Vitézi Rend - The Knightly Order of Vitéz

Investiture in Casale Monferrato (Italy) on October 5 of the Knightly Order of Vitéz.

This Hungarian Order was initially founded in 1678 by Imre Thököly, (1657-1705), a Hungarian nobleman, who lead a rebellion against Leopold I of Austria, who suspended the Constitution and placed Hungary under a Directorate headed by the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order. Thököly gathered behind him a force of disaffected Hungarians composed mainly of disbanded soldiers and peasantry. His followers were known as kuruc (crusaders), a designation that was also used a century earlier by the followers of another rebel leader, György (George) Dózsa.

Since 1983, the Order of Vitéz is also awarded to Hungarians for peacetime achievements. Their insignia does not include the wartime sword device, and they are known as ‘Vitézi Rend Nemzetvédelmi Tagok’ (post-nominals VRNT). In Hungarian ‘Nemzetvédelmi’ literally means ‘defense of the nation’. The translation to English seems quite martial - the meaning would be described better in English as ‘defender of national culture’.

After the death of the Second Captain General of the Order, Field Marshal Archduke vitéz József, the Council of the Order elected as his successor Captain General vitéz Ferenc Farkas de Kisbarnak, the heroic defender of the Tatár pass during World War II, Chief Scout and organiser of the 1938 World Eucharistic Congress. Vitéz Ferenc Farkas de Kisbarnak resigned his office at the age of 85, then the Council of the Order of Vitéz elected as his successor and 4th Captain General of the Order of Vitéz, the grandson of Field Marshal Archduke vitéz Joseph, His Royal Highness Archduke vitéz Joseph Árpád in 1977, and is still the head of the Order today.