St. George Cross. History of one award

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:43

The St. George Cross is a legendary award established by Emperor Alexander I in 1807. It was then called differently - the Insignia of the Military Order. And only in 1913 another name was fixed - St. George's Cross. During the time of the Russian Empire, the order was awarded to the lower ranks for courage, on which, as you know, a great power rested. It is not worth talking about the significant role of the managerial link - the wisdom of the rulers is always the key to the stability and prosperity of the state. However, without the support of loyal servants, any well-thought-out political construction collapses like a house of cards.

The Soldier's St. George's Cross was first awarded to Yegor Mitrokhin, an officer of the Cavalier Guard Regiment. In the battles near the Prussian city of Friedland in 1809, the nobleman distinguished himself by his bravery in carrying out the assignment. There were a great many soldier medals in those days. However, the Order of St. George was an award that was awarded for certain heroic deeds, a listwhich was regulated in a special document - Status - and only to an officer. However, there were exceptions in history - the Decembrists and generals were sometimes awarded the cross.

The sign of the order gave its owner the privilege of getting rid of physical naka

knowledge and surplus wages. The increased salary was maintained for life, and after the death of the gentleman, widows received it, however, throughout the year. Numbering was minted on the crosses, which made it possible to keep a record of the Cavaliers of St. George.

In 1856, the degrees of the award were approved, the presentation of which was carried out in 4 stages. The St. George Cross of the 1st and 2nd degrees was made of the purest gold, the 3rd and 4th - cast from silver. The award was made from the lowest level. The order of the 1st degree, like the 3rd, was worn on a ribbon decorated with a bow. During the First World War, there were about a million "Georgievites".

In Soviet times, the award was not legalized by the government. However, no one prevented the soldiers of the First World War from wearing the order illegally. In times of

WWII most of the older people were mobilized, but the "Georgievites" were always and everywhere treated with respect. In 1944, Professor Anoshchenko sent a letter to Stalin with a request to legalize the oldest award. The Council of People's Commissars even issued an appropriate draft resolution on the issue, which, however, was not implemented. An alternative award in those days was the Order of Glory.

In 1992, by the decision of the PresidiumThe Supreme Council of the Russian Federation, the St. George Cross received its "resurrection". Until 2008, the order was awarded for feats accomplished in battles with an external enemy. However, the peacekeeping operation in Georgia forced the government to reconsider the situation. Since 2008, the George Cross has also been awarded for feats committed on the territories of other states, if the hostilities are aimed at restoring international peace and maintaining security.

Data on all the awardees are stored in the RGVIA, however, some of the documents were not included in the archive due to the events of 1917.