Virtuti Militari

**Virtuti Militari**
War Order of Virtuti Militari
*Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari*
Virtuti Militari; War Order of Virtuti Militari; Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari
	;
Type	Order
Awarded for	Virtue at War
Country	Poland
Presented by	the President of Poland
Eligibility	Military personnel/ Military units
Motto	HONOR I OJCZYZNA; (Honor and Fatherland)
Status	In the award system but a wartime decoration only
Established	22 June 1792
First awarded	1792
Last awarded	1989
Precedence
Next (higher)	Order of the White Eagle
Equivalent	United States Medal of Honor; British Commonwealth Victoria Cross
Next (lower)	Order of Polonia Restituta

The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: "For Military Virtue", Polish: Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was created in 1792^[1]^[2] by Polish King Stanislaus II Augustus and is the oldest military decoration in the world still in use.^[3]

It is awarded in five classes either for personal heroism or, to commanders, for leadership.^[4] Some of the heroic actions recognized by an award of the Virtuti Militari are equivalent to those meriting the British Victoria Cross^[5] and the American Medal of Honor.^[6]

Soon after its introduction, however, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was destroyed in the partitions of Poland (1795), 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.^[7]

^ Cite error: The named reference established was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference wspolnota was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Berkovits, Annette Libeskind. "What is the Oldest Military Decoration in the World Still in Use? | Annette Libeskind Berkovits". annetteberkovits.com. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
^ Cite error: The named reference prezydent was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "My Polish father-in-law did more for Britain than any graffiti-spraying racist". Retrieved 15 April 2020.
^ Lerski, Jerzy Jan; Lerski, George J.; Lerski, Halina T. (1996). "Historical dictionary of Poland, 966-1945". Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9780313260070. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
^ ""Niegodni" Virtuti Militari. W Kancelarii Prezydenta przegląd orderów nadanych w PRL". Retrieved 15 April 2020.

[established-1] Cite error: The named reference established was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[wspolnota-2] Cite error: The named reference wspolnota was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[3] Berkovits, Annette Libeskind. "What is the Oldest Military Decoration in the World Still in Use? | Annette Libeskind Berkovits". annetteberkovits.com. Retrieved 2021-03-17.

[prezydent-4] Cite error: The named reference prezydent was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[5] "My Polish father-in-law did more for Britain than any graffiti-spraying racist". Retrieved 15 April 2020.

[6] Lerski, Jerzy Jan; Lerski, George J.; Lerski, Halina T. (1996). "Historical dictionary of Poland, 966-1945". Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9780313260070. Retrieved 15 April 2020.

[7] ""Niegodni" Virtuti Militari. W Kancelarii Prezydenta przegląd orderów nadanych w PRL". Retrieved 15 April 2020.

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