The Order of Military Merit ( bg, Орден за Военна Заслуга) is a Bulgarian

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 ...

during the

Kingdom of Bulgaria The Tsardom of Bulgaria ( bg, Царство България, translit=Tsarstvo Balgariya), also referred to as the Third Bulgarian Tsardom ( bg, Трето Българско Царство, translit=Treto Balgarsko Tsarstvo, links=no), someti ...

and the

Republic of Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

. It is the third highest order in the Republic of Bulgaria along with the

Order of Civil Merit The Order of Civil Merit ( es, Orden del Mérito Civil) was established by King Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1926. The order recognizes "the civic virtue of officers in the service of the Nation, as well as extraordinary service by Spanish and forei ...

and the Order of the Madara Rider.

The Royal Order

The order was established with a decree of the

Knyaz , or ( Old Church Slavonic: Кнѧзь) is a historical Slavic title, used both as a royal and noble title in different times of history and different ancient Slavic lands. It is usually translated into English as prince or duke, dependi ...

on 19 May 1900 as a sign of the benevolence of the Monarch to the bravery of the Bulgarian army. It was similar to the Order of Civil Merit but made for military personnel. The order was given to military figures for immaculate service and special merit. It was established with six grades and in 1933 the Grand Cross was added. The order had a shape of Pisan cross with shoulder covered in red enamel. There were two swords between them with edges pointing to the top. In the centre of the averse was placed the monogram of the founder Knyaz

Ferdinand Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...

, surrounded by a ring in green enamel with inscription ЗА ВОЕННА ЗАСЛУГА (For Military Merit). The averse resembled that of the Order of Civil Merit but with green ring. It had a royal crown on the top. During war the order had slightly different resemblance with laurel wreath on the shoulders of the cross and white ring. The Grand Cross was worn on a wide yellow ribbon with black and white edges - the colours of the

Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (german: Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha), or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (german: Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha, links=no ), was an Ernestine, Thuringian duchy ruled by a branch of the House of Wettin, consisting of territories in the present ...

dynasty. The fourth, fifth and sixth grade were worn on a small triangle ribbon on the chest. After 9 September 1944 the ribbon was substituted with the one of the Order of Civil Merit, the monogram of Ferdinand was removed and replaced with the Bulgaria tricolour flag. In the 1950s the order was abolished. It was restored in two grades in 2004.

Grades

* I grade, Grand Cross. Awarded to senior state officers and military personnel. It was worn with a sash over the shoulder. * II grade, Grand Officer. Awarded only to

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

s. It is similar to the cross of I grade but had a size of 63 mm. It was worn with a ribbon around the neck. * III grade, Commander. Awarded to commanders of regiments (

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

s and

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colon ...

s). The size of the cross was between 54 and 63 mm. It had no stars and was worn with a ribbon around the neck. * IV grade, Officer. Awarded to

major Major ( commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicato ...

s and

captains Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

who commanded companies. It was similar to the cross of III grade but smaller - between 48 and 51 mm. * V grade, Knight. Awarded to commanders with rank up to captain, Opalchentsi, volunteers in the

Serbo-Bulgarian War The Serbo-Bulgarian War or the Serbian–Bulgarian War ( bg, Сръбско-българска война, ''Srăbsko-bălgarska voyna'', sr, Српско-бугарски рат, ''Srpsko-bugarski rat'') was a war between the Kingdom of Ser ...

, the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and def ...

and others. The size was between 48 and 51 mm. * VI grade, Silver Cross. Awarded to sergeants, Opalchentsi, volunteers in the wars and others. The diameter of the cross was 46 mm. Image:Орден «За военна заслуга» I степен .jpg, Order of Military Merit I grade Image:Order For Military Merit, 3rd Class.jpg, Order of Military Merit III grade

Republic of Bulgaria

The Order of Military Merit is the third highest order in Bulgaria. It was reestablished with the ''Law for the Orders and Medals of the Republic of Bulgaria'' on 13 June 2004. It is awarded by the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

of the nation.

Gallery

Image:Орден «За военна заслуга» I степен.gif, Order of Military Merit I grade (averse and reverse) Image:Орден «За военна заслуга» I степен (звезда на ордена).gif, Star of the Order of Military Merit I grade (averse) Image:Орден «За военна заслуга» II степен.gif, Order of Military Merit II grade (averse and reverse) Image:Орден «За военна заслуга» III степен.gif, Order of Military Merit III grade (averse and reverse)

References

{{Reflist Military awards and decorations of Bulgaria Orders of chivalry of Bulgaria Awards established in 1900