The Military Order of Maria Theresa. Founded by the Empress Maria Theresa on 22 June 1757 as a reward for merit for senior military officers. The order was to be granted as a reward for acts of military valor and to perpetuate the memory of the brave officers receiving it. An officer had to command in a battle or a unit in a winning action to be eligible for the higher grades. For even the lowest class (Knight) an officer had to perform highly significant feats of valor and extreme devotion to duty, to be considered for the Order . With such strict requirements, the Order was sparingly awarded. As with many high orders the decoration was to be returned to the Chancellery of the Order on the death of the holder.

Like most Austrian Orders, it came in three classes or grades:



Knights Grand Cross: worn from the neck, or on an equal-striped red/white/red sash for more formal occasions. Included a breast star. Image of Franz Josef wearing Grand Cross.

Knights Commander: cross worn from the neck.

Knights: cross worn on left breast, suspended from its ribbon. Since the mid 1800s, the ribbons of Austrian awards were folded in a distictive triangular (dreiecks) shape. It was peculiarly Austrian but also copied by some nations under her cultural or military influence.