Order of Maria Theresia

Imperial and Royal Order of Maria Theresa I
Star of the Sovereign of the Order
Awarded by The Head of the House of Habsburg
Type	Dynastic Order
Established	18 June 1757
Royal house	House of Habsburg
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic
Motto	FORTITVDINI ("Fortitude")
Status	Dormant
Founder	Empress Maria Theresa I, Holy Roman Empress
Sovereign	Archduke Karl of Austria
Grand Master	Archduke Ferdinand Zvonimir
Grades	Sovereign Knight Grand Cordon Knight Grand Cordon Honorary Knight Commander Honorary Knight
Statistics
First induction	1757 Empress Maria Theresa I
Last induction	1944 Kornél Oszlányi
Precedence
Next (higher)	Imperial and Royal Order of Golden Fleece
Next (lower)	Imperial and Royal Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary
Ribbon of the Order

The Imperial and Royal Order of Maria Theresa I (German: Militär-Maria-Theresien-Orden, Hungarian: Katonai Mária Terézia-rend, Czech: Vojenský řád Marie Terezie, Polish: Wojskowy Order Marii Teresy, Slovene: Vojaški red Marije Terezije, Croatian: Vojni Red Marije Terezije was an Order of the Austro-Hungarian Empire founded on 18 June 1757, the day of the Battle of Kolin, by the Empress Maria Theresa to reward especially meritorious and valorous acts by commissioned officers, including and especially the courageous act of defeating an enemy, and thus, "serving" their monarch. It was specifically given for "successful military acts of essential impact to a campaign that were undertaken on [the officer's] own initiative, and might have been omitted by an honorable officer without reproach." This gave rise to a popular myth that it was awarded for (successfully) acting against an explicit order. It is considered to be the highest honor for a soldier in the Austrian armed services.

Originally, the order had two classes: the Knight's Cross and the Grand Cordon. On 15 October 1765, Emperor Joseph II added a Commander's Cross.

A prospective awardee was considered only in regards to their military service record; their ethnicity, birth and rank (as long as he was a commissioned officer) were irrelevant. Knight Cross recipients were automatically ennobled with the title of Ritter in the Austrian nobility for life, and admitted to court. Upon further petition they could also claim the hereditary title of Baron (Freiherr). They were also entitled to a pension. Widows of the order's recipients were entitled to half of their spouse's pension during the remainder of their lives.