudolf, Archduke of Austria, wearing a variant of the Grand Cross insignia on his clergy robes
  • Archduke Rudolf of Austria (January 8, 1788-24 July 1831), ninth son of Emperor Leopold II; Archbishop of Olomouc; Cardinal in the Catholic Church, from June 4, 1819
  • Friedrich Ferdinand graf von Beust (January 13, 1809 – October 24, 1886), Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Saxony; later Privy Councilor to Franz Josef after assisting him in gaining the throne in Hungary;
  • Archduke Franz Karl of Austria (7 December 1802 – 8 March 1878), second son of Emperor Franz I (II) and younger brother of Emperor Ferdinand; Member of the State Conference (Regency) for his older brother, Emperor Ferdinand; father of Emperor Franz Josef of Austria-Hungary and Emperor Maximilian of Mexico
Prince Metternich, the Minister of State, wearing the Grand Cross sash and star on his court uniform. Portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence
Prince Metternich, the Minister of State, wearing the Grand Cross sash and star on his court uniform. Portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence
  • Napoleon II of France (March 20, 1811 – July 22, 1832), King of Rome, titular Emperor of the French, and Duke of Reichstadt ; son of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte of the French, and his second wife, Archduchess Maria Luisa of Austria
  • Count Alfred Josef Potocki (1817 - May 15, 1889), Member of the Austrian House of Peers and the Galician Diet; Vieceroy of Galicia, Minister-president (prime minister) of Austria, 1870 - 1871
  • Franjo (Francis) Haller of Hallerkeö (1796 - 1875), “Ban” (Viceroy) of Croatia, June 16, 1842 – 1845
  • Emperor Maximilian of Mexico (July 6, 1832 – June 19, 1867), Archduke of Austria and Prince of Hungary and Bohemia; second son of Archduke Franz Karl; brother of Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria-Hungary
  • Archduke Joseph Karl of Austria (2 March 1833 – 13 June 1905), second son of Archduke Joseph (Palatine of Hungary); General der Kavalrie in the Austro-Hungarian Army (K.u.K.)
  • Archduke Carl Ludwig of Austria (30 July 1833 – 19 May 1896), third son of Archduke Franz Karl; brother of Emperor Franz Josef of Austria-Hungary and Emperor Maximilian of Mexico; father of Archduke Franz Ferdinand; grandfather of Emperor Karl I of Austria-Hungary
  • Field Marshal Hermann Kövess von Kövessháza (1854 – 1924); Field Marshal of Austria-Hungary; invested with the Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, 26 March 1918
  • Field Marshal Eduard von Böhm-Ermolli (February 12, 1856 – December 9, 1941), Field Marshal of Austria-Hungary; honorary Army General of Czechoslovakia, 1928; honorary Generalfeldmarschall of Germany, 1938
  • Archduke Friedrich, Duke of Teschen (4 June 1856, – 30 December 1936), eldest son of Archduke Karl Ferdinand; Field Marshal of Austria and Supreme Commander of the K.u.K. Army; godson and heir of Archduke Albrecht, Duke of Teschen; brother of Field Marshal the Archduke Eugen; invested with the Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, 1 May 1894
Crown Prince Rudolf, wearing the Grand Cross sash and star on his Austrian general offciers' uniform
Crown Prince Rudolf, wearing the Grand Cross sash and star on his Austrian general offciers' uniform
  • Archduke Eugen of Austria (May 21, 1863 – December 30, 1954), third and youngest son of Archduke Karl Ferdinand; Field Marshal of Austria-Hungary; invested with the Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St Stephen, 30 March 1911; last Habsburg Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, 1894 – 1923
  • Archduke Leopold Salvator of Austria (15 October 1863 – 4 September 1931), nephew of Ferdinand IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany; Colonel-General and Inspector General of Artillery in the Austro-Hungarian (K.u.K.) Army
  • Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este (December 18, 1863 – June 28, 1914), oldest son of Archduke Carl Ludwig; successor of Francis V, Duke of Modena; heir apparent of Emperor Franz Josef of Austria-Hungary; uncle of Emperor Karl I of Austria-Hungary
  • Archduke Otto Franz of Austria (April 21, 1865-November 1, 1906), second son of Archduke Carl Ludwig; brother of Archduke Franz Ferdinand; father of Emperor Karl I of Austria-Hungary
  • Generaloberst Friedrich Graf von Beck-Rzikowsky (March 21, 1830 – February 9, 1920), president of the Military Chancery, General Adjutant to the Emperor, and Chief of the General Staff
  • General der Kavalrie Alexander graf von Üxküll-Gyllenband (October 2, 1836 – July 13, 1915), Privy Councilor and life member of the House of Lords; invested with the Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen, August 12, 1907
  • Prince Ladislaus Batthyány-Strattmann (October 28, 1870 – January 22, 1931), noble by birth, medical doctor by education; dedicated to providing medicine for the peasant class, and remembered as the “Doctor of the Poor”, Member of the Upper House from 1915; invested with the Order of the Golden Fleece, Royal Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen, and the Papal Order of the Golden Spur, 1915; Received Beatification (“Blessed László”) by Pope John Paul II, 2003
  • Generaloberst Karl frhr von Pflanzer-Baltin (1855 – 1925), commander of the 7th Army (K.u.K.), Chief of Staff to the 11th Corps, and Inspector General of Cavalry and later of Infantry; invested with the Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen, August 25, 1918
  • Generaloberst Eduard Graf von Paar (May 12, 1837 – February 1, 1919), General Adjutant to the Emperor
  • Generaloberst Arthur frhr von Bolfas (April 16, 1838 - December 9, 1922), Chief of Staff to the 14th Corps, Chief of the Military Chancery, and General Adjutant to the Emperor
  • Archduke Joseph August of Austria (9 August 1872 - 6 July 1962), son of Archduke Joseph Karl; Field Marshal of Austria-Hungary; claimed to have been awarded (by Emperor Karl I) a war decoration for his Grand Cross, October 1918, despite the fact that the Order was exclusively civilian
  • Vice Admiral Miklós Horthy von Nagybánya (18 June 1868 - 9 February 1957), Vice Admiral of the Austro-Hungarian (K.u.K.) Navy, Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Fleet, and Regent of Hungary


