The Medal for Bravery (or Tapferkeitsmedaille in German) was a military decoration of Austria-Hungary established in 1789 and awarded for bravery in battle until the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918.
The medal was created by Emperor Joseph II on 19 July 1789 in order to recognize courage in combat by personnel below commissioned rank. From 1789 to 1915, the Medal for Bravery existed in three classes:
- Golden Medal for Bravery,
- Silver Medal for Bravery 1st Class,
- Silver Medal for Bravery 2nd Class.
A fourth class, the Bronze Medal for Bravery, was introduced on 14 February 1915 during World War I. It was the same size as the Silver Medal 2nd Class. Bars denoting subsequent awards within the same class were introduced on 29 November 1915.
On 26 September 1917, Emperor Charles I amended the statutes of the Medal for Bravery and decreed that the Golden Medal for Bravery and the Silver Medal for Bravery 1st Class could now also be awarded to commissioned officers, particularly in cases where their services were not sufficient for the Military Order of Maria Theresa.
After World War I and the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, the newly established Kingdom of Hungary instituted in 1922 the Medal of Bravery in silver only. By 14 April 1939, gold, large silver, small silver and bronze awards were issued to non-commissioned officers and men and, on 12 September 1942, the gold medal for bravery award for officers was added.
The Medal for Bravery Design
All versions of the Medal for Bravery bear, on the obverse, the portrait of the reigning monarch on the obverse and the inscription “Der Tapferkeit” (“To Bravery“) on the reverse.
Medals awarded during World War I were minted with the portrait of Emperor Franz Josef on the obverse until some months after his death. Starting in April 1917, the visage of his successor, Emperor Charles I, was substituted.
Commissioned officers after WW1 wore the same medals as the ranks, plus the letter “K” (in gold or silver, depending on the class of the award) superimposed on the triangular ribbon.
