The Order of Merit of the Kingdom of Hungary ( hu, Magyar Érdemrend) was established on 14 June 1922 by

Miklós Horthy Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya ( hu, Vitéz nagybányai Horthy Miklós; ; English: Nicholas Horthy; german: Nikolaus Horthy Ritter von Nagybánya; 18 June 1868 – 9 February 1957), was a Hungarian admiral and dictator who served as the regent ...

the

Regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

of the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coronation of the Hungarian monarch, c ...

. On 23 December 1935 it was transformed into an official distinction. Since then it has been known as Order of Merit of the Kingdom of Hungary ( hu, Magyar Érdemrend). After the Hungarian monarchy was abolished, on 14 September 1946 the

National Assembly of Hungary The National Assembly ( hu, Országgyűlés, lit=Country Assembly) is the parliament of Hungary. The unicameral body consists of 199 (386 between 1990 and 2014) members elected to 4-year terms. Election of members is done using a semi-proport ...

disestablished the order and replaced it by the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary ( hu, Magyar Köztársasági Érdemrend). After the promulgation of the new Hungarian constitution on 20. August 1949, the order was disestablished. After the collapse of the communist regime in Hungary, the order was reestablished as the second-highest distinction of the country. Since 2012 the official name is Order of Merit of Hungary ( hu, Magyar Érdemrend). Originally the order was instituted as the Order of Merit in three grades: gilt, silver and bronze. Eventually the order was expanded to include the following seven classes: Collar, Grand Cross with Holy Crown, Grand Cross, Grand Commander, Commander, Officer and Knight. Magyar Érdemrend Szent Koronával ékesített nagykeresztje hadiszalagon a kardokkal

Magyar Érdemrend Szent Koronával ékesített nagykeresztje hadiszalagon a kardokkal

History

The Order of Merit of the Kingdom of Hungary ( hu, Magyar Érdemrend) was established on 14 June 1922 by the

of the

, Vice Admiral

. After its establishment, the rules of the order were changed numerous times. On 23 December 1935 it became an official distinction recognizing both civil and military accomplishments. From on 1939 to 1944 the highest degree of the order, the Grand Cross with the Holy Crown of Stephen (Istvan), was awarded to both chiefs of state (i.e. monarchs of presidents) or heads of government (i.e. prime ministers and chancellors). In addition, the class of the Holy Crown and the Collar was instituted which was awarded exclusively to chiefs of state. All classes of the order could be awarded in recognition of military distinction, the military "division" of the order having crossed swords and a different ribbon which was mostly red rather than the green of the civil division. After the Hungarian monarchy was formally abolished following the abdication of Admiral Horthy and the defeat of Hungary in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, on 14 September 1946 the

disestablished the order and replaced it by the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary ( hu, Magyar Köztársasági Érdemrend). After the Communist take over of Hungary and the promulgation of the new Hungarian constitution on August 20, 1949, the new order was disestablished. Following the collapse of the Communist regime in Hungary in 1989 a new order, known as ''Order of Merit of Hungary'' ( hu, Magyar Érdemrend), was established. Though it has a similar appearance, this is a new order and not a re-establishment of the previous order.

Recipients

* Vice Admiral

* Grand Admiral

Erich Raeder Erich Johann Albert Raeder (24 April 1876 – 6 November 1960) was a German admiral who played a major role in the naval history of World War II. Raeder attained the highest possible naval rank, that of grand admiral, in 1939, becoming the fir ...

* Pasha Sherif Sabri Society of Hungary Orders, decorations, and medals of Hungary