Austro-Hungarian Orders and Decorations 1848-1918

The following orders and decorations were awarded during the period 1848 to Austro-Hungarian servicemen and in some cases to personnel of allied nations during wartime. Most of the decorations had been in existence for many years prior to the outbreak of the First World War and indeed that war saw a proliferation in the number of different grades within specific orders. In particular most decorations were now awarded with the so-called "Kriegsdekoration" or War Decoration which took the form of an oak leaf wreath and the addition of crossed swords. Another fairly recent innovation was the the introduction of so-called "Kleine Dekorationen" literally small decorations which were informal or service dress variations of the more senior and expensive classes of the orders. They took the form of a miniature of the senior order affixed to either the triangular ribbon of a basic order or to the small ribbon when the decoration was not actually worn. The names of individuals who were awarded decorations were published in the various official military gazettes or "Verordnungsblätter" and in the case of the Common Army that was the Heeres-Verordnungsblatt (Personal affairs section). In each case the German language title of the order or decoration will be given followed by an English equivalent. Readers should click on the illustration to move to the relevant page. This section is still under construction and additional pages will be added on a regular basis. Qualification badges such as Marksmanship Lanyards and Aircrew Badges are not considered as decorations and will be dealt with separately:

Orders
	Der Orden vom Goldenen Vlies - Hausorden der Familie Habsburg bis heute The Order of the Golden Fleece - House Order of the Habsburg family until the present time
	Der Militär-Maria Theresien-Orden The Military order of Maria Theresa
	Königlich ungarischer St. Stephans-Orden Royal Hungarian order of Saint Stephan
	Der österreichisch-kaiserlische Leopolds-Orden Imperial Austrian Order of Leopold
	Der österreichisch-kaiserlische Orden der eisernen Krone Imperial Austrian Order of the Iron Crown
	Der kaiserlich-österreichische Franz Joseph-Orden Imperial Austrian Order of Franz Joseph
Decorations
	Das Militärverdienstkreuz Military Merit Cross
	Das Geistliche Verdienstkreuz Merit Cross for Military Chaplains
	Das Kriegskreuz für Zivildienste The Civilian Wartime Merit Cross
	Die Militärverdienstmedaille (Signum Laudis) Miltary Merit Medals
	Die Tapferkeitsmedaillen Bravery Medals
	Die Zivilverdienstmedaille Civilian Merit medals
	Das Verdienstkreuz Merit Cross
	Verwundetenmedaille Wound Medal
Campaign Medals
	Die Denkmünzen für die Tiroler Landesverteidiger 1848, 1859 und 1866 The Commemorative Medals for the Defenders of the Tyrol 1848, 1859 and 1866
	Die Erinnerungsmedaille an den Feldzug 1864 in Dänemark The Campaign Medal for Denmark 1864
	Die Prager Bürgerwehrmedaille 1866 The Prague Militia Medal 1866
	Die Kriegsmedaille 1873 The (General) War Service Medal
	Das Mobilisierungskreuz 1912/13 Mobilization Cross 1912/13
	Karl Truppen-Kreuz Karl Troop Cross
Commemorative Medals
	Die Jubiläums-Medaillen 1898 The Crown Jubilee Medal of 1898
	Das Erinnerungszeichen an FM Erzherzog Albrecht The Commemorative Badge for FM Archduke Albrecht
	Die Jubiläums-Kreuze 1908 The Crown Jubilee Crosses of 1908
	Die bosnisch-herzegowinische Erinnerungsmedaille 1909 The Bosnian-Herzegovina Commemorative Medal 1909
	Die Erinnerungskreuze an Kaiser Karl Franz Joseph I The Commemoration Crosses for Kaiser Franz Joseph I
Long Service & Good Conduct Decorations
	Die Militärdienstzeichen für Offiziere Long Service Crosses for Officers
	Die Militärdienstzeichen für Unteroffiziere Long Service Crosses for Non Commissioned Officers
	Die Ehrenmedaille für 40jährige treue Dienste The Medal for 40 years Faithful Service
	Die Ehrenmedaille für vieljährige verdienstliche Mitgliedschaft bei einer landsturmpflichtigen Körperschaft Territorial Honour Medal for Long Service
Miscellaneous
	Die Ehrenzeichen für Verdienste um das Rote Kreuz The Decorations of the Austrian Red Cross
	Foreign Awards often bestowed on A-H servicemen
	WW1 Commemorative Medals of the Central Powers
	The Army Gazette known as the Heeres-Verordnungsblatt was the document which published the awards for all members of the Common Army. Each service had its own Verordnungsblatt and all were produced weekly together in a publication known as Streffleurs Militärblatt. The page shown here is from the edition of 7th July 1917 showing the first sheet of the Common Army Personnel Matters section numbered 125 and dated the 2nd July 1917 (P.V. Bl. f. d. k.u.k. Heer Nr.125 v. 2.Juli). It shows amongst others two awards of the Knights' Cross of the Leopold Order with War Decoration and Swords to Oberst Gustav Seidl  of FeldhaubRgt. Nr.6 and Oberleutnant Béla Szilárd of HonvédInfRgt. Nr.31.

Sources and Further Reading:

• Das Ordensbuch der gewesenen Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie by Hauptmann Heinrich Michetschläger. Originally published in Vienna in 1918/1919 and republished by PHV Phalereristischer Verlag Michael Autengruber, Offenbach am Main 1998. A very detailed and beautifully illustrated work with 26 full coloured plates which show just about every variation of every order including the bewildering variations of War and "Kleine" Decorations.
•  Orden und Ehrenzeichen der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie  by Václav Meřička.  Published by Verlag Anton Schroll & Co, Vienna and Munich 1974. Beautifully illustrated and detailed work depicting the orders and decorations of the Monarchy. 
• Ehrenbuch der österreichisch-ungarischen Wehrmacht: Die Ausgezeichneten im Weltkrieg I. Band Published by the k.und k. War Archives in Vienna 1917. A beautiful book which not only lists the holders of all the decorations by rank and unit from the outbreak of the war until the end of July 1915 but also includes 16 full colour plates of the decorations plus the statutes for each award.

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