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| Imperial Austrian Order of Elizabeth | |
|---|---|
 Insignia of the order's third grade | |
| Type | Order of chivalry for women |
| Established | 17 September 1898 1898 - 1918 (National Order) 1918 - present (Dynastic Order) 17 November (Feast day) |
| Royal house | Habsburg-Lorraine |
| Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Awarded for | General welfare in Religious, Charitable or Philanthropic Merit |
| Status | Dormant since 1951 |
| Grades |
|
| Statistics | |
| First induction | 1898:Countess Irma Sztáray de Sztára et Nagymihály |
| Last induction | 1951:Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen |
| Total inductees | 1121 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Order of Leopold |
| Next (lower) | Order of Franz Joseph |
| Equivalent | Order of the Iron Crown |
 Ribbon of the order | |
TheImperial Austrian Order of Elizabeth (German:Kaiserlich österreichischer Elisabeth-Orden), established in 1898 byFrancis Joseph,Emperor of Austria andKing of Hungary, was anorder created for women. The order was named after SaintElisabeth of Hungary, but it was also founded to honor and memorialize Francis Joseph's late wife,Empress-Queen Elisabeth.
The order was divided into three grades – Grand Cross, 1st Class and 2nd Class. In addition, there was an Elizabeth Medal for civil merit.
According to medal expert and collector Yuri Yashnev:[1]
The award was intended for ladies, regardless of social status or religion, for merits in religious and charitable work. The award had four degrees - the Grand Cross, I Degree and II Degree, and also a cross of merit... Awards were made, personally, by the emperor... the badges and insignia of the Order were to be returned to the state upon the death of the member, or upon the advancement from a lower degree to a higher degree... 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.
| Ancient |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Empire (Male head) | ||
| Empire (Female head) | ||
| Empire (Female head) | ||
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