Order of Merit of the Kingdom of Hungary

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Order of Merit of the Kingdom of Hungary
Grand Cross with the Holy Crown of Saint Stephen, War Decoration and Swords
Country	Hungary
Established	June 14, 1922
First awarded	1922
Last awarded	1946

The Order of Merit of the Kingdom of Hungary (Hungarian: Magyar Érdemrend) was established on 14 June, 1922, by Miklós Horthy, the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary. On 23 December, 1935, it was transformed into an official distinction. Since then, it has been known as the Order of Merit of the Kingdom of Hungary (Hungarian: Magyar Érdemrend). After the Hungarian monarchy was abolished, on 14 September, 1946, the National Assembly of Hungary disestablished the order and replaced it by the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (Hungarian: Magyar Köztársasági Érdemrend). After the promulgation of the new Hungarian constitution on 20 August, 1949, the order was disestablished. After the collapse of the communist regime in Hungary, the order was re-established as the second-highest distinction of the country. Since 2012, the official name is Order of Merit of Hungary (Hungarian: Magyar Érdemrend).

Originally, the order was instituted as the Order of Merit in three grades: gilt, silver and bronze. Eventually the order was expanded to include the following seven classes: Collar, Grand Cross with Holy Crown, Grand Cross, Grand Commander, Commander, Officer and Knight.