Order of Franz Joseph

Imperial Order of Franz Joseph
Grand Cross star of the order
Awarded by The Head of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine
Type Order of merit (1849–1918)
Dynastic order (1918—)
Established 2 December 1849
Royal house House of Habsburg-Lorraine
Motto VIRIBUS UNITIS
("With United Forces")
Awarded for Civil and Military Merit
Status Dormant Order since 1918
Sovereign Crown Prince Karl of Austria
Grades Grand Cross
Commander with Star
Commander
Officer
Knight
Statistics
First induction 1849
Last induction 1918
Precedence
Next (higher) Order of the Iron Crown
Order of Elizabeth
Next (lower) Order of Saint George
Order of Elizabeth and Theresa
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Ribbons of the Order

The Imperial Austrian Order of Franz Joseph (German: Kaiserlich-Österreichischer Franz-Joseph-Orden) was founded by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria on 2 December 1849, on the first anniversary of his accession to the imperial throne.

Classes

The order was originally awarded in three classes: Grand Cross, Commander's Cross, and Knight's Cross. In 1869, the class of Commander with Star was added, which ranked immediately below the Grand Cross. The Officer's Cross, which ranked between Commander and Knight, was introduced on 1 February 1901.

The order ceased to exist as a governmental award with the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918. It was not re-established with the foundation of the Republic of Austria. It has been revived as of 2017 by Sándor Habsburg-Lorraine as a private association.

Ribbon bars
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Grand Cross

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Commander with Star (1869)

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Commander

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Officer (1901)

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Knight/Dame

Description

Knights wore the decoration suspended from a triangular ribbon on the left breast. Officers wore it on the left breast without a ribbon. Commanders wore the decoration at the neck, as did Commander with Star, who also wore a breast star. The Grand Cross was worn suspended from the shoulder and also came with a breast star. The ribbon of all classes of the order was plain red for civilians but the order was also awarded with the ribbon of the bravery medal in the case of military merit.

As was common with other Austro-Hungarian awards of the period, the Order of Franz Joseph was further awarded with the addition of the War decoration (in the form of a laurel wreath) and Swords which could be awarded for military merit. However, if soldiers were honoured, it was usually for distinguished service as opposed to gallantry in the face of the enemy.

Notable recipients

The five classes of the order and their respective insignia
Bishop Paškal Buconjić wearing the Grand Cross of the Order of Franz Joseph

See also