[4] Some of the heroic actions recognized by an award of the Virtuti Militari are equivalent to those meriting the British Victoria Cross[5] and the American Medal of Honor.

Since then, the award has been reintroduced, renamed and banned several times, with its fate closely reflecting the vicissitudes of the Polish people.

Throughout the decoration's existence, thousands of soldiers and officers, Polish and foreign, three cities and one warship have been awarded the Virtuti Militari for valor or outstanding leadership in war.

The order was originally created on 22 June 1792 by King Stanisław II August to commemorate the victorious Battle of Zieleńce.

By August 1792, a statute for the decoration had been drafted, which was based on one that was created for the Austrian Military Order of Maria Theresa.

For the Polish-Russian War in Defence of the Constitution of 1792, a total of 63 officers and 290 NCOs and privates were awarded the Virtuti Militari.

The statute was never fully implemented, however, since soon after its introduction the King acceded to the Targowica Confederation, which on 29 August 1792 abolished the decoration and prohibited its wearing.

Although on 23 November 1793 the Grodno Sejm reintroduced the decoration, it was banned again on 7 January 1794, at the insistence of Russia's Catherine the Great.

Prince Józef Poniatowski was promoted to commander-in-chief of all forces of the Duchy of Warsaw, the short-lived Polish state allied with Napoleon I of France.

According to the decree of 10 October 1812, each of the recipients of a Golden or Silver Cross had the right to a yearly salary until promoted to officer or (if demobilised) for life.

In addition, during the Napoleonic Wars, the present tradition of awarding the soldiers with the Virtuti Militari in front of the unit was established.

Recipients of the Silver Cross included three women:[11] After the defeat of the uprising, Tsar Nicholas I abolished the decoration and banned its use.

[12] On 31 December 1831 it was replaced with the "Polish Sign of Honor" (Polski Znak Honorowy), an exact copy of the original cross but awarded only to Russians for services to the Tsarist authorities.

Edward Rydz • Stanisław Haller de Hallenburg • Jan Romer • Kazimierz Sosnkowski • Leonard Skierski • Władysław Sikorski • Wacław Iwaszkiewicz • Duke of Torino Emmanuele Filiberto (Italy) • Gen.bryg.

Tadeusz Jordan-Rozwadowski III Class (14 awarded) • płk Stefan Dąb-Biernacki, ppłk Gustaw Paszkiewicz, Maj. Zygmunt Piasecki • and 11 foreigners IV Class (50 awarded) • ppłk Gustaw Paszkiewicz, Kazimierz Rybicki, Stefan Dąb-Biernacki • Maj. Zygmunt Piasecki • rotm Stanisław Radziwiłł (posthumously) • Sgt.

The new Chapter of the decoration (Kapituła Orderu Virtuti Militari) was comprised twelve recipients of the crosses, four from each class from I to IV.

The head of the chapter was Marshal of Poland Józef Piłsudski, the only living Pole awarded the Grand Cross with Star.

The state paid for the medical care of recipients and was obliged to provide each with a job that would enable him to "live a decent life".

During the Second World War, the Virtuti Militari was also often bestowed to senior military officers of allied armies, including British General Bernard Montgomery; the American Supreme Commander of the Allied forces, Dwight D. Eisenhower; French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny; Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov; and Serbian guerrilla leader Draža Mihailović.

[20] Among the recipients of the Golden Cross (Class IV) was destroyer ORP Błyskawica, probably the only warship in the world to be awarded the highest-ranking national medal.

[23] In 1995, President Lech Wałęsa revoked the Order given to Ivan Serov, who was accused of being responsible for the deaths of thousands of Poles.

[24] In 2006, President Lech Kaczyński revoked the Cross of the Order given to Wincenty Romanowski [pl], who had tortured anti-Communist resistance fighters.