The Hungarian Order of Merit () is the fourth highest

State Order A state order, or national order, is an order that is granted by a sovereign state as part of its national honours system. These orders, which are generally awarded to recipients for their accomplishments, are typically categorised as either orde ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

. Founded in 1991, the order is a revival of an original order founded in 1946 and abolished in 1949. Its origins, however, can be traced to the Order of Merit of the Kingdom of Hungary which existed from 1922 until 1946. In 2011 its official name changed from Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary to Hungarian Order of Merit in accordance with the new Hungarian Constitution. It is awarded in either civilian or military divisions. Since 2011, the

Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen The Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen ( Hungarian: ''Magyar Szent István Rend'') is the highest state honour bestowed by the President of Hungary. The order is made up of one grade and is awarded in recognition of the most special merits, outst ...

is the highest State honour of

Grades

The civil division is divided into six grades, whilst the military division is divided into five. The highest grade, the Grand Cross with Chain, is exclusive to the civilian division and is only awarded to heads of state and the President of Hungary ''

ex-officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, or council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term ''List of Latin phrases (E)#ex officio, ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the off ...

''. The maximum number of awards which are permitted to be made to Hungarian citizens per year is subject to the grade in the following fashion: Grand Cross: 5 Commander's Cross with Star: 20 Commander's Cross: 40 Officer's Cross: 140 Knight's Cross: 300

Insignia

* The ''medal'' of the Order is made on the features of the ancient Royal

Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary The Order of Saint Stephen () is an order of chivalry founded in 1764 by Maria Theresa. In 1938, Miklós Horthy took the rights and activities of Grand Master as Regent of Hungary. The name of the Order changed to the Royal Hungarian Order of ...

: it consists of a white-enamelled cross edged with green, showing a central circular medallion enamelled in red showing the coat of arms of Hungary, surrounded by a wreath of green enamel. * The ''star'' takes up the shape of the medal but is mounted on a golden radiant star. * The ''ribbon'' is green with a red stripe and a white stripe for the civil class, while it is red with a green stripe and a white stripe for the military class.

References

Sources

{{Commons category
State Decorations
Office of the President of Hungary

Medals of the World
1991 XXXI law enacting the order

2011 CCII. law enacting the order
Merit Merit of the Republic of Hungary, Order of the Orders of merit 1991 establishments in Hungary