Romania


Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders the Black Sea, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia, and Moldova. It has a total area of 92,046 square miles and having almost 20 million inhabitants. Its capital and largest city is Bucharest.

Modern Romania was formed in 1859 through a personal union of the Danubian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. The new state, officially named Romania since 1866, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1877. At the end of World War I, Transylvania, Banat, Bukovina, and Bessarabia united with the sovereign Kingdom of Romania. During World War II, Romania was an Axis power and, consequently, an ally of Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union, fighting side by side with the Wehrmacht until 1944, when it joined the Allies and faced occupation by the Red Army's forces. Following the war, Romania became a socialist republic. After the 1989 Revolution, Romania began a transition towards democracy and a capitalist market economy.

The Order of Michael the Brave is Romania's highest military decoration, instituted by King Ferdinand I during the early stages of the Romanian Campaign of the First World War, and was again awarded in the Second World War. The Order, which may be bestowed either on an individual or on a whole unit, was awarded only for exceptional deeds on the battlefield.

Sources


Klietmann, Kurt Gerhard. Phaleristik: Rumänien. Berlin: Verlag die Ordenssammlung, 1975.
Marcel, Iliese. Insignele Aviatiei Militare Romane; Romanian Airforce Badges. Timisoara: Editura Mirton, 2007.
Pandis, Robert S. Flight Badges of the Allied Nations, 1914-1918. Robert S. Pandis, 2014.
Ruokonen, Antti. Yesterday and Today’s Knights: Orders of Romania. Vaasa: Antti Ruokonen, 2008.
“Administratia Prezidențială Cancelaria Ordinelor.” Cancelaria Ordinelor. http://canord.presidency.ro/Start!.htm.
“Liste der rumänischen Orden und Ehrenzeichen.” Wikipedia. Last modified on December 26, 2016.
Medalii, Decoratii si Ordine Romanesti (Romanian Medals & Orders). http://decoratiiromanesti.blogspot.ca/. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_rum%C3%A4nischen_Orden_und_Ehrenzeichen.
“Military Pilot Badges (1913-1947).” Antique Photos. Last modified in 2011. http://antique-photos.com/en/awardsdatabase/kingdom-romania/400-military-pilot-badges.html.
Orders and Medals. Last modified in 2017. http://www.ordersandmedals.ro/
Rathbone, Tod. “Romanian Air Force.” Rathbone Museum of WWII Aviators. http://www.rathbonemuseum.com/ROMANIA/ROMINSIG/ROMInsig.html.
“Romania’s National System of Decorations.” Monitorul Oficial. Bucharest, 2003.
“Romanian Orders, Decorations and Medals.” The Piersall Collection of Orders, Decorations, and Medals From Around the World. Last updated on October 6, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20140111223511/http://www.marksmedals.com/romanian_medals.html.
“База данных.” Sammler.ru. http://www.sammler.ru/database/index.php?cat=149.

All relevant government regulations can be accessed online from Cancelaria Ordinelor.

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