Foreign/Honorary Knights, Grand Cross

  • Georg V of Hannover (27 May 1819 – 12 June 1878), invested while crown prince, during a diplomatic visit from Prince Metternich
German Emperor Wilhelm II, wearing the Grand Cross sash and star of the Order, and the Hungarian uniform of an (honorary) Field Marshal of Austria-Hungary. 1902
German Emperor Wilhelm II, wearing the Grand Cross sash and star of the Order, and the Hungarian uniform of an (honorary) Field Marshal of Austria-Hungary. 1902
  • Wilhelm II (27 January 1859 – 5 June 1941), King of Prussia and German Emperor, 1888 – 1918; invested with the Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, 1872
  • Prince Alfred of Great Britain (1844 – 1900), Duke of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg Gotha; Admiral of the Fleet of the British Royal Navy; invested with the Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, 1873
  • Prince Arthur of the United Kingdom (1850 – 1942), Duke of Connaught and Strathern; Field Marshal of the British Army; invested with the Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, 1873
  • Feldzeugmeister Prince Wilhelm of Württemberg (July 20, 1828 – November 6, 1896), invested October 18, 1891
  • Prince Leopold of Bavaria (February 9, 1846 - September 28, 1930), son of Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria (1821-1912) and Archduchess Augusta of Austria (1825-1864); Field Marshal (Generalfeldmarschall) of Bavaria; commander of German and Austro-Hungarian troops on the Eastern Front during World War I
  • Porfirio Diaz (15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915), seven-time president of Mexico, invested with the Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, September 30, 1901
  • Ferdinand I of Bulgaria (February 26, 1861 - September 10, 1948), Tsar of Bulgaria, 7 July 1887 – 3 October 1918
  • Alfonso XIII of Spain (May 17, 1886 – February 28, 1941), King of Spain, May 17, 1886 - April 14, 1931
  • George V of the United Kingdom (June 3, 1865 – January 20, 1936), King of the United Kingdom, May 6, 1910 – January 20, 1936; invested with the Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, 1902
  • Großadmiral Alfred von Tirpitz (March 19, 1849 – March 6, 1930), grand admiral and Secretary of State of the Imperial Naval Office, Imperial German Navy, during World War One; invested with the Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen, August 30, 1911
  • Generalfeldmarschall August von Mackensen (December 6, 1849 – November 8, 1945), Prussian Field Marshal
  • Mindaugas II of Lithuania (nee Wilhelm Karl Florestan Gero Crescentius von Württemberg, Prince of Urach, Count of Württemberg; May 30, 1864 – March 24, 1928), 3rd Duke of Urach; elected but uncrowned king of Lithuania, July 11 – November 2, 1918; invested 1917


Knight Commanders

  • Johann Christoph frhr von Bartenstein (1689 – 1767), Statesman and Privy Councilor to Karl VI, responsible for obtaining succession of Maria Teresa to the throne, personal tutor / educator of Josef II; Director of the House Archives; invested as Knight Commander upon the founding of the Order, 1764
  • Count Charles Emerick Alexander von Rewischny (Rewitzky) (1737 – 1793), Hungarian diplomat,
  • Baron Guenther Heinrich von Berg (1765-1843) German Statesman, awarded 9th June 1820.


Knights

  • Franz frhr von Zeiller, wearing the medal of a knight of the Royal Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen. Portrait by Anton Siegl
    Franz frhr von Zeiller, wearing the medal of a knight of the Royal Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen. Portrait by Anton Siegl
    Franz Anton Felix Edler von Zeiller (January 14, 1751 – August 23, 1828), Imperial and Royal Courtier; Jurist, legal scholar, theorist and philosopher; Member of the Academy; Received his Knight's Cross, 1810
  • Feldzeugmeister Joseph frhr Philippovic von Philippsberg (April 30, 1818 – August 6, 1889), Commander of the 2nd (K.u.K.) Army and veteran of campaigns in Croatia, Prussia, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Received his Knight’s Cross (“kleinkreuz”), November 24, 1864
  • General der Kavalrie Arthur frhr von Gieslingen (June 19, 1857 – December 3, 1935), member of the General Staff, commander of the Theresian Military Academy, division commander in World War One, and member of the Privy Council; Received Knight’s Cross, March 12, 1909

[edit] Sources

  • Beatty-Kingston, William. Monarchs I Have Met. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1888.
  • Gudoy, José Francisco. Porfirio Diaz, President of Mexico, Master Builder of a Great Commonwealth. New York: Putnam, 1910.
  • Mösslang, Markus, Sabine Frietlag, and Peter Wende, eds. British Envoys to Germany, 1816 – 1866, vol. 2 (1830 – 1847). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003.
  • Payne, J. Horne, Esq., M.A. The Address of the Hungarian Diet of 1861. London: Bell and Daldy, 1862.