The 'Order Virtuti Militari' (
Latin for "For Military Virtue") was created in 1792 and is
Poland's highest
military decoration for
valor in the face of the enemy and one of the oldest military decorations in the world still in use. Some of the heroic actions recognized by an award of the Virtuti Militari are equivalent to those meriting the
Commonwealth's
Victoria Cross,
Malaysia's
Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa and the
U.S. Medal of Honor. It is awarded either for personal heroism or to commanders for leadership.
Awarded in five classes, the order was created in 1792 by
Poland's King Stanisław August Poniatowski. Soon after its introduction, however, the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was destroyed (1795) in the
partitions of Poland, and the partitioning powers abolished the decoration and prohibited its wearing. Since then, the award has been reintroduced, renamed and banned several times, with its fate closely reflecting the vicissitudes of the Polish people. Throughout the decoration's existence, thousands of soldiers and officers, Polish and foreign, several cities and one ship have been awarded the Virtuti Militari for valor or outstanding leadership in war. There have been no new awards since 1989.
Beginnings
Medals Virtuti Militari 1792
Throughout its history, the Virtuti Militari has shared its country's fate, and has been abolished and reintroduced several times.
The order was originally created on
June 22 1792, by
King Stanisław August Poniatowski to commemorate the victorious
Battle of Zieleńce. Initially, it comprised two classes: a
golden medal for
generals and
officers, and a
silver one for
non-commissioned officers and ordinary soldiers. By August 1792, a statute for the decoration had been drafted, which was based on one that was created for the
Austrian medal of Empress
Maria Theresa. The regulation changed the shape of the decoration from a star to a cross, which has not changed substantially since then. It also introduced five classes to the order.
| 1. Grand Cross with Star |  Ribbon |
| 2. Commander's Cross |  Ribbon |
| 3. Knight's Cross |  Ribbon |
| 4. Golden Medal |  Ribbon |
| 5. Silver Medal |  Ribbon |
The first members of the decoration's chapter were also its first recipients. For the
Polish-Russian War in Defence of the Constitution of 1792, a total of 63 officers and 290 NCOs and privates were awarded the Virtuti Militari. The statute was never fully implemented, however, since soon after its introduction the King acceded to the
Targowica Confederation, which on
August 29,
1792 abolished the decoration and prohibited its wearing. Anyone who wore the medal could be demoted and expelled from the army by Poland's new authorities.
Józef Poniatowski
Although on
November 23 1793 the
Grodno Sejm reintroduced the decoration, it was banned again on
January 7 1794, at the insistence of
Russia's Catherine the Great. Only a year later, the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth itself shared the fate of its decoration when what remained of the Commonwealth was annexed by its neighbors in the
partitions of Poland. King
Stanisław August Poniatowski abdicated the same year. During his reign, 526 medals had been granted: 440 Silver Medals and Crosses, 85 Golden Medals and Crosses, and 1 Commander's Cross.
Among the most famous recipients of the Virtuti Militari in this period were
Prince Józef Antoni Poniatowski (1763–1813) and
Tadeusz Kościuszko (1746–1817), both able military commanders during the
War in Defense of the Constitution and the
Kościuszko Uprising.
Duchy of Warsaw
In 1806, Lt. Gen. Prince
Józef Poniatowski was promoted to commander-in-chief of all forces of the
Duchy of Warsaw, the short-lived Polish state allied with
Napoleon I of France. As one of the first recipients of the Virtuti Militari, Poniatowski insisted on the reintroduction of the decoration. Finally on
December 26,
1806, the
King of Saxony and
Duke of Warsaw Fryderyk August Wettin accepted the proposal and reintroduced the Virtuti Militari as the highest military award for all Polish soldiers fighting alongside
France in the
Napoleonic Wars. The official name of the decoration was changed to the ''Military Medal of the Duchy of Warsaw''; however, soldiers remained faithful to the former name. The royal decree also introduced a new class system that has been in use ever since, with the class of the cross depending on the rank of the soldier to whom it is awarded:
# I Class - Grand Cross (with Star) (''Krzyż Wielki z Gwiazdą'', for commanders in chief)
# II Class - Commander's Cross (''Krzyż Komandorski'', for division commanders)
# III Class - Knight's Cross (''Krzyż Kawalerski'', for brigadiers, colonels and majors)
# IV Class - Golden Cross (''Krzyż Złoty'')
# V Class - Silver Cross (''Krzyż Srebrny'')
Józef Chłopicki
Initially each of the high commanders of the Army had a
quota of Virtuti Militari to be awarded to his soldiers. However, the system was soon changed and, since then, the order has been usually awarded centrally for individual acts of
bravery after being nominated by the
chain of command. According to the decree of
October 10,
1812, each of the recipients of a Golden or Silver Cross had the right to a yearly salary until promoted to officer or (if
demobilised) for life. In addition, during the
Napoleonic Wars, the present tradition of awarding the soldiers with the Virtuti Militari in front of the unit was established. Between 1806 and 1815, there were 2569 crosses awarded to Polish soldiers fighting on all fronts, from
Santo Domingo to
Russia and from
Italy to
Spain.
