, image=Polonia Restituta - Commander's Cross pre-1939 w rib.jpg , image_size=200px , caption=

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

's Cross of Polonia Restituta , presenter = the President of Poland , country = , type=Five classes , eligibility=All , awarded_for=Extraordinary and distinguished service , campaign= , status=Currently awarded , description= , clasps= , established=4 February 1921 , firstawarded= , lastawarded= , total_awarded= , total_awarded_posthumously= , total_recipients= , individual= , higher=

Order Virtuti Militari The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', pl, 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 by Polish King Stan ...

Order of the White Eagle , same= , lower= Order of the Military Cross , related= , image2= POL Polonia Restituta Wielki BAR

, caption2= Ribbon bar of the Grand Cross The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievements in the fields of education, science, sport, culture, art, economics, national defense,

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

civil service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

, or for furthering good relations between countries. The Order of Polonia Restituta is sometimes regarded as Poland's successor to the ''Order of the Knights of Saint Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr'', known as the

Order of Saint Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus ( pl, Order Św. Stanisława Biskupa Męczennika, russian: Орден Святого Станислава), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Ponia ...

, established in 1765 by

Stanisław August Poniatowski Stanisław II August (born Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski; 17 January 1732 – 12 February 1798), known also by his regnal Latin name Stanislaus II Augustus, was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1764 to 1795, and the last monarch ...

, the last King of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, to honor supporters of the Polish crown.

History

When Poland regained its independence from the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

, and Russian Empire in 1918, the new Polish government abolished the activities of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Imperial House of Romanov) in the country, due to the claimed abuses of its initial rules by the Russians, who often awarded their version to those who - according to the dominant view in newly independent Poland - had been responsible for the destruction of Poland and

Polish culture The culture of Poland ( pl, Kultura Polski ) is the product of its geography and distinct historical evolution, which is closely connected to an intricate thousand-year history. Polish culture forms an important part of western civilization and ...

. Instead, the Order of Polonia Restituta was established on 4 February 1921 with

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

Józef Piłsudski as first Grand Master, with the proclaimed aim of once again rewarding the noble values that it originally stood for. The Marshal awarded the first recipients on 13 July 1921. The order became Poland's main honour bestowed on foreigners, awarded by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After World War II both the Polish government-in-exile and the Communist

People's Republic of Poland The Polish People's Republic ( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million nea ...

, aligned with the Warsaw Pact, awarded the order, though the versions differed slightly. Despite

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

control, the order's prestige remained safe and it was even given to many people who were hardly model communists. The order was saved from abuse as it was simply passed over in favor of more traditional communist awards. During this time, the Order of Merit of Poland became the favored award for foreigners. On 22 December 1990 the Polish government-in-exile returned the rights to its version of the order to the new Polish state. Invalid awards have been revoked and today the remaining communist versions of the order hold the same status as any other issues.

Succession debate

Founded by the Polish Republic on 4 February 1921 as a secondary award to the Order of the White Eagle, the Order of Polonia Restituta, or the Order of the Restored Poland, has been alleged as an intended Polish successor to the Polish

. The new Polonia Restituta order use the same ribbon as the old Saint Stanislaus order and their decorations are very similar. The goal was to preserve the tradition of the Order of Saint Stanislaus and its association with Polish history while changing the name which had become associated with Poland's oppression under the Russian Tsars.

Organisation

Among Polish civilian awards, the Order is second only to the rarely awarded Order of the White Eagle. Historically the order entitled its recipient to a state pension. As such, nominees for the award are evaluated by a special committee responsible for upholding the honour of the order. The Chapter ('' Kapituła'') of Polonia Restituta is composed of a Grand Master and eight members appointed by the Grand Master, who serve five year terms. Upon becoming elected the President of Poland, the office-holder is automatically awarded the order and becomes the Grand Master of the Order Chapter. The names of new recipients are published in the '' Monitor Polski'', a publication required to provide announcements of legal decisions to the public. The Order of Polonia Restituta (''Polska Odrodzona'') has five classes, categorized according to the Constitution of Poland, Article 138, as follows:

Grand Cross

Order of Polonia Restituta First Class, ''Krzyż Wielki'', the Grand Cross, referred to as the Grand Cordon. POL Polonia Restituta Wielki BAR

Commander's Cross with Star

Order of Polonia Restituta Second Class, ''Krzyż Komandorski z Gwiazdą'', the Commander's Cross with Star. POL Polonia Restituta Komandorski ZG BAR

Commander's Cross

Order of Polonia Restituta Third Class, ''Krzyż Komandorski'', the Commander's Cross. POL Polonia Restituta Komandorski BAR

Officer's Cross

Order of Polonia Restituta Fourth Class, ''Krzyż Oficerski'', the Officer's Cross. POL Polonia Restituta Oficerski BAR

Knight's Cross

Order of Polonia Restituta Fifth Class, ''Krzyż Kawalerski'', the Knight's Cross. POL Polonia Restituta Kawalerski BAR

Insignia

The badge of the order is a gold

Maltese cross The Maltese cross is a cross symbol, consisting of four " V" or arrowhead shaped concave quadrilaterals converging at a central vertex at right angles, two tips pointing outward symmetrically. It is a heraldic cross variant which developed f ...

enamelled in white. The obverse central disc bears a white eagle on red background, the Coat of Arms of Poland, surrounded by a blue ring bearing the words "Polonia Restituta". The reverse central disc bears the year 1918 (for the

version: 1944). It is worn on a ribbon, red with a white stripe near the edges, as a sash on the right shoulder for Grand Cross, around the neck for Commander with Star and Commander, on the left chest with rosette for Officer, and on the left chest without rosette for Knight. The star of the order is an eight-pointed silver star with straight rays. The central disc is in white enamel, bearing the monogram "RP" (Republic of Poland) (for the

, "PRL") and surrounded by a blue ring bearing the Latin words "Polonia Restituta". }) , Commander's Cross with Star
( pl, Krzyż Komandorski z Gwiazdą) , Commander's Cross
( pl, Krzyż Komandorski) , Officer's Cross
( pl, Krzyż Oficerski) , Knight's Cross
( pl, Krzyż Kawalerski) , - , Ribbon , POL Polonia Restituta Wielki BAR

, - , Insignia , Order Odrodzenia Polski - Krzyż Wielki