Royal Military Order of St Henry

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Royal Military Order of St Henry
Awarded by the Kingdom of Greater Carolina
Type: Military Medal
Awarded For: Gallantry in Action
Status: Currently Awarded
Statistics:
Established: 20 December 2008
First Awarded: 20 December 2008
Distinct Recipients: Matthew I, of South Carolina(All 4 Classes), Emperor Wilhelm I(All 4 Classes), Nicholas Bender(All 4 Classes), James Colaianni,(All 4 Classes), Vaughn Bullock(Knight's Cross) .
Precedence:
Next (higher): Royal House Order of the Rue Crown of South Carolina
Next (lower): Royal Merit Order of St Albert the Brave

The Royal Military Order of St. Henry is the highest military honor for the Kingdom of South Carolina. The Order can trace its roots directly to its ancestor in Saxony. At that time the order was the oldest military order of the states of the German Empire. It was founded on October 7, 1736 by Augustus III, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony, and refounded by King Matthew on December 20, 2008. The order comes in four classes: Grand Cross (Großkreuz), Commander's Cross 1st Class (Kommandeurkreuz I. Klasse), Commander's Cross 2nd Class (Kommandeurkreuz II. Klasse) or sometimes just Commander, and Knight's Cross (Ritterkreuz). Generally, the rank of the recipient determined which grade he would receive - the Grand Cross went to monarchs and the highest field commanders, the Commander 1st Class to senior generals, the Commander 2nd Class to officers major and above (with a few exceptions) and the Knight's Cross to all officers. Again with few exceptions, one was required to have received a lower grade before receiving the next higher grade. The badge of the order was a gold Maltese cross with white-enameled edges. Around the center medallion was a blue-enameled gold ring bearing on the obverse the words "FRIDR•AUG•D•G•REX•SAX•INSTAURAVIT" and on the reverse the motto "VIRTUTI IN BELLO" ("Bravery in War"). On the obverse, the medallion was yellow-enameled with a painted portrait of St. Henry, the last Saxon Holy Roman Emperor. On the reverse, the medallion bore the Saxon coat of arms (alternating vertical black and white stripes with a diagonal rue crown). Between the arms of the cross were green-enameled rue crowns, a symbol of Saxony. The badge was suspended from a royal crown. The Grand Cross was larger than the Commander's Cross, and the Commander's Cross was larger than the Knight's Cross. The star of the order, awarded with the Grand Cross and the Commander 1st Class, was a silver eight-pointed star featuring a larger version of the medallion with St. Henry of the obverse of the cross, but with the text of the ring of the reverse. The star was slightly larger for the Grand Cross. The ribbon of the order was light blue with yellow stripes near each edge. The Knight's Cross was worn as a breast badge on the upper left chest. The Commander's Crosses were worn from the neck, with the breast star of the Commander 1st Class on the lower left chest. The Grand Cross was worn from a sash over the shoulder, with the badge resting on the left hip. Its star was worn as with the Commander 1st Class. On occasion, the Grand Cross badge was worn from the neck and was distinguishable from the Commander's Crosses only by its size. This order is awarded for gallantry in action, that is above the Royal Merit Order of St Albert(Military Division), and the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Classes.