The Imperial Austrian Order of Elizabeth (German: ''Kaiserlich österreichischer Elisabeth-Orden''), founded in 1898 by Francis Joseph,

Emperor of Austria The Emperor of Austria (german: Kaiser von Österreich) was the ruler of the Austrian Empire and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire. A hereditary imperial title and office proclaimed in 1804 by Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, a member of the Hou ...

and

King of Hungary The King of Hungary ( hu, magyar király) was the ruling head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 (or 1001) to 1918. The style of title "Apostolic King of Hungary" (''Apostoli Magyar Király'') was endorsed by Pope Clement XIII in 175 ...

, was an

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 ...

created for women. The order was the namesake of Saint

Elisabeth of Hungary Elizabeth of Hungary (german: Heilige Elisabeth von Thüringen, hu, Árpád-házi Szent Erzsébet, sk, Svätá Alžbeta Uhorská; 7 July 1207 – 17 November 1231), also known as Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia, or Saint Elisabeth of Thuringia, ...

, but it was created to honor and memorialize Franz Joseph's late wife, Empress-Queen Elisabeth. The order was divided into three classes: Grand Cross, first and second classes. There was also an Elizabeth Medal for civil merit.

The Order

According to medal expert and collector Yuri Yashnev:

The award was intended for ladies, regardless of social status or religion, for merits in religious and charitable work. The award had four degrees - the Grand Cross, I Degree and II Degree, and also a cross of merit... Awards were made, personally, by the emperor... the badges and insignia of the Order were to be returned to the state upon the death of the member, or upon the advancement from a lower degree to a higher degree... There were 81 awards of the Grand Cross, 332 awards of the I Degree, 500 awards of the II Degree, and 208 awards of the Elizabeth Medal for merit, between 1898 and 1918, when the Order was disbanded with the collapse of the monarchy.

Notable recipients

Austrian

Archduchess Gisela of Austria Archduchess Gisela Louise Marie of Austria (12 July 1856 – 27 July 1932) was the second daughter and eldest surviving child of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth of Austria. Although christened ''Gisella'', she only ever wro ...

Princess Isabella of Croÿ , house = Croÿ , father = Rudolf, 11th Duke of Croÿ , mother = Princess Natalie of Ligne , birth_date = , birth_place = Dülmen, Province of Westphalia, Kingdom of Prussia , death_date = , death_place = Bud ...

Archduchess Maria Annunciata of Austria Archduchess Maria Annunciata of Austria (31 July 1876 – 8 April 1961) was a daughter of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria and his third wife, Infanta Maria Theresa of Portugal. She was Princess-Abbess of the Theresian Royal and Imperial Lad ...

Maria Christina of Austria Maria Christina Henriette Desideria Felicitas Raineria of Austria ( es, María Cristina de Habsburgo-Lorena; 21 July 1858 – 6 February 1929) was the second queen consort of Alfonso XII of Spain. She was queen regent during the vacancy of th ...

* Archduchess Marie Valerie of Austria * Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg *

Irma Sztáray Countess Irma Sztáray de Sztára et Nagymihály (10 July 1863 – 3 September 1940) was a Hungarian courtier and memoirist.Beatrix Meyer: Kaiserin Elisabeth und ihr Ungarn, Allitera, München 2019, ISBN 978-3962331306 She was the last lady-in-w ...

Foreign

Alexandra of Denmark Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 to 6 May 1910 as the wife of ...

* Augusta Viktoria, German Empress *

Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Duchess Cecilie Auguste Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (20 September 1886 – 6 May 1954) was the last German Crown Princess and Crown Princess of Prussia as the wife of Wilhelm, German Crown Prince, the son of German Emperor Wilhelm II. Cecili ...

* Charlotte of Schaumburg-Lippe *

Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont (Adelheid Emma Wilhelmina Theresia; 2 August 1858 – 20 March 1934) was Queen of the Netherlands and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg as the wife of King-Grand Duke William III. An immensely popular member of the Dutch ...

Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine Princess Irene Luise Marie Anne of Hesse and by Rhine (11 July 1866 – 11 November 1953) was the third child and third daughter of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom and Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine. Her maternal grandparents wer ...

* Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin * Marie, Queen of Romania *

Mary of Teck Mary of Teck (Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes; 26 May 186724 March 1953) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 6 May 1910 until 20 January 1936 as the wife of King- ...

* Milena of Montenegro *

Stephanie of Belgium Stephanie is a female name that comes from the Greek name Στέφανος (Stephanos) meaning "crown". The male form is Stephen. Forms of Stephanie in other languages include the German "Stefanie", the Italian, Czech, Polish, and Russian " ...

Princess Thyra of Denmark Princess Thyra of Denmark, , (Thyra Amalie Caroline Charlotte Anna; 29 September 1853 – 26 February 1933) was the youngest daughter and fifth child of Christian IX of Denmark and Louise of Hesse-Kassel. In 1878, she married Ernest Augustus, ...

Victoria of Baden Sophie Marie Victoria of Baden (german: Sophie Marie Viktoria; 7 August 1862 – 4 April 1930) was Queen of Sweden from 8 December 1907 until her death in 1930 as the wife of King Gustaf V. She was politically active in a conservative fashion du ...

* Victoria Eugenie, Queen of Spain *

Anne Weightman Anne Weightman Walker Penfield (December 15, 1844 – February 25, 1932) was a philanthropist and one of the richest women in the world. Biography She was born in December 15, 1844, to William Weightman, "the quinine king," Mary Sieminski, "Anne W ...

Wilhelmina of the Netherlands Wilhelmina (; Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World Wa ...

Sources

{{Orders of knighthood for women

Order of Elizabeth The Imperial Austrian Order of Elizabeth (German: ''Kaiserlich österreichischer Elisabeth-Orden''), founded in 1898 by Francis Joseph, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, was an order created for women. The order was the namesake of Saint ...

Elizabeth, Imperial Austrian Order of Awards established in 1898 1918 disestablishments in Austria-Hungary 1898 establishments in Austria-Hungary Empress Elisabeth of Austria