Among the famous recipients of the medal in this period were General
Jan Henryk Dąbrowski (1755–1818), the organiser of
Polish Legions during the Napoleonic Wars, for whom the Polish national
anthem Mazurek Dabrowskiego is named, and General
Józef Chlopicki (1771–1854). Also, on
May 20,
1809, Sergeant
Joanna Żubr became the first woman to receive the decoration (V class) for her part in the assault on
Zamość.
Congress Poland
In 1815 at the
Congress of Vienna, when European powers reorganised Europe following the Napoleonic wars, the
Kingdom of Poland - known unofficially as the ''Congress Poland'' - was created. This state, with one-tenth the area of the Polish-Lithuania Commonwealth, and a fifth of its population, was now tied to Russia with a
personal union. In the Congress Poland, the Virtuti Militari medal was renamed as the ''Polish Military Medal'' (''Medal Wojskowy Polski''). Both the statute of Virtuti Militari and the privileges granted to the recipients were preserved. A special commission was created to award the Virtuti Militari to veterans of the Napoleonic campaigns of 1812, 1813 and 1814. By 1820, an additional 1213 crosses of all classes were awarded. Also, on
June 5 1817, the royal decree
nobilitated all officers that received the Golden Cross.
At the time, the Kingdom of Poland was one of the few contemporary
constitutional monarchies in Europe, with the
Tsar of the
Russian Empire as Polish King. The country was given one of the most liberal constitutions in 19th-century Europe, although it was very different from the
Polish Constitution of May 3rd of the late Commonwealth. The Polish desire for freedom and respect for their privileges was a source of constant friction between them and the Russians. The main problem was that the tsars, who had absolute power in Russia, similarly wanted no restrictions on their rule in Poland. When in 1825
Nicholas I declined to crown himself
King of Poland and instead continued to limit Polish liberties, the
Polish parliament in 1830 deposed the Tsar as
King of Poland in response to his repeated curtailment of its constitutional rights. When the
November Uprising broke out, the Tsar reacted by sending in Russian troops.
After the outbreak of this uprising against
Russia, the Polish
Sejm decreed on
February 19 1831 that the decoration be restored to its original name, the "Order Virtuti Militari." Between
March 3 and October the same year, 3,863 crosses were awarded. Recipients of the Silver Cross included three women:
★ head
surgeon of the 10th Line Infantry Regiment,
Józefa Kluczycka;
★ surgeon's assistant in the 10th Line Infantry Regiment,
Józefa Daniel Rostowska née Mazurkiewicz; and
★ cadet in the 1st "
Augustów" Cavalry Regiment,
Bronisława Czarnowska.
After the defeat of the uprising, Tsar Nicholas I abolished the decoration and banned its use. On
December 31 1831, it was replaced with the "Polish Sign of Honor" (''Polski Znak Honorowy''), an exact copy of the original cross but awarded only to Russians for services to the Tsarist authorities.
Republic of Poland
After Poland regained her independence in 1918 as the
Second Republic of Poland, the Polish
Sejm reintroduced the Virtuti Militari on
August 1 1919 under a new official name, the ''Military Award Virtuti Militari'' (''Order Wojskowy Virtuti Militari''). A new statute of the decoration was also passed, and the class system introduced during the times of the
Duchy of Warsaw was reintroduced. According to the new statute, crosses of each class could be awarded to a different class of soldiers and for various deeds:
★ Grand Cross with Star, I Class: "for a commander who has achieved victory in a battle of strategic importance, resulting in total defeat of the enemy, or a successful defense that has decided the fate of a campaign."
★ Commander's Cross, II Class: "for a commander who has achieved a notable tactical victory or a valorous and successful defense of a difficult position."
★ Knight's Cross - III Class - ''For officers, NCOs or ordinary soldiers, awarded previously with the Golden Cross, for acts of outstanding bravery, risk of life or outstanding command over his troops''
★ Golden Cross - IV Class - ''For officers who commanded their troops with outstanding bravery and valor or for NCOs and ordinary soldiers previously awarded with the Silver Cross, for acts of outstanding bravery and risk of life on the field of battle''
★ Silver Cross - V Class - ''For officers, NCOs or ordinary soldiers, for acts of outstanding bravery and risk of life on the field of battle''
Each recipient of the Virtuti Militari, regardless of rank or post, received a yearly salary of 300
złotys.
