Order of Michael the Brave

Order of Michael the Brave
Ordinul Mihai Viteazul
Order of Michael the Brave; Ordinul Mihai Viteazul
Type	Military Award
Presented by	The King of Romania; (1916 – 1947); The President of Romania; (since 2000)
Eligibility	Military personnel on active service
Status	Awarded only in time of war
Established	1916, re-instituted 2000
First awarded	1916
Last awarded	1944 and disbanded in 1947
	Ribbon of the Order of Michael the Brave
Precedence
Next (higher)	None (Highest)
Next (lower)	Order of the Star of Romania

The Order of Michael the Brave (Romanian: Ordinul Mihai Viteazul) is Romania's highest military decoration, instituted by King Ferdinand I during the early stages of the Romanian Campaign of the First World War, and was again awarded in the Second World War. The Order, which may be bestowed either on an individual or on a whole unit, was named in honor of Michael the Brave (Mihai Viteazul), the late 16th-century Prince of Wallachia, Transylvania, and Moldavia.

Data

Requirements: Awarded to officers only for exceptional deeds on the battlefield. It is the highest ranking Romanian military order.

Classes: 3rd, 2nd and 1st

Date Instituted: September 26, 1916

Number awarded: 2184

During WW1:

1st class: 16

2nd class: 12

3rd class: 336 (of which 43 awarded to military units)

During WW2:

1st class: 15

2nd class: 76 (of which 13 awarded to military units)

3rd class: 1628 (of which 118 awarded to military units)

A 1941 war flag of the Knights of the Military Order "Mihai Viteazu" (Romania)

Obverse of the modern (2000) third class order

During the Second World War, while Romania was allied with Germany, the Order was awarded to several military members of other Axis Powers, many in the Wehrmacht: