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The Virtuti Militari ( highest Military Decoration for Valor in the face of the enemy. Foreign decorations equivalent to the Virtuti Militari include Britain's Victoria Cross and the U.S. Medal Of Honor . It is awarded either for personal heroisim or sometimes to commanders representing their units. 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, it 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. HISTORY Beginnings 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 medal for Generals and Officers , and a Silver one for Non-commissioned Officer s 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. 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. 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 who scored many victories against overwhelming odds. 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 nation 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'') 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 recipents 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 unofficialy 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. Formally, the Kingdom of Poland was one of the few contemporary Constitutional Monarchies in Europe, with the Tsar of 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 1831 deposed the Tsar as King Of Poland in response to his repeated curtailment of its constitutional rights. The Tsar reacted by sending in Russian troops, and the November Uprising broke out. 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:
After the fall 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:
, with Virtuti Militari pendent.]] Each recipient of the Virtuti Militari, regardless of rank or post, received a yearly salary of 300 Złoty s. 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. 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 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 the recipients of the decoration had a right to buy railway tickets at 20% of their normal price. In addition, the state paid for their healing and was obliged to provide them with a job that would enable the recipient of Virtuti Militari to ''live a decent life''. In case of War Invalid s, the Polish government was ordered to provide them with money, food and clothing for the rest of their lives. Finally, the annual salary of 300 Złoty s was tax-free and could not be Impound ed by the courts. Also, the criteria for granting the crosses became more strict:
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. 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." LIST OF SELECTED RECIPIENTS ::''For a full list of recipients of Virtuti Militari featured on Wikipedia see: ''
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