Other privileges included the right of pre-emption when buying a state-owned land property or applying for a state post. Their children had additional points during exams in state schools and universities. In addition, the recipients of the Virtuti Militari had a right to be saluted by other soldiers of equal rank and NCOs and ordinary soldiers could be promoted one rank up upon receiving the award.
Coat-of-arms of city of
Lwów, with Virtuti Militari pendent
The new chapter of the decoration (''Kapituła Orderu Virtuti Militari'') was composed of 12 of the recipients of the crosses, four from each of the classes from I to IV. The headperson of the chapter was
Marshal of Poland Józef Piłsudski, the only living Pole awarded with the Grand Cross with Star. As the
commander-in-chief of the
Polish Army, he could award medals of classes I to III with the consent of the Chapter and the IV and V class upon receiving an application from the commander of a division or brigade. The Polish national feast of
May 3 was chosen as the feast of the Virtuti Militari.
On
January 1 1920, Piłsudski awarded the first crosses to 11 members of a Provisional Chapter. On
January 22 1920, to commemorate the anniversary of the outbreak of the
January Uprising, the first soldiers and officers were officially decorated with the Virtuti Militari for their deeds during the
World War I and the
Polish-Ukrainian War. By 1923, when the award of new medals was halted, the Chapter had awarded the crosses to 6589 recipients. Most of the recipients were veterans of the
Polish-Bolshevik War, but among them were also the veterans of all wars in which Polish soldiers fought in the 20th century, as well as some
January Uprising veterans. Among the recipients of the Silver Cross were two cities -
Lwów and
Verdun, as well as the banners of 14 infantry regiments, 6 cavalry regiments, an engineer battalion, a Women's Auxiliary Service unit and 12 units of artillery.
On
November 24 1922, a new Chapter was chosen for times of peace. The following year, the last medal for
World War I and the
Polish-Bolshevik War was granted and further decorations were halted. On
March 25 1933, the Sejm passed a new ''Virtuti Militari Act'' (''Ustawa o Orderze Virtuti Militari'') which modified the shape of all the crosses and extended the privileges granted to VM recipients by the previous act of 1919. All recipients of the decoration had the right to buy railway tickets at 20% of their normal price. In addition, the state paid for their health care and was obliged to provide them with jobs that would enable Virtuti Militari recipients to ''live a decent life''. For
war invalids, the government was ordered to provide money, food and clothing for the rest of their lives. Finally, the annual salary of 300 złotys was tax-free and could not be
impounded by the courts.
Also, the criteria for granting the crosses became more strict:
★ Grand Cross - I Class - ''for the
commander-in-chief who won a war or, alternatively, for commanders of armies or fronts who achieved outstanding victories during various campaigns of the war''
★ Commander's Cross - II Class - ''for commander of army or front (under special circumstances also commander of a
group, division or brigade) for brave and daring command during an operation, which had important influence on the outcome of the war, or for other officers who contributed to the victory''
★ Knight's Cross - III Class - ''For commanders of units up to the size of an army, for their outstanding leadership, initiative or bravery. Alternatively for staff officers for their cooperation with their commanders, that led to the final victory in a battle or war''
★ Golden Cross - IV Class - ''For a soldier or officer, who was previously awarded with the Silver Cross and achieved an outstanding success on the battlefield thanks to his personal bravery or outstanding command of a division or a smaller unit''
★ Silver Cross - V Class - ''for commanders who committed a daring and valorous command over their troops or for ordinary soldiers who influenced their comrades in arms by their bravery thus adding to the final victory in a battle''
The Silver Cross could also be awarded to military units, cities and civilians. All classes of the Virtuti Militari medal were awarded by the commander-in-chief during the war or former commander-in-chief after the end of hostilities. The classes from I to III were awarded after a nomination by the Chapter, while the IV and V classes were nominated by the chain of command (usually by the commander of a division or brigade). Apart from the 12 members of the Chapter, all recipients of the I class had a right to take part in the voting.
World War II
During the
Polish Defensive War of 1939, the fast German and Soviet advance prevented the Chapter from awarding the medals, especially as Poland's territory was overrun by enemies five weeks after the
Invasion of Poland began. Instead, commanders of divisions and brigades usually awarded the bravery of their soldiers with their own crosses received before the war. This was the case of the
18th Pomeranian Uhlans Regiment, awarded with the Virtuti Militari of General
Stanisław Grzmot-Skotnicki after the
battle of Krojanty, where elements of 18th Uhlans Regiment successfully delayed the advance of the German infantry on
September 1, the first day of the
Second World War.
