- Time Period: Pre World War I
- Institution: 17 September 1898
- Country: Austria, Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Empire
The Imperial Austrian Order of Elizabeth (or Kaiserlich österreichischer Elizabeth-Orden in German) was an order created for women in 1898 by Francis Joseph, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary.
The order was the namesake of Saint Elisabeth of Hungary, but it was created to honor and memorialize Franz Joseph’s late wife, Empress-Queen Elisabeth. She spent her life giving alms to the poor and sick. After her husband’s death, she gave away the vast majority of his estate to build hospitals and to aid in the relief of her starving subjects and was canonized by Pope Gregory IX in 1235. She is considered the patron saint of bakers, beggars, and charities.
The insignia of the order was to be returned to the state upon the death of the member, or upon the advancement from a lower degree to a higher degree.
The order was divided into three classes:
- Grand Cross.
- First Class.
- Second class.
There were 81 awards of the Grand Cross, 332 awards of the I Degree, 500 awards of the II Degree, and 208 awards of the Elizabeth Medal for merit, between 1898 and 1918 when the Order was disbanded with the collapse of the monarchy.
An Elizabeth Medal for civil merit also existed.
The Order only existed until the end of the monarchy in 1918.
The Order of Elizabeth Design
The order’s badge is a silver Latin cross consisting of red and white enamels, with roses between the arms of the cross. The obverse bears a central white enameled medallion with a rightward facing bust of Elisabeth in gold. The reverse has a central white enameled medallion with a golden royal cipher of Elisabeth and fine hand-engraved detailing.
The ribbon is white and pink and measures 48.57 mm side by 52.40 mm high.
