| Military Order of Savoy | |
|---|---|
Insignia of the Knight Grand Cross of the Military Order of Savoy
| |
| Type | Order of knighthood |
| Awarded for | Valour |
| Presented by | Kingdom of Italy and Kingdom of Sardinia |
| Eligibility | Military personnel |
| Status | Reconstituted on 2 January 1947 |
| Established | Turin, 14 August 1815 |
| First awarded | Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia |
| Last awarded | Enrico de Nicola |
Ribbon of the order
| |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus |
| Equivalent | Military Order of Italy |
| Next (lower) | Civil Order of Savoy |
The Military Order of Savoy was a military honorary order of the Kingdom of Sardinia first, and of the Kingdom of Italy later. Following the abolition of the Italian monarchy, the order became the Military Order of Italy.
The origin of the Military Order of Savoy can be traced back to the Medal of Military Valor granted by Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia to his soldiers.
Between 1789 and 1815 this medal went into disuse because of the Piedmontese and Subalpine Republics and the subsequent Napoleonic regime in Italy in Savoy and Piedmont. On 1 April 1815 the medal was bestowed again by Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia and on the 14th of August of the same year replaced by the Military Order of Savoy. This military order was to be granted to the soldiers who fought in the army of Napoleon and became part of the Legion of Honor or the Order of the Iron Crown due to military merit. It was also conferred to officers of the Royal Sardinian Army and Navy, who have become Knights of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus for gallantry. The order was conceded to everyone no matter what religion or rank the soldier was. Under Charles Albert of Sardinia, the order fell into disuse in favor of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus and the re-established Medal of Military Valor.
In 1855, during the Crimean War, Victor Emanuel II re-established the Military Order of Savoy to reward all other kind of military merit, from the simple soldier up to the high-ranked officer, that performed a special military feat during battle.
Following the foundation of the Republic, the order was renamed in Military Order of Italy in 1947 and continues to be awarded under that title today.
The Order was once split into four different grades of merit:
The rank of knight replaced the Gold Medal of Military Valor, the rank of militant the Silver Medal of Military Valor.
In 1855 these four different grades were then modified into five:
For the latter degree, use of the term Knight (cavaliere) was more frequent than that of Militant (milite), although that term was never officially abolished.
The badge was a silver Savoy cross for the militants, and golden for all the other rankings. The cross was covered with white and red enamel and was surrounded with a laurel crown covered with green enamel. On top of the medal there was the royal crown of Sardinia, the medal was personally given from the sovereign in presence of the ranked troops in order to give military honours.
The militants wore the medal hanging from a blue ribbon pinned on the uniform at the height of the chest. The cavaliers wore it in the same manner but on top of the medal there was a rosette. The commanders wore the medal hanging from a blue ribbon around the neck while the Knight Grand Cross wore it hanging from a blue shoulder-strap at the height of the left hip together with a rosette pinned to the chest made out of silver and a round blue shield engraved on it and topped with the VE letters and circled with the engraving To the Merit and Valour.
After 1855 the badge was a Arrow Cross surrounded by a laurel and oak wreath. The center bore the year 1855 and the letters VE with two crossed swords, and the Savoy cross and the motto AL MERITO MILITARE on the backside.
 | ||||
| Ribbon | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| ||
|---|---|---|
| Republic (1946–present) |
|
|
| Dynastic orders of the monarchy (1861–1946) |
| |
See also: Template:Orders of Italian States before unification | ||