Following the fall of Poland in 1939, a large part of the Polish Army was evacuated to
France, where it was reconstructed under the command of General
Władysław Sikorski. In January 1941, the
Polish Government in Exile introduced the Virtuti Militari as the highest military decoration of the Polish Army in exile. The legal basis for the election of a new Chapter was the Act of 1933. During the
Second World War, the Virtuti Militari was also often bestowed to senior military officers of allied armies, including
British General
Bernard Montgomery,
United States Supreme Commander of the
Allied forces Dwight D. Eisenhower,
French General
Jean de Lattre de Tassigny and
Soviet Marshal
Georgy Zhukov.
Among the most famous recipients of the medal during this period were
Tadeusz Kutrzeba, creator of the
Bzura counterattack plan and participant in the
defence of Warsaw during the
Invasion of Poland;
Władysław Anders, commander of the
2nd Polish Corps;
Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski, commander of giant
Armia Krajowa resistance movement and leader of the
Warsaw Uprising; and
Stanisław Maczek, one of the best armor commanders of the war, who devised the first anti-
blitzkrieg strategy as early as 1940 and was the commander of the
10th Motorized Cavalry Brigade, considered to be the only Polish unit not to lose a single battle in 1939, and from 1942 the commander of the
First Polish Armoured Division.
People's Republic of Poland
The
Soviet-backed Polish Armies fighting on the
Eastern Front were also awarding the Virtuti Militari. On
November 11 1943, General
Zygmunt Berling awarded 16 veterans of the
Battle of Lenino with Silver Crosses. On
December 22 1944, the Soviet-backed
PKWN passed a ''Virtuti Militari Award Act'', in which it accepted the medal as the highest military decoration of both the
1st Polish Army of
Red Army and the
Armia Ludowa resistance organization.
Although the decree of the
PKWN was loosely based on the act of the Polish
Sejm of 1933, the exclusive right to award soldiers with the medal was granted to the
Home National Council. Since 1947 the right was passed to the
President of Poland and, after the replacement of the post with the
Council of State, it was passed to that body. Between 1943 and 1989 the communist authorities of the
People's Republic of Poland awarded the medal to 5167 people and organisations. Some of the crosses were given to the officers and leaders of the
Red Army and other armies allied to the Soviets during and after
World War II.
Among the recipients of the Golden Cross was the
ORP ''BÅ‚yskawica'', probably the only
warship in the world to be awarded with the highest-ranking national medal. Among the recipients of the V Class VM were also a number of military units, including two infantry divisions, six infantry regiments, three artillery regiments, four tank regiments, three air force regiments and a number of smaller units.
Republic of Poland (after 1989)
After Poland overthrew the Communist rule in 1989, a number of Virtuti Militari awards made by the communist authorities were brought into question. On
July 10 1990, President
Wojciech Jaruzelski revoked the Grand Cross given to
Leonid Brezhnev on
July 21 1974. On
October 16 1992, the Polish
Sejm passed a new Virtuti Militari Act, which is based on the act of 1933. It restored the Chapter of Virtuti Militari abolished by the communist authorities, while also confirming all decorations bestowed by both the Polish government in exile and the Soviet-backed authorities in Poland.
In 1995, President
Aleksander Kwaśniewski revoked the Cross given to
Ivan Serov, who was accused of being responsible for the deaths of thousands of Poles. In 2006, President
Lech Kaczyński revoked the Cross given to Wincenty Romanowski, who tortured anti-Communist fighters.
Since 1989 there have been no new awards of the Virtuti Militari, and a new act of parliament introduced a rule setting the final deadline for awards at "no later than five years after the cessation of hostilities."
See also
★
★
Polish Scouting Cross
★
List of military decorations
References
★
★
Order wojenny Virtuti Militari, Tadeusz Jeziorowski, , , Poznań, Muzeum Narodowe, 1993, ISBN 978-83-85296-17-1
★
Virtuti Militari 1919–1997: wybór źródeł, Bogusław Polak, , , Koszalin, Wydawnictwo Uczelniane Politechniki Koszalińskiej, 1999, ISBN 978-83-87424-87-9
★
Słownik biograficzny kobiet odznaczonych Orderem Wojennym Virtuti Militari, Elżbieta Zawacka, Dorota Kromp, Maria Biernacka, , , Toruń, Archiwum i Muzeum Pomorskie Armii Krajowej oraz Wojskowej Służby Polek, 2004, ISBN 978-83-88693-03-8
External links
★
List of all Virtuti Militari recipients 1792–1992, by Professor Z. Wesołowski
★
Medals of the Republic of Poland since 1990
★
Photos and notes for collectors on Virtuti Militari
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