The Military Order of Maria Theresa (German: Militär-Maria-Theresien-Orden; Hungarian: Katonai Mária Terézia-rend; Czech: Vojenský řád Marie Terezie; Polish: Wojskowy Order Marii Teresy; Slovene: Vojaški red Marije Terezije; Croatian: Vojni Red Marije Terezije) was the highest military honour of the Habsburg monarchy, Austrian Empire and Austro-Hungarian Empire.

This gave rise to a popular myth that it was awarded for (successfully) acting against an explicit order.

Prospective recipients were considered only in regard to their military service records; their ethnicity, birth and rank (as long as they were commissioned officers) were irrelevant.

Knight's Cross recipients were automatically ennobled with the title of Ritter in the Austrian nobility for life, and admitted to court.

During World War II, only one person received the Knight's Cross of the Order of Maria Theresa: Major General Kornél Oszlányi, commanding officer of the Royal Hungarian Army's 9th Light Infantry Division, for the battles at the river Don near Voronezh.