The Silver Medal of Military Valor () is an Italian medal for gallantry. Italian medals for valor were first instituted by

Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia Victor Amadeus III (Vittorio Amedeo Maria; 26 June 1726 – 16 October 1796) was King of Sardinia and ruler of the Savoyard state, Savoyard states from 20 February 1773 to his death in 1796. Although he was politically conservative, he carrie ...

on 21 May 1793, with a gold medal, and, below it, a silver medal. These were intended for junior officers or common soldiers who had distinguished themselves in combat. These medals fell into disuse during the period of Napoleonic domination. They were reinstated on 1 April 1815, by Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia, who, however, abolished them only a few months later, on 4 August 1815, replacing them with the Military Order of Savoy (l'Ordine militare di Savoia), now known as the Military Order of Italy. However, in 1833, Charles Albert of Sardinia, recognizing that the Military Order was too exclusive in that it could only be awarded to persons of high rank, re-instituted the medals for valor (gold and silver) as awards for noble acts performed by soldiers in both war and peace. According to royal decree no. 753 of 24 May 1915, the number of times one individual could receive a medal for valor (both silver and gold) was limited to three, after which a promotion was foreseen. This limit was abolished with royal decree no. 975 of 15 June 1922. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the medal was awarded to military personnel, units above the level of

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

and civilians for exceptional valor in the face of the enemy. During World War I, the medal was given out some 38,614 times for individual acts of heroism (compared to 368 Gold Medals and 60,244 Bronze medals). Thus, the Italian Silver Medal for Military Valor is equivalent in frequency and prestige to the British

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

, which was awarded some 40,253 times during World War I. The Silver Medal for Military Valor is still awarded by the Italian state, and it, along with the Gold and Bronze medals for Military Valor as well as the "Croce di Guerra al Valor Militare" (War Cross of Military Valor - which can only be awarded in time of war) is established by the Royal Decree of 4 November 1932, in which the purpose of these medals is defined as "To distinguish and publicly honor the authors of heroic military acts, even ones performed in time of peace, provided that the exploit is closely connected with the purposes for which the Armed Forces are constituted, whatever may be the condition or quality of the author."official website of the Italian Presidency http://www.quirinale.it/qrnw/statico/onorificenze/cennistorici/medagliacrocevm.htm

Notable recipients

Ernest Hemingway in Milan 1918 retouched 3

* Italo Balbo * William George Barker VC * Nicola Bellomo (twice) * Alfred-Ingemar Berndt * Aaron Bradshaw Jr. * Carlo Emanuele Buscaglia *

Federico Cafiero Federico Cafiero (24 May 1914 – 7 May 1980) was an Italian mathematician known for his contributions in real analysis, measure theory, measure and Integral (mathematics), integration theory, and in the theory of ordinary differential equations. ...

* Cervi Brothers * Mark W. Clark * Gino De Giorgi (twice) * Ludovico De Filippi * Alfred Evans * Arturo Ferrarin * Alfred Gause * Joachim Helbig *

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...

* Sir William Holmes * Hans Kroh * * Hans-Joachim Marseille * Mario Masciulli * Walther Nehring * Erwin Rommel * Hans-Ulrich Rudel * Hippolyte De La Rue * Emanuele Ruspoli * Nazario Sauro * Achille Starace * Johannes Streich * Walkiria Terradura * Attilio Teruzzi * Marcello Serrazanetti * Edmond Thieffry * Cervi Brothers * Hans von Luck * Guido Jung *

Ada Gobetti Ada Gobetti (later Marchesini; ; 14 July 1902 – 14 March 1968) was an Italian teacher, journalist and anti-fascist leader. Biography With her husband Piero Gobetti she contributed to several antifascist magazines, including '' La Rivoluzio ...

Armando Diaz Armando Diaz, 1st Duke della Vittoria, (5 December 1861 – 28 February 1928) was an Italian general and a Marshal of Italy. He is mostly known for his role as Chief of Staff of the Regio Esercito during World War I from November 1917. He ...

* Gabriele D'Annunzio * Alessandro Sinigaglia * Mario Fiorentini (thrice) *

Emilio Lussu Emilio Lussu (4 December 1890 – 5 March 1975) was a Sardinian people, Sardinian and Italian writer, anti-fascist intellectual, military officer, Italian resistance movement, partisan, and politician. He is also the author of the novel ''One Yea ...

(twice)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Silver Medal Of Military Valor Military awards and decorations of Italy Courage awards * ca:Medalla al Valor Militar (Itàlia) fr:Médaille de la valeur militaire (Italie) it:Valor militare zh:银制勇敢勋章

Notable recipients

See also

References