History

This Order was established by Empress Maria Theresa of Austria to honour Hungarian nobility who had rendered substantial civil service.

The Order was considered the most prestigious award for civil merit in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Following the creation of the Hungarian Regency, also known as the Kingdom of Hungary, this Order ceased to be awarded within Austria. It was re-established as a purely Hungarian Order within the Hungarian Regency in 1938, discontinued in 1945, and reinstituted as a modern Hungarian Order in 2011.

There are two versions of the Type I Grand Cross Breast Cross. The earliest versions were embroidered, while the versions awarded from 1820-1840 are made of metal and feature smooth rays, and the versions awarded from 1840-1860 are also metal and feature faced rays.

Conferral of the Grand Cross grade was restricted to 20 members.

See the Order of St. Stephen of Hungary, in the Orders of the Hungarian Regency (1918-1944), and the Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, in the Orders of Hungary (1989) for more information.